Clickstart Dog Training Academy
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Where positive relationships begin. Clickstart is co-owned by Cassie Pestana BA, KPA-CTP, CBCC-KA and Liv Healy MA, CBCC-KA, FFTP.
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Both Cassie and Liv are certified professional trainers with over 15 years combined experience. They are dedicated to providing both dogs and their guardians with ethical & effective training. Change your dog's life by starting training with Clickstart!
05/13/2024
Did you know, dogs can smell up to 100,000 times better than humans? The proportion of their brain devoted to processing olfactory information is 40 times bigger than ours!
You have likely noticed that your dog enjoys sniffing, tracking, or scavenging. One of the best enrichment activities you can provide is one that satisfies their strongest sense.
If you want to watch your dog get to know their nose and strengthen their ability to identify and search for odor, then a Nose Work class is the place to do so!
Facts about our Nose Work classes:
• Mara from is our experienced instructor
• Classes take place on our campus in Lake Forest
• We offer 4 levels of class designed to get you ready for NACSW trials and your first Odor Recognition Test.
• Nose Work is reactive dog friendly! As long as your dog can wait their turn comfortably in the car and can be comfortable in the presence of the instructor, then they’re welcome and encouraged to join!
• We cap classes at 4-5 dogs so that your pup gets plenty of search time. You’ll also have the opportunity to watch other student’s searches to make the most of every minute of class.
• You’ll receive wrap up emails with instructions and recommendations for how to continue your Nose Work practice at home.
Not only will your dog learn how to trust their sense of smell, but they’ll learn how to work independently and how to focus on a single task at hand and ignore distractions. They’ll grow in confidence as they are tasked with new challenges. You’ll learn how to read your dog’s body language and bond with your dog by entering their world.
It’s an amazing sport that allows your dog to be in the driver seat while you sit back, impressed and in awe of your their super power.
If you’re interested in more information,
comment NOSEWORK for a link to our waitlist! 📧
📸 : .photographs
04/30/2024
Look at this handsome STAR Puppy! 🤩
Proud to announce our supawstar has officially graduated Elementary School from Clickstart Dog Training Academy and passed his American Kennel Club S.T.A.R. Puppy test! 🥳
We're looking forward to continuing his training in preparation for his Canine Good Citizen, Canine Good Citizen Advanced, and Canine Good Citizen Urban titles. 🏅
03/25/2024
LIVE, today at NOON, on OC Talk Radio🎙️We'll be joined by Cassie Pestana of Clickstart Dog Training Academy 🐕🦺 Tune in as we chat about her journey with the SBDC and small business ownership 💼
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01/29/2024
When, Why, and How do you socialize a puppy safely?
We know safety is a concern for young pups but you don’t want to miss out on your chance to socialize! Find out the compromise at the link below.
When and why should you socialize your puppy, and how do you do it safely? Here's what to look for in a puppy socialization class.
01/29/2024
01/03/2024
🐾 Are you *expecting a puppy* soon? Then you won’t want to miss our upcoming Puppy Prep Seminar! 🐾
This hands-on workshop will answer all of your questions and cover the puppy prep essentials so the whole family is ready for your new four-legged addition. You will learn the do’s and dont’s of creating the perfect puppy raising space, how to establish schedules and routines that set everyone up for success, along with expert tips on potty training, puppy biting, home alone training, socialization and so much more.
This seminar is 90 minutes, takes place at our Clickstart Campus in Lake Forest, and is for humans only.
Click the link below to save your spot!
Schedule your appointment online Clickstart Dog Training Academy
09/04/2023
Have you ever wanted to invest in Clickstart? Well now is your chance! Check out our latest newsletter for more information about opportunities to fund our dream and be reinforced for your support.
Access the newsletter by clicking below 👇🏽
Hello and happy September from Clickstart! We have so many exciting updates to share with you. Don't miss our Clickstart Campus announcement, new investment opportunities, & upcoming classes (starting as early as next weekend!).
08/09/2023
Dreams do come true! We just signed the lease on this beautiful building!
Wow. What a journey.
It’s been 7 years since I told Liv we need to open our own training space.
It’s been 4 years since we sat down with our first business consultant and went over our first business plan.
It’s been 2 years since we started looking for a space and 6 months of working the deal for this one.
Orange County doesn’t make it easy but nothing was going to stop us.
Clickstart’s first campus will be opening soon! 🥳
01/04/2023
Come hike with us! Link to save your spot is below. See you on the trails. 🐾
Schedule your appointment online Clickstart Dog Training Academy
09/15/2022
The reason we don’t advocate for tools and training techniques that incorporate coercion, fear, discomfort or pain isn’t because those things don’t work to change behavior. We can recognize that something like a prong collar /could/ reduce pulling on leash, while also recognizing that there are so many better, less risky, less aversive and more effective ways to teach a dog to walk on leash.
Leave it to the brilliant Dr. Susan Friedman in her 2008 article “What’s wrong with this picture? Effectiveness is not enough” to summarize:
“Effectiveness is not enough when it comes to choosing and applying behavior-change interventions with animals... Without this ethical standard, interventions are likely to be selected on the basis of convenience, familiarity, speed, or blind authority, and may inadvertently produce the detrimental side effects of punishment and learned helplessness in our [animals].
