Civil Canine

02/17/2025

Is your dog enjoying the blizzard?

02/12/2025

It’s nice to have friends to bring you soup when you’re sick, especially when you have a dog that needs help learning how to work through the stress of people coming into the home.
✅ pictures of me training Bino that arent screenshotted from a video
✅ door drills with Bino (he crushed it)
✅ ate some highlighter yellow noodle soup

02/09/2025

The inn is full tonight 🪩
Swipe to the end for a surprise

01/26/2025

Handsome Bino has just started his 6 week program with us!
Bino struggles with fear based reactivity and often makes poor choices whenever he’s faced with stress. Over the next six weeks we’re going to show him the right choices to make and how to feel more confident when he’s unsure about things. We’ll also work on some basics like off leash recall, solid place command, and a nice loose leash walk to compliment the rest of his training.
In quite a few of the videos and pictures you’ll likely see him with a muzzle on until he builds a bond with me. In the past when he’s been spooked he has nipped a few times and while safety is our utmost concern, it’s also important that he doesn’t learn that this is a successful way to get what he wants. With the muzzle on, if he does make the wrong choice it won’t be as successful as if he were to not have a muzzle on.
Muzzles can be awesome tools to be used as an additional safety precaution, like a seatbelt, and when a dog is properly conditioned to them like Bino is, it adds no additional stress to them.

01/16/2025

You go to pick up a puppy from a litter and there’s a second one still waiting for a home. They look so cute together! “We can afford the extra vet bills and food costs, what’s the harm in bringing home two?” you ask.

Littermate syndrome, something that can happen when bringing home sibling dogs from the same litter. While it might seem like a great idea to get two puppies at once, raising littermates can lead to significant behavioral challenges.

Dogs from the same litter often form an extremely strong bond with each other, which can make them overly dependent and lead to issues with separation anxiety, poor socialization with other dogs, and even aggression toward each other as they grow
older.

Raising two puppies at the same time means double the work-each dog will need individual training, socialization, and time apart to develop into confident, well-adjusted adults. If they spend too much time together without this individualized attention, they may struggle to learn how to cope independently, which can lead to anxiety and behavioral issues.
This can be overwhelming for even the most dedicated dog owners.

For those of you with siblings, imagine if your brother or sister was your main reference point for learning how to treat others and behave in social situations. You’d have a rude awakening when you went out in public!

Similarly, dogs with littermate syndrome can present as socially awkward or inappropriate to other dogs when they expect that dog to play, act, or react like a sibling would.

If you’re thinking about getting two dogs, it’s often best to stagger the adoption, giving each dog the time and space to develop its own identity and independence.
Raising dogs with the proper training and socialization can set them up for long-term success, but it requires careful planning and commitment.

Always consult a professional trainer to help guide you through the process if you decide to raise siblings!

01/14/2025

Important communication notice!

It came to my attention this afternoon that not only was my website down but my email had disconnected from multiple of my contact forms (since what looked like at least December if not before that). My domain had also had a few issues with my email itself resulting in some emails not making it through and/or getting lost in cyberspace.

HUGE apologies if you reached out for boarding or training and haven’t received a response, the issue should be remedied now.
Looking forward to hearing from you now that all my communication is working 😅

Note to self, send a test email every month.

01/12/2025

Snug as a bug (Diego) in a rug (heated blanket)

01/02/2025

Two years ago, Civil Canine was just a dream—and today, it’s a thriving reality.
As the owner and trainer, I’m incredibly grateful for every client who has trusted me to guide them on their training journey. Together, we’ve tackled challenges, celebrated breakthroughs, and strengthened relationships between dogs and their owners that will last a lifetime.

This milestone isn’t just about the business; it’s about the friendships we’ve formed, the dogs who’ve inspired me, and the countless adventures we’ve shared. Thank you to everyone who has supported Civil Canine—whether you’ve worked with us directly, cheered us on from afar, or recommended us to a friend. Here’s to continuing to grow, learn, and make a difference for dogs and their people in the years to come.

Owning a business is one big adventure and the product is what you make it! We’re constantly changing and improving into something newer and better. I can’t wait to see where this next year will take us.

12/25/2024

The friendly faces of Civil Canine this week 💙
Daisy, Tuna, Koda, Ovi, Zuko, Yara, and Lumi

12/24/2024

These are the vibes we bring to the function.

12/19/2024

Tuna is here for a little vacay!

He’s one of my private lesson clients who’s ALMOST done his lesson package but he’s good as gold.

We offer discounted boarding rates to training clients and will also upkeep (or maybe give a little refresher 😉) to their training!

12/18/2024

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Kennel cough can be really mild for some dogs but like any respiratory illness can become serious for some dogs that are too young, old, or sick to have a strong immune system.

Do your part in preventing the spread by vaccinating your dog and keeping them out of public areas if they show symptoms!

Share this post to spread the info to those who may not know!

11/23/2024

Our latest graduate, Freddy!
This superstar finished off our loose leash walk package with an outing in a busy part of town and absolutely crushed it.
Bonus, Freddy has a cute trick where he’ll take a selfie with you. 10/10 recommend.
Congratulations to Freddy and Maddy!

11/21/2024

Meet Diego! Diego is a 2 year old mixed breed (we’re waiting on that embark though 😉) rescued from Tijuana as a potato sized pup. He’s a hard working dog who’s SUPER food motivated and is going through our Express Recall program!
Fun fact, Diego - although adopted in San Diego - is named after Frida Khalo’s husband. Their cat’s name? Frida 🥺💚

10/11/2024

New camera lens, who dis?

Prime day deals scored me a 50mm lens for my Sony and I’m in L O V E 😍

Swipe to the end to see the best face of em all

10/07/2024

Loki just started his five private lesson package today! He had a good foundation in obedience through prior training and is looking to keep working to help address some reactivity and other issues!

10/03/2024

It’s Tool & Technique Thursday which means it’s time for another recommendation!

I love using the WestPaw Toppl as an enrichment toy for my dogs.

You can fill it with anything your dog likes to eat (in healthy portions) and freeze for them to enjoy at a later time. This way you can work their brains AND they get a yummy treat to enjoy. You can buy lots of add ons to make them more advanced as well.

Lumi and Yara’s favourites are big country raw, plain Greek yogurt, some fruits or safe berries like blueberries, and sometimes on special occasions, a frozen chicken foot/duck neck 🤢 You can also add things like kibble soaked in water/broth so it freezes well.

This can be good for a busy work day, bad weather, or just a special treat! Note that your dog should be supervised when eating these. They’re not as durable as a Kong and can be chewed up if your dog goes on a side quest from their snack, BUT they’re durable enough to last a long time.

Plus they come in pretty colours.

What are your favourite enrichment toys?

09/26/2024