Welcome to this first blog for The Dog Psychologist. I'm so pleased to have you. And you're going to be pleased too. This blog is a space for us to get to know each other and gives me much more room to grow your knowledge and skills in raising and enjoying your dog.
So, how? Well, some people train dogs to make sure they behave as we need. Others call themselves a behaviourist, looking at training on a deeper level. I have a background in psychology which means my methods cover both but place an emphasis on resettling the dog's mind, balancing behaviour using research based methods from the grass roots up. It's what we call a holistic approach.
Holistic approaches are really a catch all situation. I can't train a behaviour into or out of your dog if the ground work is a mess (and FYI, neither can anyone else). We must do that before behaviour can be addressed. Ground work means we need to look at lifestyle, diet, enrichment and daily structure and routines.
I use force free methods - no nasty corrections using startle or pain. Some do use these methods and I think it's so unnecessary for the cases I see (domestic family dog ownership). It's a method that at first may appear to show quick results, and don't get me wrong, behaviour will change. But the risks are high because of how the brain processes those techniques. Often, professionals advocating these methods have not even looked at the full spectrum of needs first (in one of my recent consults two trainers had concluded the dogs were untrainable - not true). In these cases, it's a lazy approach. Even worse, you will likely invite other behaviours that result from the trauma of these methods.
So, join me, subscribe to this blog and I'll take you on a wonderful journey, strengthening the relationship with your dog, sharing the latest news from the dog behaviour world, regaling you with the odd humorous tale and generally make you glad you've got something to read while you sit next to your fabulous dog with a cuppa. Come and be part of my community today.
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