The commitment to using the most positive, least intrusive, effective interventions slows us down so that we think before we act, and make choices about the means by which we accomplish our behavior goals. In this way, we can be both effective and humane, a minimum standard of care we should rise to meet on behalf of the welfare of captive animals and caregivers alike.”
You and your dogs deserve trainers and behavior consultants who don’t guarantee results by any means necessary. There is room in this dialogue for human welfare alongside animal welfare, and neither end of the leash needs punishment to accomplish that.
09/05/2022
If you are working through reactivity (barky lungey behaviors) with your dogs, we highly recommend checking the following books:
📒 “Canine Enrichment for the Real World” by Allie Bender and Emily Strong
📕 “Plenty in Life is Free” by Kathy Sdao
📗“Control Unleashed. Reactive to Relaxed” by Leslie McDevitt
📙“Chill out Fido!” by Nan Arthur
📔“Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
📘“The New Click to Calm” and “Teaching a Reactive Dog Class” by Emma Parsons
📓“Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0” by Grisha Stewart
For more information on why we recommend each book for reactivity specifically, check out our new blog (link in bio)!
If you’re not a reader or are struggling to implement these exercises and concepts on your own then you’re in luck ⬇️
The next round of our cost-effective Reactive Rover Recovery class begins soon! We pull from all 7 of these books and more to provide our learners with a comprehensive approach to working through reactive behaviors.
This 6-week class takes place LIVE on Zoom with two certified behavior consultants. You’ll have opportunities to ask questions and submit homework assignments for feedback. Complete all of your homework satisfactorily and you’ll receive a 20% discount on virtual or in-person private coaching! Because we all deserve some R+ for our hard work.
08/24/2022
What are your favorite responses to people asking about your dog’s muzzle?
If your dog wears a muzzle in public, for whatever reason, you’re bound to get the occasional question or comment on it. We’ve heard everything on the spectrum from sincere curiosity to totally nasty and unwarranted judgment.
You definitely don’t need to respond at all, especially if stopping to chat would trigger your pup, but we like to have a few phrases locked and loaded. Here’s a short collection of some of our go-to replies to common questions. Honorable mentions (that didn’t fit the format of this post) to go:
✨We’re planning a trip to Catalina and muzzles are required on the ferry.
✨We’re practicing to make the muzzle fun just in case of emergency.
✨We’re working on a Hannibal Lecter cosplay.
We love to pepper in a little public education if and when we have the opportunity and bandwidth to do so. Sometimes a little clarification, or even just humor, can change someone’s perspective.
We cover fighting muzzle stigma and so much more in our Muzzle Magic eCourse, which is now officially live and available for purchase ($19.99 for lifetime access to the self-paced course)! Link in bio.
pinned in comments 📌
08/14/2022
Thanks to our new
🪄 Muzzle Magic 🪄
self-paced eCourse
gone are the days of:
❌ wrestling a dog into a muzzle
❌ watching a dog endlessly paw at their muzzle
❌ paying hundreds of dollars to muzzle train your pup
❌ using a muzzle that’s too small or ill-fitted
❌ flooding a muzzled dog
❌ avoiding muzzle training due to the stigma
❌ feeling lost and giving up on muzzle training
Join the waitlist (link in bio) to be the first notified of the course’s launch on 8/15. The notification email will include a discount code! 💰
If you’d like a chance to win FREE access to the course please tag us in a story, picture or video sharing how muzzle training and this course will help enhance you and your pup’s life. We’ll announce two winners on 8/15.
to be pinned in comments 📌
08/09/2022
We have clients ask us frequently about what we do with our own animals, and the answers might surprise you! A lot of our goals involve making like as easy and enjoyable for all parties as we can.
We don’t ask our dogs to heel every second on a walk, we don’t have them on their “place” 24/7, and we’re not too hung up on generic arbitrary “rules” about dog behavior or training. We got dogs in the first place because we love them and all of the behaviors that come along for the ride.
What /do/ we do to ensure a smooth and enjoyable life together? Swipe through to see some of our top habits, and check the link in our bio to read our latest blog all about it!
will be pinned in comments 📌
07/26/2022
You may have heard trainers say that good training is “a combination of art and science.” While the laws of learning and behavior apply across the board to every species and individual, we also know that behavior is “a study of one.”
This means that we work within a science-based framework, and simultaneously we recognize the unique genetics, environment, and learning history of our individual learners. We know that positive reinforcement is effective for all animals by definition, and we sometimes need to get creative and artful in our application of that science!
Creative thinking is one of a trainer’s best skills. We love seeing our colleagues’ brilliant and outside-of-the-box thinking to solve behavior puzzles! What have some of your favorite, most creative behavior solutions been for your dogs? Tag us in your posts (old and new) so we can share all of your genius ideas!
For even more inspiration, definitely check out The Bitey End of the Dog episode with Michael Shikashio and Leslie McDevitt.
