Kristina Rapson

Providing The Best Dog Training Toronto

Kristina is an award winning dog trainer and behaviourist in Toronto who recently won best dog trainer for the Canadian Choice Awards 2024. She has also been listed in the top 6 on 5 different lists. With a specialty in behavioural issues and rescue dogs, her methods are different than most other trainers with a focus first and foremost on improving the human / dog relationship and communication. If you think you’ve tried everything, it’s likely that Kristina has some new methods that will help you get you and your dog to where you want to be.

For more information on Kristina’s background, philosophies and services, please navigate through the menu

Having some trouble with your dog's behaviour?
We can help with anything including but not limited to:

Does your dog react by lunging, barking and growling on the leash towards people, dogs, small animals or fast moving objects?

Is your dog struggling with aggressive tendencies towards other dogs or people? Are they insecure or fearful? Are they resource guarding or possessive? 

Does your dog have a tendency to be hyperactive or over-excited? Are they constantly jumping up on people, pulling on the leash and barking or whining?

Does your dog have anxiety or fear towards people, environments or stimuli? Does your dog need some major confidence boosting?

Rescue dogs often come with some baggage and specific behaviour issues that need to be addressed. We specialize in rehabilitating rescue dogs and street dogs.

E-collar training can be an invaluable tool for specific behaviour modification or obedience training. It is especially helpful with recall and resource guarding.

Trusted & Certified
  • Kristina saved our dog Gigi’s life. Being a first time dog owner we were very overwhelmed with our dog’s aggressive behaviour. Kristina gave us the skills and tools we needed to work through the behavioural issues. Through our training sessions we learned how to care for Gigi so that the aggressive behaviour was avoided. Thank you Kristina for all your help and professional advice. We cannot thank you enough!

    Joe Avarino Avatar Joe Avarino
  • Highly recommend Kristina as a dog trainer. We have only done two private sessions and seeing immediate improvement with our 6 month puppy. Already we are seeing big improvements with his obedience, loose leash walking, mouthiness, jumping, reactivity, and overall manners. Kristina works hard to understand who you are, and who your dog is, and works to strengthen your bond and relationship with your dog first and foremost. She is attentive, calm, and very knowledgeable, and has pointed out things that I didn't know were contributing to certain behavioural issues, and more importantly, what I can do to address them. She sends detailed homework which was extremely helpful, and it includes tips and step by step guidance on how to address certain problem areas. Kristina's training philosophy is balanced and works to strengthen the relationship between you and your pup, establish your role and teach you how to better communicate with your dog. This was incredibly important for us, since we tried other training schools and approaches, and dedicated a LOT of time, and it still wasn't working. I'm so glad we found Hairy Tales and Kristina, I am enjoying seeing the positive changes, and most importantly I know I will have a well mannered dog who I can keep safe and happy.

    Christina Chaaya Avatar Christina Chaaya
  • Kristina is so knowledgeable and I really enjoy and respect her approach to training. My puppy has been responding so well and I can only imagine the kind of puppy I would have if I didn’t go to Kristina. She responds to texts in case you have follow up questions, which is super helpful. I would highly recommend.

    Sara S Avatar Sara S
  • I called Kristina shortly after bringing home my new puppy, a 9 month old rescue from Egypt. When I felt overwhelmed, she helped me to better understand his behaviours (and their underlying motivations) in order to help us live a happier and more balanced life together in a new environment. I really appreciate her check-ins and detailed "homework" to keep us on track and continuing to work on our bond. Kristina's guidance and expertise has transformed my relationship with my dog.

    Valerie Avatar Valerie
  • A perfect trainer to fit our needs as we raise our beautiful Bouvier

    Myriam and Roland Levasseur Avatar Myriam and Roland Levasseur
  • There's a good reason Kristina has 82-now 83- five star reviews here. My partner and I have been with her for just one session with our two rescue doggos and already she has helped us more than all the googling and unsolicited advice possibly could. She offers clear, concise instructions without shaming you for not knowing this as some trainers can. She is always paying close attention to the pups without making you feel ignored and uses those small moments that occur in sessions as only a professional like her could pinpoint as a learning experience for us, and teachable moments for the furry ones. We are absolutely thrilled and are looking forward to continuing this with her!

    Gideon Ruttimann-Hoskins Avatar Gideon Ruttimann-Hoskins
  • We've been working with Kristina for about one month now and completed two sessions. After our first session, we've seen so much improvement in our little rescue's confidence and obedience. Dobby is really reactive to other dogs and people outside, it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage him when we had to take him out for walks because he would bark or try to lunge at dogs or people even if they were across the street. He was also barking and protective of the home. Kristina has been really helpful with providing us with the tools to help us succeed and build a stronger relationship with our dog. She is really knowledgeable in dog behaviour and not only provides you with the training tools, she explains why the dog is behaving or reacting a particular way. Our relationship with our dog has become so much stronger since we've started, he really is much happier and less anxious. Kristina also provides detailed homework that you can refer back because there are so many things you need to remember. I highly recommend her! She is our second trainer we've worked with and we probably learned more in one session than we did in our previous 3 sessions with our last trainer. We plan to work with Kristina for as long as we can. Thank you!

    Tiffany Avatar Tiffany
  • Had 2 sessions with Kristina for my reactive dog. So far so good! Seeing lots of improvements. Kristina is very knowledgeable and professional. Would recommend

    Steven Lu Avatar Steven Lu
  • Kristina is a kind and compassionate trainer with a soft spot for international rescue. What is most impressive to me is her drive to continue to stay on top of her education. She has invested a lot of time and money into constantly learning more to help her students achieve the best possible outcomes with their dogs.

    Amber Remedios Avatar Amber Remedios
  • I had a great experience working with Kristina to train my puppy Alfie - she was thorough, king, patient and incredibly encouraging! She was flexible with the spring weather and sent extensive follow up emails to help with my training at home. She could even check in on how things were going in between our sessions, and always answered my random questions as well. Couldn't recommend her more! Such a great help to me.

    Julia Bennett Avatar Julia Bennett

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When clients follow my recommendations, there hasn’t been a dog I have not been able to help yet!
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