The CAS philosophy is as simple as it is revolutionary. We combine state-of-the-art science on animal behavior with with an absolute commitment to humane and compassionate methods. We will never use or recommend the use of force, fear or pain.
We’re proud that our approach meets and exceeds the professional recommendations of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the Animal Behavior Society, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the International Forum of Applied Animal Behavior.
We’re prouder still of how our clients are helped by this philosophy. See below for some of our client success stories
Fear Aggression
“We loved working with you! We liked your knowledge, humor, warmth, and straightforward approach. We liked that you brought tools we could use, such as feed tubes, so we didn’t have to run out and find things.
“We contacted you because of fears about aggression, barking at visitors, jumping up (Pepper), difficulty walking both dogs on leash together, and house training inconsistency. You taught us about canine behavior and training techniques. You made us feel more confident with the dogs. You encouraged family participation and involvement (very important!) in their care and training. We have more positive interactions with the dogs and fewer negative ones. This increases the fun for everyone.”
On Leash Aggression
“Christine Hibbard is a wonderful dog trainer and just a great person!! Our dog Banksie loved Christine! Christine showed my husband Michael and me how our actions affect Banksie. We are now able to communicate better with Banksie. Banksie is happier and so are we!! Christine’s service is extremely customer friendly. She met us at the park where we normally take Banksie and came to our house as well. We feel that the training was much more successful due to the fact that Christine was able to view Banksie in her own environment. Thank you so much Christine!!”
Puppy Head Start
Christine came to our house the day we brought Molly home at 8 weeks. We have never had a puppy before, so had no idea what to expect. Christine was fabulous in telling us about each of the developmental stages of a puppy and what to focus on when. We felt so good about Christine’s two-hour visit, that we called her and asked her to board Molly while we were gone for two weeks on vacation. Not only did we know that Molly would get a lot of attention and love, but that Christine would continue the training that we had started. When we returned, Molly was a happy, well-behaved dog. I feel if I ever have questions, I can contact Christine and she’ll provide me with a solution.
Dog / Dog Aggression
Christine’s incredible ability to immediately cut right to the heart of the causes for a dog’s behavior is nothing short of amazing. She was able to quickly assess my Great Dane and give me a plan for action. She demonstrated the techniques I needed to learn clearly and concisely, and answered all my questions. She is positive in all her techniques and has a wealth of knowledge of dog behavior. I’ve been training dogs and working with nationally-recognized dog trainers for 20 years and I feel Christine leaves us all in the dust. She and her crew really know their stuff. Before I consulted Christine, I felt overwhelmed and confused about what to do, after our consultation and class work, I feel encouraged and empowered. I strongly and enthusiastically recommend her to all who need help with their dogs. To top is all off, she is also engaging and funny and obviously loves her work and of course – dogs!
Separation Anxiety (resulting in barking all day)
After I received a few complaints from my neighbors in my building about my dog, Cuddles, barking all day long I was in disbelief that he could bark all day. I videotaped him while I was away, and sure enough it was true. He didn’t just bark a little but truly from the moment I left till the end of the videotape. While I was concerned that my neighbors would be annoyed, I was more concerned for my dog’s own happiness. My dog trainer recommended Companion Animal Solutions to help me with my problem.
I met with Christine and she educated me on dog behavior, human behavior, and the steps I needed to take to help Cuddles with his separation anxiety and the adventure I was about to embark on to help my dog relax while I was away. My goal was to manage my dog’s anxiety without medication so he can be home all day when I am working and my neighbors can be happy too.
I began conditioning Cuddles by putting my coat on and watching TV or jingling my keys and then cooking dinner. I would put my shoes on and then take them off, or put my bike helmet on and then put it back into the closet. I continued this ’till Cuddles stopped freaking out when I would do the things that I would normally do right before I left the house.
After that, I armed myself with Kongs and treats. I began leaving the house for one minute several times- leaving those smelly treats that Cuddles loves. Then I started stretching the time: two minutes-several times, five minutes, ten minutes- each time leaving tasty treats. At first it was weird and fun all at the same time. As the time Cuddles was alone got longer I found that I had time to sit on my steps and knit. So I started to really enjoy my time while Cuddles seemed to be enjoying his time alone.
