Meet Caroline Christian | Owner and Dog Trainer of Lupa K9 Dog Training

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caroline Christian and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caroline, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I love this question so much. I have my Masters in Social Work and I feel very strongly about social impact on a micro and macro level. At first, when I chose to shift my focus from a nonprofit sector to dog training I questioned if training dogs would impact lives in a meaningful way, but the second I started my apprenticeship with my mentor, at the time, in San Francisco I immediately saw the impact I could make on the mental health of dog parents and their family (as well as the dog!). Although it is one aspect, dog training is so much more than teaching a dog commands or tricks. It is about shaping a relationship between the human and the dog through trust, communication and respect. If you leave out these three cornerstones, behavior change is challenging and unsustainable. My job as a trainer is to guide the relationship between human and dog to a healthy place. I work with folks on setting realistic expectations for the change that is possible, and how to achieve that change by understanding their dog’s behavior, needs and ways of communicating. I talk a lot about the influence of the home environment and how it effects not only other humans in the home, but also the dog’s understanding of safety and what their role is in the pack based on what they are observing. All the nuances that happen in a home, how we talk to each other, how present we are when we engage the dog, what boundaries and structure we do or do not have in place, ALL play a part in how the dog views us as their leader, and sets up how they view the rest of the world. We are shaping our dogs just like we shape a baby. We raise children, we dont train them. I feel like training sometimes implies a finite amount of time- you train then its done. It’s not like that. You raise a child throughout their entire life, just as you do a dog. You should always be caring for the dog and shaping their behavior throughout their development so they know how to move through conflict and make good choices on their own with confidence.

People get dogs for a lot of reasons. Mostly to have a companion, to take on fun adventures, and feel unconditional love, to name a few. However when you bring a dog in to your home that has experienced trauma, has fear based behaviors, aggression, separation anxiety, etc., the stress that is generated from navigating these behaviors becomes a ripple effect and that stress bleeds over into relationships between family members, other relationships outside the home, the workplace, and so on. Its’s important to me for people to experience the beauty of raising a dog and the positive effects dogs have on our emotional and physical health. I want to eliminate unnecessary stressors due to challenging behaviors that could easily be turned around. It won’t be a cake walk all the time, but if families feel empowered and confident to navigate their dog’s behaviors after working with me, and they have a dog that doesn’t cause more added stress, then I would say that impact is pretty powerful and worthwhile.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe my education and experience in the mental health field as a Social Worker and behaviorist and my now working in the dog training field for 10 years, gives me a solid foundation and understanding of how best to tailor custom plans for my client’s specific needs. Education and science is very helpful BUT dog training is also an art! You really have to tailor training plans that will work best for that specific dog and family. Every dog and person is different and deserves a tailored approach that is unique to the family I’m working with. While the theory behind behavior is the same, the way you approach the theory and training is customized to that dog and family. There is no one way to go about it, ultimately it is whatever works best for that client and dog. It makes it challenging but also very fun, because every dog is so different! I remember when I first started out I was pretty rigid with my methods but I learned pretty quickly how crucial it is to adapt to the dog- once you do that, the change is pretty incredible.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Where to begin! San Diego is such an amazing city. I really love tea so I think I would probably start up in La Jolla and book a private tea tasting at Paru tea before we head out to watch the surfers at Wind n Sea beach! Then maybe head over to trilogy for lunch and some yoga.

I would for SURE take them to Maya Moon in Normal Heights for some ceremonial cacao. It is delicious and the folks there are so nice and pop in next door to the cutest little vintage shop.

I love cooking so I’m sure we would visit Point Loma Seafoods to grab some fish to cook and maybe go to Liberty Station to do some shopping.

If there is a show or a movie, maybe go to the Diversionary Theater in University Heights or Cinema under the Stars in Mission Hills followed by dinner at Communion or Madison.

For an active day we would watch my wife play volleyball in Ocean Beach for a day at the beach or go rock climbing at Mesa Rim!

I could go on and on, San Diego has so much to offer!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh man, so many people to thank but my loudest shoutout goes out to my amazing wife Amy. There is no one in the world who believes in me as much as she does. She’s helped me through some really tough times in my career, especially after COVID. She’s always encouraging me to recognize and celebrate what I bring to the table and is constantly reminding me how valuable a unique my training methods are. I am beyond grateful for her love, support and constant validation. Another shoutout goes to my incredible clients! I have made some good friends through my work, their hard work and dedication to themselves and their dogs is inspiring. I’m so grateful for their trust in me.

Website: https://www.lupak9.com

Instagram: @lupak9

Facebook: Lupa K9 Dog Training

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lupa-k9-san-diego-2

Other: https://g.co/kgs/116riLv