Canine Companion, LLC- Abbie Volpone

05/04/2026

Welfare Fun Fact 💡

Agency is one of the most important features of the Physical Environment Domain.

Animals experience better welfare when they have the ability to influence their surroundings by making choices between options and experiencing control in producing predictable outcomes.

These factors dovetail into the critical umbrella of agency - an animal’s ability to competently and skillfully exert control, elect from choices, and navigate challenges in their environment.

Dogs naturally move through their physical environment to regulate comfort and safety. They experience sensory and structural external conditions, and are designed to respond accordingly to maintain homeostasis - shifting positions, changing surfaces, seeking shade or warmth, increasing distance from aversive stimuli or social pressure, or moving toward things that feel comforting, interesting or rewarding.

Environments that offer only a single flat plane with few options limit these opportunities for self regulation. Far too many dogs live in single plane realities which lack the choices, control, and ultimate agency that animals need to optimize their welfare.

Domain crossovers: Mental and Affective State, Behavioral Interactions

Welfare Hack 🚨
Look at your dog’s environment from their point of view - both inside and outside of the home.

Are there opportunities to effectively and predictably act on the physical environment in response to conditions by electing to:
Move up? On? Over? Under? Around? Behind?
Go outside? Inside? Towards? Away From?
Stretch out? Curl up?
Get active? Quiet down?
Seek? Hide?
Get close to? Isolate from?
Warm up? Cool down?

Perches, stools, couches, soft bedding, cool shaded areas, different rooms, logs, rocks, platforms, dog doors, windows, nooks, and varied terrain/routes all create opportunities for dogs to adjust their bodies, minds, and their experiences to follow their inner compasses.

More environmental options provide more than the opportunity to cope with one’s environment. They can promote better homeostatic function, emotional regulation, and stress resilience.

04/20/2026

Looking forward to a full and beautiful week of training your dogs!

03/09/2026

Finnegan wants everyone to see how handsome he looks in his muzzle 😍

02/26/2026

Everyone loves a field trip day 🥰 Rollo and Beanie were on the roster today for some adventure and training out in the world! We started with some long-line time to explore at a park, then moved to the more structured exercises. Meet their needs first, THEN your training goals!

02/19/2026

In honor of Sake’s FOURTH gotcha day today, I wanted to bring back this little video I made soon after we brought her home!

This video is just a small selection of all the little considerations when bringing home a new pet. Especially in a multi-dog, multi-species household like mine, there was LOTS of management, practice, and guidance at the start (no phone in my hand to record those things, too busy actively supervising!). But really, we did get lucky with this sweet girl, she joined our lives seamlessly and has added greatly to the joy (and dog hair) in our house.

Here’s to my favorite spunky, wild fluff. Shelter name “Island,” became our Sake girl, Saks, the Puppy Dog who isn’t such a puppy anymore.

02/12/2026

Here’s a great win for this week—Nelson was recently adopted and is still learning about the world. His person has high hopes of him being a go-everywhere kind of companion for her, and luckily he’s got such a fun, curious personality that I do think that’s something he can do. So today we took him on his first outing, and after about 10 minutes of settling in he was totally relaxed and the best boy. He even found a toy he carried with him! I just adore this goofy guy!

02/03/2026

An exciting business update— I have just taken a position as a faculty advisor for an internationally recognized industry leader, the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior. I am thrilled to take on this role, honored by the recognition of my own expertise, and excited to help shape future dog trainers.

01/18/2026

The forecast for the next couple of days is going to be miserable. 🥶🥶Keep yourself and your dogs safe.
👉🏼Skip the walk and choose indoor enrichment or training time. Make outdoor potty trips quick. If you live in an apartment complex or somewhere that salts heavily, consider boots or paw protection like Musher’s Secret paw balm to protect from chemical burns on your dogs’ feet. And when you go out, cover as much of your skin as possible!
Stay inside, snuggle your dogs, and have warm thoughts of spring! ❄️

12/24/2025

A little behind the scenes of our Christmas photo shoot this year! 🎄
🎁Every year we send a Christmas card with a festive picture of the dogs and Ollie on the front, and us and all our other critters on the back. This year we made a dog-safe gingerbread house (kit from !) for them to pose with.

So here’s a few clips from the set up, and my favorite candid photo that captures some of the process.
Happy holidays everyone! 🎄❄️❤️

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12/18/2025

Registration for my January classes will be closing soon, make sure you grab a spot and start the new year right with your dog!

This is the last time I will be offering these classes at this location! View more info and sign up here:

https://dexterschools.ce.eleyo.com/course/1484/winter-2026/canine-companion-dog-training

12/09/2025

Are you following me on instagram? This is where I more often share training tips, fun stuff with my own pets, client features, and more. You may even catch YOUR dog on my story sometime! Make sure you’re following the fun .confident.canines on Instagram! 📸🐕

https://www.instagram.com/abbies.confident.canines?igsh=MW1qbDE0eGZ0bTd4bA== n arme

266 Followers, 292 Following, 196 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Canine Companion- Dog Trainer Abbie Volpone, VSA-CDT, FDM (.confident.canines)