A lot of words came to mind when I was thinking of how to describe myself and how I work with people and dogs. It was difficult because I detest marketing as it relates to dogs and the dog training industry- the idea of "selling myself" to convince you I'm qualified. I don't present it as a circus- put on a big show with all theatrics, the lights and sounds to impress you when behind the scenes it's a different world. And presenting it as a hard, military or police dog, train like your life depends on it work would also be inaccurate.
I am an honest person and ethical trainer and want to present myself and my work transparently so that it can speak for itself. The proof that I am qualified is in demonstrated in the dog and how I communicate.
So what words come to mind when training with me?
It can be hard because I want commitment from owners to do the necessary work and you will be held accountable, not just to me, more importantly, to the dog. I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing right.
Training with me is different. What I mean is, it can be confusing at first, because we tend to go against trends and information that is popular. And we will talk it out so you can see why we work against these trends and so there is no ambiguity and it makes sense to you.
This is not cookie cutter, assembly line, fast food, one size fits all dog training.
No "every dog gets a prong and e-collar day one"
No "Just give them a cookie even when they're barking and growling, keep going, it'll work"
No one is welding and lighting up a dog with an e-collar so they only behave out of fear and I'm certainly not giving them treats for acting like a wood chipper at the end of a leash.
Sometimes it can be so slow or fast paced, it all depends on the dog and what problems we're working on. However I don't drag my feet to get more money out of you and I don't rush the process for your convenience or mine. The only timeline is the dog's timeline.
The words at the top of my list are: insightful and passion.
When it comes to training, what I'm interested in, what motivates me and what I LOVE is behaviour, identifying and solving behavioural problems and helping dogs and people communicate at a higher level.
That comes first.
Doing the forensics into the relationship, coaching people through the difficulties, to get through to the other side with a better understanding of themselves, their dog and how a dog thinks is what Real Life Canines is about.
Money, pride, ego, fame, flash, attention, followers, social media, marketing, "content" for the sake of content, routine, ignorance, arrogance, gimmicks, quick tips, tricks, laziness.
These things don't interest me.
I have no desire to pursue a personal life or professional career with dogs where the dogs come second or third or LAST to any of these.
I don't subscribe to a singular ideology, I don't train ONE method, I don't rely on a single or even multiple pieces of equipment to make up for what I lack as a trainer, I don't use excessive amounts of food, equipment, toys or force. I go back to the foundation of the relationship with the dog. It is a living thing with a brain and personality of its own. To be thoughtful and train thoughtfully, to reject trends and embrace common sense- that is training with Real Life Canines.
"What does common sense look like with dogs and training?"
Because from what has been happening across the industry and the internet, it seems almost non existent.
Common sense to me is never, ever, ever going to a dog park!
Common sense to me is, not rewarding or reinforcing negative behaviours.
Common sense is that if my dog is pulling on the leash, I won't try and use a harness to try and fix the problem.
Common sense is that if my dog is aggressive towards people or other dogs, I won't try and solve that with obedience.
Common sense is that if my dog doesn't listen to me off leash, I won't let them off leash!
Common sense to me is, if my dog has behaviour issues and I don't have reliable obedience, I won't try and start competing in dog sports like dock diving or agility.
Common sense is not pushing a baby in a dogs face when it is growling... (This happened in front of me and luckily, growling was as far as it went; totally blew my mind how blind people are to a dog and its language...)
Training with me is a conversation. You and I are simply going to talk and find out what's happening-
What problems do you see and deal with on a daily basis?
What are your goals in training?
What does the end result look and feel like to you?
And what do you want me to do about it?
Similarly, my work in handling the dog is a "conversation" of sorts but not as much emphasis on the verbal component. The dog speaks to us constantly with its body and how it moves. And "speaking" back to it, much of the conversation is non-verbal, it's movement, it's spatial and directional pressure, it's value.
My goal is to "translate" what the dog is saying, show you what you have been missing and explain how you can "speak" back to the dog effectively so you can start building a genuine, cooperative relationship.
You might see some of our posts and videos of our training and laugh at it, think it's stupid, think it's wrong, you might hate it, dismiss it, comment negative things, attack me personally. That's fine, we don't have the same experience and we don't have the same ambitions.
When you've been to the major corporations like "Smet Part" for the "Gak Zeorge" approach, the local trainer who does the "E-collar will fix everything" method and all the other trainers who offer everything in between and still struggle, when you are tired of the indoctrination of each "tribe" and you want to actually change your perspective and learn about how dogs see and think, we'll be here.
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