Manon Richard

Manon has always been close to animals and especially to dogs. As early as four years old, she was already very close to Rex the german shepherd, Manouche the doberman, Cookie the beagle mix and Scruffy the yorkshire.This love affair has never stopped to this day! From the minuscule toy or "tea-cup" dogs to the imposing mastiffs, with all sorts of sizes and breeds in between, she has learned to know and appreciate them all.

With time, her special contact with so many types of breeds of dogs enabled her to study and observe all facets of canine language and behavior. She was able to help many people in her entourage to better communicate with and train their dog.

A few years ago, Manon, who owned a multimedia company, decided to transform her passion for dogs into a full time occupation. In order to add a diploma to her existing knowledge, she took a Dog Trainer, Behaviour Specialist course at the CECA (Centre d'Études en Comportement Animal or Center for Studies in Animal Behaviour) and she worked with the Montreal SPCA's most difficult cases.This tough training enabled her to deepen her theoretical knowledge and to test her practical abilities with dogs having some severe behavioral issues. Her teacher, Michel Fournier, has been a Dog behaviour expert for over twenty years and is considered one of the best in Quebec. Under his guidance,she had the privilege of rehabilitating dogs who would otherwise have been euthanized. These dogs have now all been become part of loving homes.

She adopted a puppy who had a serious lack of socialization and who was afraid of humans. This wire-haired tekkel and shnauzer mix is named Kipi. He is now two and a half years old and has gained so much self-confidence that he accompanies Manon in the rehabilitation of small fearful dogs. Kipi has also overcome his fear of people enough to face the turmoil of a film set and play the star in a Fido add!

Manon's techniques and approach with dogs, especially her understanding of the attitude and energy a good leader must have with his pet, brings her clients to often comparing her methods to Cesar Millan's (le "Dog Whisperer") which is a great honor and reference in itself.

Manon founded Maestro Canine Psychology in 2008 and since then, her reputation through word of mouth has brought her much success. So much so that, in 2010, no longer able to supply the demand alone, she recruited Maxime Da Sylva to work with her. Together, they visited hundreds of customers for two years, visists for which they are proud to boast 100% customer satisfaction. Early in 2012, Manon decided to move to the country -a long-time dream of hers- and has recently founded MiniMeute a daycare and vacation camp for small dogs. Maxime is now running Maestro, but Manon still acts as an advisor for the most difficult cases.

Maxime Da Sylva

As a teenager, Maxime had already understood that the best way to overcome the fear of dogs he had since childhood was to adopt one! So at eighteen, he "took the bull by the horns" and adopted a pittbull puppy. This experience transformed his life and taught him that it is never too late to transform our fears and weaknesses into strenghts.

Today, ten years later, Maxime has been a dog walker since 2009 and has a bull terrier german shepherd mix called Fibi. She accompanies him everywhere and shows others how to behave in the ''pack walks'' that Maxime does with our customers' dogs. 

As a dog walker, Maxime has acquired experience with all sorts of breeds (miniature pinscher, golden retriever, chihuahua, great dane, etc.).  He can teach you how to walk your dog safely and confidently whether on foot, or jogging, or biking, or rollerblading or even skateboarding.

When he started in this field of work, Maxime learned with Mario Perez, a full time dog walker from Nun's Island  He also had taken some lessons in dog training with JR dog Training.

His passion for dogs and his desire to share his knowledge with others came to life a few years ago when he discovered Cesar Millan's show (the "Dog Whisperer") on National Geographic.  He was strongly influenced by Cesar's generous and passionate nature.  He started practicing his techniques and teaching his philosophy to help many dog owners to rapidly eliminate behaviour problems that they considered hopeless.

In Spring 2010, Maxime joined Manon Richard, whose techniques with dogs reminded him of Cesar Millan's. Since then, he has acccompanied her in hundreds of client visits, practicing and complementing her different training and behavioural methods. Manon is delighted with Maxime's skills, talent and competence which have made him very popular with clients. Since, at the beginning of 2012, Manon has decided to move to the country to open MiniMeute, a daycare and vacation camp for small dogs, she is proud and honored to pass Maestro's torch into Maxime's capable hands.