<![CDATA[Canine Coaching

<![CDATA[Canine Coaching - Blog]]>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 05:56:22 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[Stop the Stares: How to End Your Dog's Table Scraps Begging Habit]]>Thu, 25 Sep 2025 17:17:08 GMThttps://www.caninecoaching.ca/blog/stop-the-stares-how-to-end-your-dogs-table-scraps-begging-habitThere's nothing quite like settling down for a meal after a long day. The food is hot, the company is good... and then you feel it: the cold, wet nose nudge, the soulful eyes staring you down, or the sudden, demanding whine.
If you're a dog owner, you know this scene well. Begging for "people food" is an age-old problem, and while it might seem like a harmless quirk, it's often a direct result of our own behavior.
The quickest way we create this problem is by feeding our dogs table scraps.

The Root Cause: Why Feeding Scraps is a Slippery Slope
Let's be clear about what "table scraps" really means. It's not just the tidbit you sneak under the table; it's any human food given to your dog while you are cooking, preparing, or eating. By offering these morsels, we are setting a powerful precedent: human food is available, and it's okay to try and get it.
You might be thinking, My dog deserves a treat! And we agree! Our dogs get scraps, too. The key isn't necessarily a hard-and-fast never rule (though avoiding them entirely is the safest bet for preventing begging). The key is how and when you offer them.
You want the food to be a reward, not a response to bad behavior.

3 Essential Rules to Stop Begging in its Tracks
If you choose to give your dog human food, you must establish clear boundaries to prevent them from turning into a four-legged food thief. These three rules are your foundation for a peaceful mealtime.
1. Never Feed a BeggarThis is the golden rule, and it's the most important. Do not feed your dog if they are actively begging.
Begging behavior can take many forms:

A persistent, intense stare while you eat.
Whining or soft demand barking.
Paw or nudge at your leg or arm.
Trying to steal food off a plate or counter.

If you give in, even just once, while they are doing any of these things, you have effectively rewarded the behavior. You've taught them: "If I whine loudly enough, I get the chicken." This guarantees they will try the same behavior (or ramp it up!) next time.
The Fix: Wait until they are quiet, lying down, or have walked away. Then, if you want to give a treat, call them over and give it to them away from the table.
2. Move the Reward LocationThe dining table and the kitchen are high-value locations for food. When you feed your dog scraps at the table, you increase their expectation that food will be dispensed there. This is a direct invitation for them to hang out and wait.
The Fix: If you decide to give your dog a small piece of human food (like a piece of carrot or plain cooked meat), take it away from the table and out of the kitchen. Put it in their bowl, or give it to them while they are on their mat or in their designated "place." This disconnects the reward from your mealtime.
3. Master Two Essential CommandsSometimes, the best offense is a good defense. Having solid obedience commands is your secret weapon against bad habits.

"Leave It": This command is crucial for moments when your dog is showing too much interest in a dropped item, a piece of food on a coffee table, or even your plate. A well-taught "Leave It" tells your dog immediately, "That food is not for you."
"Place" (or "Go to Bed"): This command gives your dog a job and a designated spot to be during mealtime. If they can reliably go to their "place" (a dog bed or mat) and stay there, you can eat in peace. This also helps them practice settling down and being calm while you are busy.

The Takeaway
Putting an end to begging isn't about being mean; it's about being a clear and consistent leader. By implementing these three rules, you are setting clear boundaries that teach your dog how to behave respectfully around human food, leading to a much more peaceful and enjoyable life for everyone!

]]><![CDATA[Crate Training Troubleshooting]]>Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:38:40 GMThttps://www.caninecoaching.ca/blog/crate-training-troubleshootingHappy #trainingtiptuesday! We're going to be talking about crate training and some tips on how to do it. First off, we wish we could tell you that there is a nice, quick, simple, cookie-cutter method for easy crate training. Unfortunately, there isn't. The reason for this is that every dog is different. Dogs are living beings and just like humans, they have different personalities, different ways of learning, different things that scare them, and different things that motivate them. This is why it is so important to train the dog in front of you. Just because your previous dog was able to learn crating easily and now you're frustrated because your puppy doesn't like it, you shouldn't be upset and expect the puppy to be the same as your old dog. But I digress, that is a topic for another day. If you search our Facebook page and look for the word “crate” you will find a few different posts with amazing resources on how to start out crate training and some of the many benefits of crating.