07/19/2022
We know plenty of pet parents dread vet visits almost as much as their animals do. It can be such a stressful experience, especially if there are any painful or uncomfortable procedures. But did you know there are easy ways we can reduce fear, anxiety and stress for our animals during their care?
Swipe through to learn some of our favorite ways to make vet visits go as smoothly as possible, for your pets, for your veterinary team, and for you! We are super passionate about cooperative care, and we have some projects and collaborations in the works that we’re excited to share with you all soon.
In the meanwhile, we can always help you in-person or virtually on private coaching for cooperative care skills! Whether you want to work on trimming your pup’s nails at home, or fear-free procedures in the office with your vet, we’re happy to be on your team.
📌 pinned in comments!
07/06/2022
Dogs are so good at adapting to life with humans that it can be easy to forget they’re animals with their own unique ethologies.
If you brought a cougar into your home, and she was destructive or disruptive, would you be surprised? Of course not, she’s a wild animal! It’s no wonder she tore up the couch, ate my pet goldfish, and growled at me when I approached her food. Obviously a domesticated dog is going to be more suited to life as a house pet than a wild cat. But even though they’re no longer wild, they still are animals and they will always do animal things.
Many “behavior problems” we’re called about are 100% normal and species-appropriate things! Barking, jumping, shredding, chewing, digging, and sniffing serve our dogs’ needs, they just don’t mesh with our human needs in a human environment.
There are still many interventions we can take to help reduce the tension between dogs and people in the home, don’t get us wrong. But we think it’s SO important to recognize the gravity of altering normal, healthy dog behaviors for our own benefit and convenience.
Like with any social relationship, some element of compromise is necessary. We can’t remove a dog’s need to chew, but we CAN teach them to chew on their toys and not the furniture. Our dogs will always want to sniff on walks (and we should let them!), but we can teach them how to access interesting areas without pulling on leash.
All of our behavior modification plans include some element of management, enrichment and training. It’s important to meet the needs of the dogs AND the people. Sometimes it just take a little creativity!
06/29/2022
Pride month may be coming to an end, but we want to share ways we can use our positive reinforcement mindsets to benefit the LGBTQ+ community ✨every✨ month.
One actionable thing everybody can do is use gender inclusive language. This is something that may be overlooked by a cisgender individual, but it can mean the world to our trans and gender nonconforming siblings.
But let’s not lump criteria! We know that not everybody has had the opportunity to practice these skills to fluency, and we know that lots of people are nervous about making mistakes while learning. Swipe through to read more about how we can use R+ principles to split down criteria for success.
From all of us here at Clickstart, a very happy and VERY late pride to you all. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
06/04/2022
There are a lot of incredible things we can say about our R+ dog community, and there is also a lot of room for growth. We strongly believe that learning is a process, sometimes a messy one, and it’s so rarely linear for any species. One thing that I’d love to see more of on social media is sincerely celebrating approximations, for dogs and for people.
In a ClickerExpo seminar years ago, Theresa McKeon of TAG teach made the observations that instructors are often excellent at giving very specific criticism, while their positive feedback tends to be generic or vague. I’ve definitely had laser-focused negative teacher commentary from kindergarten through graduate school, but I can’t say the same for positive feedback. This is a pattern I’ve been noticing more and more in dog training social media circles. It’s so easy to nitpick and criticize (punishment reinforces the punisher), but I worry that will only make the R+ community feel less welcoming to people who are sincerely interested in learning and doing better.
We already know that our animal learners don’t need to know what they’ve done “wrong” to learn what’s “right.” Correcting and nitpicking our dogs over small errors only makes the learning process less enjoyable. So why aren’t we applying the science that we know so well to pet parents, our fellow professionals, or ourselves?
So let’s start to right here, right now. We’ll start in the comments below!
Do you have an approximation or tiny victory that you don’t think anyone else will care about? Or do you want to celebrate a pet parent or other dog pro? We want to hear about it. 💛
05/27/2022
In the science world, we know that “do this or else” is not the most effective way to teach. We know that coercion leads to rebellion, aggression, suppression and other fallout. So why do we continue to govern this way? Design our laws this way? Run businesses, education, and countries this way? Because we, as a society, don’t know how to do anything else. We haven’t been taught. It hasn’t been modeled. It hasn’t been embraced.
Most importantly, coercion hasn’t been held accountable for the atrocities our communities face.
If you’re interested in learning more, “Coercion and its Fallout” is available for purchase at the link in our bio.
05/25/2022
Guess what y’all? Clickstart will officially be 3 years old on Wednesday, June 1st! To celebrate this milestone for our small business, we wanted to take a minute to introduce our awesome growing team. We know that every toxic corporate environment says stuff like “we’re a family,” but we actually mean it. (And we promise we provide proper living wages and benefits, and not just pizza parties.) We’re so grateful to have a talented, unified team of trainers on our side, and we can’t wait to share more updates with you all soon!
