Working method

I look at the dog and its humans and how they interact, that is how I work. Some important questions in this process are:

What is the matter with the dog?
Why does it behave the way it does?
What is the impact of the owners’ behaviour on the dog?
Why do they owners behave the way they do?
What is the most practical way to approach and improve the situation?
What works and what does not and how to we proceed?

It is a practical and collaborative process of four meetings over a period of one month to six weeks for a fixed fee.

Before we meet, I want the owners to tell me their story so I can decide whether or not I can help. Then we make an appointment for a first training session.

Working method

During that first session – a walk in Het Park in Rotterdam – I observe the dog together with my own dog Hint. The analysis is important, but I also want to work towards getting the dog momentarily balanced and prepared to cooperate. Then we get to work. I look for things the dog responds to and I offer the owners practical instructions to repeat at home. For that, I also look at the owners and their situations and what would work well for them.

No tricks, only suggestions, because every dog – just as each person and every interaction – is different.

Obviously, some behaviours and manifestations in dogs are very similar. During the training sessions, I will point these out whenever possible so the owners will not only be able to ‘read’ and anticipate the behaviour of their own dog but that of other dogs too.

During the ensuing sessions, we will discuss the progress and the behaviour of humans and/or dogs, what works and what does not, what could be done differently and so on. And finally, we determine when the training will be completed. We will talk about tips and suggestions for future situations, because dogs, like humans, are never completely ‘finished’. No-one is perfect. The dynamics of life and our (inter)actions will determine the congeniality of each new situation.

Because that is the ultimate goal: a balanced dog, a balanced relationship, happy dogs and happy owners.