Welcome to the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers, Canada’s national professional association for those who train dogs, work with dogs, or provide dog care services in Canada. We have hundreds of members, from coast to coast! Our members look forward to working with you and your dog.
FORUM Special Issue
Did you know that CAPDT is celebrating 30 years? To commemorate this anniversary, we've put together a special issue of the Forum. Geared towards dog guardians and trainers, this issue is jam-packed full of resources, along with stories about our history.
You can read and download the issue by clicking on the image to the left.
Short cut to Resources
Dog training is the application of behaviour analysis by using antecedents and consequences to modify a dog’s behaviour.
This to help the puppy or dog:
- Become socialized and learn particular skills, tasks or responses to specific changes in their internal or external environment.
- Prevent the development of behaviour that could significantly compromise the dog’s health and welfare (or put the dog’s life in significant danger).
Both training and behaviour consulting are primarily conducted in cooperation with the dog’s guardian. As a result, dog training also refers to teaching guardians about: - Normal dog behaviour
- Dog communication and dog body language
- Dog care and
- Teaching guardians how to humanely manage or modify their dog’s behaviour
Behaviour consulting is a specialist application of dog training that focuses on changing behaviour that does not assist the adult dog to participate safely in contemporary domestic and public life (i.e. biting people) and significantly compromises their health and welfare (i.e. separation anxiety, excessive inter-dog aggression).
Some of CAPDT’s members enjoy and are employed teaching others to train their dogs. Some of us are avid trainers of our own pets and others are up-and-coming trainers or behaviour consultants who work to help dogs with difficult issues. We pride ourselves on welcoming dog trainers and behaviour consultants with a thirst for knowledge, a willingness to share and a commitment to our strong Code of Ethics on how we treat dogs and their guardians.
No matter what your occupation, if you love dogs, and want to learn more about training, you’ve come the right place!