I’m here today, doing what I do because of my beautiful black Labrador and teaching dog Holly #hollytheprojectdog and I want to share our story with you.
I did everything “right”, I researched the breeder, I made sure we went to training, I made sure she was socialised at a good doggy daycare, I made sure she had the best food, I walked her often.... I did everything a “good dog owner” “should” do.
Then one day I was at a lesson and she was meeting a new dog, she liked new dogs and she stood there frozen and then snapped at the other dog. I pulled back on the leash by instinct in absolute shock.
This was the start of my journey, a long journey and a journey I have seen many go on.
It was a journey of trying to “train” it out of her, having a MILLION treats ALL.THE.TIME!
It was learning how much distance she needed from “that” dog or “that” house
It was dealing with the barrage of comments of “Labs aren’t meant to be aggressive” to “Your dog should be muzzled”
It was the first time i truly experienced anxiety and a panic attack.
I was walking down at the beach... usually our favourite thing to do and I was on edge, scanning, waiting, freaking out that at any moment it was going to be ON!
I couldn’t breathe, I was shaking and I truly understood the magnitude of the situation WE were in. It wasn’t just HER problem I was trying to fix, it was now OUR problem.
It was during the following two years that I started my TTouch practitioner training is when the biggest shifts started to happen happened.
Through the training, I finally understood her in a new light, that she was scared and all my frustration that she “wasn’t the dog I wanted or raised her to be” wasn’t helping. I realised I needed to come from a place of empathy to truly meet her where she was and start building a way forward and creating a new normal free of expectations.
I needed tools to help her feel safe in this crazy world, ones that didn’t expect her or I to be anything but what we are in this moment.
And slowly but surely I became her voice, she and I were now in this together and no matter what, I knew her, I knew what she needed, I knew what her limits where and most of all I wanted her to know that she could trust me to keep her safe no matter what. That she wasn’t alone in any of this.
It was a journey and one I am truly grateful for, because of her I learnt so much about myself, about her and about how despite the challenges, having a teaching dog in your life is truly one of the greatest blessings out there.
It is now my absolute pleasure and passion to support other doggie ‘mums’ to navigate this path with ease, knowing they are fully supported on this journey, that they can build a beautiful connected relationship with their dog based on trust and intimate understanding despite all the challenges AND most importantly use simple and effective tools and strategies to build self confidence and resilience in our dogs.
I want you to feel empowered that whilst this will be one of the greatest challenge it comes with the most amazing rewards.
If you are ready to...
- Feel confident walking your dog on leash
- Build a beautifully solid relationship with your dog based on connection and trust
- Boost your dog’s self confidence and emotional resilience
- Have a support buddy on this journey to keep you focused of what truly matters
Then I’m your gal and I am really looking forward to connecting with you soon