When Cuddles was at an hour alone I had to repeat the process ten times. I wanted to speed the process up so I would wake up an hour early and leave the house for a walk or a cup of coffee and then come back home to take Cuddles to a friend’s house till I got back home from work. I continued this for the hour-and-a-half time and two-hour time. Those were tough weeks. Waking up early is not easy for me but I love my dog and I would do it for him. After two hours time I was unable to continue to do it before work. I hired a dog walker to take Cuddles from my house to a friend’s house. After work I would swing by and pick Cuddles up.
My friends questioned why I was doing all this work for the sake of my neighbors… I wasn’t. While I don’t want them upset with my true motives are for Cuddles. I want my dog to be happy and stress free.
While doing this I would e-mail Christine with questions and updates to let her know what was going on. Christine always got back to me promptly with answers and encouragement to help me keep going. Cuddles is currently able to be alone for seven hours! I am so proud of my little buddy! I still have more to go, but I could have never gotten this far without the help of Christine. She understands dog behavior and has been able to explain it to me in a simple and understandable way. So now I can modify my dogs behavior in a smart and kind way without medication.
I am getting closer to my goal of being able to leave Cuddles alone all day while I am at work. I am so happy! From the video tapes of Cuddles I can tell he is happy too. Christine has been so great in helping me with Cuddles’ anxiety problem. I would absolutely recommend Christine at Companion Animal Solutions to anyone needing help with their dog’s separation anxiety. Jimmie, owned by Cuddles
Possession Aggression (resource guarding)
Shane’s owners called Companion Animal Solutions for help after their young male herding breed dog had bitten his owner on the arm when he tried to take some stolen food away from Shane. The bite left deep punctures and bruising, and the owners were debating whether to euthanize their dog.
Shane had exhibited some early, mild resource guarding tendencies that had been made worse by some ill-considered advice. He was also a mischievous, playful, and intelligent dog who learned early on that he could initiate a great game of chase-me by grabbing something off the sofa or counter and running away with it. As the resource-guarding become more intense, these games always ended with a confrontation as one of the owners tried to recover the stolen object. The fun game always terminated in growls and snaps.
Shane’s owners were lucky — they live alone in a rural area, and don’t have many visitors (especially children) who might be endangered during an accidental encounter. They had the time and space to work on the problem.
We assured Shane’s owners that their main problem was that they had a really smart dog who happened to stumble on an entertainment method that carried the seeds of trouble. We said he was a lovely dog and we didn’t think euthanasia was the answer.
Our first step was to stop playing the fun chase-me game that Shane found so reinforcing. His confused expression when snatching a dishtowel failed to bring on the chase was priceless. We let him carry it around until he got bored. Then we engaged him in a legal game of tug on the deck. We used the tug game to teach a really good “give” and Shane’s owners started making sure that he got lots of legal, safe, interactive playtime so that he would have less need to make up more hazardous games. We also taught Shane a strong “go-to-mat” behavior so that his owners could read the Sunday paper in peace without having to keep watch for a thieving nose poking up onto the sofa. Next, Shane’s owners learned how to reward him for progressive relaxation on his mat, so that he would experience less of the anxiety that was driving some of his conflict-seeking behavior. Shane also learned more general impulse-control as part of his daily routine. I instructed Shane’s owners to stop confronting him if a successful theft occurred, and to feel free to trade for a really fantastic treat if Shane happened to grab something extremely fragile, valuable, or dangerous. They also worked on a counter conditioning protocol to help Shane feel calmer when he had a valued resource.
Shane improved rapidly. At our third visit, he would readily lie on his mat for minutes at a time, not an easy task for this busy young dog. He played tug very nicely and gave up the toy on a verbal cue. His stealing behavior still occurred, but very infrequently; it was no fun any more since no one would acknowledge it. Shane’s owners took him back to class to help keep him learning and improving. When the grandkids visit, they separate Shane for the duration, just to be absolutely safe, but they now feel they can live safely with him and that he is a valued family member.
Service Dog Training
It was Christine’s openness and compassion that sealed the deal when I sought out a trainer for my service dog, Lucy. In fact, Christine was the first and only trainer who was willing to meet with us after hearing about the problems Lucy presented. Christine’s genuine interest in learning more about us revealed a personalized approach to training that holds true to this day. Though Lucy proved a handful, Christine met the challenge with a delicate balance of realism, optimism, and expertise that has guided Lucy and me through the most trying of times, and left me with a service animal more loving and patient than I could have hoped for.
