Confident Canine Coach

20/07/2024

We lost a member of our family. While I didn’t live with him, my mom’s dog was incredibly special to me, and he was family.
Ross the boss 💕💔💕
I’ll love you forever sweet boy, you were the best snuggler.
My favorite memory of you is probably the time I was having an allergic reaction and you would not leave my side and watched over me (and broke the back door to get to me from the backyard because you knew something was wrong).
You were one of a kind. I was your Riah 💕

02/04/2024

✨🪄Magical humans, you are making such an impact. Thank you for all of the shares, post interactions, and financial contributions. We’ve been able to help 2/3 families who have recently requested support of the Best Life Accessibility Fund, and are SO CLOSE to meeting the needs of the third.

We need to raise another $250 to support a community member in accessing an initial consultation with a service dog trainer. Other plans have already been made for continuation of that support!

Can you help us wrap up our goal of $700 to support three families?



Photo ID: A wet black and white dog named Lola, with a relaxed face and a little cheese on her nose, looks up at the camera

13/03/2024

Great vet visit for my Sadie lady today with Dr. Hermansen at Stratford Hills Vet Center!
Sadie has handling issues and a hard time with vaccines/blood draws, so here are some of the things we did today to help us prepare:
1. Muzzle training! She was so insistent on putting her face in the muzzle I had to put it away until it was time to take it out - that’s how well generalized and positively conditioned her muzzle is!
2. Event meds! Talk to your vet if your dog struggles at the vet about meds that can help, and don’t feel guilty! If they help lower your dog’s stress, that’s a win!
3. High value food rewards! We brought a pack of hot dogs and some string cheese!
4. Physical comfort/pets (for dogs that enjoy that)! She got some good pets from the vet and LVT before and after her vaccines because she loves attention from people!
5. Snuffle mat for relaxation
6. Overall cooperative and consent work over the last few years. Knowing when she says yes and when she says no has been huge for our relationship and trust.

Things I could have done better/will try to remember for next time (not beating myself up, just acknowledging where I can improve her visits):
1. I could work more on a settle on mat, and brought adaptil spray for a mat to help her relax more.
2. Next time I’ll schedule it so that my childcare coverage is more solid so that my toddler isn’t in the car before the appointment to make sure there is even less potential for stress before the appointment.

Great job Sadie lady!

16/10/2023

We have a few manners/socialization workshops, semi-private lessons, and pack hike opportunities coming up!
We have a reactivity semi-private lesson this Saturday (email me at [email protected] for registration!) followed by a socialization workshop - link in bio to register for this event!
We also have a pack hike on November 19th, link in bio to register for that (only 4 spots left!)

05/08/2023

Manners/socialization workshops and semi-private lessons are in full swing and going so well! Great job Rocky and Hazel this morning at the park!

29/07/2023

Summer Workshops & Updates!

Upcoming Manners and Socialization Workshop Our Manners and Socialization Workshop is coming up! **Tickets are $30, please e-mail me for a registration link** Our Manners and Socialization Workshop is Saturday on August 5th at 9:30am at Forest Hill Park - only a couple of spots left, email me for th...

12/06/2023

We are organizing workshops for our manners clients to work on goals such as loose leash walking, polite greetings, coming when called, etc and semi private lessons for our behavior clients working on stranger issues, leash reactivity, etc.
Please reach out to us or email us if you are interested in joining us!
Enjoy this photo of Frankie the golden retriever laying on top of Amazon boxes waiting for her next instruction 😂

08/12/2022

Today, I helped Daphne and her family prepare for her next out and about session.
We practiced her “settle on a mat” behavior, look at that, find it, touch, 1-2-3 treat pattern game, and used enrichment to help her in between working to take a break.
We practiced bringing her excitement level up with a flirt pole, and bringing it back down with some cookie scatters for foraging.

07/12/2022

Some of you may know my girl, Sadie lady, if you have done any dog leash reactivity sessions with me.
She is recovering from a muscle injury and is out of commission for a while, but is still a very good girl, please send good vibes her way - she’s almost 9!
Enjoy some pics of Sadie with her friends 💕💕

21/11/2022

We are back from maternity leave!

Enjoy this picture of Flash the border collie playing in the fall leaves!

13/09/2022

All 10 pounds, 1.7 ounces of baby Rodriguez # 2 arrived yesterday!

10/09/2022

We are on maternity leave through October 24th!