Today, we want to focus on some advice to help you crate train your puppy/dog. The most important thing, and this goes for all dogs, is when possible never let your puppy or dog out of the cage if it is barking, whining, or acting out. We do want to mention that there will be times unfortunately that this rule cannot be followed, such as if there is something wrong or your puppy does need to go outside. The reason that this is so important is that our dogs are very smart and our attention is a reinforcer. If we let our dogs out of their crate when they are making a ruckus we are teaching them that this behaviour will get them let out of the crate. This is the exact opposite of what we are trying to do and will promote them being loud in their crates to get our attention and be released.

This brings us to our next tip, which is a bit dual-sided depending on your dog. For some puppies or dogs, placing the crate in a spot where they do not feel alone is helpful and will result in dog that is more settled in their crate as they do not feel left out. This can mean having the crate in the living room or kitchen where your family normally spends their time or possibly in your bedroom at night or with other dogs where you may have them created. If you do not want them in the same room you can try putting a radio in with them as this can help them not feel alone. Unfortunately, for other dogs, being around people or other animals while being stuck in a crate can be very upsetting. We like to call this creating a sense of “FOMO”, fear of missing out, and this is more likely to increase the chances of them being noisy. In these instances, if it is possible, put the crate somewhere where it is not going to disturb people while your dog barks. With young puppies though, please remember to set an alarm at bedtime to go and check on them in a few hours so you can let them out to pee. Some puppies can hold it all night, but many young puppies are not able to hold it all night and we do not want them to get in the habit of pottying in their crates. So we want to make sure we are getting up to take them outside because we will not hear when they wake up and get upset because they need to go out.

Our next big tip is when you are initially starting to crate train, when possible, try to limit the amount of time in the crate. Some of us get really lucky to get a puppy from a responsible breeder or rescue who has already put some crate training into the puppy, and when that happens it's GREAT, often these people will tell you what puppy is and isn't used to, then you can begin to shape it to your schedule. Understandably, if you are gone to work during the day it will be for longer periods of time, but it is important that your puppies be let out to pee during the day. Limiting the time in the crate to start is a good way to help keep it positive for our dogs. Another thing to keep in mind is to try not to create bad habits. As we have previously mentioned, our dogs are incredibly smart and they will very quickly figure out recurring actions. If in the morning you always let them out to pee and then put them into the crate and then leave for the day you run the risk of this making them not want to go in the crate in the mornings after peeing because they know you are leaving and this is not fun for them. So try to always vary your habits, if at all possible, and be careful to not create negative connotations with their time in the crate. A great way to help make sure a crate is an enjoyable place for your puppy is to give them non-destructible toys or feed them in there. It is important to note though if you are feeding your puppy in the crate that you make sure to take them outside after they've eaten because they will need to go potty. You CAN create GOOD habits to help make the crate a good place. One thing we do, to kill two birds with one stone, is every morning we grab our dogs supplements, pupplements if you will, and we take them to our dog's crate and give them their “cookies” when they go in. Our dogs love their pupplements and have gotten to the point as soon as we grab the jar they run and go into their crates. We were very lucky with both Tori and Baron. These two learned to accept their time in the crate quite readily. Viking, due to some negative experiences early on, did not like his crate and would fight to try to not go in it and would bark and howl while in it. It took a period of 6 to 8 months before he began to accept that being crated was part of his day-to-day life and that it was not hurting him. He is now probably the best of our three at going into his crate and while he can still be somewhat vocal, he is happy to go in it and typically will go to sleep.

Lastly, sometimes the type of crate can make a difference. Some pups prefer the nice open wire crates whereas others like the hard plastic crates that are more secure and den-like. One thing to always keep in mind is making sure it is not something your pup can get out of or hurt themselves trying to get out. If you have a wire crate you can try putting a blanket over it to block their vision of stuff going on, but depending on your dog keep an eye on this so they are not pulling the blanket into the crate and eating it. Another safety issue to keep in mind with wire crates is making sure you take off their collars before they go in so that they do not get accidentally tangled up in them.

