Caitlin's Canine Training

10/02/2023

Good boy on a walk in Canadian Tire!

26/01/2020

Hello hello! Very busy year so far! What have your training wins been so far this year?
Set a goal.
Make a plan.
Do the work.
Build a better life. @ Kingston, Ontario

23/10/2019

We had a great experience at yesterday. Lots of good exposure training with and her human! They both did a great job 😀 A training environment like this one only comes around for a few months every year and is an excellent opportunity!
I know Halloween can be hard for some people. If you have a service dog, some time before Spirit Halloween closes for the year (a week and a half or so), and you would like some support/guidance/assistance, send a message my way and we can try to arrange a time to go together.
(The photo is unrelated because training > photos on that occasion. I think of this one as P looking out over his kingdom, Simba style.)

12/08/2019

How close is too close? How far is too far? How do we determine those things?
The physical distance between too close and too far can be described as one's SOCIAL BUBBLE. The size of the social bubble depends on an individual's sense of personal space preferences, the relationship between the involved parties, and the activity in which they are participating. The social bubbles of all parties must overlap or the situation will become uncomfortable quickly. A child walking too far ahead of an adult will likely make the adult uncomfortable but the child would not mind. A stranger choosing to sit directly next to you on an empty bus will likely make you uncomfortable but might not bother the stranger in the slightest.
This difference in social bubbles is often at the root of problems we encounter with our dogs and their leashes. When we put our dogs on leash, we are restricting them to a 3/6/10/15/30/etc foot radius. That may be a comfortable social bubble for us but it is often not so for our dogs. A dog's natural social bubble is much larger than that of a human. It would be completely natural for a dog to roam 100 feet ahead of their social group with no intention of leaving them behind. Similarly, it feels completely natural for a human to give a dog 10 feet of space and feel that it should be plenty of room based on our 3-6 foot social bubble. But the difference in those social bubbles is an order of magnitude and it often causes serious frustration in the dog. They view the leash as a holding them back in an unnatural way and it often leads to pulling on the leash and/or leash reactivity.
In order to help our dogs avoid this frustration, it is our responsibility to teach our dogs what is expected of them. Without prior, proper guidance and clearly defined expectations, it is unfair and unrealistic of us to expect our dogs to ignore their own natural social bubble and prioritize ours, which they do not know to be different from theirs. We must teach our dogs in a fair manner what we expect of them of them when they are on leash. If we do not teach them, we cannot expect them to know. It is our responsibility to teach them what their responsibilities are.

03/08/2019

If you and your best friend are out somewhere having a good time and you come across a situation that makes you uncomfortable or uneasy, is your relationship strong enough that you will allow your friend to guide you through that experience? Do you trust them and their judgment enough to allow them to lead you through that difficult situation?
It is your responsibility to ensure that your dog views you as someone who is trustworthy, who has good judgment, and who they are willing to follow through challenging situations.
Your dog needs to trust that you WOULD NOT ask them to do something if they COULD NOT do it. That is to say that they need to believe that they CAN do it even if it is for no other reason than BECAUSE you are asking them to do it.
Along those lines, you need to be measured in what you ask of them. Challenging your dog is appropriate as long as you can somehow ensure their success. This could be something like giving them a boost if you are asking them to jump up onto an object and it ends up being a little too high for them to reach on their own. If you ask your dog for too much or if you fail to support them through a challenging experiencing, they will lose faith in you and your ability to make sound decisions for yourself, for them, and for your partnership.
When your relationship suffers, every part of your life with your dog and your dog's life with you will suffer.
Put the time in with your dog. Forge a strong relationship. Build a better life.
@ Kingston, Ontario

27/07/2019

27/07/2019

27/07/2019

27/07/2019

When TEACHING your dog something NEW or BUILDING their CONFIDENCE, it is important to set your dog up for SUCCESS! If you want your dog to do more of something, they need to find that thing to be rewarding. The best way to achieve this is to set up scenarios that you can control and manipulate in favour of your dog's success.
Once your dog KNOWS a behaviour, it's important to CHALLENGE them to do it under more challenging circumstances. This is called PROOFING and often looks or feels like setting the dog up to fail. More accurately, proofing puts the dog in a situation where they have a choice to make. They KNOW which behaviour choice they have been TAUGHT to make and then are presented with circumstances that TEMPT them to perform some behaviour which falls outside of those parameters but that better serves their purpose in that moment.
Each of these scenarios is BOTH a small test of the dog's understanding of the requested behaviour and a much larger test of the dog's IMPULSE CONTROL. Now, if the dog does FAIL and makes the wrong choice, it's up to the handler to let the dog know and to help them move into the correct behaviour choice. This can be done through an appropriate correction or through simply manipulating the dog's position or behaviour until it is correct.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that this be done in a way that is fair to the dog! In order for this process to be FAIR to the dog, the balance of the challenge must be such that the dog understands HOW TO SUCCEED but is still tempted by the surrounding stimuli. Challenges (changes in environment, added distractions, etc) MUST be increased at a rate that is appropriate for each dog and their progress. In that way, PROOFING does present the dog with an opportunity to fail but it also gives them a very FAIR opportunity to SUCCEED.
All in all, the answer to the original question is that it depends on the situation your dog is in and what your goals are for their progress and for your partnership. Both SUCCESS and FAILURE are valid and important parts of training your dog to be a calm, confident, and reliable member of society.
Learn new skills. Practise them. Proof them. Build a better life.

