September is National Service Dog Month, making it a great opportunity to learn more about service dogs, the important work they do, and what sets them apart from other support animals. A service dog works specifically with a person with a disability and is trained to perform tasks that help mitigate that person’s disability. Service […]
Service Dogs in Canada: What You Need to Know Read More »
Behind every great professional association is a dedicated group of volunteers who generously share their time and expertise. This month, we’d like to shine a spotlight on one of those exceptional members—Jennifer Berg, CPDT-KA, CDBC. Many CAPDT members know Jennifer as the editor behind our annual digital publication, FORUM, but her contributions to our profession extend
Member Feature: Jennifer Berg – Helping Shape the Future of CAPDT’s Flagship Publication Read More »
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
Why CAPDT’s New Professional Pathways Are Good News for Trainers Read More »
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
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about Dog Parks Read More »
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
Annual General Meeting 2026 Read More »
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
The CVMA Supports Developing a National Certifying Body Read More »
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
Member Feature: Kelly Crawford DEIB Read More »
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
Understanding Associative Conditioning In Behaviour Work Read More »