Canine Blueprint Training INC.

23/07/2025

When you bring a dog into your life, you’re signing up for more than just cuddles, walks, and playtime—you’re also taking on the responsibility of helping them feel safe and secure in a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming. One of the most powerful tools for creating that sense of safety is the crate.

Yet, many pet owners either skip crate training entirely or stop using the crate once their dog seems “good enough” without it. Unfortunately, this can create challenges not only for you, but also for anyone who helps care for your dog—whether that’s a trainer, groomer, vet, or boarding facility.

Let’s talk about why crate training is so important, and how it impacts the professionals who support you and your pup.

Crate Training Is About Comfort, Not Confinement

At its core, a crate is meant to be a den-like space—a place where your dog can relax and feel safe. When introduced properly, dogs naturally enjoy having a quiet retreat where they won’t be disturbed. It can:

✅ Reduce anxiety in new or stressful environments

✅ Provide a safe space during travel or at the vet

✅ Prevent destructive habits while your dog is unsupervised

✅ Help with potty training in young or new dogs

The key is making the crate a positive experience, not a punishment. A crate-trained dog doesn’t see it as a “jail”—they see it as their space.

Many owners stop using a crate when their dog grows up or seems well-behaved. While this can work in a stable home environment, it often backfires when circumstances change:

Emergencies happen. If you ever need your dog crated for travel, vet care, or an unexpected situation, a dog who isn’t used to it may panic.

Reverting behavior. Even a well-trained dog can regress in a new place or with new caregivers. Without a crate, stress can lead to accidents, destruction, or reactivity.

Loss of structure. Some dogs actually thrive on the structure a crate provides. Removing it can create insecurity or over-attachment.

So while it may seem like “graduating from the crate” is a milestone, it’s better to maintain at least some level of comfort with it throughout your dog’s life.

How It Impacts Pet Care Professionals:

When your dog isn’t crate-trained—or hasn’t been crated in a long time—it affects everyone who works with your dog.

Boarding facilities: Dogs who panic in crates are at risk of injuring themselves or stressing out the entire kennel environment. Staff have to spend extra time calming them, and your dog may not eat, rest, or settle well.

Groomers & vets: Many grooming salons and vet clinics use crates or kennels for safety while your dog waits their turn. A dog who isn’t used to confinement may bark, cry, or even hurt themselves trying to escape.

Trainers: Crate training is often part of behavior modification programs, especially for reactivity or anxiety. Without crate comfort, progress can be slower and more stressful for your dog.

Pet sitters & walkers: If there’s an emergency (like a gas leak or injury), having a dog who can calmly stay in a crate can literally be life-saving.

When your dog is crate-trained, it’s easier for professionals to keep them safe, calm, and happy, which makes the experience smoother for everyone.

Even if your dog no longer “needs” a crate daily, it’s wise to maintain crate comfort throughout their life.

Occasionally feed meals in the crate.

Let them nap there with the door open.

Practice short crate sessions every now and then, especially before boarding or vet visits.

Use it for travel or quiet time, so it stays part of their routine.

This way, if you ever need the crate again, your dog won’t see it as something unfamiliar or scary.

Crate training isn’t about locking your dog away—it’s about giving them a safe, predictable space to relax. And beyond your own home, it’s an essential skill that allows your dog to handle travel, boarding, vet visits, and grooming with far less stress.

When you stop crate use entirely, it doesn’t just affect you—it affects every professional who helps care for your dog. Keeping the crate in your dog’s life, even in small ways, sets them up for a lifetime of confidence and security.

So if you’ve let the crate collect dust in the corner, consider bringing it back into rotation—you’ll be doing both your dog and your pet care team a huge favor.

11/07/2025

🧩 The Four Quadrants Aren’t Moral — They’re Mechanisms

We’re a generation reckoning with our own childhood trauma. Many of us were punished unfairly, shamed instead of guided, or made to feel afraid of making mistakes. So when we hear the word “punishment,” we flinch.

But dogs are not children.

They don’t lie awake at night feeling emotionally invalidated because you said “no.”
They don’t spiral into guilt when you interrupt a behavior.
They don’t need open-ended choices all day long to feel empowered.

They need structure, clarity, and consistency — not moral confusion.

Here’s the hard truth:
Avoiding the other quadrants doesn’t make you a better trainer. It makes you an incomplete one.

If you only ever study one side of learning theory — or worse, pretend the others don’t exist — you will never truly understand or apply any of it well. You’re working with half a map, expecting to arrive at a full destination.

Learning how each quadrant works doesn’t mean using all of them all the time — it means knowing which one to use, when to use it, and how to do so with fairness and clarity.

The moment we attach morality to the mechanics of learning, we stop training the dog in front of us and start reacting from our own baggage.

If we want stable, confident dogs in our homes — dogs who understand what’s expected of them and trust us to lead — then we have to stop being afraid of how they learn.

You’re already using all four quadrants every day.
So instead of avoiding them, let’s learn how to use them with clarity, kindness, and responsibility.

Because your dog doesn’t need you to be perfect.
They just need you to be consistent.

