Streetsmartdog

07/02/2024

People have been asking me why I haven't posted in a while.
To be honest, Choco is on charge of social media.
And he has been slacking off.
We already gave him a warning.
And he said he would change his attitude. 🤣
It's time to keep him accountable.

#

05/10/2024

Choco enjoying the view...
Summer is coming ☀️

05/31/2023

Quote that I saw in the book "Living untethered. Beyond the human predicament"

People want to change their dogs.

But they don't realize that they have to change as well.

I see people chasing techniques, tools and quick fixes.

Just to see themselves back to where they started.

They don't realize that the biggest change has to happen in themselves.

Social media makes you believe that others will solve your problem.

But they don't realize that the solution is in them.

They want to think that something or someone outside of them will do it.

But it is just them.

No matter what you use or who you work with.

At the end of the day, "no matter where you go there you are"

A client was asking me one day, "do you think our dog could be good with other dogs?"

I said: "Well, when he was with me he was good with other dogs."

She saw it on videos, lots of videos.

And yet, she doesn't believe it.

Why? Because when the dog is back with her.

It comes back to its old habits.

This is more about becoming the right person that your dog needs.

And less about making your dog a robot that just follows your instructions.

05/14/2023

Too many mind

Walking a dog cannot be as easy as it looks.

But it is not due to technique.

People intellectually understand what they have to do.

And how they have to do it.

But their mind gets in their way.

They start questioning if they are doing right.

They doubt themselves. They get concerned.

They over analyse and start asking many questions.

Walking a dog is like dancing.

You could know the steps.

But until you don't let go of what you think you know.

And feel they music.

You will still look awkward.

Same with walking a dog.

So maybe a few drinks before the walk could help 🤪

05/14/2023

One day I heard:

"Whenever you follow your heart, the odds are in your favour because not too many are willing to do so"

Life keeps showing me time after time that this is true.

It keeps putting me in front of the right people.

The right dogs.

And the right experiences.

No matter the obstacles.

No matter how much stress.

No matter if I don't see it yet.

Everything seems to perfectly fall into place at the end.

Who knows where this journey will take me.

What I can only do is to surrender to the flow of life.

04/06/2023

Your relationship with your dog is what truly makes the difference.
How you see your dog.
How you relate to it.

Obedience is important.
Helps you to communicate with your dog.
But obedience won't fix a broken relationship.

When I see Choco and the way he has become.
It has been more than just obedience and following verbal instructions.

I choose to see him as a resilient, adaptable and strong dog.
And that is what he has become.

He is always ready for an adventure.
Ready to work.
He is willing to wait and being patient when asked.
He knows he is part of a team and you can see that is what makes him light up.

02/05/2023

The same happens when clients see me walking their dogs or doing the assessment. People assume that their dogs will behave the same way with them as they do with me. They do not realize that they need to change as well. They need to put in the work, otherwise, they will be stuck in the same place.

We all want the outcome we desire, but the realities involved with achieving the outcome are often far more than people are ready for. It’s easy to desire something, but to become the equal of that which you desire is something very different—and something far more demanding.

When I was attempting to turn my own dogs behavior around, twenty-something years ago, I had no idea the personal transformation I would be required to make. I assumed I’d need some tips and insight and some work, but I hadn’t assumed I’d have to become a very, very different person.

What my dogs were and where they ended up being before they passed is still somewhat astounding to me. I can viscerally recall the chaos, the danger, the stress and the anxiety that were daily experiences. But as I dove in, I DOVE in. 110%. I exhausted all the resources I could find, and explored all avenues—until we began to find our way.

Within a few years I was nearly unrecognizable as both a dog owner and a human in general. I had fought to find the answers, I had fought to implement them, and I had fought to keep my focus and self-belief even as I stumbled. But luckily, the fight in me was stronger than the problem I had decided to surmount—even though the problem was enormous. And with that obsessive, stubborn, unrealistic outlook, I made the “impossible”, possible.

What’s possible for you and your dog? I can’t say. All I CAN say is that the answers to what you CAN achieve are solely dependent upon your own willingness to sacrifice, to work, to challenge yourself, to find your gaps and to humbly work to overcome them. In other words, to personally transform.

I’m well aware it’s a tall order. But it’s relative to the height of your goals. Large goals never surrender to small effort.

12/29/2022

There is so much controversy around dog training.

Balanced vs positive.

People fighting over what is the right way.

People lecturing others of how good or right they are.

