About me
Currently I’m studying (and applying!) a Systems Thinking Approach to Conflict Resolution and Thrive Learning System®, developed by Cat Harbord of ImPAWSible Possible in Calgary.
Having completed Cat’s Pooch Peacekeeping Pro Course, my journey is on-going through Cat’s incredible Praxis offering – students who have completed her in depth course can continue as we come together weekly for lectures, Q&A’s, case studies, group discussions and 1-1 mentorship. I’m also a student of Perceptual Control Theory (PCT), inspired by Cat’s extensive program. PCT is at the leading edge of behaviour research (IAPCT for more insights).
I’m a Licensed Family Dog Meditator through Kim Brophey’s Applied Ethology, Family Dog Mediator Professional Course®. This is an extensive course based on the L.E.G.S. model of working with dogs and behaviour through an Ethological lens – Learning, Environment, Genetics and Self. I’m delighted to be an active FDM community member, contributing and learning through ongoing Q&A’s with colleagues from around the world.
I’m a Certified Pro Dog Trainer through Absolute Dogs in the UK with their Games-Based/Concept Training coursework.
I’m also a Dial Method™ Guide through The Family Dog (I cannot recommend this video and book enough for those with children and a puppy!)
Our Story
I’ll keep it short. Jack.
Lol… ok… I kid… here’s a bit more…
We adopted Jack at one year old and up to then, he’d had zero guidance in his life. Crated most of that first year, he was totally WILD! Like a puppy but a 77 lb puppy complete with nipping!
I’d grown up with dogs as well being around them my whole life through family and friends. I grew up in the country and our dogs were mainly ‘free-range’ or farm dogs. I’d never raised my own dog, and certainly didn’t know anything about ‘training’, canine behaviour through a solid education, or canines as a species.
I needed help! I enrolled in classes and worked with my trainer in private lessons to help me with specific challenges – and I put what I was learning into practice. Over the course of 12 weeks I experienced glimmers of “light at the end of the tunnel” and was becoming fascinated with learning the WHY’s of our dog’s behaviour. I was becoming transformed by this experience and my relationship with Jack was transforming as well.
When our relationship began, I didn’t think I’d ever love Jack – honestly and truly – a lot of tears were shed – I was ‘dog-miserable’. Well, that changed.
DOG-HAPPY
Many folks think (naturally) that DOG-HAPPY is about dog’s being happy. Our name is actually a reflection of my personal journey.
Learning that my challenges with Jack’s behaviour weren’t really about Jack – not truly. I was learning the deeper roots of his behaviour, which led me to recognize he was communicating with me the only way he knew how. I began to feel a new perspective emerge and challenged myself by looking at the source of my expectations (that I was putting on Jack). He didn’t ask to ‘be here’ – I invited him. So I asked myself some vital questions – shouldn’t I get to know him? Learn how to collaborate with him? Learn how to guide him in this life? Through these questions, WHO Jack is became clear and I was able to acknowledge that fitting him into my idea wasn’t ever going to work for us – we simply wouldn’t find mutual harmony that way. And what a relief – bringing with it the beauty of acceptance and the tale of true friendship ♡
I say that “one day I woke up to find myself DOG-HAPPY” because it felt like a switch went off. Things finally clicked. I let go of my frustration, anger and resentment – and to be honest, it was incredibly ‘freeing’. I could finally SEE, accept and appreciate the dog in front of me for who he is AND for what he was in fact, teaching me! It was then, that I fell in love and a new career emerged.
I’ve come to believe dogs offer us daily, minute-by-minute opportunities to see deeper and more clearly into ourselves – providing openings for personal growth, re-connecting with nature, our nature, and subsequently, with them.
My continued journey shapes my desire to support others on their journey. Helping dogs and their humans thrive in a relationship rooted in mutual wellness and genuine connection provides the foundation for my DOG-HAPPY TEAMMATES philosophy.
