By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

What makes Social Cognitive Animal Training different?

For decades, dog training has brawn from behaviourism, giving trainers powerful tools for understanding reinforcement, consequences, shaping, and behaviour change.

Recently, cognitive science expanded our understanding of perception, memory…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Science advances by asking new questions. As a naturally curious person, I have always been drawn to exploring those questions and searching for new perspectives. As our understanding of animal cognition continues to evolve, so too…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Animal training has never lacked information; it has theories, methods, techniques, and generations of practical application. What it has lacked is something more fundamental: a way to see how all of these pieces actually fit together…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Social cognitive animal training emerged from a growing recognition that dogs learn within a social context, where observation, interpretation, and referencing shape how behaviour forms. This perspective shifts training away from conditioned responses and places it…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr

I was halfway through lunch when they came to me. There was a kind of tension in the way they stood there, with urgency and a look that screamed desperation. Peter was back in the field with…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

There is a question that keeps surfacing in the horse world, often quietly, sometimes defensively. Is it actually possible to train a horse without negative reinforcement or punishment?

A New Way of Training Horses

The short…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Dog trainers are exceptionally good at observing behaviour. We notice patterns, emotional thresholds, timing, and context. Yet even with this level of skill, many trainers still encounter moments that behavioural explanations alone cannot fully account for…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

There comes a moment in this line of work when usual explanations stop working.

You can no longer say, They just need more clarity, and mean repetition.
You can no longer say, They’re refusing to obay,…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FL

When we think of horse training, most people imagine a person holding reins and applying pressure on the bit, releasing it when the horse does the right thing. For centuries, this model, based on negative reinforcement…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

In dog training, professionals and pet owners often misunderstand learning theory. Social media is full of people who claim they are reinforcing behaviour when, in reality, their actions say otherwise. Trainers claim positive reinforcement (R+) while…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

In many traditional training contexts, obedience has long been the benchmark of a well-trained dog. The sit, down, stay, and heel behaviours are essential skills, and they certainly make life with dogs safer and more manageable.…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Positive-reinforcement training (PRT) has transformed zoo and aquarium animal care. But more treats, more often isn’t always better. In exotic species, whose metabolic needs, social systems, and foraging ecologies can be very different from domestic animals…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

In today’s digital age, online courses are everywhere, promising to teach everything from basic obedience to complex behaviour modification. While virtual learning can introduce theory, it simply cannot match the depth, precision, and emotional engagement of…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Part 2: How to Think Critically About Online Dog Training Advice

In Part 1, we explored how social media trainers have gained massive influence despite offering advice that’s often unqualified, outdated, or ethically questionable. Now, in…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Part 1: The Rise of Influencer Trainers and the Dangers of Quick-Fix Advice

In the world of dog training, the digital age has brought a wave of visibility, accessibility, and unfortunately, misinformation. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

When people think about dog training, they often picture a handler giving a cue, the dog responding, and then a treat being delivered. The reward moment tends to steal the spotlight. But what happens after the…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Most experienced dog trainers understand that effective training goes beyond conditioning—it requires trust. While we can train behaviours through classical or operant conditioning, the absence of a secure attachment often leads to a plateau in learning…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Someone one recently asked me why dog trainers benefit from working with exotic animals. Training animals is an art and science that requires patience, observation, and understanding of learning principles. While many professional dog trainers focus…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Dog training has undergone significant transformations over the centuries, moving from what I call rudimentary dark age methods rooted in dominance and control to evidence-based techniques grounded in behavioural science, neuroscience, and biology. This revolution reflects…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Dog trainers are constantly seeking ways to refine their skills, improve their timing, and become more effective in their training methods. One of the most unconventional yet highly effective ways to achieve this is through clicker…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

The evolution of dog training is a slow process, but it is changing. Today we’ll look at some reasons our profession is transforming at such a slow rate, and what we can do to accelerate the…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Dog aggression statistics are an essential aspect of understanding and managing canine behaviour. Research led by James Serpell and colleagues has provided significant insights into aggression patterns among different breeds, using tools like the Canine Behavioral…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Training social species other than dogs using advanced learning theories like social cognitive theory, constructivism, and situativism offers unique insights into their behavioural and cognitive development. These approaches can enhance how we interact with and care…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

The plasticity of the dog's brain and their ability to learn using the social cognitive learning theory are two topics most professional dog trainers are unaware of. The canine cortext is an extraordinary example of neuroplasticity…

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

When we ditch the lure, we’re telling our dogs, You’re smarter than that. It’s like going from dangling candy for a child to giving them the tools to ace the SATs. Lure-free training isn’t about…