Winter storm didn’t slow anyone down!
Zoë? Taking a break? Unheard of.
Yet the rumours are true! I’ll be back in office on August 3rd to answer all emails and calls. Reception will be spotty and we charge our phones with solar chargers (very unreliable depending on weather) so unless I take a boat to hog the Tim Hortons wifi, you likely won’t hear much from me 🙂↕️
I’ll see you all soon with a sunburn and a skip in my step 🏝️
It was a struggle to get a good headshot of Thea for an introduction so why not a reel that shows off her goofy personality!
The goal with training is for dogs to always maintain their enthusiasm and personality, but with more self control for themselves and some new tools to help their owners communicate with them. If your dog turns into a different dog (in not a positive way) then something is wrong with the method of communication and training for them!
Follow along over the next three weeks to watch how this silly girl learns some manners and skills without losing her spunk!
How could I even begin to thank everyone that has supported me on this insane first year of being a business owner? From friends enduring my odd work schedule of animal care and lessons, to my lovely clients that are putting their all into bettering their life with their dogs. From my family who have supported me from the moment I said I wanted to lean into working with dogs as a profession, to the mentors that got me there. I never considered myself a business savvy person, but the support of a community should never be doubted.
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This journey has been such a wild ride of ups and downs and figuring out how a business works as someone that “just wanted to work with dogs” … but I think in the end it can truly be described for me as Ikigai.
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The Japanese word “Ikigai” means a life’s purpose. It refers to defining your personal meaning of life in relation to your talents, your passion, and your profession.
Working with dogs is gruelling work, especially when you work for yourself. It has odd hours, poop smeared kennels, making your own social media content, constant barking, physiotherapy appointments for my back and shoulders from pulling back on leashes, making more content, a messy car, paw prints on your clothes, nose prints on your windows, responding to every call and email that shows up, making more Instagram content, and just when you think it’s settled down someone throws up on the rug.
And yet… I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
The rewards are so much greater than dragging a dirty kennel up the stairs at 3 am in the winter to wash.
I’ve laughed with clients, cried with clients, and hit goals with clients that we didn’t even think were possible until we tried. I’ve worked with aggressive little dogs, gentle giants, foreign breeds, more local breeds, and everything in between.
When I was 6 years old, I used to reply to chain emails amongst my friends that my top three dream jobs were to own a dog kennel, be a dog tr
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Voice overs aren’t usually my thing but I thought it could be interesting for this case.
I actually took this video initially to watch back on her body language but then realized it would be good to demonstrate the power of markers, reward placement, and PATIENCE.
Dog training isn’t always fast, instantly rewarding, or flashy. Sometimes it’s sitting in front of a crate chucking beef liver and saying yes for 17 minutes.
As long as the goal is accomplished with the least conflict and pressure possible, the patience pays off.
PS it’s cleaning day 😅
