Streetsmartdog

10/11/2024

When I meet potential clients.
One of the first questions I ask is.
What is their goal?
They want a dog that doesn't react.
Friendly with people and dogs.
A dog that they can take anywhere.
They want to have a happy, lucky dog.

They think that if they go through training.
Their dog all of the sudden won't make any mistakes.
They will never react or growl anymore.

There are so many variables in life.
And so many things will happen.
That will trigger your dog.
There could be even traumatic experiences.
But if you know what you are doing.
And your relationship with your dog is good.
No matter what happens.
You will be able to guide your dog.

And that, for me, is the goal.
To have that type of relationship with my dog.
And develop the proper skills as a dog handler.
That no matter the circumstances.
I can always lead my dog.
And raise him to be happy, lucky dog.

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10/03/2024

Nothing changes if nothing changes
People want different results.
But they resist doing things in a different way. 🤷‍♂️

09/17/2024

Actions themselves are not good or bad.
We are the ones who judge them as good or bad.
Your dog pulling on the lead.
Your dog jumping on you or on people.
Your dog playing like crazy and biting.
None of that is bad.

But the question is.
Can you stop it whenever you want?
I know dog trainers who love that their dogs jump on them.
But if they say enough, their dog will stop.
Or if their dog tries to jump on someone else, they can stop it.

I know people who couldn't care less about their dog pulling on the lead.
But if they say heel, their dog will go next to them straight away.
And ignore distractions.

It is not that certain actions are bad and shouldn't be allowed at all.
Even a dog biting is good and allowed within certain contexts.

The important thing is that you are able to stop it whenever you want.
If you are not able to do simple things like that.
How are you going to be able to stop your dog from reacting?
Or how are you going to stop your dog from wanting to bite you or another person?

My way of thinking is that each person does their own thing and creates their own rules.
Because that is how I like to live.
That is the ultimate freedom.

But to achieve that freedom.
You and your dog need the right level of skills and communication.
You want to develop those skills.
And have the proper experience.
That will give you the confidence to create your own rules.

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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.

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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.