Who is training your dog?

🐾 Hello! My name is Sabrina and I am a CTC. What does CTC stand for? Essentially this means that I have received a comprehensive education in animal learning through The Academy for Dog Trainers and have a certification in training and behaviour counselling. I am also Fear Free Certified which is a certification that focuses on alleviating fear, stress and anxiety during veterinary and home care.

You might ask, why is this important? Dog training is not a regulated profession, meaning anyone can open a business and start training dogs “professionally”. There are several styles of training that animal trainers can use and over the years studies have been done to show that certain styles of training that work with “suppressing the behaviour” and “fixing the problem” do not work as well as those that aim to understand the root of the behaviour and work with the client and their dog in a fear-free environment to find a solution so that both the dog and the human are happy.

When looking at internationally recognized animal welfare organizations you will quickly see that science-based training is the preferred method when dealing with companion animals. “The ASPCA supports training methods that are based on an understanding of how animals learn and incorporate kindness and respect for both the pet and the guardian. Humane training does not inflict unnecessary distress or discomfort on the pet. Humane training makes primary use of lures and rewards such as food, praise, petting, and play. In addition to lures and rewards, there are many training tools and types of equipment designed to assist guardians in managing their pets’ behavior at home and in public places. The ASPCA supports the use of methods and equipment that effectively accomplish the training objective with the least amount of stress for the pet. The ASPCA is opposed to any training equipment that causes a pet to experience physical discomfort or undue anxiety.”

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour also has a collection of Position Statements, one including their position on humane dog training. In this position statement, they outline that “trainers with backgrounds in higher-level education such as the Karen Pryor Academy and Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers, as well as involvement in organizations such as…Fear-Free Certifications should be recommended whenever possible”. Head over to their website to learn more about why this is the case!

Since living in Cayman I have assisted the Cayman Islands Humane Society through dog-walking and fostering, but have been more prominently involved previously as a director for a few years with C.A.R.E. (Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts). You can check out what they are all about on my Dogs in Cayman page. Aside from working with animals within the community, I have also co-created an animal welfare magazine for kids called PetZone, with 3 issues being distributed to all kids across Cayman and Cayman Brac. These were distributed during school visits where we gave a 45-minute presentation about important issues about animal welfare in Cayman.

I make the promise to my clients to only provide services using the most up-to-date information in training and behaviour and to use only fear-free methods when dealing with their animals. With a solid understanding of animal learning, training and behaviour I look forward to helping you understand your dog better and helping you find the best way to communicate to enrich the lives of both you and your pet.