Setting Up Your Own Puppy Class - Part 2

Caryn Charlie Liles, CPDT-KA is a Toronto-based "people-trainer for dogs" and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). She is the founder of Whatta Pup!, a pet dog training company established in 2008. Seeing a growing need for specialized training due to an increase in aggression in Toronto, Caryn co- founded The Toronto Centre for

Canine Education, specializing in "the sociallychallenged dog".



Caryn speaks from the heart, injecting humour and compassion into all her work. She strives to inspire pet owners and pet professionals to take an active role in learning the language of animals and teaching them appropriate behaviours through humane and science-based training.



Drawing on years of experience in the corporate world, she shares a wealth of knowledge in communication, technology, and leadership. Having studied languages, human resources, finance, and psychology, Caryn brings a well-rounded and creative perspective to the table when working with clients both human and canine.



Caryn has always been an animal lover but it wasn't until 2003 that she began working with dogs professionally. She adopted a 3 year old German Shepherd / Husky mix from a shelter only to come face to face with severe separation anxiety and dog-aggression, propelling her to learn more about animal behaviour, psychology, learning theory, ethology and husbandry.



Caryn founded Whatta Pup! in 2008 to provide dog walking and training services to Toronto's dogs, gaining confidence and experience in the field. During her third behaviour consultation, her use of force and dominance-based methods came back to bite her (so to speak), resulting in a severe dog bite to the face, arms, and torso She quickly realized that correction-based methods did more damage than good to the canine-human relationship and took some time to re-evaluate her philosophy.



Caryn became a "cross-over trainer", spending the majority of her time researching sciencebased methods that do not include the use of force, fear, pain, or intimidation to work with animals. Immediately she saw the difference humane training could make with animals and how quickly she could get the desired results.



In 2012 she wrote her certification exam, scoring close to 100%. She earns continuing education credits each year, ensuring that she is up to date with her skills and knowledge.



Caryn has trained dogs, cats, horses, chickens, a rat and even a goldfish.

Caryn has appeared on Rogers TV in a live episode of Toronto Speaks: Pet Talks, appeared as a guest in an episode of Doggy House Calls, and has been featured in the Globe and Mail in the Careers section.