Nicole Lapratte-Patry, CCPDT Certified Canine Behaviour Specialist
Nicole Lapratte-Patry CBCC-KA, has earned her “Canine Behaviour Consultant” certification through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers® (CCPDT®).
Nicole Lapratte-Patry is the Founder and Owner of Chien ZEN Dog who works in collaboration with Pet Intel and Emotional Well-Being. She offers bilingual Professional Canine Services to her clients; Online and Hybrid Programs, In-Person Services, as well as new comprehensive Packaged Programs. She serves the Ottawa and surrounding areas in Ontario as well as the Gatineau and surrounding areas in Québec (Canada).
She prides herself in using pet-friendly methods and techniques, teaming with respect and compassion. Nicole is dedicated to listening to the dog’s "whispers" in order to get the detailed and necessary clues that are needed to move forward. Nicole strongly believes in educating and in increasing the client’s ability to become an expert of their own dog’s communication. All of the offered services are designed and tailored with compassion to meet the client’s specific needs in order to provide them with individual advice and support as they strengthen their bond with their dog. Nicole’s philosophy and methodology are based on scientific principles and a true belief in respecting the dog’s physical, emotional, physiological and social well-being, hence her motto: “Listening to the Whispers”
In addition to being a Certified Behavior Consultant Canine - Knowledge Assessed (CBCC-KA), Nicole is a professional member of:
* Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers (CAPDT)
* Association of Pet Dog trainers (APDT)
* International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
*Canadian Association of Service Dog Trainers (CASDT)
Nicole also detains a Certificate of Completion for “The Aggression in Dogs Master Course” (Michael Shikashio - Founder).
Nicole is constantly striving to meet new intellectual challenges and goals and to stay current with Canine Related Education and Science Based, Industry Techniques and Methodology. Lifelong learning is her goal as she truly believes that learning expands the soul as well as the mind.
Nicole has had the pleasure of sharing her life with many dogs, all of which have taught her something new along the way and have contributed in making her a better person. Nicole currently shares her life with 2 dogs, a Female (Black Mask Fawn Pied) French Bulldog named "MaZen" and a Male Golden Retriever named "Soleil".
“Listening to the Whispers”
Nicole's passion for dogs as well as for teaching, education and sharing are the inner drives that motivate her.
Here is a compilation of Nicole’s canine related learning journey:
Training, Seminars, Workshops and Conferences
In the early stages of educating herself about the animal world, Nicole accompanied her adult daughter to Veterinary Technician Seminars and Workshops where she deepened her knowledge about canine health issues and then combined them with her own lifelong experience of dog ownership.
✓ Has 2 years of Apprenticeship under Internationally Recognized Canine Behaviour Specialist and Senior Instructor Cheryl Smith’s guidance from “Forever Friends Dog Training School”.
✓ Has assisted in many training classes at “Forever Friends Dog Training Centre” over the course of 2 years.
✓ Successfully Completed the Canine Handler Program at “Forever Friends Dog Training School” (2011).
✓ Successfully Completed the Canine Shelter & Rescue Worker Program at “Forever Friends Dog Training School” (August 2012).
✓ Has 4 years of Apprenticeship under Jessica O’Neill guidance.
✓ Has implemented a Canine Education Program within her French as a Second Language classes that led to her bringing her dogs into her classroom on a daily basis for the last 13-14 years. Students benefit from the soothing therapy that is offered by her dogs. Firm believer of dogs’ ‘power’ and ability to bring calmness to the students’ environment and inner peace to the students.
✓ On a volunteer basis, has welcomed dogs in need into her home and has helped in rehabilitating and rehoming them.
✓ Worked as Shelter Manager in a local No-Kill Animal Shelter where she continued deepening her knowledge of the canine and feline species. Performed canine evaluations on ongoing basis.
Was very conscientious in matching possible adopters with shelter dogs to ensure better retention of adopted animals.
Helped to implement “Open Paw” Shelter Program which was developed collaboratively with Dr. Ian Dunbar.
