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About us

Est. 2005

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Here's a bit of history on Mimi the Pack Leader.

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Mimi operates Doggy DooLil Daycare out of her home in North Surrey.  She started the daycare 2005, after completing business school, got certified in Pet First Aid and Novice Obedience Dog training, and then took the 'Animal Emotions' behavioral course and got certified. 

 

Mimi's successful dog daycare, boasts a dog friendly home environment with fun space, lots of toys, a big dog bone pool and clean pet pro turf and tons of comfort. She has an air purification system for clean and sanitized air and an A/C for hot summer days.

 

Doggy Doolil daycare is licensed and insured for the protection of everyone's pet. Now with so many years experience in dog wrangling and as a trainer, she's a great choice for all. 

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She believes membership and consistent attendance helps the dogs form a pack that's just like family. They all know each other and learn to treat each other with love and respect, and that helps everyone get along great. Now wouldn't you want to know who your dog is exposed to each and every day?

 

The most important part of being part of a pack of dogs is knowing who's in charge. It's Mimi, and the dogs know it. There is no doubt Mimi has the love and respect of her pack. Here you get to go in to see her in action. She commands quietly and assertively, and they listen to her. With many puppies at one time, that can prove to be a challenge, but she won't give up. Consistency is key. And her nerves can wear just like everyone, but she stays cool. 

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After 13 successful years, Mimi relocated her daycare to Bridgeview, down by Patullo bridge in the summer of 2017. She spared no expense and has installed Pet Turf synthetic grass with Zeolite. It was beautifully installed by 'Tanners Turf' using Rymar Canadian quality turf, to control odor and bacteria.

 

There is also a UVA/UVB protection sail shade installed in the summer, creating a shaded area. She has updated the supplies with a ton of new dog toys and even got a new bigger dog pool, agility jumps and a tunnel.  The dog waste is picked up weekly.

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Mimi believes dogs need space, and when the right pack leader gives the dogs trust and supervision, they can cohabit together as a happy pack. She offers toys and mentally stimulating games, and does not use crates or kennels to separate the dogs. A truly open concept daycare that is just like your own private off leash park with it's own personal dog handler. No segregation or separation of age, size, or breed. It's a beautiful thing. We have no barking unless mom or dad show up at pickup time, and then that only lasts a few seconds. We allow for that :)

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Mimi was trained by Master Trainer Tony Parker of the 'Canadian Institute of Professional Dog Training' school back in 2011. She is an accredited Canine Instructor, and a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers. Mimi has her Pet First Aid certification and her C.P.D.T certification and is insured, licensed and lives on site 24/7.  She earned certification for 'Animal Emotions' through the Illis ABC Animal Behaviour College with Karolina Westlund Phd in 2018. 

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Mimi's style of training is partly inspired by Cesar Millan, and she runs her pack with the same calm and assertive energy. She does not teach obedience classes, but offers private one on one sessions for basic obedience. Her passion is teaching pack leadership, one on one. It helps new or struggling dog owners learn how to establish leadership within the home and when out walking the dog. It's all about taking control and earning their love and respect. 

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She helps rescues find confidence with the help of the pack. And helps with the difficult pup or adult dog that just won’t listen. She even offers growling class, which it seems…is a great way to communicate with your dog. A growl is not always what we think it is!

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Mimi has over 17 years’ experience rehabilitating a variety of behavioral issues in powerful large and small breeds using calm assertive energy, re-direction and positive reinforcement. She is not a fully certified Behaviorist yet, but is working to complete her full certification, and with years of studying the pack of dogs she had or worked with, she has immense understanding of pack behavior and how the pack can help rescues find calm and confidence. She backs that up with customized behavior programs for her clients.

 

The new 2018 'animal emotions' course she received certification for, gave her so much insight to what dogs feel and think about, and it has helped her understand the dogs and their individual issues even better. 

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Mimi helped rescue a Yellow Lab back in 2019, and named him Sandy. He came from a neglectful home where the owner left him as a very young pup in the back yard, day and night, in winter until his rescuers came along when he was six months old to rescue him. He now loves having friends coming daily to play with, and support him. He lives the best life! Mimi is a true dog mom and decided to keep him. 