What would an internet birthday celebration be without a giveaway and fabulous prizes? Here’s all the info you need to help us celebrate:
3 Winners will receive their choice of the following:
★ 1 $50 gift card
★ 1 $50 gift card
★ 1 $50 gift card
How to enter:
➊ Follow
➋ Like this post
➌ Tag friends (1 entry per tag)
Bonus entries:
☻ Share to say happy birthday! (2 entries) (don’t forget to tag us so we see it!)
☻ Comment a service or content you’d like us to see more of from us! (3 entries)
Logistics:
❋ Ends on 6/1/22
❋ Winners will be announced in our stories at 8pm PST on Wednesday June 1st!
❋ Open to international entries but note that only ships internationally
04/19/2022
Which group class does your dog want to join?! - https://mailchi.mp/3c920be780d6/which-group-class-does-your-dog-want-to-join
03/17/2022
It’s somebody’s birthday today. 👀
As a celebration, I have a question for our friends, clients, and colleagues: what’s the best thing Cassie has taught you (actively or passively)?
I’ll go first: Cassie has taught me about not just making a plan, but ✨trusting✨ that plan enough to stick to it. I tend to err on the side of pessimism. It’s easy for me to quickly feel like things are failing and abandon ship. Luckily, Cassie is the optimist to my pessimist and has taught me to relinquish control (😰) enough to trust the process.
Case in point: Cassie has been working on a counter-conditioning protocol with me to change my Scrooge-adjacent feelings about the holiday season by offering me coffee (a powerful reinforcer) exclusively in Christmas-themed mugs. We’re at least 4 years into this procedure and I’ll reluctantly admit her ability to trust the process is winning. 😅
Share your best Cassie lessons in the comments! It could be a training protocol, behavior concept, or anything else under the sun that you’re better for knowing.
02/23/2022
Our Puppy Homeschool Program is a new service we’ve been offering as of February 2022 and we’re so excited about it!
So far, every puppy homeschooler has been an apricot doodle 😂
Should we re-name the program to School for Doods? 🤪
Everyone meet Charlie, Fendi, Koa, and Molly 🐾
Each puppy is set up for maximum success with this all-inclusive program. Each puppy schooler gets:
🤩 Private coaching sessions before and after their week of homeschool
🤩 3hrs per day of one-on-one in-home puppy training M-F
🤩 4-6 weeks of puppy kindergarten classes
We’re amazed at how much learning, socializing, and routine building we’re able to squeeze into one week. We absolutely love working with puppies especially in the comfort of their own homes. 🙌🏽
02/21/2022
Vote for Cassie Pestana & Liv Healy at this link!
https://form.jotform.com/220466155218049
Thank you for your support!
02/05/2022
We’ve decided to start doing some Flashback Fridays to highlight how far the members of our little team have come!
This week, I (Liv) am taking us back to 2011 in Torre Alfina, Italy. As part of a work exchange program, I tended livestock, poultry and livestock guardian dogs, harvested eggs, and assisted with olive oil production for several months.
Working with the animals was by far my favorite part, including the featured abandoned lamb (who we named Morning Star) from a neighboring farm. We had just lost a newborn goat, and were hopeful that the mama goat would take in this little baby. After a few unsuccessful attempts to pair her with the mama, we decided to bottle feed her ourselves. It was so cold at nights that we had her stay in the heated barn with the new chicks. I remember that she would only accept the bottle if she was pressed ho against us. 💛
Working with the eight LGDs was especially interesting. They lived outdoors with the poultry, and despite having no formal “training,” they did their jobs perfectly to protect the flocks. It was so impressive seeing these dogs do exactly what they were bred for as they patrolled property lines and warded off predators. I only wish I had photos of the puppies (who in retrospect were probably about 8 months old), who would slink away during feeding and come back with bright yellow egg-stained faces.
I’m so grateful for the learning experiences these great animal learners gave me!
01/31/2022
This weekend we took our whole team on a trip to scenic Joshua Tree for ClickerExpo Live! Even though the conference was virtual this year, we got to experience the camaraderie and team-building that we miss from the in-person events. Being in a new environment primed us for learning new things and staying focused on the presentations without the distractions of being at home.
Cassie and I started out in the dog training industry working as independent contractors for a larger company. There weren’t many educational opportunities or ways to connect with other professionals. It often felt like we were thrown in the deep end. We found ourselves feeling very isolated and craving the support that a team of like-minded trainers could provide.
That’s why when we founded Clickstart two and a half years ago, we wanted to create something very different. We wanted to build sustainable careers, not just jobs, for our employees. We wanted to provide the benefits and opportunities for advancement that they deserve. It was so important to us to provide that community and support we were missing when we first started.
We are so unbelievably grateful for our whole team and their dedication to being lifelong learners. This weekend full of questions, conversations and discoveries made our hearts so full. We’re so excited to continue growing as individual trainers and as a company. 🖤
-Liv
01/15/2022
Thinking about when Rugby was running around in the snow less than two weeks ago. Now he’s on his third night at the emergency vet. 😔
Long story short, I came home from work on Wednesday to an over-excited, wobbly legged, uncomfortable Rugby. I took him to the Emergency Vet and he tested positive for THC toxicity. He must have consumed something on our walk without me noticing.
