PuptodateDogs

01/17/2024

Being able to read body language in your pets is super important, folks!

10/28/2023

It's been a long time since I've posted on social media! Things have been busy (yay!) but when you're a one woman team, some things fall to the wayside. *Ahem* social media🤪

I've never done an introduction post on here so I thought it might be time!

My name is Cailin, and I'm a multi-certified dog trainer based in Victoria BC, but I do online consulting worldwide.

I focus in reactivity, separation anxiety (certified through ) life skills, and puppies.

My goal as a trainer is to set you and your dog up for success now and into the future, so you don't need me forever. I only use force free methods in training and am proud to do so.

My clients and their dogs truly mean so much to me, and I'm so happy that many of my clients continually update me on their progress once we're done training together. More updates please!!🫶🏼

Outside of dog training, I also work as a Registered Massage Therapist! This career was my first passion before dog training. Weirdly enough, so many of the skills transfer between these two jobs. Compassion, empathy, and understanding are huge components to both of these careers. Being an RMT makes me a better dog trainer, and vice versa.

In my free time, I love spending time with my own two amazing pups, Basil and Rue, as well as my wonderful fiancé (gettin hitched next year!😳) who is dog dad extraordinare. We spend a lot of our time camping, snowboarding (our fave), and being outside together.

Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your dogs. This work can be hard, and exhausting, but I've had the pleasure of having such amazing clients. I truly love all of your dogs, and they are all like fur nieces and nephews to me 🧡

07/15/2023

Doing photos with your dogs, but not worrying if they're "perfect".

I love all of these because it captures my relationship with my dogs sooo well.

My main priority has always been making sure my dogs feel safe, loved, and are having fun.

Squishy faces, looking at the treats and not the camera, just doing what we do best by being silly. I just loooove it.

Thank you for these and for embracing whatever my dogs felt like doing during the photo session🥹

02/16/2023

Struggling with recall? Set you and your dog up for success with this checklist!

✅ 30-50ft leash
• A long leash will ensure safety as you work on your recall cue.

✅ High value reinforcement
• Think wet, stinky food like hot dogs, cheese, or a squeeze pouch with wet food in it. The wetter/stinkier, the higher the value. Reward your dog EVERY time.
• If you have a play/toy motivated dog, try tug or fetch as a reward.

✅ Game of tug or sniffing beforehand
• If you have a dog who loses interest in recall quickly to go sniff or to zoom around, they may do better with some play or "find-it" treat scatters before you practice to get their inital excitement out.

✅ Strategic cue timing
• One of the biggest mistakes I see with recall is overusing the recall cue.
• When you decide to call your dog, look at the big picture. When was the last time you recalled them? What did you recall them from?
• A good way to assess if your dog will be able to recall is calling their name. Did they look at you? Try your recall then.
• If your dog is sniffing or doing something exciting, that's probably not a good time to recall them unless you deem it absolutely necessary.

If you're struggling with recall, reach out to a qualified force free trainer for support. Behaviour is nuanced and an extra pair of eyes can always be helpful! 🙏

02/07/2023

It's never too late to start "that thing" you wanted to work on with your dog.

I get it, training can feel daunting.

Getting from point A-B is harder than it seems sometimes.

The list of things you want to work on with your dog is endless.

My advice is to pick ONE thing you want to work on this month. Or maybe the next 6 months. Or year. Whatever floats your boat.

One goal may seem easy to one, but daunting to the next.

Take your large goal and split it up into easy, attainable steps you can do daily.

Trying to muzzle train? Today, mark and reward for your dog looking at the muzzle.

Trying to work on co-op care? Instead of looking at the big picture, pick your start button to train. Maybe it's a chin rest or laying on their side.

& remember, you don't need to train for hours every day. Take your timer, set 5 minutes, train until the timer goes off.
..and if you miss your training session, be easy on yourself. We all have a lot going on in our lives and it's easy to be hard on ourselves. It's never too late to start. ♥️


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01/26/2023

Tips for your new puppy:

1. Focus on building your relationship, not obedience.
• You have a puppy, a baby! Spend your time together building a solid foundation of trust, love, and safety. The technical stuff can come later.

2. Socialize early. Teach your dog that watching the world pass by = great things!
• Socialization is more than just playing and meeting dogs. It's watching dogs play without needing to be in the action, watching cars, people, dogs go past the window. It's learning to be calm in the chaos of the world!

3. Make sure they get lots of quality rest (18-20hrs/day).
• Puppies need a lot of rest. It's up to us to help them wind down during the day so they don't overdo it.

4. Hire a qualified force free trainer ASAP when issues come up.
• Don't wait to see if they'll "grow out of it". They won't.

5. Set them up for success & find humour in the moments "things go wrong".
• Management is a puppy's best friend. Sometimes management fails, and in those moments try to laugh it off. Your puppy is not trying to test you, they're just living their best life 😂 and yes, everyone goes through the "witching hour(s)".

Most importantly HAVE FUN! You'll sit there waiting for them to grow up, and once they're grown up you'll wish for the puppy days back. So enjoy it while you can♥️

01/06/2023

We have 2 spots left in this class!

I had a few people message me about later on dates, if you'd like to join a class later in this year please send me a message.