But in reality.

How you decide to train your dog, it is how you see life.

The techniques you use.

The people you listen and follow.

All of that is just a reflection of your self view and world view.

So chill my doggy...

And let others be and do what they consider is the best.

Follow my blog:
https://www.nomadogtraining.com/blog

12/07/2022

Halli's and Milo's leash reactivity progress!!!

Each progress varies depending on the case.

But as soon as I see progress, I push clients out of their comfort zone.

I want them to see what their dogs are capable of.

I change environments and exercise.

In dog training, you need to test your dog's obedience and training in different situations.

That is called proofing the commands.

But what about proofing the owner's skills???

I believe you need to challenge owners as well.

Push them to the point of making mistakes and allow them to fix those mistakes.

If a trainer does all the job for you, the moment that you are on your own with your dog.

And your dog makes something that you don't expect, you will freak out.

You will not know how to fix it.

You could even make it worse.

Couching the person is as important as training the dog.

In this case, owners and dogs were excelling!!!

To the point that we drop the leads at some point.

To test the owner's and dog's skills.

12/06/2022

This is a sentence that I heard from Andrew Bustamente from a YouTube channel called Everyday Spy.

This phrase makes me think of the trainers and dog owners who try to make dogs’ lives as easy as possible. 

It annoys me, to be honest. 

Like if dogs were fragile creatures who cannot overcome struggles.

And then they wonder why these dogs become anxious, reactive, or aggressive. 

These dogs do not learn to cope with anything.

No resilience or confidence in them. 

I fell in love with dogs by observing stray dogs back in Colombia.

They were amazing, they adapted and gained peoples’ trust so easily.

Even though, the streets were pretty tough on them.

They were able to find ways to survive and adapt to society.

No matter the size or breed.

I used to see how some of these dogs manipulated people for food.

And how they refused food from others.

They trusted their instincts.

And then you see dogs who have it all and they are clueless about life.

Confused barking at everything.

You either make your dog strong or weak.

Genetics plays an essential role but you cannot use it as an excuse.

It is most likely you who build up the character of your dog.

And everything starts with how you perceive your dog.

11/25/2022

Social media is deceiving you!!!

It makes you think that you can pay a dog trainer to do the job for you.

You see videos of before and after and you think someone else can do the hard job for you.

But in reality, the responsibility is on the owner.

A dog could go to the best boarding training in the world.

Still give it a few weeks with its owners and you will see how quickly a dog can unlearn.

The more I work with people, the better feeling I start getting about who is committed and who isn’t.

Kirstine was one of those owners who I immediately realized was 100% in.

She had two dogs reactive dogs.

We started working just with one but she was progressing so fast that we immediately included the second dog.

I am happy to help people like her.

Who just need guidance and support along the way.

People like her know that the rest is up to them.

11/08/2022

Boso's progress...

Today we are dropping Boso at his home.

This guy's has been a challenge.

We were planning to do leash reactivity program with him but we couldn't get anywhere during the first session.

I asked the owners to give me the chance to walk him on my own and see if I could make any progress.

Just getting him used to be around Choco took me a few days.

He attacked Choco a few times.

Eventually, I asked the owners if I could keep him for a couple of weeks.

I am grateful with them for trusting even though I didn't promise any results.

I just promised to do my best.

He has come a long way.

Before he was too dangerous just to even try to walk him around dogs.

There is still lots of work to be done.

But my time in Melbourne is limited.

Fortunately, Boso is at a point where their owners can keep going with the process.

Now, it is time to teach them how to do it.

I strongly believe that I have achieved this progress thanks to playing games with him.

It is a happy day for us and their owners.

At the same time, it is a sad day for us because we have attached to him.

We spent so much time with him.

That now we feel that he is our dog.

Forever grateful with this dog! 🐕😍

11/05/2022

Hesitation, the dream killer.

I see people hesitating all over the place.

And when you have a reactive dog.

The least you want to do is hesitate.

Doubts are usual, everyone has them.

But when you do not make a quick decision, your dog will make that decision for you.

And it is more likely not a positive decision.

Trust yourself

Owners that I worked with, they know what to do.

I show them and we practice in a controlled environment.

But when there is that moment to take action, they don’t do it or they do it too late.

They don’t trust themselves.

They are too concerned about knowing what is the best decision.

And it is not about that, it is about just making a decision.

The more you do this, the more you are telling yourself that you trust in yourself.

