The Dog Dudes - Pack Power Behaviour Therapy
The Trainers:
Our names are Dylan and Darijan Northstar and we are both Dog Behaviour and Psychology Experts that have been working with animals our entire lives. We are both avid animal lovers and, in combination, have parented, worked and interacted with such animals as: dogs, cats, primates, horses, elephants, dolphins, reptiles and birds. We have v
olunteered and worked for various wildlife foundations, zoos and conservation efforts. It is our dream to one day run our own animal & nature conservatory & resort. In combination we have 20+ years of animal training and handling experience and consider ourselves animal experts. For the past six years, we’ve been operating as “The Dog Dudes” in Vancouver, Canada where we specialize in rehabilitating and reintegrating dogs that have major anxious, aggressive, dominant, hyperactive and obsessive issues through our unique “Pack Power Behaviour Therapy”. Many of the dogs we work with are often a danger to others and on their last leg in society, frequently coming from rescues, traumatic situations and having been through various failed training approaches. Additionally, a large part of this process is working with the diverse spectrum of human parents and their psychology, behaviour and beliefs as many dog issues stem from human ones (either consciously and/or unconsciously). We do this by helping them to understand and be conscious of the impact that their attitude, energy and actions have on their dogs. Essentially, through our highly experienced, intuitive and ethical animal-handling and people skills and our magical, primal and serene pack of Siberian Huskies, we have harnessed and mastered a training method that is not seen anywhere else in the dog training realm. By observing and studying the natural behaviour and social order of wild wolf packs and domestic dogs, we have been able to fine-tune our training system to create profound, rapid, and lasting behavioural and psychological changes in hundreds of canines that we have successfully rehabilitated. Our method’s magic and effectiveness stems from the fact that we approach and communicate with the dogs that we work with in a way that is instinctual, calm, assertive and understandable to them in their own language. This then sets the stage for our extremely well-trained, balanced, calm and unified nuclear family unit to reinforce the pack dynamic through direct canine communication, as dogs learn more effectively from each other than they do from humans alone. Our pack is composed of Sky (the alpha mom), Phoenix (the alpha dad), and Ocean and Orca (the two beta brothers). When we introduce a dog to our pack, we, as the human leaders of the pack, ensure that the dog respects the hierarchy of our family unit, thereby allowing our pack to feel safe so that they can assert their leadership and influence. This then translates to the problematic dog observing, respecting and ultimately mirroring the balanced behaviour of the pack. In all of our approaches and actions, we ensure that we are abiding by our philosophy that at all moments we are promoting respect, empathy and understanding for the animals we work with and simultaneously teaching and inspiring their human parents to do the same. The Philosophy
We base our training on a loving, respectful, patient, and consistent approach using positive reinforcement and an incremental reward system. We do NOT base our training on "Dominance Theory", as dog behaviour and psychology is far more complex and dynamic than this outdated theory implies. We essentially teach our clients how to be the best parents/leaders to their dogs in an intuitive, instinctual and scientifically based manner. We do this by teaching our clients how to properly understand their dog's behaviours, messages, needs and desires in a calm, assertive, compassionate and ethical manner. It is also vital to know that there is no one-size fits all approach to dog training and, in particular, behaviour modification as each dog's situation is going to be unique based on its breed, temperament, history and human/dog family dynamic. Furthermore, most dogs are removed from their birth parents very early on (often at 8 weeks and sometimes earlier) and are put into a household of humans and primarily learn to read and understand human communication and body language. Without being constantly immersed in and exposed to a canine family or provided with proper guidance and socialization, many dogs essentially never learn or are deficient in appropriate canine cues and communication which can often lead to many behavioural problems and maladaptation. This is where our Pack Power Behaviour Therapy method shines and stands out.
We focus on handling dogs with calm-assertive energy and teach dog parents to understand the natural needs, behaviours and responses of their dog. Based on the premise that dogs are social/pack animals, we assist dog parents in establishing their role as calm, confident and conscientious parents/pack leaders.
We believe it is crucial to balance and satisfy a dog's primary needs: exercise, affection and discipline. It is the dog parent's responsibility to provide their dog with challenging exercise, to effectively and consistently communicate rules, boundaries and limitations and to give their dog an abundance of affection at the appropriate times (i.e when the dog is in a balanced and calm state of mind and NOT when the dog is fearful, anxious, avoidant, hyperactive, or over-excited as this type of affection can reinforce undesirable behaviour).
We emphasize the importance of walking a dog off leash, not only for the dog's exercise, but for the dog parent and dog to bond - with the desire for the dog to ultimately recognize the dog parent as its leader and best friend. We also encourage dog parents to observe their dog for subtle cues in their posture, movement and facial expressions in order to eliminate undesirable behaviour before it arises or worsens. We teach dog parents to understand the profound effect their own attitudes, internal emotions and body language have on their dog's behaviour.
Pets are like children in that they mirror their parent's behaviours, attitudes and emotions. Dogs are eager to please their human parents and if given the right opportunity and direction they will consistently do so - a rewarding experience for both the dog parent and their canine companion.
