About me
Julie Heyes – LFDM, CPDT
My professional (short) story.
I’m a Licensed Family Dog Meditator (LFDM) 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 – Learning, Environment, Genetics and Self.
I’m a Dial Method Guide through The Family Dog® and Certified Pro Dog Trainer (CPDT) through the Absolute Dogs courses.
I’m also a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and The Pet Professional Guild.
My education is always on-going, literally! Participating in webinars, conferences, courses and workshops over the many years to present. Not to mention countless podcasts – my headphones being a near ‘permanent’ part of my daily attire. I’m kinda ‘geeky’ about always learning more. It’s a huge part of what I love! There’s always so much to learn about behaviour and ultimately, how to build a solid relationship through understanding our dogs.
My personal (short) story.
Jack.
Lol… ok… that’s too short. Here’s a bit more…
When we adopted Jack, he was a year old and had zero guidance in his life. Crated most of that first year, he was totally WILD! Like a puppy but a 77lb puppy complete with nipping!
I’d grown up with dogs, had them around me my whole life through family and friends. I’d never raised my own though, and certainly didn’t know anything about ‘training’ OR canine behaviour, from a science and evidence-based perspective.
I needed help! I enrolled in classes and worked with my trainer in private lessons – and I put what I was learning into practice. Over the course of 12 weeks I not only experienced glimmers of “light at the end of the tunnel” but I was beginning to see that I was quite naturally good at this! I also found myself in love with learning about the WHY’s of our dog’s behaviour.
Personal to professional (super-short) story.
Needless to say, I decided to pursue those pings and pangs of interest I was feeling bubbling up. Fast forward. Here we are.
What's in a name (short) story.
Many folks think (naturally) that DOG-HAPPY is about dog’s being happy.
The name is actually a reflection of my personal journey – learning that my challenges with Jack’s behaviour weren’t really about Jack after all. He was communicating with me the only way he knew how. I needed to learn what he was saying, connect with him by becoming curious – observing & listening. I had to challenge myself by looking at the source of my expectations, accept that they were ‘completely out of whack’ and recognize my lack of knowledge about what to do and why. This further led to my learning the truth about our ‘pet’ dogs as a species.
It was a process of course. I say that “one day I awakened to find myself DOG-HAPPY” as it felt like a switch went off. Things finally ‘clicked’. I let go of my frustration and resentment. I began to see, accept and appreciate the dog in front of me for the who he is. It was then, that I fell in love. And since, I’ve come to believe dogs are a ‘mirror’ for us to see ourselves more clearly.
This journey, along with my continuous education, desire for learning the ‘why’ of behaviour, to untimately help dogs and their humans thrive in a relationship rooted in mutual wellness and connection, are the basis for my teaching philosophy.
Licensed, Insured, Bonded.