Meet Caz Glancy

My Inspiration

Why I Became a Dog Trainer

It all started with a dog named Xena — a two-year-old Pitbull & Black Labrador mix, listed on Craigslist, in need of a home. I had to wait in the car to visit her, as the person had to go retrieve her from the empty building she lived in. On hearing that, I knew that regardless of how suited we were, I was going to try to help this dog. She was my first reactive dog, she had never been taught to walk on a leash. I wont lie, I felt out of my depth. I sought the help of multiple dog trainers with her, and it was the best thing I could have done.

We practiced the homework drills, I read books and watched videos. As Xena got better at everything, we worked on tricks. She would sing on cue, she loved that! Her favorite thing to sing to was a harmonica. She could open the fridge and bring me a soda; she may have also used this trick to grab a beer from behind the bar at our local once or twice..

Then came along Weegee. I took this little malnourished Pittie / Bulldog mix from a stranger who didnt want her. They were just walking by, and I knew I couldn't let her go. I traded some cash for her leash and took a very skinny, very smelly 4 month old puppy home. In some ways, Weegee was more challenging, even though she was young, but I knew I wanted to help her. This time, the experience ended a career, and kick-started a new one as I journeyed into my first mid-life crisis dog training apprenticeship.

I'd say 'and the rest is history', but it's not. I live this every day. I have been fortunate enough to learn from, and work alongside some wonderful dog trainers, I have attended seminars covering all kinds of topics from general canine behavior, to protection sports, to explosive detection. I studied Canine Congnition & Emotion, I passed the CPDT-KA test, I completed courses on both Positive Reinforcement Training, and Balanced Training models too. I gained a lot of experience over the last decade, and I have a lot of love for what I do.

what is 'relationship-first'?

When I say 'relationship-first', I mean that I subscribe to the idea that everything starts with trust. Dogs and humans don't communicate, or process things in the same way, and since we can't just tell our dogs our intentions, we need to show them in a way that they inherently understand. In that same respect, receiving trust from your dog can look vividly different to how it may look or feel from a person you are close to.

Taking the time to consider how your dog receives any interaction is the first building block. Learning to view the world through your dog's lens is the best gift you could give them. You gain the ability to offer clarity, which in turn gives them confidence in you. As they say, if you know, you know.

So, relationship-first, from my perspective, is prioritizing clarity, building a genuine bond from mutual understanding, and respecting your dog as a canine.
You'll see.