The neurologist says he‘s also experiencing spinal pain so it’s possible he has a herniated disc but they can’t know for sure without an MRI. He did slip down the stairs while wobbly legged from the THC toxicity.
He can’t come home until tomorrow night so they can wean him onto the oral pain meds I’ll be giving him. The plan is to give him 2 weeks to improve on his own and then reassess with the neurologist and schedule the MRI if not.
Navigating the vet process has always been a struggle for me - as I’m sure most of you can relate. Balancing being polite with being firm. Asking lots of questions while trusting the professionals. Making some of the hardest choices without a full understanding. Wanting him home with me more than anything but knowing I can’t provide the care he needs. Handling all of this with the added post traumatic stress from losing Ange at the emergency vet just 8 months ago. Dealing the finances because, holy moly, emergency vets add up fast.
Hug your babies. Be careful on your walks. Please keep Rugby in your thoughts. 🤍
- Cassie
01/05/2022
This year we are excited to launch a brand new service, our comprehensive Puppy Homeschool program! 🥳 Your puppy deserves a comfortable and safe environment to learn and grow. That’s why our Puppy Homeschool program happens right in your home!
Traditional “board and train” programs involve shipping your new puppy off for weeks or months at a time, but here at Clickstart, we value having you involved in the process to learn and bond with your puppy while our certified trainers do the heavy lifting. While you’re busy working and running your household, our trainers will “Clickstart” your puppy’s socialization, potty training, bite inhibition, and so much more!
Every Puppy Homeschool package comes with:
✨An initial session to meet you, your puppy, and establish a custom training plan.
✨5 days a week of one-on-one learning with a certified trainer in your home.
✨A follow-up session to help transfer all of your puppy’s new skills so you can keep up the good work on your own.
✨Access to 4 weeks of our Puppy Kindergarten classes.
Check out our website (link in bio) for more information! Have any questions? Ask away in the comment section! ☺️
Address
22485 El Toro Road
Lake Forest, CA
92630
Opening Hours
| Monday | 12pm - 8pm |
| Tuesday | 10am - 8pm |
| Wednesday | 10am - 8pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 8pm |
| Friday | 10am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 10am - 5pm |
| Sunday | 10am - 5pm |
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We’re in love with Stitch’s backwards waddle 😍 A while ago we posted Stitch’s back up cue and we just had to update you! Building distance and duration of a behavior takes time and consistency. Trainer Amanda has been working with Stitch a little bit each week on this cue and it’s really coming along. The next step is adding in the distraction of the front door and a cue transfer from the word “back” to touching the door handle. This is a great way to prevent door dashing. 👌 Remember, when working through the 3D’s (duration, distance, and distraction) it’s important to take it one step at a time and keep your learner successful every step of the way. 🙌 #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #positivereinforcement #clickertraining #doordashing #backup #prettygirlswalklikethis #funnydogs #frenchiesofinstagram #frenchbulldogs
Our ideal set up for outings and adventures maximizes safety and comfort for you and your dog! 1. Well-Fitted Y-Shape Harness We’ve tried a lot of harnesses and this one is our favorite because it’s easy to get a great fit! Every strap is adjustable. It sits in all the right places (no chafing and no constricting). With three buckles, it’s easy to get on and off (no squeezing your dogs head through or lifting their legs into). 2. Biothane Leash Whether you’re using a 6-7ft leash or a long line (10+ft), we recommend biothane. It’s easier to handle safely and very easy to clean. We don’t like to keep poop bags, keys, or other gear on our leashes. Put those in your treat pouch and keep your leash clean and easy to handle. At @hightailhikes and @trailblazingtails you can add additional features like traffic handles, carabiner hooks, hands free, and extra grippy biothane for added safety. 3. Well-Fitted Flat Collar with ID or GPS. We like quick release collars with ID attached or GPS features. Having a collar allows you to attach a safety strap and these features allow you to more easily find your dog should they get loose and lost. 4. Safety Strap. Attaching a strap from the collar to the long line ensures that should one piece of equipment (harness or collar) fail, your leash is still attached to the other. 5. Leash wrap communicating needs. A leash wrap can say anything you want! Some examples are: “in training, please ignore”, “nervous, give space”, “no dogs”, etc. Help advocate for your dog’s needs with a clear leash wrap. All of these items can be found on our Amazon eStore and the link is in our bio! 🔗 Thank you Clark for being a wonderful dog model! @roma.and.pups #dogtraining #dogtrainer #harness #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #dogtrainingequipment #clickertraining #safetyfirst #leashwrap #safetystrap #longline
Leash reactivity (behaviors like barking, lunging, and growling at people/dogs/etc) can be super upsetting to live with. For many people, the thought of working with their dog around real triggers sounds like an actual nightmare. But we promise training sessions don’t have to feel stressful for either end of the leash! In fact, we specifically set up sessions so they’re actually FUN! Moxii and her fabulous parents have been making a lot of headway on working through leash reactivity! In a typical private coaching session, we get to work AND play in the presence of controlled triggers. We go at Moxii’s pace, we systematically decrease distance, and we take plenty of breaks to keep anxiety at bay for humans and dogs alike. Join us in our next round of Reactive Rover March 6th to start working through barky lungey behaviors in a fun and stress-free environment! We promise there’s a place for silliness even in “serious” behavior change programs.
