What Are “Shake-Offs”—and What Are Dogs Telling Us? By Krisztina Harasztosi, MSc, CDBC, ADT-IAABC, CSAP-BC Have you ever noticed a dog shake from nose to tail after greeting another dog, walking away from a stressful situation, or finishing an exciting activity? These “shake-offs” are often dismissed as simply drying off or shaking away stress, […]
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By Anne Poirer As pet dog trainers, we often meet dogs whose breed histories were shaped by livestock work, even when those dogs are now living on sofas, walking in neighbourhoods, and attending group classes. When we understand the differences among herding dogs, livestock guardian dogs, and multipurpose farm dogs, it becomes much easier to
Livestock Dogs for Pet Dog Trainers: What Their Original Jobs Can Teach Us Read More »
If you’ve spent years building your knowledge, helping dogs and their families, and growing the profession through ethical, humane training, you may be wondering what CAPDT’s new National Curriculum Standard and professional pathways mean for you. The short answer? Good things. These initiatives are not about starting over. They’re about building on the foundation that
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When people think about service dogs, they often picture a highly trained dog accompanying their handler through daily life. While that image is certainly accurate, it only tells part of the story. A service dog (also called an assistance dog in some countries) is a specially trained dog that performs specific tasks to help mitigate
A Day in the Life of a Service Dog: Supporting Work and Well-Being Read More »
By Sylvia Koczerzuk There are lot of good and bad perceptions about dog parks. This article is intended as an educational source to address some of the most common myths and perceptions about dog parks as well as to highlight their positive aspects. I have visited many dog parks throughout the United States and Canada some
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Our Annual General Meeting brought together 76 attendees from across the country for an evening filled with updates, progress, and excitement for the future of CAPDT. Members received a comprehensive recap of the work accomplished over the past year, including updates to the complaint process based directly on feedback shared at last year’s AGM. We
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The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) has taken a strong and clear position on dog training in Canada. They support the development of a national certifying body to establish consistent standards for dog trainers—standards based on humane, evidence-based, reward-based methods. Source Why is this important? Currently in Canada, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer
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Welcoming Our New DEIB Committee Chair The Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers is pleased to introduce Kelly Crawford (she/they) as the new Chair of the DEIB Committee (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging). Kelly brings a deep commitment to both animal welfare and community support, with a training philosophy centered on empowering pet guardians
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by Andrew Perkins Best Friends Training In a week of dog walks, I probably see two or three different people trying to get their hyper-aroused dogs to hold a stay or a “watch-me” while an unfamiliar dog is walked past on the sidewalk. In some cases the dog holds the stay, and in others there
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by Jaime Knowles, CPDT-KA, FFCP (Trainer), Dip. CSBT www.GoodDog-Academy.com In recent years, the concept of consent has become a growing area of focus in the professional dog training community. Rooted in compassion and evidence-based practice, consent-based training not only respects the emotional and physical well-being of our canine companions but also fosters trust and strengthens
Understanding and Honouring Canine Consent in Training and Behaviour Work Read More »