You are making quick decisions because you know that whatever the result is, you will adjust.

And you know what, the more you trust yourself the more your dog will trust you.

Negative cycle

People hesitate…

Then make a late decision or not a decision at all.

Mistakes come.

And then they regret it and feel bad about themselves.

This is the cycle that people go through over and over.

I have seen it in people walking their dogs.

I have seen it in myself in my daily life.

I have seen it in potential clients.

They want to hire me, you can sense it.

They take too long to make a decision and when they finally do it.

I am gone. I have left the city.

Carefree and objective attitude

I have realized that in life the most successful people are carefree and objective.

They don’t have time to meditate on a decision.

And if they do it, after that they do not question it.

They take action, absorb the feedback, and move on.

They are empowering themselves during the process.

And that is what I tell myself on a daily basis.

Just make a decision. You will figure it out on the way.

11/01/2022

More about Kobeee!

We did some work at home as well where he was getting over-excited.

He tends to bite when playing and he likes to chase the cat.

They are never in the same room around the house.

We made Kobe wait outside in the backyard until he was calmed.

Then we invited him inside and started to play with him.

Just by doing this, he did not even try to bite and his excitement didn't go over the top.

It was funny to see him play.

Then we showed him to co-exist with the cat, to give her space.

As you can see the cat feels uncomfortable with him.

But Kobe did well and was able to respect her space.

10/27/2022

Training is what you do with your dog everyday.

There is no separation between training and life.

Life is training.

You are constantly giving feedback to your dog.

The dog is always learning from you.

So you better be present and aware of what you are teaching to your dog.

10/19/2022

Why is it hard for you to set up boundaries to your dog?

During the sessions, people manage to walk their dogs nicely.

And they are able to set up boundaries around the house in a clear way.

The dog performs and the person gets the technique.

But, when I meet them in the next session.

They tell me that they have been struggling, the dog pulls, the dog does not listen.

Even though during the sessions the dog is good.

And I wonder why people keep struggling even when it seems they are getting it during the sessions.

I think a lot about this...

People don't realise that dogs know them way better than they know themselves.

Dogs observe how you behave daily.

Dogs are your best student.

Dogs notice you don't have self-control.

Or that you allow others to push you around.

They notice that you are a people pleaser.

That you don't know how to say no.

and the list goes on...

You see... it doesn't matter what technique you apply.

If you are a person who doesn't set up healthy boundaries to yourself and others.

Why would the dog listen to you?

Your dog won't buy your lies.

Your dog knows you are bluffing... that you are not that type of person.

You cannot behave one way with your dog and another way with others and yourself.

You need to be congruent to what you are teaching to your dog.

At the end of the day, you are the example that the dog is following.

It is about learning to set up healthy boundaries to yourself, others And your dog.

10/18/2022

What happened to Boo???

Many clients have asked me what happened with the Border Collie that was reactive to everything.

We ended up having six sessions with the owner.

In the beginning, we regressed a bit when the owner was around which was expected.

Tracey (Owner) was super nervous at the beginning of each session.

She used to ask me every time to walk Boo first to see with her own eyes what her dog was capable of so she could try it.

We went to different places. Busy environments where we could see all Boo's triggers... Dogs, people, and cars... lots of cars.

For the last session, Tracey wanted to have it in Bunnings so she could see more people.

It was the only session in which I did not handle the dog.

She took boo and just went into the shop.

I was surprised!!!

Halfway through the session, she goes "Jeison I think I don't need you anymore"

Well, she is right.

Super happy for these two 😍.

10/15/2022

Exploring Melbourne CBD with Choco!!!

Brings us so many memories.

Back when we were struggling with Choco.

As soon as we started finding the solutions, we never look back.

We started walking Choco everywhere.

We wanted to expose him to more distractions and busier environments.

And what was better than the CBD.

We used to go through crowds, close to horses and other dogs.

I remember once, we got kicked out of the QV because we took Choco to the food court🤣

We just wanted to get him used to everything.

We took him to Melbourne Central and Flinders Train Stations.

We used to walk for hours, and any excuse to take him with us was a good excuse.

Now that I look back, I realize that it is not that hard to achieve what we have achieved.

Each case is different but it mostly relies on the owner's attitude and commitment.

Dogs are too smart and if you are consistent, they will pick it up faster than you think.

Probably faster than their own owners. 🤣

10/13/2022

Pablito's leash reactivity progress!!!