Teaching your dog new skills is not the only thing dog training is all about. More than half the journey is finding ways to meet your dog’s specific needs. When you adopt a hunting breed, it is unfair to expect them to walk in a slow, straight line for the rest of their life and to ignore wildlife and smells. When we try to ignore their needs and purpose, we get frustrated when the training doesn’t work. No matter how much time we put into thoughtful, R+ training it just doesn’t make a difference in the way they behave. Sometimes we get so frustrated that we resort to punishment. Now, not only is the dog not getting opportunities to do the thing they were bred to do… but they’re getting punished left and right for trying. Today, try to meet your dog where they’re at. Find joy in seeing them do the thing they’re good at! Watch them track, listen to them sniff, observe in wonder at how innately amazing they are at their job. Help them embrace their superpower. Only then, do we teach new skills. #dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #dogbreeds #vizsla #vizslasofinstagram #huntingdog #bredtohunt #dogtrainer #dogsofinstagram #outdoorswithdogs #orangecounty #letthemsniff #looseleashwalking
“Relax on a mat” is one of our favorite exercises. It allows us to provide our dogs with a “safe space” or “comfort zone” no matter where we are. The mat allows our dogs to sincerely relax under conditions that wouldn’t normally be relaxing. As always, you want to begin conditioning the mat at home, with no distractions, when your dog is sincerely tired and at their most “chill”. Whether practicing at home or in public, these 7 tips will help you and your dog see success: 1. Avoid staring at your dog. Try to act natural. Watch tv or enjoy the view and watch your dog out of the corner of your eye. If you stare at them, they’ll likely stare back and maybe even bark or try to guess what it is you want from them. 2. Use crumbly treats to encourage sniffing the mat. Sniffing is great for slowing their breath and encouraging calmness. It’s also incompatible with staring at you for the next treat. 3. Deliver each treat to the mat, not to their mouth. The mat will become the thing to check for more food, rather than your hands or your eyes. 4. Keep lots of little treats in your hand and your hand out of sight. This way you avoid ruffling a treat bag or taunting your pup with a visual of possible food coming their way. Both of which can lead to excited anticipatory emotions and behaviors. 5. Reinforce when your dog notices distractions. While on their mat, your dog might see or hear a squirrel, a dog, a person, etc and those distractions make it harder to stay settled and relaxed. So make sure you’re reinforcing frequently when distractions are noticed. 6. Reinforce when your dog is not staring at you. Notice the moment they look away from your eyes and reinforce then! This is one of those rare exercises where we don’t want engagement from our dog. We want them to know reinforcement is not contingent with looking at us. They can relax and rest and still get paid. 7. Take frequent breaks! We recommend working on this for one minute at a ti
It has taken Finley 3 months to feel safe approaching, exploring, and hopping into the car. One month ago, Finley jumped into the car for the first time thanks to a carefully implemented plan using Klimb platforms. This week he jumped in without any platforms or coaxing! All on his own. Now you might be thinking “I could have gotten that dog in the car in 5 minutes” and you’d be right. His parents do currently lift him into the car when choice is not an option. But if we want a dog who willingly gets into the car for the rest of their life, then choice must be given. When it is imperative that Finley gets in the car, he gets lifted. When the car ride is not obligated, then he gets to choose (by way of specific training games). If he says no, we do not lift him into the car. If he says yes, then we go for a fun field trip. Three months can seem like a long time. But in the grand scheme of a dog’s entire life, three months suddenly feels very fast to change a sentient being’s mind about something they previously found terrifying. If we forced, tricked, or trapped Finley into the car, we guarantee you that he would still be avoiding cars. His suspicion would increase. His fear would generalize. And it will take longer and more force, tricks and traps to get him in the car at all. That is why we truly believe that slow is fast. #forcefreetraining #choiceispower #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #clickertraining #positivereinforcement #slowisfast
No matter what your next goal is - make sure to splice it up into small, bite sized pieces. By focusing on what is *easily achievable* you: • avoid frustration • increase confidence • build momentum • make positive associations • form trust • get to celebrate success more often! There is absolutely nothing to gain from lumping criteria. Take the time to examine your goals and see what the next, most easily achievable step is. Celebrate each step forward as if it’s the finish line! You’ll get there before you know it. Happy splicing! #dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #dogtrainer #dogtrainersofinstagram #dogtrainerslife #positivereinforcement #clickertraining #forcefreetraining #orangecounty
Sometimes when clients sign up for our advanced classes, we hear concerns that the environment will be harder or more “serious” than prior classes. In the words of Ken Ramirez (chief training officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training): advanced training is just the basics done well! Our advanced classes are designed to help guide you and your dog through more challenging exercises, but we don’t get there by flooding you or your dogs. Instead we: ✨ Focus on building a robust history of reinforcement ✨ Polish handler skills for crystal clear communication with their dogs ✨ Introduce more conceptual exercises like behavior chains and cue transfers ✨ Build behaviors as errorlessly as possible If we’re doing things right, an advanced class should be a smooth next step on your training journey together. We have you and your dogs’ best interests at heart, and we promise we’ll never throw you into a situation we don’t think you’ll rock (like these amazing students!) Interested in joining a group class? Check out our website for the full course catalogue! Don’t see the type of class you’re looking for? Stay tuned, we’re working on some special new things for 2023. 👀
