People

Junaid Merchant

Junaid Merchant is one of India’s leading Dog Trainers and Canine Behaviourists.

He has been working with dogs for over twenty years.

An avid working dog enthusiast he has pioneered Agility, Search and Rescue, Assistance Dogs and Therapy Dogs in India.

Junaid is passionate about the olfactory powers of the canine nose and specialises in the training of Detection Dogs.

Together with his wife Shirin , who is an Associate of John Rogerson, he founded Canines Can Care, an organisation dedicated to training Assistance Dogs for the disabled and Search and Rescue Dogs besides holding Dog Training Seminars and courses all over India and Sri Lanka.

Dogs trained by Canines Can Care were the only Indian SAR Dogs present at the time of the Bhuj Earthquake in Gujrat where they saved five lives.

Canines Can Care has also trained and placed India’s first fully trained Assist Dog . At present the Organisation is has five more dogs undergoing advanced training. Canines Can Care also pioneered the concept of therapy dogs and conducted sessions with the Spactics Society of India, the Indian Army’s paraplegic Centre at Khadki, Pune and at various schools in Maharashtra.

Junaid and Shirin launched Woof ! the mag with a wag, India’s first dog magazine which keeps its readers updated on the correct methods of dog training, puppy socialisation and all matters related to a happy and healthy owner-pet dog relationship. The magazine today is subscribed by dog owners from across the globe.

A variety of dog training and behaviour courses are conducted by Junaid and Shirin at the Skytracker dog training facility including one in association with Mr. John Rogerson. The courses offer participants an insight into the canine mind as well as cover subjects such as Agility, Tracking, Search and Rescue, Advanced Competitive Obedience, Detector Dog Training, Behaviour Modification and the secrets of Canine Psychology.

Junaid Merchant has been an Obedience Judge with the Indian National Kennel Club as well as a Police Dog Trials Judge.

Junaid in his capacity as CEO of Skytracker Detection Dog Squad is the Chief Consultant for the Sniffer Dog Unit of the Mumbai Customs and is currently helping the Bangalore Customs to set up a Sniffer Dog Unit.

Together with his wife, Junaid has helped owners to train over 2000 dogs in his career.

Shirin Merchant

‘Canines Can Care’ is the only canine organisation of its kind in India. The organisation has pioneered not only the concept of Assistance Dogs in the country, but also the concept of Search and Rescue Dogs. In fact, the ‘Canines Can Care’ search dog team was the only one representing India in the aftermath of the Gujarat earthquake.

Besides the above, “Canines Can Care” also conducts dog training courses for pet owners, offers behavioural advice for problem dogs, holds agility training sessions, runs courses on canine behaviour and is involved in pioneering many more dog related activities all over the country.

The founder of “Canines Can Care” – Shirin Merchant, is an associate of world-renowned animal behaviourist and trainer John Rogerson and the youngest member of The Northern Centre for Animal Behaviour, England and The Pet Behaviour Institute, England. She has been working in the field of canine behaviour and training for over fifteen years in India and is responsible for pioneering canine behaviour counselling in the country. She is the Founder Editor of the highly popular canine magazine, Woof! The Mag with a Wag!

Over the past fifteen years, Shirin Merchant has trained over one thousand dogs with breeds ranging from the feisty Pomeranian to the shy Samoyed. She is the only qualified canine behaviour counsellor in India and is in great demand with most of Mumbai’s dog owners with problems regarding their pets. The problems have ranged from dominance, housetraining, chewing, aggression and destruction to boredom and compulsive behaviours.

Canines Can Care recently added a new feather to their cap when they pioneered the concept of ‘Canines For Corporates’ – offsite training camps with a difference - wherein participants learn and develop a variety of skills that will help them through work and life through interacting with and training dogs. . The USP of the camp is that though human teachers are present, the participants learn the most from the original teachers at the venue – the animals.