I’ve been pondering about what to talk about for my very first blog post for some time. All the while the “oops there are no posts” status on my website has been silently judging me. So I’ve finally been persuaded to do something about it.

Who am I?

I entered the dog training industry when I was 18years old- a childhood determination. I was obsessed with dogs. Well, all animals to be honest, and spent most of my time “being” an animal.  Who knows, maybe “being” all those animals helped develop my skills into what they are today? 😉

David Attenborough was also a major influence on me. I religiously watched and learnt from his  numerous amazing animal documentaries my entire life.  I’m sure this also contributed to my ideas about working with dogs today.  While I learnt that different species have different needs and communication, their basic purpose and learning principles are the same – yes even humans.

Dogs By Design is a dog training and puppy raising business.  However, I put in a lot of effort into bettering my people skills because to be honest if you can’t communicate and help the owner understand and change their behaviour, there will be no change for their dog.  As part of that, I listen to audio books and watch educational talks about peoples emotions and how they impact theirs and others lives, as well as how best to communicate with different personalities & emotional states

 

My philosophy

All animals, actually let’s keep it specific and say mammals (I don’t know enough about other animals to really comment), have the ability to learn.  Nature demonstrates the very basic learning of “if it had a positive effect, I’ll do it again.  If it had a negative effect, I won’t”.  Always remember if the choice that lead to the negative effect was  “too stupid” (I’m sure there is a better term for it), then mother nature will not allow that individual to pass on their genetics. 😅

Animals continually gather information and respond to it. This process may be described as learning.

Behavioral Training of Reptiles for Medical Procedures – Gregory J. Fleming, Michelle L. Skurski, in Fowler’s Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine, 2012

 

It’s so cool to watch all the fun and useful things mammal and other animals can be taught to do today.  From intricate tricks with dogs, to specific behaviours from zoo animals to make health checks less stressful, to rats that sniff out landmines. And that is only a few of the possibilities.  I’m sure way back when humans first realised they weren’t the only ones who could learn, it was a shock and absolutely amazing.  But today with all the research and knowledge we have I still get surprised when owners just can’t believe their new puppy or dog could learn something as simple as waiting patiently for their food in one session – learning is what they were designed to do. According to mother nature, if they don’t learn they die.

Now I’m certainly an open-minded person, I like to think of reasons why something that is obvious to me, is not obvious to someone else and give them the benefit of the doubt.  After all most people probably weren’t as obsessed with animals as I am. Also, everyone has “slow” days and I’m certainly first to admit someone will know more about a certain subject that I do, I’m always wanting to learn from people with different experiences.

Dogs will revert back to a balanced, in-tune & natural state very quickly when provided with the right environment and clear communication.

Dog owners (me included) need to be more in touch with the instinctual side of ourselves so we can provide better leadership and stability for our dogs.  We will never be in control all the time, that would be impossible, but we at least need to be aware of how we are feeling and what we might portray to our dog.

Our dogs can read us like a book. Their primary form of communication is body language and energy so they are well versed in this form of communication.  All animals communicate this way, yes even humans.  Humans however have become a little disconnected with this form of communcation. We are more likely to pick up on it without being conscious of it. For example, we have all walked into work one day and without anything being said, pick up on “the boss is in a bad mood vibe” or someone telling you that your shirt is lovely but they have a subtle expression on their face that say’s otherwise.  The disconnect might come from an obliviousness of their own emotions, choosing to pretend the emotions aren’t there or they might be extremely aware of their emotions but not have the tools to cope with them.

So unfortunately, bringing another species into our lives is not the fairy tale Disney has portrayed, we must accept that we must look at ourselves as well as our dogs.  I.e. Your state of mind will effect your dogs state of mind!

So that’s where the name Dogs by Design was inspired from:

A dog is a Dog By Design, it is not a cat, bird, fish or human. A ‘Dog’ is what he is most happy being.  We must honor the species they are and make sure we don’t take away from them what makes them canine.

Training style

I do feel this leads into the dreaded topic of dog training style perfectly.  Nobody get your hackles up, I’m not going to argue why “my way” is the best!  I don’t like to put out blanket statements because there are so many variables.  I’m only really going to comment on why both might have gained such strong followings. And yes I’m going to take it straight back to state of mind, energy and communication.  Each method’s success is totally reliant on the state of mind, energy and communication of the person implementing it. You know how I mentioned before how your dog can read you like a book?  Well if you are not 100% sure this is the right method for you, your dog will know. If you do not fully understand and believe in the principles behind the method, your dog will know.  If you feel awkward or uncomfortable implementing a certain method, your dog will know. If you are confused, your dog will know.  If you are stressed your dog will know. If you are frustrated… and so on and on.  I’m am not going to ask an owner to stick with a method that they will never be able to attain the right state of mind in, they will keep failing.

“Dogs do know how comfortable you are with yourself, how happy you are, how fearful you are, and what is missing inside of you.”

Cesar Millan, Be the Pack Leader: Use CESAR’S WAY to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life

Don’t think this thought process gets owners off the hook, you can try a variety of different methods and if nothing works you will have to decide whether you are willing to work on yourself to see results for your dog.  No matter the method, dogs need leadership, they need trust and they need their “dog needs” met.  Many methods are successful based purely on the fact the person implementing them is 100% confident in the method and themselves. They see results because they are in a balanced state of mind and oozing leadership and providing security and safety for that dog.

I have my style. Clients that come to me want to embrace it to the best of their ability – If they feel my style isn’t right for them I will happily refer them to another trainer who can help them build confidence and achieve their goals.  For me, as long as the dogs “species needs” are being met I’m happy.

Excersise is a major part of those needs. You’ll find me giving my pack of eight some form of exercise every day. I am human though, so I will admit that if I’m feeling run down, a day may be missed every now and then.  I vary it up, we definitely don’t walk the same route or park day in and day out. Variety creates more mental stimulation which helps drain energy.  Also, in those new situations my pack must maintain proper behaviour and manners, again draining energy as they are having to implement self control.

We do street walks, bush walks, walks through busy shops, beaches and one of our favourite’s the forest!  Certain types of walks are for structure and making sure they stay calm, focused and well-mannered, then other types are off-leash with more freedom to stretch their legs and sniff to their hearts content.  Both are incredibly important and you cannot have one without the other. Our dogs need to understand how to be calm focused and well-mannered because some human environments need dogs to be under a certain level of control to not be a nuisance. This means they get to explore a variety of places that dogs who can’t maintain that state of mind can’t go.  Our dogs also need to be able to fulfill their canine needs by stretching their legs, exploring their environment and using their nose. If we don’t give them rules and boundaries and don’t allow them to fulfill their canine needs we are not honouring their species.

Essentially you need a balance – structure to allow freedom, and freedom to allow structure.

Every person who can find the confidence, show good leadership and honor their pet as a dog, will have a great relationship no matter what!