It’s super easy to have a negative bias with our dogs. We can recall every reaction on a walk, pick apart every mistake in a training session, and list off our pain points with ease. To make matters worse, we’re also pretty good at applying that negative bias to ourselves. We might reflect on all of the enrichment activities we haven’t had time to prepare, or obsess over our handling errors or management mishaps. This is your reminder to take a step back. In the comments, we encourage you to name one thing you love about your dog. Does your dog have the cutest butt fluff? Do they excel at nose work? Do they throw their toys around in the most ridiculous way? We’d also love for you to name one thing you’re proud of yourself for accomplishing. Did you remember your training skills to get past a trigger on a walk? You finally started bringing treats with you outside? Maybe you were able to take a deep breath and respond gracefully when you noticed your dog has rolled in something truly awful. Let’s focus on the positives together. Because that’s where positive relationships begin 🐾
Dogs (and even humans) don’t need to get up close and personal with their fears in order to start conquering them. In fact, they shouldn’t. Midas here is scared of the gardeners. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t need to meet and befriend a gardener. He needs to experience the noises, the sights and the smells in a safe way. You can make something safe by ensuring: ✅ it is a safe distance away ✅ it is a low intensity (quiet, slow, out of sight, etc) ✅ it is present for a short duration Controlling the distance, intensity, and duration of our dog’s triggers can be difficult! That’s often where a professional trainer comes in. We help you set up sessions that allow your dog to learn in the safest, most well-managed way possible. Then we transition to real life 🤪 #dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #dogtrainers #conqueringfears #counterconditioning #desensitization #poodlesofinstagram #poodlemix #doodle #fearfuldog #positivereinforcement #clickertraining
Dog people know that for every glamorous photo of your dog, there’s 100 outtakes minimum. 💀 We’ve had a busy week of group classes, including 26 new graduate teams! 🤯🎓 It’s always amazing seeing how much progress pet parents can make in 6 short weeks. The dogs and humans learn new skills, but hands down our favorite part is seeing mindset shifts from training you do TO your dog, to learning you do WITH your dog. If you and your pup are ready to get started with a group class, you can check out our website for our course catalog. There’s still room in a few Fall Semester classes, we hope to see you there! 🍂
Putting a puppy down for a nap can be anxiety inducing for any new puppy parent. We know you want to build a good routine and enjoy a well-rested pup. Here are some of our best tips for encouraging stress-free naps and alone time! 1. Teach your pup to walk into their crate or safe confinement space on cue. 2. Teach your pup to love their safe space because it leads to some of their favorite things. 3. Take the time to desensitize departure cues like standing up, walking away, closing the door, etc. We like Julie Naismith’s “door is a bore” game. 4. Meet your puppy’s mental, physical *and* social needs before a nap. 5. Provide opportunities for a potty right before nap time. 6. Work on “relax on a mat” to transition to a sleepy mood. 😴 7. Allow your puppy to fall asleep anywhere (even in your lap)! 8. Transition them to their safe space and hang out with them (door open, hand on them, etc) until they fall back asleep. 9. Turn on the noise machine and make the room nice and dark and cool and cozy. 10. Save this post for nap times and enjoy your well-rested pup! Questions? ⬇️ #puppytraining #dogtraining #dogtrainer #puppynap #newpuppyparents #newpuppylove #positivereinforcement #cratetraining #naptime #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #comfypup #braccoitaliano #bracco #braccoitalianopuppy
Living in southern coastal California means space is limited. Most of us don’t have big backyards. We don’t have off leash trails. Our parks and trails are often crowded. And don’t get us started on the heat! If you’re looking for a place to decompress, relax and cool off with your dog don’t forget to check out your local Sniffspots! This genius idea has been around for years but has finally taken off. The app now provides more spots than ever to help you provide your dog with exercise and enrichment opportunities safely and for way cheaper than buying a house 🤪 This is not an ad. We really just wanted an excuse to post these adorable, happy videos from @hellobentoto ‘s birthday party / training session 🥳 Thank you to @sniffspots for making that possible! #sniffspot #samoyed #goldenretriever #swimmingwithdogs #dogsofinstagram #dogtraining #dogtrainer #samoyedsofinstagram #goldensofinstagram #happydogs