✓ Attended Professional Animal Behavioral Associates (PABA) Conferences in Guelph:
a) “Successful Canine Behavioral Therapy and Training” (May 3-4, 2008) Speakers: Dr. Andrew Luescher, Dr. Susan Friedman, Dr. Patrick Pageat, Dr. Sarah Heath, Pia Silvani CPDT, Gary Priest, MBA
b) “Canine Harmony: Developing The Perfect Companion” (May 2-3, 2009) Speakers: Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Dr. Sophia Yin, DMV, MS, Colleen Pelar, Kenth Svartberg, PhD
c) “Exploring the Dog’s Mind” (May 13, 2011)
Speakers: Dr. Andrew Luescher, Meghan Herron DVM, DACVB, Kathy Sdao, ACAAB, Pat Miller CPDT-KA, CDBC
d) “How to Reach Excellence in Dog Training” (May 24-25, 2014) Speakers: Dr. Ken Ramirez, Kathy Sdao, ACAAB, Dr. Andrew Luescher
✓ Chris Bach: “The Third Way”: The Three Secrets to Peak Performance (15-16 mai 2010)
✓ Ian Dunbar: “Dog Training with Feeling” (October 2011)
✓ Jane Madigan /InspiredK9s Workshop: “From Fear to Feeling Safe” (Jan 26 & Feb 2, 2014)
✓ Gayle Watkins: “Avidog’s Advanced Transformational Dog Breeding” (March 1-2, 2014)
✓ Suzanne Clothier: “You Had Me at Sniff: Dog-Dog Interactions” (October 11, 2014)
✓ Suzanne Clothier: “Practical Bones: Hands On with RCT Training Techniques” (October 12, 2014)
✓ Diann McTaggart / Holistic Canine Training: Introductory Class to TTouch (Jan 24, 2015)
Learning through Books and DVDs
▪ Pat Miller, CPDT-KA, CDBC
a) “The Power of Positive Training” b) “Do Over Dogs”
▪ Jean Donaldson
“The Culture Clash”
“Mine!” (Ressource Guarding in Dogs)
“Fight!” (Treatment of Dog-Dog Aggression)
“Oh Behave!” (Dogs to Pavlov to Premack to Pinker)
▪ Sophia Yin
“The Learn to Earn Program”,
DVDs:
a) “Skills for Handling your Reactive and Hyperactive Dog” Part 1 b)“Skills for Handling your Reactive and Hyperactive Dog” Part 2 c) “Pet Dogs, Problem Dogs High Performance Dogs”
d) “How to Greet a Dog”
e) “Perfect Puppy in Seven Days”
f) “How to Behave so your Dog Behaves”
▪ Chris Bach
DVD: “Reinforcement: Knowing and Using its Power”
▪ Temple Grandin
a) “Animals Make us Human”
b) “Animals in Translation”
▪ Kathy Sdao, ACAAB “Plenty in Life is Free”
▪ Raymond and Lorna Copinger
“Dogs: A new Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution”
▪ Karen Pryor
a) “Don’t Shoot the Dog!”
b) “Reaching the Animal Mind”
▪ Turid Rugaas
a) “On talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals” b) “ Barking: The Sound of a Language”
▪ Patricia McConnell
a) “ The Other End of the Leash” b) “Leader of the Pack”
c) “Love Has No Age Limit”
d) “Feeling Outnumbered?”
e) “I’ll be Home Soon!”
f) “The Cautious Canine”
g) “Feisty Fido”
▪ Grisha Stewart
“Behavior Adjustment Training; BAT for Fear, Frustration, and Aggression in Dogs”
▪ Brenda Aloff
“Aggression in Dogs: Practical Management, Prevention & Behaviour Modification”
▪ Suzanne Clothier: DVDs
a) “Relationship Centered Training” (RCT) b) “Arousal, Anxiety and Fear”
▪ Jane Killion’s DVD: “Puppy Culture: The Powerful First 12 weeks” Professional Member
✓ Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers (CAPPDT)
✓ Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT)
Strengths
✓ Natural affinity with people and dogs
✓ Efficient communicator
✓ Compassionate, observant of dogs’ needs as well as of owners’ needs
✓ Fully bilingual, services offered in both French and English
✓ Dedicated to facilitating and improving the daily lives of dogs and their owners by
helping them to understand each other’s communication systems and to work towards attainable and realistic goals. Dog and owner are seen as a team that should enjoy the game of life together and to the fullest.
✓ Ability to help humans understand the canine communication systems, from the dog’s perspective, by using helpful analogies as well as to give them the necessary tools to communicate effectively with their canine companions.
✓ Has an open minded approach as there is always something new to learn and embrace from all experiences.
✓ Believes that preventative education is a key component towards better understanding the intelligent and emotional beings that dogs have been proven to be.
“Training an animal will meet with little success if the trainer has no insights into the animal’s feelings” (Source: “When Elephants Weep”)
Last edited: May 23, 2015