Everyone knows it requires confidence to handle a dog.

But how do you build up that confidence?

It is not enough to tell someone "Be confident".

What I have learnt is that confidence comes from competence and experience.

You need to learn the appropriate techniques to communicate with your dog.

Use the right tools.

Then go through different types of experiences.

That way you will develop the emotional capital to handle each situation.

That is when you will realize that you have become more confident.

It is not about having an easy process, it is about becoming better during that process.

Look for someone who supports you along the way.

10/11/2022

I love this beer logo 😍

A man and his dog.

Guy with his head up and looking relaxed.

Dog checking in with the guy.

Off-leash and next to his owner.

Beautiful!👌

10/07/2022

The more chaotic, distracted and/or neurotic your dog is.

The more neutral you need to be.

I see owners getting frustrated, upset or nervous when their dogs don't listen.

You are the grounding force for your dog.

If you lose your frame, you are becoming chaotic as your dog.

If you are keeping your cool, the dog will become as you.

Take a moment, breath and be as conscious as possible of what you are doing and the message that you are sending to your dog.

Going through emotions is normal, but do not react out of this place.

Your dog is constantly training your emotions.

Do you need technique? Yes, you do.

Do you need the right tools? Yes, you do.

But any of these will not help, if you don't have the emotional capital to deal with your dog.

10/06/2022

Harley the handsome boy.

His owner has surprised me with her attitude. This guy and his mom make a great team, she is already walking him offleash and they are just getting started. It is crazy how much potential they have. I love this type of clients... They inspire me 😍.

ining

09/30/2022

Dog training is an attitude!!!

This family has managed to pull it off.

They went from having a reactive dog and almost medicating her.

To walking her around high levels of distractions off-leash.

I have seen clients dealing with way easier dogs and not achieving anything near close to this.

But this family is committed and it has paid off.

I am happy for them, they truly deserve it.

Social media is deceiving, it makes you think that your dog is going to be transformed by dog trainers.

But in reality, 90% of the responsibility is on the owners.

If you have the right attitude, you will make it.

09/28/2022

"Also I honestly can not thank you guys enough for giving me back my confidence with my dog, I got a little emotional in the car ride home because that was such a big moment for me to be able to see him with other dogs"

A simple scene that means so much to one person!!!

One of the dogs in the picture has been in a few fights.

It has been a journey working with his owner and the dog.

We went through the leash reactivity program, pack walks, and off-leash program.

And we couldn't finish in a better way than just hanging out together with a few dogs.

An easy and simple session with so much meaning and work behind it.

Grateful to owners who trust in our work!!! 🙃

09/12/2022

Frank the tank!!! This dog looks so bad ass 😍

09/01/2022

As many of our clients know, we are nomads.

That is where our name comes from.

We arrived in Perth last November and our time here is ending.

We have met amazing people and dogs.

And what we appreciate the most is their trust in us.

People have opened their home doors to us.

They have told us about their insecurities, fears, and dreams.

And what we want people to know is that they already have what it takes to achieve their ideal relationship with their dogs.

Training your dog is a personal journey…

Yes, you need technique. You need practical steps. You need obedience.

But what you mostly need is to believe in yourself.

Our dog, Choco, taught us to keep believing in what we want.

He made us realize our shortcomings and he has shown us that change is possible and dreams come true.

And that is what we are doing. We are creating our own way of living.

We are traveling the world and helping people with their dogs.

If you need help, we will be happy to give you a hand before we leave.

08/16/2022

Medicines are not the solution. They do have their place and purpose but nowadays it looks like is becoming the norm instead of the rare case.

I see many clients that have been recommended to put their dogs on medication because of behavioral problems like leash reactivity.

I work with the dog and straight away you can notice that the dog is just confused or have bad habits. Even cases that are not that hard.

The real solutions are on leveling up your skills as a handler, creating a healthy lifestyle and having clear communication with your dog.

Dog training is simple but not easy because it requires owners to change their own behaviour and beliefs first before they can change their dog.

08/15/2022

Maisie!!!

She was a reactive dog.

Her owner had to walk her early in the morning to avoid any type of triggers.

Walking her was becoming dangerous due to her big size.

During the training with leash reactive dogs, I like to take owners and their dogs to different environments so they learn how to manage all types of situations.

Of course, if I find it safe to do so.

I like to give people as much real-life experience as I can so they realize that they can do it on their own.

People's confidence when handling dogs plays an essential role.