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In 2022 she rescued a Saint Bernard that didn't see or experience much from inside the 4 walls of his crate for his first 5 months of his life. At 7 months old and 115 lbs., she took him in. Duke had no muscle and could barely walk.
Duke was a biter and needed a lot of rehabilitation. After 8 months of working on him and socializing him, we found a young family in Langley with acreage, that have a pot bellied pig, a female Border Collie and Goats, willing to give him the love and space he so badly needed. It was a successful rehabilitation. 
 

She recently took on her daughters senior dog Amicus, as he needs more attention and care than she is able to give him with a growing family. He is doing great and loves being back with the pack. It's like he gained a few years and some muscle from all his activity. Sandy loves his new bro and they are tight. 

 

The Christmas 2023 added another dog to the pack. Little Feebee, a Chorkie toy dog and another female in the pack. The Chihuahua in her makes a great dominant controller and her terrier from the Yorkie makes her fearless and persistent. She loves her big brothers and gives Mimi the cuddles the big Labs aren't able to due to their size and weight. 

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Just like Cesar, she rehabilitates dogs, and trains people.

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Mimi  Jacobson

I’m the alpha in our pack…and I’m always here to keep it calm, consistent and safe.              

                          Mimi Jacobson C.P.D.T

So...what's so special about me, you might ask yourself. Well, nothing at all, really. I just seem to have a knack for understanding dogs, and have been called a dog whisperer on occasion. I always wanted to teach, so becoming an obedience trainer after the success of our home based dog daycare, just made sense. 


I received my formal training and certification from Canadian Institute of Professional Dog Training founder, Tony Parker, a Master Dog Trainer and esteemed behaviourist.
I also studied 'Animal Emotions' with the Illis ABC - Animal Behaviour online College by Karolina Westlund Phd. 

 

Personally, I have many years experience with dogs. We had two toy Poodles and a Yellow Lab in the family growing up in Sweden, and mom brought them here to Canada when we all moved here back in 1979. When we moved to the Okanagan we took on little Buttons. A Chi mix. Then I found Bowie, a Border Collie, when I was in my twenties, and he was an awesome Frisbee dog. We also had Spike and Sugar, a Morkie and Pom.

Last but not least, my rescue mutt Alfina. She was part Shepherd, Lab and Border Collie. She had all of the wonderful traits of each dog.  She was the best retriever and she had amazing herding instincts. She was very vocal and the calmest Alpha dog I have yet to see.  She had the love and respect of the whole pack, and it was wonderful to watch.

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What I later discovered in running the daycare was that my dog Alfina took to being the Alpha almost right away. She held second position to me, and when I wasn't able, she stepped up to the plate. Rescues all gravitated to her calm and protective nature, and the pack would help and support the rescue dogs in every situation. I can honestly say, I couldn't do without my pack if rehabilitating a rescue was the mission. 


So my unique training style came about after I took my personal knowledge of handling dogs in daycare over the last decade, and from reading some popular dog training books, and getting certified in dog obedience and also taking a course in 'Animal Emotion', for my behavioral training. Through R & D, I developed my own style of calm and assertive leadership training for humans. PackLeader Obedience was born. 

 

Many ask me to train their dogs so they don't have to, and then want to come pick them up when I'm done. Basic Obedience can work that way as long as you know the hand signals and command words, and can show patience and love. Dogs respect that. This can be done, but when they don't understand basic rules on behavior and their boundaries, or how to enforce them in a calm assertive way, then it won't work. I could get your dog to do what I want it to right away, in most cases...but can they get the dog to do that once they are back home?


I decided to start teaching the owner how to communicate and own their space, set some rules and uphold the boundaries they have set in their home and life, so they don't end up frustrated and regretting even getting the dog.

 

I suggest you learn Pack Leadership, so you will know how to train your own dog, because training continues throughout their life, always learning new things and exploring new places.  With good communication, you can teach your dog to do almost anything. They really are our best friends!

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SANDY
DUKE
Edited Image 2016-03-08 16-48-03
AMICUS
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