Gold Ridge Cognitive Canines

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Gold Ridge Cognitive Canines Dog Trainer & Owner Educator: in-home coaching, adventure-day training, evals, & group classes.

Enhance your relationship through play, clear communication, and biological fulfillment to better the quality of life for both beings.

📍 Gold Ridge GRC Club Educational Accomplishments:
​​
CGC Evaluator

AS in Assistance Dog Education (2015)
BS in Cynology — Canine Studies (2017)
AS in Deaf Studies (2018)

Certificate:
Dogs Helping Veterans (2015)
Dog Emotion and Cognition (2020)
Nepopo ďż˝ Silver School (2021)
Nepopo ďż˝ Gold School (2022)

✨ Adel ✨If you’ve been following us for a while, you might remember Adel — she built quite the fan club when she came th...
22/07/2025

✨ Adel ✨

If you’ve been following us for a while, you might remember Adel — she built quite the fan club when she came through our puppy board and train program! She joined us at just 10 weeks old and spent 16 weeks learning the foundations of confidence, clarity, and communication.

Fast forward to today: Adel is now 4 years old and thriving as a loyal companion and therapy dog. She recently came back for a visit and it was incredible to see how much she remembered. All those early foundations? Still right there, solid as ever. 💪

She also got to reunite with her old friend Presto, who helped raise her during her puppy days here. Watching their joy together was such a beautiful reminder of what these early relationships and thoughtful training can create.

Training is never just about obedience—it’s about long-term success, emotional balance, and relationship. Even if they are 5 lbs 🐾💛

🎉 Group Classes are Posted! 🐾 We’ve updated the schedule — including the return of Treibball, one of our favorite dog s...
08/07/2025

🎉 Group Classes are Posted! 🐾

We’ve updated the schedule — including the return of Treibball, one of our favorite dog sports! 💙 ⚽️

Build connection, control, and teamwork in a fun, engaging way! ✨

Classes are held in Newcastle and open to all breeds and experience levels!

Check our schedule at: grccanines.com

Presto’s wishing everyone a safe and chill 4th of July! 🇺🇸🐾We’re keeping it low-key and making sure the pups stay comfy ...
04/07/2025

Presto’s wishing everyone a safe and chill 4th of July! 🇺🇸🐾

We’re keeping it low-key and making sure the pups stay comfy - we're fortunate that we can't hear the fireworks where we live. Don’t forget — fireworks can be scary, so give your dogs a safe, secured space and double check those ID tags! ✨

🎆🐾 Keep Your Dog Safe This 4th of July 🇺🇸✨Fireworks might be fun for some...but for many dogs, it's like the sky is expl...
03/07/2025

🎆🐾 Keep Your Dog Safe This 4th of July 🇺🇸✨

Fireworks might be fun for some...but for many dogs, it's like the sky is exploding and they have no idea why! 😅

Here are a few quick tips to help your pup stay safe and (hopefully) a little less stressed:

🔐 Keep ‘em cozy indoors
Even dogs who “never run off” can bolt when scared. Get them settled before the booms begin.

🔊 White noise is your friend
Fans, music, TV, a white noise machine—or even the dryer running—can help muffle the fireworks.

🏷️ Double-check those ID tags (and microchips!)
Make sure their collar has current info and their microchip is registered with the right contact number—just in case they make a break for it.

🍗 No BBQ for the pup
Bones, booze, chocolate, and corn cobs = hard pass. Give them a safe chew or frozen treat instead!

🐶 Create a “safe zone”
Think crate, back room, maybe even the bathroom—wherever they feel most secure. Bonus points for a blanket fort. 🏰

💛 Your calm matters
If you’re relaxed and supportive, your dog is more likely to follow your lead.

🧠 You can change their fireworks response
If the 4th is a tough time every year, know that it’s possible to recondition your dog’s emotional response with the right plan and practice—not just on the holiday, but throughout the year. And if you need help with that, I’m here. Helping dogs feel safe and confident is what I do!

Wishing you and your pups a safe, happy, and peaceful 4th from Gold Ridge Cognitive Canines! 🐕💥🇺🇸

03/07/2025

I post my 4th of July tips each year. Each year I hope to help a few more with this.

Try to prep today by de stressing with their favorite games, take them out and do exercise prior to the biggest part of the holiday….whether it’s a long walk full of sniff time in a new park, or a lot of mental exercises on your home streets—

Search games, tug, chase games whether food or toys, can be done indoors too before the biggest part of the festivities.

🐾
When the noises start, you can shut windows, put on a familiar movie/rain app/white noise, and through it all, act like EVERYTHING is normal and NOTHING is wrong.
No matter what. You might need some calming aids or mild sedatives for some animals... you might need to give a safe space for them to hide if they’re truly agitated.…you might have to put on that brave face for them if you are uncomfortable as well... but it’s imperative that you act with your body language and voice that nothing is wrong so they can feel safe with you— and give them calm instructions.

