🧠Core Concepts Library
Welcome! This page is your go-to guide for understanding the why behind your dog’s behaviour—and how we approach training with that in mind.
Understanding these core ideas will help you train more effectively, avoid common pitfalls, and support your dog with confidence—whether you're teaching something or working through some challenges.
Inside, you'll find lessons on:
How dogs learn (and how we make behaviours stick)
Why reinforcement matters—and how to use it well
Timing, cues, and communication that actually work
The real difference between management and training
What calm actually means—and how to build it
These aren’t just theories—they’re the foundation for everything else we do.
🎬 Core Concept Videos
Short, practical lessons that explain the why behind what we do—so you can train with clarity and confidence.
🥩 Reinforcement - What It Really Means in Training
Discover what reinforcement actually is—and why it’s the backbone of all behaviour change. When you understand what truly motivates your dog, training becomes clearer, more effective, and way more enjoyable for both of you.
📚 Operant Conditioning - The Science of Behaviour
Learn how behaviour is shaped by consequences. This video breaks down the four quadrants of operant conditioning and shows you how to use them to build real-life skills without punishment or pressure.
🔔 Classical Conditioning - Why Associations Matter
Explore how your dog’s emotions shape their behaviour—often before they even do anything. Understanding classical conditioning helps you change how situations feel, so your dog can feel safer, calmer, and more connected.
📚 The ABCs of Behaviour
Learn how the ABCs form the foundation of behaviour change. Once you understand what comes before and after a behaviour, you can start to shape better outcomes in daily life.
🔄 The Premack Principle – “Do this, get that.” Want your dog to come when called away from a squirrel? Or sit before going out the door? That’s the Premack Principle in action—using something your dog wants (like sniffing, chasing, or play) as the reward for a behaviour you’ve asked for.
🔐 Management in Training and in Life
Management means setting up the environment so your dog is more likely to succeed before a problem even starts. When we reduce opportunities for unwanted behaviour, we create space for learning. And when your dog feels safe and supported, training becomes clearer, calmer, and way less frustrating for both of you.
👩🏼🏫 Training Methods
Explore the core techniques we use to teach new behaviours—like shaping, capturing, and luring—so you can train in a way that’s clear, effective, and fun for both you and your dog.
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Catch a behaviour your dog offers on their own—then mark and reward to build it up naturally.
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Use food or a toy to guide your dog into a behaviour—like drawing a path they can follow.
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Mark and reward small steps toward a behaviour to help your dog figure it out—one success at a time.
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🖱️ Clicker Training
Clicker training is a simple but powerful tool that helps your dog understand exactly which behaviour you’re reinforcing. Explore the core techniques we use to teach new behaviours—like shaping, capturing, and luring—so you can train in a way that’s clear, effective, and fun for both you and your dog.
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A quick-start guide to clear communication with your dog.
🎯 Training Setup & Success Strategies
Learn the structure and rhythm that set your dog up for success—before you even start. These short lessons cover things like rate of reinforcement, where to deliver rewards, and how to prep your space for smooth sessions.
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How often you reward matters. A faster rate builds momentum and helps your dog stay in the game.
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Where you deliver the reward can change what your dog learns. These two short videos explain how reward placement affects behaviour and how you can use it to reinforce position or movement.
🎥 Reward Placement Basics
Watch the video🎥 Rewarding the Release
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Short, focused, and clear sessions work best. This covers timing, environment, and keeping things fun and doable for both of you.
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Training is easier when the environment works for you. Learn how gates, leashes, routines, and structure prevent unwanted behaviour and support learning.
🗣️ Understanding Behaviour, Not Labeling It
Some behaviours get called “bad” when they’re really just communication. In this section, we break down behaviours like barking, growling, or jumping—not as problems to fix, but as signals to understand.
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It’s not defiance—it’s communication. This video unpacks how it’s often misunderstood, and what we can do to respond more effectively.
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Downloadable guides, worksheets, and quick-reference tools to support what you’re learning and help apply it in real life.
📥 📄 Printables & Training Tools
🧾 ABC Tracking Worksheet
Use this simple worksheet to break down real-life moments and uncover the “why” behind what your dog does—so you can train with clarity and confidence.
🧾 Reinforcement Cheat Sheet
Understand what reinforcement really means in practice. This one-page tool helps you spot what’s reinforcing your dog’s behaviour—so you can use it more intentionally (and stop reinforcing stuff by accident).
📅 Everyday Habits: Setting Up for Success
The little things you do every day add up fast. This guide helps you build simple, sustainable routines that support your puppy’s well-being, prevent problem behaviours, and make training easier from the start.
📄 Clicker Training 101 + Progress Tracker
Learn the basics, avoid the common mistakes, and start clicking with confidence.
This guide walks you through your first game and gives you a printable tracker to stay on course—because timing and follow-through matter!
🗣️ Marker Words Guide
A quick intro to using clear, consistent marker words in training.
Learn how to sharpen communication without a clicker—and reinforce the right behaviour at the right time.
✅ Practice Makes Progress
Forget perfection. This one-page reminder helps you focus on what matters most in training: real-life practice, small wins, and steady growth—for both you and your dog.
🎯 Training with Distractions
Success in quiet spaces is just the beginning.
This guide helps you introduce distractions the right way—so your dog stays focused and confident, even when the world gets noisy.
🧘♂️ Helping Make Calm Choices
Support your dog’s self-regulation skills without force or frustration.
This handout offers simple strategies to build calm from the inside out—by creating structure, reinforcing stillness, and meeting your dog’s needs.
🛑 Positive Interrupter
Teach your dog a friendly “pause button.”
This guide walks you through creating a reliable interrupter cue—so you can redirect behaviour without stress, shouting, or shutting your dog down.
🐾 Keep Exploring
Looking for more training tips, games, or resources?
Head back to the homepage to see what else is waiting for you.
