Canine Confidence

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Coatesville, IN
Canine Confidence

My name is Lauren Gargano and I am a Fear Free & Karen Pryor Certified Dog Trainer

11/01/2026

Another round of puppy season will be here soon! I have listed my most helpful tips below for potty training your new pups! 💩

✅️ Be sure you reinforce/reward RIGHT after they finish while you are still OUTSIDE! I see a lot of people come inside, ask for a sit, and then reward. You have just reinforced a sit in the kitchen, not the potty outside.

✅️ Keep them on leash (yes, even if you have a fenced backyard) until they do their business. Pick a spot and be super boring until they go. Once they finish, their reward can be off leash play!

✅️ If they go potty inside (which will happen at some point), clean it up (with an enzymatic cleaner) and see if they need to finish anything else outside. No need for yelling/punishment. You can create a dog who won't potty in front of you in fear of being punished.

✅️ Remember, puppies should be able to hold their bladder 1 hour for every month of age (3 months old - hold for 3 hours). However, they will need more frequent potty breaks during play, after meals, after naps, etc.

10/31/2026

Evie is CUTE, and thank goodness because adolescent girls can be TOUGH! She honestly has a great personality, but settling into a new home at this age can prove to be difficult. Mom and Dad are doing a great job so far, but we will be making a few tweaks/additions to see if we can get her on the right path a little quicker 😉💜

10/30/2026

As we go into the holiday season please remember, animals are NOT gifts! Animals are a VERY long commitment and more responsibility than some want/are able to take on. ALWAYS make the decision together.

🫣 Remember that cute little fluffy things turn into big, adolescent nightmares for a little while.

🩺 Remember that these animals get sick and need continued vet care when they are little.

🧠 Remember that they may grow up to have behavior issues, physical issues, or a combination of both.

😬 Remember that they have needs to be met or they will turn into house destroying gremlins.

💲Remember that the cost of having an animal now is different than having an animal even just a few years ago.

💵 Remember that backyard breeders are everywhere and only care about $$$.

10/27/2026

📣 HARNESSES DO NOT CAUSE PULLING! 📣

I feel like I will be saying this until I die, because somehow people STILL think they do.

I see more dogs on flat buckle collars, and the majority of them are pulling so does that mean collars also cause pulling? NO, a LACK of training causes pulling.

If I put on running shoes will that cause me to start running? NO, it might make it more comfortable to run but does not cause it.

If prong/shock collars aren't uncomfortable/painful, why do they work? These items, BY DESIGN, are aversive. An aversive is something that is repellent, unpleasant, or painful. If they weren't aversive, they wouldn't stop the 'bad' behaviors.
*Which means 'when used correctly' they are causing enough discomfort/pain/stress to get the dog to stop the behavior.

I will ALWAYS put a dog's physical and mental well being as the top priority when I am working with them. You don't actually need ANY of the above items to teach a dog how to walk. It is all training and relationship, not equipment.

10/23/2026

I always say if you have a good recall and a good leave it, you don't need much else (for the average pet dog)! Ryder has come a long way with our 'new' neighbor and her pups! There are still moments, but he has been making better decisions. Consistency is always super important when it comes to training and behavior. Creating new patterns, counter conditioning, etc.

In this video I ask for a leave it BEFORE he gets into his defensive mode. I don't wait until he starts barking and going crazy. He notices them calmly, I ask for a leave it, he turns to me and I mark with 'good' and then reward with his toy. If I waited and let him make a decision on his own, I'm not 100% sure he would have chosen that 🤣 He *might* have, but I don't trust him that much yet! We are getting there! 🧡

*Leo is the creepy neighbor who just stares at everyone 🤣

10/21/2026

💊 Medication can be a VERY important part of the plan for some animals. The goal with medication is to help drecrease pain, give them confidence, make the world/noises/etc. less scary, help them not go from 0-100 in 0.1 seconds when exposed to a trigger, etc.

📝 Veterinarians don't use them just to sedate your dogs or make their problems go away. Medication is part of a PLAN that includes training, desensitization, counter conditioning, exposure, consistency, management, etc. Sometimes it is short term while we work through a couple of quirks, sometimes it is long term as we work through big feelings.

🧠 Genetics can be not so great in both humans and animals. Sometimes the brain isn't wired correctly, or maybe the brain is missing a few wires! That's okay, everyone is different and special in their own way. My gial is to make sure everyone is feeling their best and has the best quality of life they can get 💜

10/20/2026

🛑 Please remember, just because a dog is in a public setting does NOT mean it wants to be touched 👈
I do not appreciate being touched by strangers, but does that mean I shouldn't be in public settings?
Please respect boundaries when it comes to all living things.

🗣 ALWAYS ASK! And when someone says NO, please don't keep going on about how 'You have had dogs for years' or 'All dogs love you' or whatever other reason you have to not accept NO as an answer.

📋 There are SO many situations where dogs don't want to be touched. Maybe they are in pain. Maybe they had a traumatic experience in the past and are scared of people. Maybe they are training. Maybe the human doesn't feel like/have the energy to be chatting. Maybe the dog is a service dog. Maybe the dog just suffered abuse at home and human/dog needed to be anywhere else. Maybe they just want to be left ALONE!

💜 If you TRULY love dogs and want to help them then leave them be, ask, respect boundaries, learn body language, and learn that no means no.

10/19/2026

Meet Honey! I know this isn't her face, but I couldn't resist getting a picture of her little tiny mohawk hairs 🤣 She is adorable and doing great adjusting to a new home! However, she used to live outside in a yard with multiple other dogs and was never socialized, so anything beyond the house and backyard is scary for her 😬 We are going to work on short sessions out front of just watching things to help with slow exposure. She is very smart, and definitely has a Beagle nose on her! 💜

10/19/2026

This is how you know puppy class was a success 🤭😍

10/18/2026

For only about 4 minutes of working with Guppy on a hoop, I'm happy at where she is! I am still very much luring, but as you can see in the beginning she was a little unsure about the hoop when it was picked up. I could have done a slower transition, but I know she recovers fairly quickly! This one should be fun!

Address

Coatesville, IN
46121

Website

http://canineconfidencetraining.com/

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