To read the whole article go to this link 🔗 :

https://jennasooley.wixsite.com/canineblueprint/post/it-s-not-abuse-it-s-just-learning-how-our-trauma-warps-our-view-of-dog-training

01/07/2025

Canada Day brings celebrations, BBQs, and—for many households—fireworks. While that can be fun for us, it can be overwhelming or downright terrifying for our dogs.

Whether you’re raising a young pup or living with a sensitive or reactive dog, loud fireworks and unexpected bangs can trigger everything from pacing and barking to full-blown panic. If your dog struggles with noise sensitivity, don’t wait until the booms start—plan ahead.

Here’s how to help your dog feel supported, not just managed this July 1st:

Set the Scene Early

By mid-afternoon, start shifting your home environment to support calmness:
• Use blackout blinds, close the windows, and put on familiar TV or calm music (I love using shows with dialogue or white noise machines).
• Create a comfy den, like a covered crate or tucked-away corner. If your dog is crate-trained, this is a perfect time to lean into that safe space.
• Offer a long-lasting chew—a frozen Kong, a lick mat with yogurt or raw, or a raw bone if your dog’s used to them. This helps satisfy their need to do something while releasing calming hormones through chewing.

Practice What They Know

Before the fireworks begin, run through a few simple cues your dog is confident with—nothing fancy. Familiarity and structure help shift the brain out of panic mode and into engagement.

One of my favourites this week has been the targeting game we’ve been working on with clients—teaching your dog to place their paws on a raised object, like a platform, wobble board, or even a couch cushion.

This game builds confidence and body awareness while giving your dog a clear job:
💡 “When you hear that sound, go to your target.”
It turns a stressful moment into something rewarding, focused, and safe.

Don’t Make It a Teaching Moment

Now is not the time to introduce fireworks or try to “show your dog it’s okay.” For sensitive dogs, exposure without choice often leads to shutdown or reactivity.

Stay indoors, skip the social events if needed, and focus on helping your dog feel like their world is predictable. That calm you offer now lays the groundwork for confidence later.

Bonus Tip: Plan Potty Time Wisely

Do your last outdoor potty break before dusk. Once the fireworks begin, avoid letting your dog out—even if they ask. Dogs have been known to bolt or panic and scale fences during fireworks. Keep them safe, even if that means a little whining at the door.

Being proactive is not overprotective. It’s leadership.

If you’re supporting your dog through fear or reactivity, holidays like this can feel isolating—but you’re not alone, and you’re not doing it wrong.

You’re doing it right by staying home, offering structure, giving your dog a clear job, and meeting them with understanding instead of frustration.

Let the fireworks come and go. You’ve got this—and your dog is lucky to have you.

30/06/2025

I feel like a broken record....

FOSTERS NEEDED ....
All supplies are supplied

We just need you to:
- house them
- help train them (depending what age etc)
- love them (some have never known love)
- take lots of pics to help get them adopted

It's very simple, just open your home to a dog in need, so we can get them out of a crappy situation or whatever the case.
- whether its till they find their forever home
- or temporarily (its all needed)

The rescue facility is so full and adoptions are slowly picking up, but even when a dog gets adopted another dog takes thier place, so we are always full lol.....

If you can foster please post below or shoot us a PM, we have dogs of all ages needing a foster ...🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

11/06/2025

25/05/2025

Important Update from Canine Blueprint Training

Unfortunately, our landlords have made the decision to sell the property, which means we’ll be moving once again. While we don’t have all the details yet, we wanted to keep our community informed.

At this time, we are only booking boarding and board & train services into August, but not beyond, until we know where we’ll be relocating.

In-home lessons will continue as usual, and we will be offering pet taxi services for clients who may fall outside our regular travel range depending on our new location.

Thank you so much for your continued support and patience as we navigate this next chapter.

— Jenna & the Canine Blueprint Team

16/05/2025

15/05/2025

Helene & Pheobe were looking spot on this week in class. Give them a round of applause in the comments!!

13/05/2025

Hey friends—it’s been a while since we introduced ourselves, so here’s a little about the team behind Canine Blueprint Training.

I’m Jenna—trainer, business owner, and the person behind your emails, programs, and most of the content you see here. I started this business not just out of passion, but necessity. I live with chronic illness, including ADHD, PMDD, migraines, and hypermobility, and traditional jobs didn’t support what my body needed. I manage my symptoms through a combination of medical care and alternative supports that allow me to keep doing this work I love—with consistency and care. This business has given me a way to show up fully for both dogs and people, even on the harder days.

Eric is our lead handler and the calm force behind so many of our hands-on success stories. He has ADHD, and dog training is his special interest and hyperfocus. He pours himself into the dogs, often spending quiet time meditating with the reactive or nervous ones to help them settle and open up. His consistency and energy create trust where it didn’t exist before. Working with dogs keeps him grounded—and gives him a way to support both his passion and our family.

Together, we’re a real couple running a real business, doing our best to help dogs and people live more peacefully together. We value honesty, structure, kindness, and showing up—every single day.

If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been with us a while, thank you. Either way—we’re so glad you’re here