My Dog Philosophy

I trace everything back to what would happen in nature, what would happen in a wild pack.
My philosophy is that everything dogs do is instinctive.
Instincts are just a hormonal release from the brain that tells the body to do certain things.
I trace everything back to the most important instinct, survival instinct.
Why do dogs/wolf’s live in a pack?
The more in a pack, the more eyes and ears there are to look out for danger, the more teeth there are to fight back and defend against predators, and the more hunters there are to bring down the prey.

You have to remember that in nature it’s survival of the fittest. Only the decision-maker/pack leader will mate, that way only the best instincts are passed down to the next generation, this has been happening since before recorded history.

Dogs descend from wolves, which is why I studied wolf/dog behaviour under Shaun Ellis aka The Wolfman

WE MAY BE HUMANS BUT WE ARE STILL ANIMALS

When hurricane Katrina hit the USA, people were told that they would have to evacuate for a day or two and many left there dogs with just enough food and water for that time.
When they couldn’t return many dogs escaped and formed their own packs and went hunting
to survive, I will always remember the images of a Beagal leading a pack, that included German Shepard’s, Pitbulls and Rottweilers.
These were domestic dogs, family pets that had never had to hunt for themselves before, their owners had always provided everything there pets had ever needed, but after not eating for several days, their survival instincts had kicked in.
Every animal has the survival instinct.
A fox, a wolf, a coyote caught in a trap will knaw through its own leg to escape.
In 2004 whilst rock climbing Aron Ralston got trapped by a boulder for 127 hours, he nearly
died from dehydration when his survival instinct kicked in, he amputated his own arm to escape, depicted in the movie 127 Hours played by James Franco.

What inspired me to become a Dog Behaviourist?

When I was 10 I got my own dog, we had always had a family dog but this one was mine.
I called her Bo, bo was a very anxious little girl, I couldn’t understand how she was so different from her mother Cindy, Cindy was a friendly and confident dog, but Bo was scared of everything and everyone, and however much I tried to reassure her nothing worked,

When it was time to get my own family dog as an adult I was determined to do everything right, I started reading watching and researching everything I could about dogs, dog training, dog breeds and dog behaviour.
Being what I call a dog person, I soon realised that everything I thought I knew had come from old wives tales, there was new information, new research about dog behaviour and dog
communication, that fascinated me, and all I wanted to do was be a dog behaviourist,

I got my dog K.C and started to raise her with a new understanding, I could understand her
behaviour and her communication, but not just her, but all dog’s that I meet, this only encouraged me to continue with my research and training.

I first found Glen Stanford the UK Dog Whisperer, I attended his course and received his certification in Understanding Dog Body Language.
But I still wanted a deeper understanding.

Then I found a documentary about Shaun Ellis aka the Wolfman, Shaun had raised 3 wolf cubs from a few weeks old until adulthood, living in the enclosure with them, to see him interact and communicate with them just amazed me.
I made contact with Shaun and his wife Kim as soon as I could, and then I had my first encounter with wolves.

I went into the wolf enclosure with all the precautiousness that most of us would, everything I had been told from a young age from the media about wolves, but after a few minutes all my fears disappeared.
It was so overwhelming, the wolves were so gentle and sensitive, it was obvious that they were more fearful of me than I was of them, I started to use the calming signals that Shaun has shown me in the safety talk we had before we entered the enclosure and when the wolves replied with the same calming signals, I knew I was actually communicating with another species, maybe only in a basic way, but it was communication.

I continue my education under Shaun and Kim Ellis, recently spending a week at the dog and wolf centre studying the mental and emotional development of wolves and dogs.

My aim is to help dogs and their owners to have a better relationship and with my personal tuition, I give you a better understanding of your dog’s behaviour, and when I show you that it is possible for your dog’s behaviour to change it can relieve any frustrations you may have.