You’ve heard us talk about Leslie McDevitt’s Pattern Games before. We will probably never stop! Pattern games are magical ways to provide our dogs with predictable and reliable outcomes. The game demonstrated here is the infamous 1-2-3 (pg. 138 of “Control Unleashed Reactive to Relaxed”). Almost as much as we love pattern games, we love layering reinforcement. In addition to the treats Gigi is getting every few steps toward someone exciting, the “go say hi” is also acting as a huge reinforcer. He’s learning that he doesn’t have to drag his mom over to me. He doesn’t have to ignore food because we don’t understand that I’m what he truly wants. He doesn’t have to bark, whine, or lunge. He can reliably access this reinforcement on cue and at the end of a loose leash walking chain. Gigi is a big strong dog and mom is pregnant. Safety is priority number 1. And we can achieve safety with force-free training that is enjoyable for all. 🙌🏽 📌 #accessibility to be pinned in the comments. #dogtraining #dogtrainer #germansheperd #gsd #germanshepherdsofinstagram #forcefreetraining #clickertraining #patterngames #lesliemcdevitt #positivereinforcement #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #dogtrainingisfun #trainlikethis
We’ve heard the (totally fictional) assumptions that dogs who wear muzzles have smaller worlds, restricted lives, or a lack of training and enrichment. The world’s most handsome dog Clark, and his amazing human/trainer @roma.and.pups , are here to show you just how false that is! When taught the right way, muzzles should open up opportunities for you and your dog. They can make adventures possible, make their care at the vet or groomer less stressful, and all in all improve their quality of life (and yours!) We feel so strongly about this that we are giving away TWO FREE ENROLLMENTS to our new Muzzle Magic eCourse! 🥳 Just share with us how you think muzzle training will help you and your dogs! Rules for Entry: 1. Follow us @clickstartdogacademy 2. Tag us in a post, reel, or story sharing how you feel muzzle training, and a muzzle training course, will help you and your pups. 3. We will announce our two winners on Monday August 15th! Two Winners will Receive: 1. Complimentary access to the full self-paced Muzzle Magic eCourse choc full of instructional materials, videos, and more! Don’t forget to add yourselves to the Muzzle Magic email list to be the first to know when it launches, and to receive a special one-time discount code!
Distractions and interruptions happen all the time when you’re training out in the real world. Lucky for us, we happened to catch this one on camera so we could share how we worked through it! During a session with teenage doodle Charlie, a surprise dog popped up from behind a wall! 😳 We had run into this pup before, so thankfully we weren’t concerned about safety. But getting miss Charlie back into the swing of learning after a big disruption like this takes some doing. In this moment, (or really in any moment) putting a bunch of pressure on Charlie would not have helped. All it would accomplish is making training not enjoyable for either of us, and ensure that next time it would be even harder to regain her attention. Instead, we give her space to observe and process the situation, reinforce what we like, and shape attention from there! No need to get upset and correct, our dogs deserve the grace to learn in a safe environment. ✨
We love having the opportunity to teach skills that are frequently taught with force, with positive reinforcement instead! Many of us have probably seen videos on social media of dogs being forced onto treadmills with aversive collars and coercion. When team Franky got themselves a dog pacer treadmill to help meet his needs, we knew from the get go that it was going to be his choice to participate! Since Franky has BIG feelings about food, we didn’t want to lure him onto the treadmill. Instead, we used a series of pattern games that centered around giving him choice. Despite popular belief, giving the learner options and honoring the “no”s actually gives us a more clear and enthusiastic “yes.” At the end of this session, Franky returned to stand on the treadmill to ask for the game to continue multiple times. Just because something is traditionally taught with force, that doesn’t mean it is the only way! Creative applications of positive reinforcement can allow us to meet training goals without compromising our dog’s comfort or happiness.
No catchy music. Just a real glimpse into Class 2 of our summer Lake Forest Basic Communication class. This group is full of excitable adolescent dogs. And just look at them comfortably relax around distractions! 🤩
Please take a deep breath and take a moment to enjoy baby Dakota bravely exploring one of our puppy class novelty items, a large rolling cart! We started off rewarding the pups in class for simply observing the cart, but Dakota showed us she was interested in hopping right in. So we followed her lead and turned it into a learning opportunity for the whole class. Early socialization is critical for puppies, and one easy way to safely introduce your puppy to new places is by using a rolling cart or wagon. This allows your pup to experience new sights, sounds and smells without contacting potential pathogens. Dakota here is helping us demonstrate some of the ways we can prepare our puppies for outings in the cart. We want to make sure they’re comfortable hopping in, hopping out, spending time in the cart, and experiencing movement in the cart before we try to hit the road. Questions about puppy socialization? Ask away! 🥰
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Our Story
Cassie and Olivia began training dogs together back in 2015. Their values and priorities have always lined up perfectly. While Olivia completed her Masters in Fine Art from LCAD, Cassie opened Cassie’s Dog Training in Laguna Niguel in 2017. After years of working and learning together, Olivia and Cassie finally made their teamwork official in 2018. Cassie’s Dog Training became the co-owned Clickstart Dog Training Academy.
They now service all of Orange County, as well as parts of the Inland Empire. Between the two of them they hold 3 different certifications: KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, and FFTP. They value continuing education and training based on science. They work hard together to ensure you get the best possible training and outcome for your new puppy, new rescue, or long-time family member.
This is where positive relationships begin.
