Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Mariana Jones (MJ to all that know her) was the first Family Dog Mediator® in Ontario! One thing, that as an FDM® she is very passionate about, is bridging the gap between what our dogs need and what we, as their caregivers, want. After becoming a Certified Dog Trainer at the Victoria Stilwell Academy, MJ opened My Girl Friday and began her career as a dog “trainer” (although, she’s trying to move away from using that title).

MJ’s goals are really quite simple:

To help people see the world from their dogs' point of view.

To help dogs become confident, feel safe and understood.

To help dogs and their caregivers to develop stronger bonds.

There are many "basics" that can be learned and more "advanced" behaviours that might need to be addressed but underneath it all, the goal for MJ and My Girl Friday is to empower every dog and human to live together with understanding, kindness, compassion, empathy, trust and love. We don't teach obedience at MGF. MJ teaches humans to understand WHY a behaviour may be happening, based on the L.E.G.S® (Learning, Environment, Genetics and Self) of the dog. Once we know WHY the behaviour is happening, we can figure out HOW help the dog and what we need to teach the dog so they can thrive in our human world. Just like we are born unknowing of how the world around us works, our dogs are the same and we need to teach them the basics by giving them a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning and growing together!

MJ currently shares her life with her two children, three dogs (Happy, Joy and Maximum), two cats (Monster and Magic), a ball python (Ink), two bearded dragons (Alex and Ash) and (currently) has five foster dogs. Every dog in her life teaches, inspires and brings joy to her every single day!