The Fearful Dog
I adopted Lucy in the spring of 2006 and became, at minimum, Lucy’s third owner in 3 ½ years. From what I know, Lucy was a shelter dog, adopted by a family who later gave her up to another family who then sold her to me. Lucy had been on the receiving end of abuse by animals and people alike-and that’s just the part of her story I happen to know about.
When I first met Lucy she seemed smart, calm, and engaged. She was in need of some basic training, but the decision to adopt her was effortless. Nearly a week into her stay with me, however, she began showing signs of fear aggression that quickly escalated into threatening behavior. She growled, barked, and snapped at anyone who made her feel uneasy-which was just about everyone. I’d been meaning to enroll Lucy in training, but suddenly was in need of a trainer more than ever. Every trainer I contacted told me to forget about training Lucy to be a service dog. Christine, on the other hand, was different. She spent time talking with me. She listened to my concerns. She empathized. She had ideas.
One of the things that struck me when Christine and I first met was how evidence-based her methods are. I work in scientific research, so the fact that Christine’s training methods are grounded in science made another positive impression on me and gave me confidence as we set out to seemingly work a miracle. Needless to say, Christine agreed to take Lucy and me on and-believe it or not-my fearful, aggressive dog soon became everybody’s best friend. And the best part? Christine’s positive reinforcement and reward-based training methods are not only effective, they make training fun.
Separation Anxiety
Lucy had even more tricks up her sleeve once we got past the fear aggression problem. She wasn’t up to the task of joining me in the office just yet, so Lucy stayed home alone for a few hours in the morning, joined me for a walk around noon, then spent another few hours at home in the afternoon. The schedule worked well for a couple months until one day I came home to find dog pee on the bed. I called Christine and she told me all about separation anxiety. She gave me tips on how to address it and pointed me in the right direction for further resources to look into before our next meeting. Unfortunately, the problem of peeing on the bed didn’t let up soon enough. I came home one evening after being gone just a few minutes and found more pee on the bed. I was at my wit’s end. The bedding from Lucy’s most recent mishap was still in the laundry and Lucy had peed on the bare mattress, ruining it for good and threatening a precious night’s sleep. I called Christine and, as usual, she had a remedy. She knew how we could amp up our training to address Lucy’s needs and, yes, they worked. Even more, at that moment-standing in my bedroom, exhausted, stressed, staring at a ruined mattress, angry at the hundreds of dollars I’d have to spend on a new mattress the next day, upset that my service dog wasn’t working out, out of ideas and patience-Christine went above what any skilled trainer could ever do. Christine-by being the person she is-calmed me down and, in a moment of crisis, gave me the patience, the assurance, and the strength to keep trying.
Learning to be a Dog
Lucy didn’t do the things that most dogs do, such as chewing, chasing, fetching, digging, etc. It turns out dogs do those things for a reason and, without them, don’t have proper outlets for anxiety and other emotions. Christine explained, “When we get upset or emotional we might talk to someone or do something that’s relaxing to us. Dogs don’t have that, so they rip and tear things, pee on the bed. The goal is to give her a healthy and more appropriate outlet.” Indeed, with Christine’s guidance, Lucy learnt to do all those things-the good ones, anyway. Christine taught me how to teach Lucy to burry a bone. (Amazing!) It goes without saying, Lucy really loves that one. She’s also grown attached to her stuffed toys, she likes floppy ones the best, and spends many hours playing with them-sometimes sweet, sometimes with stuffing flying everywhere! It’s more than cute when she curls up with her “babies” at the end of the day.
Tricks
When we significantly addressed Lucy’s behavior problems, it was time to move onto tricks. Using capture and reward, as well as clicker training, Christine taught me to shape Lucy into joyfully doing any behavior. Using such methods, we taught Lucy to fetch, “go to mat” (lay down on the rug and stay there), and even run on the treadmill!
Christine is still working with Lucy and me. Lucy continues to change and grow into a happier animal and better companion with each new training endeavor. We’re beginning to work on the important task of training Lucy to accompany me at the workplace, as well as other behavior modifications such as dog on dog manners. When setbacks presented themselves, there are times I’ve been discouraged and even doubted Lucy’s ability to be a service dog. Fortunately, Christine was right there, reminding me of the progress we’ve made and inspiring me all over again.
Lucy adds something immeasurable to my life-emotionally and physically. I am able to be more and do more because of her service and companionship. I have Christine to thank for that.
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Want you and your dog to become one of our success stories? Contact us today!
