How I Came To Teach Canine Confidence

HOW I CAME TO TEACH CANINE CONFIDENCE

In yesterday's blog I chatted about how subtle canine anxiety can be. It is a subject that has had me scratching my head many times over the years, so I thought I would invite you to share my journey about how I came to teach canine confidence.

From the time I was a little girl I could always be found hanging out with animals. To me animals made sense, they got me and I got them. I had a cat and dog at home growing up and my journey through life has seen me 'owned' by several different kinds of animals from horses to a Coati Mundi!

As I had grown up with animals it seemed only natural that I would dedicate my career to them. At the tender age of 17, I joined a local Veterinary Practice as a trainee nurse and spent the next 23 years happily working with some amazing people and animals.

During this time I was eager to become the best nurse and client educator I could be. I often saw anxious dogs in my job, which was quite understandable, and I wanted to be able to speak their language and understand their struggles. To help achieve this I furthered my career by qualifying as an Advanced Pet Health Counsellor (PHC) - similar to a human nurse specialist practitioner. I specialized further and was the first PHC to be awarded a PHC Diploma in Canine Cardiac Care but the proudest moment of my career was when I was awarded the title 'Practice Nurse of the Year' - a national award recognizing nurses for outstanding contribution to client care.

Circumstances changed and after a fabulous and rewarding career in Veterinary Practice I jumped ship and took my nursing knowledge into client education and became a tutor of canine first aid and a canine coach.

In my coaching work I always use force free, reward based training but every so often a dog would throw me a curve ball and try as I might, my canine educators were showing me that one size does not fit all when it comes to training and behaviour. I needed to think bigger picture, I felt there was a piece of the jigsaw missing.

I have always followed a holistic approach to our family's health, both two and four footed and having seen the truly remarkable things alternative medicine can do, I headed off to further my knowledge about all things botanical.

Plant medicine is excellent not only for treating physical issues but emotional issues too, this was it! I had found my missing piece. I needed to address the emotional issues which were driving the behaviour rather than just modify and retrain the behaviour being shown. I am now a Practitioner of Botanical Self Healing in Dogs.

Combining canine coaching and plant medicine has lead me to work with some really fearful and anxious dogs, some so fearful that even eating in front of their humans was a challenge and going outside to toilet took 3 months.

I have been working with dogs for 37 years now and I understand the world can be challenging for them. Owners are often left wondering if they even did the right thing getting a dog! They feel trapped, unable to build a relationship with their dog and do not know which way to turn. I get it. Sometimes all that needs to happen for a shift to take place is for the dog and owner to be heard, a plan put in place and time and understanding given to enable the dog to build their confidence and give the world a try.

Building confidence in dogs can be tricky at times, but equally it is so rewarding when you see your anxious dog trying out a new thing. To help owners navigate canine confidence I have combined my canine coaching knowledge with the awesome power of plant medicine and put them neatly together to offer a unique course 'The Dynamic Duo' where we work together to assist your dog to become the very best version of themselves.

Want to learn more? Please get in touch to discuss.
Email me at: caninesenses@btinternet.com