The Dog Trainer's Crucible

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The Dog Trainer's Crucible Business consulting to the dog behaviour industry by Sue Alexander, CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, CDBC.

We are so grateful to all our sponsors who made the Service Dog Summit 2026 possible. Thank you to our silver sponsor, d...
10/16/2026

We are so grateful to all our sponsors who made the Service Dog Summit 2026 possible. Thank you to our silver sponsor, dogHEART Service Dogs, we so appreciate your support!

dogHEART Service Dogs of Northern California distinguishes itself through comprehensive peer-reviewed research, compassionate guidance, and the L.I.M.A. protocol that fosters trust, strengthens communication, and supports confident human-canine teams for life.

The Dog Trainer's Crucible provides services for dog training professionals of all levels of experience. Whether you are...
10/15/2026

The Dog Trainer's Crucible provides services for dog training professionals of all levels of experience. Whether you are new to the dog training world or have been training for years, the Crucible aims to connect you with other trainers, provide business advice and support, and give you the resources and education you need to achieve your goals as a professional dog trainer.

Our very first Service Dog Summit was a big success, and we absolutely could not have made the summit work without our a...
10/13/2026

Our very first Service Dog Summit was a big success, and we absolutely could not have made the summit work without our amazing sponsors! Thank you so much to Imagine Dog Training, who is a Silver Sponsor of the summit.

Imagine Dog Training specializes in preparing service, therapy, and companion dogs to reach their full potential and seamlessly integrate into their families and communities. Led by Certified Professional Dog Trainer Carina Annis (CPDT-KA®), they blend over 30 years of professional expertise with a progressive, play-driven philosophy to build collaborative human-canine teams. By designing customized, behavior-focused solutions, Imagine Dog Training empowers handlers with the specialized techniques and confidence required to navigate complex public access and operational tasks successfully.

The Service Dog Summit 2026 starts tomorrow, Friday October 2nd! Register for free to watch our amazing lineup of speake...
10/01/2026

The Service Dog Summit 2026 starts tomorrow, Friday October 2nd! Register for free to watch our amazing lineup of speakers discuss a wide variety of service dog topics, from selecting a puppy to puppy raising and training, legal aspects, keeping your service dog healthy and happy, and more. Join here: https://thedogtrainerscrucible.thinkific.com/courses/sd-summit-2026

Thank you so much to the The Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers for their Silver Sponsorship of the Servi...
09/30/2026

Thank you so much to the The Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers for their Silver Sponsorship of the Service Dog Summit 2026! Your support is so appreciated, without you the Summit would simply not be possible.

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About the CAPDT:

CAPDT is Canada's national voice for the dog training profession. We are a community built to connect, educate, and elevate trainers across the country.

We champion dog-friendly, humane training techniques and provide our members with access to educational opportunities, peer networking, event advertising, and curated online resources. Our Code of Ethics, Bylaws, and STOP List give members a clear framework grounded in professionalism, skill, and shared values.

Through collaboration with veterinarians, animal health technologists, shelters, fellow training organizations, and dog owners, we work to advance public awareness of humane training practices nationwide.

Our members are dedicated to excellence in their profession and to the dogs they serve.

It’s the first, and most important step when working with a new client. Taking a behavioural history is key to identifyi...
09/27/2026

It’s the first, and most important step when working with a new client. Taking a behavioural history is key to identifying the presenting behaviour problem, what factors may be contributing to the problem, and what our first training steps will be.

So… how do you take a behaviour history? What questions should you ask? What do you need to know about the dog? What about the client? How can we keep ourselves, our clients, and their dog safe during our initial meetings? Our newest course, Taking a Behavioural History, will give you the information you need to take a thorough and useful behavioural history, while keeping yourself and your client safe.

There are so many things in life you really can't plan for, but when living with a service dog there is one potentially ...
09/26/2026

There are so many things in life you really can't plan for, but when living with a service dog there is one potentially very stressful event you can definitely plan for: an illegal challenge to entry.

What is an illegal challenge to entry? When a business or public accommodation refuses to allow you to enter, demands documentation, asks intrusive personal questions, or imposes conditions not allowed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA - for service dog users in the United States). Bill Brightman will be joining us at the Service Dog Summit to share what to do when you encounter a challenge to entry, and how to prepare for such an event.

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About Bill:

"I am a navy veteran and founder of Service Dogs for Veterans (sd4v) located in Greenville SC. I combined my over 30 years of corporate and start up business experience with my passion of helping veterans acquire service dogs along with earning CCPDT-KA certification - to grow sd4v into the largest veteran focused service dog charity in South Carolina. In 8 months of weekly classes, we train ptsd, mst and tbi veterans to train their own dogs, most of which are rescue dogs, to become tier 1 trainers and handlers themselves. In addition to graduating as ADA compliant service dog teams, they experience over a 50% reduction in their life limiting symptoms.

My passion now as I am emeritus status, is to help entrepreneurial dog trainers who already have a successful dog training business and a desire to help veterans, by adopting the same successful strategies sd4v uses.

In this presentation, I’d like to share the program we use to train for one of the most stressful experiences a service dog handler and their dog can encounter - an illegal challenge to enter along with the general public."

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5341Woolwich Guelph Townline
Kitchener, ON
N0B1M0

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