Sometimes we get lucky and we have a dog or a puppy that takes to crate training like a natural. They like the space and they will happily go into it. Sadly, other times we have a dog that just does not like the crate. In these instances, it takes time, patience, and consistency to hopefully change your dog's perception. While you may not get them to love their crate, the goal can be to get them to a point where they can be neutral and not stressed while being in it.

]]><![CDATA[The Buddy System]]>Tue, 11 Jan 2022 18:50:09 GMThttps://www.caninecoaching.ca/blog/the-buddy-systemThis #trainingtiptuesday we are bringing out the big guns. This tip is something that can accelerate your training in BIG ways and has personally helped us out immensely. Get yourself a training buddy! Whether this is a friend, sibling, online group, or a formal training club - find a buddy that has a dog and would like to do some training as well. We are going to start off right now by saying THANK YOU to Kristina, Ryan, Kerri & Alyssia for being our #trainingbuddy !

Why is a training buddy so important? First things first - it makes training even more fun! Being able to laugh while working with your dog is huge. Not only is this good for you, but it's also good for your dog. If you are having fun, chances are the session is going to be more enjoyable for your dog as well as you are more relaxed. Secondly, sometimes you just need another set of eyes or a different opinion. Another perspective can help you see alternative ways to approach a challenge you are having with your dog, help you identify any barriers to your success, or hype you up when things are going well. And last, but by no means least, sometimes you need someone to kick your butt and say get training! When you are working with someone it helps to hold you accountable. You don’t need an in-person buddy to train together! Use Zoom, social media, Snapchat or even FB Messenger. Send a video to your buddy and challenge them to send one back. Keep score of who does the most tricks if you're a competitive person by betting each other something small (like a coffee, or a donut) that your dog can learn more tricks than theirs in a set time frame, see who wins. Set goals together and crush them!

Things we have done are set up weekly nights to meet and work our dogs, meet up for walks together, take a class together, join and attend a training club or group, send questions to each other, and had a Snapchat group promoted to sharing training videos. Our friend Kristina at Little Nose says “Last year during one of the stricter lockdowns in winter I was looking for virtual ways to connect with my family as well as a way to keep my dogs busy in the cold winter months. My sisters (I have 2) and I decided we wanted to go for Novice Trick Dog titles with DMWYD. We took a list of 25 Novice trick titles and each day one of us would take the lead on a trick and teach our dog, then the other 2 sisters would try it with their dog. We shared our videos in a Snapchat chat group we had together. It was great because we got to “see” each other every day, it gave us something to look forward to in a time where we were at risk of feeling isolated. We laughed together, each dog has their own style and flair and some of the trick attempts were more polished than others. We also were there to help each other, if one of us knew how to execute the trick and the others didn’t that person was able to provide guiding tips. If one of us had dog equipment and the others didn’t we brainstormed household items to use in place (i.e. using a broomstick as a hurdle for the dog to jump over). It was the most fun training at home I’ve had in a long time!”

Our current training challenge is a GREAT way to incorporate a #trainingbuddy! Challenge your buddy daily with a task, play who did it better, keep track and see who can achieve the most squares on the TRAIN Bingo board, or just commit together to work through those challenges by being each other's supporters, encourager, or giving each other friendly reminders to train. Take turns being the leader so that neither of you feels burdened by the tasks. Don’t forget to share videos and HAVE FUN!

]]><![CDATA[2021 in the Rearview]]>Thu, 09 Dec 2021 16:49:23 GMThttps://www.caninecoaching.ca/blog/2021-in-the-rearviewAnother year has come and gone! It was definitely a busy one for us here at Canine Coaching.

We started 2021 slow due to COVID restrictions meaning we had to continue to teach online classes. When COVID first brought everything to a grinding halt in early 2020 it caused us a bit of panic on how we would continue to help our clients. We decided to see it as a blessing in disguise as we had been talking about overhauling our virtual content for a while and this was the push we needed. We jumped in head first and completely redid our online content. While this wasn’t ideal for everyone we were so happy that we had amazing online content to share. We are now extremely proud to offer in depth interactive classes for Obedience and Scent Detection and have gotten really happy feedback from those who have taken the classes.