We look forward to working with you and your pups again, but are very excited to spend some quality time (and many sleepless nights) with our new little one. I am so grateful for such incredible and supportive clients throughout this pregnancy, and we are so glad we were able to work as long as we were.

10/08/2022

Taking a little break in between sessions on this beautiful day 💕

29/07/2022

Sessions with Fritz go so well when he is able to hang with my girl Sadie. He is able to be more thoughtful and sniffs more with her there, the distance he can handle for reactivity to other dogs and people is shorter, his overall sensitivity is lower, and his threshold for stress is higher.
Great job to Fritz today! Helper dogs are not always the solution for my reactive dog clients, but it’s so cool when my girl can help another dog feel better!

28/07/2022

I got to take these two on an enrichment walk this morning to beat the heat, I haven’t seen them in a while, but they did great! Maturity is definitely setting in for these sweet guys, and they were very responsive on our walk today, which is no easy task for a terrier!

21/07/2022

Check out our upcoming workshops and pack hikes!
Our next Puppy Manners Workshop is this Saturday at Three Lakes Park at 9am, register now to reserve your spot!

Puppy Manners Workshop Our next Puppy Manners Workshop is coming up this Satuday, July 23rd at 9am at Three Lakes Park **Tickets are $40, must pre-register, spaces are very limited** Come join us to review basic manners (loose leash walking, polite greetings, and come when called) skills and meet ot...

20/07/2022

This little beagle mix puppy named Buddy is working on building his confidence in new places and with new people, strange dogs, etc.
Great work Buddy!

01/07/2022

Coaches Corner - Summer Edition!
Check out our latest Coaches Corner for tips for navigating thunderstorms/fireworks and keeping your dog cool this summer!

Storms and Fireworks Summertime is the season of storms and fireworks, which can be challenging for many dogs! If your dog hasn’t shown signs of being fearful of fireworks – that’s fantastic! Take it a step further and have some frozen stuffed kongs (or any other treat your dog really likes th...

29/06/2022

July Updates and Events - Subscribe to our site, www.confidentcaninecoach.com, to make sure you get our updates and workshop and pack hike info!

Pack Hike Join us for a Pack Hike on July 3rd at 9am at Rockwood Park! Wondering if a Pack Hike is right for you and your pup? If your pup has basic loose leash walking skills and can re-orient to you around dogs and other people, this might be a good fit for you! If your dog gets overexcited around...

26/06/2022

Yesterday’s leash reactivity session was a huge success! The pups were able to navigate their triggers, build their tolerance, check in with their guardians/handlers, and remain comfortable even with gradually decreased distance from humans and dogs.
Huge shoutout to Gabrielle of Best Life Dog Services and Brittany of BJ’s Sit N’ Stay for being my helpers for the workshop!
And a thank you to Sadie for helping at least one dog that has a positive relationship with her observe her reactions to environmental triggers he would have previously struggled with and deciding they weren’t a threat.
Great job all!

21/06/2022

20/06/2022

This is Scarlett the rescue GSD, and we are working with her family on integrating their puppy/now adolescent Rough Collie into the household.
Scarlett is easily overstimulated and has a hard time listening to her brothers cues during attempts at play, so we are working on settle on a mat/bed with the two of them separated by baby gates, and slowly increasing the difficulty for Scarlett. We are using flight cues and pattern games when she gets too excited to help her learn some self regulation tools.
This family is doing great, I’m so proud of their management strategies and commitment to these two dogs!

16/06/2022

I gave Sadie a break after helping me with a reactive dog session to sniff the area she had seen a bunny earlier 💕

15/06/2022

Have you subscribed to our website to get email updates yet?
We have a Puppy Manners Workshop coming up this weekend, a Pack Hike next week, and a Leash Reactivity Workshop next weekend (June 25th)!

Puppy Manners Workshop Our first Puppy Manners Workshop was a hit! Our second one is coming up on June 18th at 9:45am at Twin Hickory Park **Tickets are $45, must pre-register, spaces are very limited** Come join us to review basic manners (loose leash walking, polite greetings, and come when called...

06/06/2022

We had a great time hosting our pack hike yesterday at Mid-Lothian Mines park!
Everyone took the space they needed, and handled the two off leash dogs like pros! Lots of decompression sniffing, taking breaks, pattern games, and other strategies to keep our dogs calm and feeling safe and confident around triggers and distractions!

05/06/2022

Happy Gotcha Day to my best girl, Sadie lady!

15/05/2022

We have been looking at ways to become more affordable to folks that need dog training services and are now offering subscription/payment plans.
Please reach out if you are interested!