The Canine's Voice

12/20/2024

I had so much fun on my California training trip!

Get on the wait-list for the bay area next trip! Looking at June!

12/14/2024

Give the gift of a well-trained dog with 10% off any of our packages now through December 31st!

Buy a session for you or someone else! We have virtual and in-home options! Everyone deserves access to training. Take $10 off on your first session if you don't need a package.

Gift certificates are available as well!

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469

12/14/2024

Don't train IN the situation. Train FOR the situation.

We don't work on resource guarding during the moment. We practice counter conditioning and drop it cues before we need them.

We don't teach recall when your dog is playing catch me if you can. We play recall games before we need them.

We don't work on reactivity during an outburst. We work on counter conditioning and emotional regulation before the eruption.

12/13/2024

Reminder: NO group classes tomorrow (12/14) nor the 28th but there will be classes on the 21st

12/13/2024

Canelo was really enjoying his new snuffle box today! He's on a diet and will be enjoying meals through hide n seek recall training, enrichment games, and his counter conditioning exercises. Using his daily allowance of food helps maintain his weight loss journey

12/01/2024

Dealing with growling? I'm here to help!

Growls are good communication! Punishing a growl can make a dog skip valuable communication and go straight to a bite!

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
3863362469

12/01/2024

We've got some openings left for December!

If you're committed to the use of positive reinforcement and need work on anything from basics to aggression, we've got you covered! You can have a dog with better behavior before the new year!

Call, text, or message us here to set up your free phone consultation 🥳

These cuties are Oakley and Ollie the bernedoodles from one of my sessions today ❤️❤️

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469

11/28/2024

It's been a busy month!!!!

Sign up for December sessions and make holidays less stressful for everyone!

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469

11/27/2024

I'm now a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, supporting member of IAABC, and Pet Professionals Guild!! 🥳 I'll be testing for certification as a CDBC through IAABC and a CPDT-KA next year! I'm committed to always furthering my education and providing clients with the most up to date science backed practices 😁

Thank you so much for all of your support 💗

11/22/2024

This was such a great case

Tracie is back with her humans after two weeks of board and train. ❤️ Upon reunion, her wonderful owner Bridget said she had "never seen Tracie with happy eyes before." That made my heart melt. I knew exactly what she was talking about as I had seen her previously wide eyes with pupils fully dilated ready to go after anything.

When I first met Tracie, she wanted nothing to do with me. She has bite history with a few different people so I gave her plenty of space to observe me. Let me tell you, that this dog barked and growled at EVERYTHING. every little sound and every new sight - they were fair game. Her owner described her as feral but upon assessment I saw a terrified dog who threw the weight of her world onto her human because she didn't know how to handle it. However, because her owner didn't know how to handle it either, she felt the need to defend herself. When Tracie arrived here, she would try to bite me if I tried to leash her for those first 3 days. Underneath it all, I saw a happy-go-lucky Lab with a wiggly butt and a love for toys. With that knowledge, I created a training plan to bring out the best in her.

Tracie learns quickly when actively training but it seemed like she would forget who I was in between so the reacting would start all over again until she recognized that it was me so I taught her some predictability cues. The most useful one, "it's me", told her that I was about to appear through the door and that she would remain safe. Anxiety can greatly affect memory and it was evident as she became less anxious, she was able to retain more.

Some other cues I worked on were "check it out", "look at that", and "what was that?". These cues were how I got her to engage with the world so we could counter condition quickly. She's incredibly smart. By the end of the first week, Tracie was solid on her cue consistency and getting better at the Look At That game.

By the end of the second week, she could hear an outside noise and go back to playing. I had a dog who was able to watch the neighbors in their yard without barking and could even sit politely while I had a conversation with them. Rather than having Tracie meet people directly, I wanted to emphasize that she could share space without engaging directly with them. Many times, when owners try to socialize their puppies, they have multiple people pet them or try to give them a treat - but for a fearful dog, this means that new people are going to invade their space.

Change the narrative and you'll be able to change the behavior.

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469

11/22/2024

Thanksgiving is upon us!

Do you have a dog who begs?

Begging can be annoying to anyone. Let's talk about how to treat it. Remember: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

If you haven't practiced this skill before today, don't expect your dog to be ready to pass the test before Thanksgiving!! Set them up for success. Practice when you don't need it so the dog isn't confused when it's time to put it into action. We do fire drills before the fire ....I hope.

The greater value your meal is, the length of time they've already practiced the poor behavior, and the intensity of the environment all need to be taken into consideration.

Step one is to identify where we want them to be instead. I like this to be 8+ feet from the area human food will be. I use a mat or other visual location to make it easy for them to know exactly where to go. If you've already done "place" training, you would use that cue.

Teach Place/Bed: https://fb.watch/osBtiDOkJn/?mibextid=Nif5oz

Tethers are also wonderful in the beginning of this exercise for dogs who don't know the cue. I prefer to use a physical barrier at the beginning if teaching them to stay on a particular side of the room rather than a specific target. We must prevent the rehearsal of the poor behavior so we can turn the desirable one into a habit more quickly.

Tether example with dinner and doorbell: https://fb.watch/osBqtdebya/?mibextid=Nif5oz

Next, we need to know what will be of high enough value to engage them. Think: bully stick, filled Kongs, puzzle feeder, treat dispensing toys, peanut butter filled bully horn... get creative! It should be something they don't typically get. Since we're replacing a food-driven behavior, it is easiest to replace it with another food-driven one in the short term then switch to a variable reinforcement schedule as you progress.

You should practice setting up your relaxation station at your current meal times to get several reps in before the big day.

As always, I'm here to answer your questions!

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469

11/16/2024

Walter is working on his new "cama" cue for bed /place!

11/12/2024

Dachshund do what a dachshund do

11/12/2024

Don't wait for your reactive dog to bite before starting training!!!

Reach out today for a management and training plan at no cost!

Training classes are on sale now so you can have a safe holiday season! Virtual, in home, and group classes available. We service the entire Chicago Metro area.

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469

11/08/2024

Who's going to be our 2800th follower?! We're almost there!

Noodles for your viewing pleasure 😁

11/08/2024

Expecting guests for the holidays?

Don't want your dog to jump on or bark at them?

What if I told you, you can have a better behaved dog in as little as ONE session?

Book now! I service the entire Chicago Metro area within an hour and a half of Warrenville.

Take advantage of $20 off your first session.

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469

11/08/2024

I received this wonderful message this morning:

"I worked with 6 other trainers before I found you. You're the only one who focuses not only on how the dog is feeling, but also how the owner feels. You've made the biggest difference for us. ❤️"

🥰 Thank you Katherine. I try to be the trainer I needed when I attended a training class for the first time with my own dog. I was ridiculed and my dog was made worse by someone I sought help from.

This goes out to everyone - your feelings of fear, frustration, confusion, or anything else MATTERS. If you're having a hard time, chances are, your dog is too. I want to address that in a compassionate way. After all, I'm a human and dog owner too. All of my dogs came to me with behavior problems. I get it. YOU deserve support just like your dog.

And I'm here for you. 🤗

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469

11/07/2024

These cuties are Pepper and Paige. Bonus Pepper derp face.

They had a fight on Saturday and we had our first session yesterday and we'll have another one later today. Their owner reached out to me shortly after it happened so they are on top of it! We started a counter conditioning plan for the two of them and started working on Pepper's leash skills.

I'm excited to see their progress!

If you have dogs who are struggling to get along, there is hope! Feel free to reach out.

Sabrielle, Fear and Aggression Specialist
The Canine's Voice - Dog Training and Behavior Solutions
386.336.2469