Pretend like you hear nothing. You can try getting them to play with their favorite toy, and don’t rest until they feed off your positive energy. Laugh, act silly, roll around with them, for a minute or so before settling down and exhibiting the demeanor that all is well. Food play is one of my favorites and search games can help them, too. OR, give directions and guidance to settle and follow through with it.
They won’t believe that things are “ok” if you’re acting like they’re not. Encourage them to be close to you but remember, emotions are contagious, so if you are nervous and petting a lot, they’ll feed off that. If you’re relaxed, giving pets and massages is great.
If you notice something YOU do is working positively, go with it!

Wishing everyone a wonderful safe holiday!


July is Disability Pride Month — a time to honor strength, history, and vibrant diversity. This month marks the signing ...
02/07/2025

July is Disability Pride Month — a time to honor strength, history, and vibrant diversity. This month marks the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, a turning point in the fight for accessibility, dignity, and equality.

As someone living with invisible disabilities, this month holds deep meaning for me. My neurodivergence and life experiences have shaped how I move through the world — often in ways that are misunderstood or unseen — but also in ways that have brought strength, insight, and connection.

Early in life, I began raising Guide Dogs for the Blind, and it shaped the way I understood partnership, trust, and communication. That experience gave me an invaluable insight to the incredible bond between humans and dogs — and how that bond can empower people, foster independence, and open doors.

I’m especially grateful I had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Bonnie Bergin, who coined the term “Service Dog.” Her pioneering work expanded the possibilities for how dogs could support not just those with visual impairments, but also people with mobility challenges and psychiatric conditions. Her impact continues to shape how we define independence and dignity today.

Disability Pride is about more than awareness — it’s about visibility, acceptance, and reclaiming identity without shame. It’s about honoring the ways disabled people show up every day, even when systems aren’t built for us. It’s about joy, creativity, resilience, and the deep knowing that disability is not a flaw — it’s a part of human diversity.

I’m proud to be part of this community — and I’m equally proud to serve it. Supporting other disabled individuals and families through my work isn’t just a job, it’s a personal passion. Whether you're thriving, surviving, or somewhere in between, you belong and do have a voice.

01/07/2025

“The rise in anxiety among American humans has been exhaustively documented,” Rose Horowitch wrote in 2024. “With much less fanfare, we also seem to have entered the age of the anxious canine.”⁠ https://theatln.tc/7OklVWaz
⁠
Many of America’s 85 veterinary behaviorists are booked months in advance. Several whom Horowitch spoke with said that the number of people seeking pet mental-health care has exploded in the past few years. But there is no consensus as to why. One theory is that dogs today are more anxious. More Americans are choosing to adopt pets, which saves lives but can leave traumatized pets with inexperienced owners. We’ve also altered the way pets live in ways that may make them anxious or aggressive toward people and other dogs. But it could also be that anxious adults are projecting their own issues onto their furry companions. What people classify as a behavioral issue reflects human expectations as much as a dog’s nature, according to a bioethicist. ⁠
⁠
“So is the dog-anxiety crisis real, or is it a product of owners’ anxiety-riddled psyches? Dogs can’t tell us how they’re feeling, so we’ll probably never know,” Horowitch continues. “But both explanations are depressing. Either humans are stressing dogs out so much that they truly need prescription meds, or owners are putting their dogs on unnecessary psychoactive drugs to address annoying but normal dog habits. It might be time, in other words, to reevaluate the way we approach dog ownership. ⁠
⁠
“Many Americans don’t have the time, energy, or green space their pets need to thrive,” Horowitch continues. “If the choice is to medicate our dogs or to make them, and ourselves, miserable, pet ownership starts to seem ethically murky.”⁠

Read more here: https://theatln.tc/7OklVWaz
⁠
🎨: Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Source: Getty.

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Monday 10:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 10:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 10:00 - 17:00
Thursday 10:00 - 17:00
Friday 10:00 - 17:00

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Our Story

An authentic, personable approach to Assistance Dog training! Currently serving Northern California in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, Carrie S Faber offers a Puppy Head Start Board and Train program (Gold Ridge Cognitive Canines) for pets and a complete service dog training program (Better Together). She is dedicated to helping individuals with specific limitations that would greatly benefit from the professional and comforting assistance of a properly trained Assistance Dog. Mitigating symptoms and gaining independence are just two of the many benefits an Assistance Dog can provide with the perfect pairing of handler and dog: children with autism/ADHD/anxiety, Veterans with physical and/or psychiatric limitations (such as PTSD), those Hard of Hearing or Deaf, individuals with mobility disabilities, etc. An Assistance Dog could be a wonderful "unobtrusive helpmate" to improve health and quality of living! If you are interested in Pet, Therapy, or Service Dog training, please check out the website for more detail: BetterTogetherDog.com