Our classes are positive reinforcement and force-free. These classes are 45-50minutes long and run at the same time each week for 5 weeks. We go over basic dog body language, marker training, basic skills, greetings, and loose-leash walking. Classes will be hosted at A Pet’s Life in Victoria. Must...

12/15/2022

Yay Rani!♥️

💚❤️We have the absolute best news to share just in time for the holidays!!!! ❤️💚

Sweet Rani has found her home with the best forever mom of her very own❤️❤️

Rani entered RDDR care at the beginning of February. We had so many ups and downs with her medical and behavioral issues that it took a little bit longer to find that perfect home that understood our special girl like we did. She tried out a few humans and their homes leading up to it, but always made her way back to her foster home. Rani made incredible strides in trusting people during our time together and her skin looks 100 times better than it did.

When Rani’s new mom approached us to learn more about Rani it just seemed like fate. She had been watching Rani since the beginning but just wasn’t quite ready for a dog at the time. Fast forward 6 months, and the stars aligned ❤️

Jenna and Rani, we wish you the greatest life together. Jenna, thank you for your patience, understanding, and willingness to work with this spunky sassy pup and for appreciating her for all of her quirks.

Rani’s journey continues with a training plan with PuptodateDogs and ongoing specialist appointments to get her allergies fully sorted which RDDR will continue to support!
Fun fact: Rani is allergic to humans!!! 🤣

Have the best life Rani, Nan, Nan bread, crazy girl, possum. We look forward to watching your progress!

Thank you Charlotte for checking in and assisting with knowledge for this girls skin issues!
Kabul Small Animal Rescue

Mission Possible Adoptions

12/08/2022

Our first all age basic manners class of the new year!

Our classes use positive reinforcement and are force-free. These classes are 45-50 minutes long and run at the same time each week for 5 weeks.

We go over dog body language, marker training, basic skills, engagement, and loose-leash walking.

Classes will be hosted at A Pet's Life.

Sign up here:

Our classes are positive reinforcement and force-free. These classes are 45-50minutes long and run at the same time each week for 5 weeks. We go over basic dog body language, marker training, basic skills, greetings, and loose-leash walking. Classes will be hosted at A Pet’s Life in Victoria. Must...

11/25/2022

Big appreciation for Miss Bailey. ♥️

I've been working with Bailey (+ her two siblings) & her guardian for quite a bit now.

Bailey can be reactive to people and dogs.

She barked at me and I only got within about 10ft of her our first session.

Bailey comes from an aversive background (spray bottles and pet corrector). She wasn't shut down, but she was definitely anxious when we started working together. She was afraid of making mistakes.

How we helped Bailey:
• consistency
• encouragement
• enrichment that's just right for her
• slow introductions to dog neutral dogs

Bailey has come a long way. She no longer barks at people she sees on the street. When she pulls on the lead to dogs, it's now because she wants to say hi. We still have a ways to go but I'm so so proud of this dog & her human.

But, my favourite part about working with Bailey and her human, is watching her personality come out.

She's not afraid to make mistakes because of the punishment that might come after.

She's confident in trying new things, in meeting new dogs (her circle grows bigger almost every month!)

& her human reports she's a lot more cuddly as well 😜

These are all things I love about force free training. The bond you get with your animal. The relationship you build. The connection between human and dog.🪄

11/20/2022

Yes to all of this! I love your "naughty" dogs 😊♥️

I love your naughty dog.

Your dog that jumps on me.

Your dog that shoves his whole face in my treat pouch.

Your dog that barks and paws at me for attention, and your dog that steals my hat out of my pocket.

Even your dog that thinks tables are for standing on.

You know why?

Your naughty dog is still brave enough, confident enough, to try something new.
To say “hey, I wonder how this will work” and just go for it.

I see dogs all the time who are apprehensive about trying new things, who lack the desire to try something new. Some dogs come by this behavior due to their anxious genetics or lack of socialization, but some of them become this way because they’ve been punished over and over again for trying new stuff. They jump on a guest, they get “no” shouted at them along with a collar correction. They grab something off the counter, they get the item forcibly removed while they’re yelled at.

Eventually, they stop trying new behavior because it comes with such a history of punishment, and from the outside it looks like “oh good, they’ve learned”. Until you try to teach these dogs to do something brand new. You try to lure them into a position, and they’re hesitant to follow the treat (what if that gets me yelled at? Is this a set up?) You ask your dog to interact with a new person and they hesitate, knowing that the last new person they “interacted with” resulted in them getting physically corrected.

A naughty dog who is willing to do new things is a dog that hasn’t been punished to the point of suppressing their behavior. Punishment can be tempting to use because it stops the dog in the moment, but in some dogs it will suppress ALL behavior somewhat, making your dog hesitant to try new things in your presence, even things completely unrelated to what they’ve been punished for in the past.

I get that as a dog trainer it’s my job to help teach people’s dogs to stop jumping, counter surfing, barking, etc. But there are ways to do that while preserving a dog’s confidence and willingness to try new things. I’m not interested in a mindlessly compliant and obedient dog that got that way by squashing their confidence through heavy use of punishment. I want your naughty dog to learn new behaviors that replace those old “bad” ones using fun stuff like food, toys, and praise, so that when the time comes to learn something new your “naughty” dog is still brave enough to try those new things!

So please don’t apologize to me for your naughty dog. I love to see it!

11/20/2022

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