27/07/2019

The difference between a dog which is stubborn and one which is committed lies in whether or not you, the human handler, agree with the behaviour on which the dog is refusing to give up.🐶.
If you can align your perspectives and harness that determination toward a behaviour on which you agree, you will see the dog pour their heart and soul into that behaviour in a way you wouldn't see otherwise.🐶.
Align your goals. Clarify your communication. Forge a partnership. Build a better life.🐶.

27/07/2019

Hey Hey Hey! So you've heard the terms reward, reinforcement, correction, and punishment before but are you SURE you know what they mean when it comes to training? 📸
🐶 A reward or reinforcer is something that THE DOG finds rewarding enough to increase the likelihood that they will repeat the behaviour that they believe brought on the reward or reinforcer.
🐶 Similarly, a correction or punishment is something that THE DOG finds unpleasant enough to decrease the likelihood that they will repeat the behaviour that they believe brought on the correction or punishment.
🐶 The main point is that the value of the reward, reinforcer, correction, or punishment must be calibrated to THE DOG and how the dog feels about it in a particular situation. What the dog finds rewarding or punishing in one situation, they may completely ignore in another.
🐶 Let's look at an example: Say you have food to offer your dog during training in the house. That's awesome and feels very rewarding to the dog in the house. When you notake that same activity outside, with all the sights, sounds, smells and, oh my goodness, THE SQUIRRELS, suddenly that food that they get every day isn't as motivating as it was inside. Outside, THE DOG finds those other things far more motivating and REWARDING than the food you have to offer them. In order to regain the level of motivation that you have built inside the house, you must either build the dog's food drive or use a different form of motivation such as a toy or engagement, among other things.

27/07/2019

Balanced, LIMA (least invasive, minimally aversive), positive first, modern, positive only, purely positive, positive reinforcement, +R/R+, force free, clicker based, compulsion based, science based, blended...
🐶
No matter how many terms we come up with to describe ourselves as trainers, there will always be the risk that someone with whom you have substantial differences in training mentality and/or methodology, will choose to use the same terms to describe themselves as you do. That is unavoidable in dog training just as it is with political affiliations and beliefs. You can apply some label to yourself that you feel is appropriate but you can't control who else also claims that label.
🐶
With all of that in mind, it becomes very difficult to describe your style of training in a few words that quickly and simply summarize what you do in an accurate way. So don't worry about it! Describe yourself & your training however you want to. Be honest and open with people. Be willing to give more information if/when you're asked questions. Conduct yourself and your training with integrity. Remain humble. Always be receptive to learning. Respect the dog. Build a better life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27/07/2019

"Good" & "Bad" behaviours 🐶 🐶To a dog, there are no inherently "good" or "bad" behaviours. There are only behaviours. The dog is going to partake in the behaviour that they believe will be most advantageous or beneficial for them in any given situation. It is up to the humans to FAIRLY and CONSISTENTLY show and teach the dog which behaviours are desirable ("good") and which are undesirable ("bad") in each situation so that they have the knowledge to appropriately navigate those situations in the future.
@ Kingston, Ontario

27/07/2019

Let's talk about the four quadrants of operant conditioning! I've tried to break it down into a few different formats so that everyone can find a style that works for their style of learning.
Drop a comment with your favourite thing you've taught your dog using one or more of these quadrants!
@ Kingston, Ontario

27/07/2019

Let's talk about tools! Tools are anything we use to help us and our dog move forward with the process of training. That includes their regular collar and leash! What tools work best for you and your dog?

27/07/2019

TOUCH is a very useful command. Here, Papyrus is using TOUCH to press the accessible door button and open the door. He missed the first time around but nailed it on his second try.

27/07/2019

A quick video showing our relaxed but still structured evening walk. Papyrus is still getting the hang of the desired position when walking with Lucy but he is progressing well. More videos to come soon!

27/07/2019

Welcome welcome, one and all, to !!! More content to come soon. For now, drop a comment telling me something you'd like to see here in the future! I'll keep a list and see if I can make it happen!! Again, welcome! I'm so glad we are on this journey together 😊🐶❤🎉