As spring rolled around and restrictions were lifted we resumed in person classes. We found we were super busy throughout the entire rest of the year. It seems everyone did indeed get a puppy to spend their time at home with. We are blessed with getting to help many different people, families and dogs. Everyone we train holds a spot in our hearts and we are truly so happy with each and every success our clients make with their dogs. Our private sessions have also been extremely busy with us currently having a wait time of approx. 3 weeks to get into a session.

This summer we added two new classes to our roster. We now offer Shed Hunting, taught by our assistant trainer Alyssia, and Agility. We had so much fun designing this new curriculum and even MORE fun teaching it to the amazing students who came out to give it a try!

In July we once again were able to host a 2 day, all level, Scent Detection trial. We returned to Ultimate Safety in Olds. Judge Richard Hatchman joined us from BC and spent the time laughing and challenging us all with fun, fair hides. Many of our competitors were successful, earning new titles and some very large, fancy ribbons as well for Championships and more.

In a year that started out quiet we ended it booming with 4 full Basic Obedience classes & 1 fun Advanced Obedience class that have recently wrapped up in December. We find ourselves once again gratefully reflecting on the successes of 2021.

We want to say sincerely, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! We truly have the BEST clients here at Canine Coaching. Thank you for trusting us with your learning and with your dogs. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year.

]]><![CDATA[Real Talk - Rusty Skills]]>Wed, 20 Oct 2021 17:29:43 GMThttps://www.caninecoaching.ca/blog/real-talk-rusty-skillsWe would like to take a second to share this video with you and have a little bit of “real talk”. In this video, we were doing a little bit of practice obedience work with our 3 dogs. We were working on everybody listening to commands together as well as separately when their name was called. You will notice that Viking was pushing the limits a little bit, requiring a sterner command as well as having me repeat myself.

Full disclosure - this upset me.
It caused me to be frustrated with him and disappointed with myself. I am a trainer, he's 2 years old. He should listen better than this. Right away I started with negative self-talk and while I was happy with the obedience at the end of the clip I was stuck on the bad parts and not the good. I kept replaying in my mind everything that was wrong with the session. After sleeping on it and sharing the video with a friend, I was given a wake-up call. The friend pointed out how good the dogs were doing. I believe she even said “oh look at your dogs showing off” which I immediately started to discredit because wasn’t she watching the same video and seeing how bad Viking was being. I rewatched it after this and felt shame that I let my brain and negativity get the best of me. There ARE good moments, some even great moments, and it isn’t fair to my dogs to focus on the bad.

So, I sat down and asked myself why Viking wasn’t performing up to par and the thing is - it’s not his fault, it’s MINE. Between being extremely busy lately and a nasty case of “COVID blues” we have done very little training. Normally training for Viking includes day-to-day activities (as we like to practice real-life obedience in everything we do) as well as formal practice sessions and then weekly dog club. He has not been getting most of that this summer/fall due to a variety of reasons. But, the thing is, those “reasons” can become more like excuses and as responsible owners, it is up to us to find the line between excuse and legit reason, plus make the plan to fix it. Dogs are a commitment and there will be times things get crazy and you might slack off on your training and THIS IS OKAY as long as it is not a permanent thing, something I had to remind myself of. Skills get rusty, dogs test the rules, and things can start to be a mess. This is NOT a dog’s fault and it was not fair of me to be frustrated with him, just like you should not be frustrated with your dogs if you are experiencing this as well. It was also not fair to me or him to get so caught up with the negative. It is easy to see the things we consider lacking but we have to remember to look at the successes and celebrate those as well.

So I reflected on all I've shared here and decided to pull up my metaphorical pants and do better - for me and for Viking. I realized I DON'T have to be daunted by this and add back ALL the training elements immediately, while also trying to juggle the other commitments that took me away from it in the first place. That was a huge realization, let that sink in. I decided to start with the easiest, quick win: incorporating our training into our everyday routine (things like manners before meals). I will post an update in the near future to show you just how much a little work can go a LONG way in cleaning up those manners and skills. My next step will be to add formal practice sessions back in, hopefully on a weekly basis but I am giving myself permission to flex this as needed as long as I don’t let it completely be pushed aside again.

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