I could begin this bio by saying something cheesy, such as “I have always loved dogs and wanted to work with them!” or “I have been training dogs since I was 16 years old.” I could – and technically it would all be truth. But these words do not even begin to depict the depth of the journey I have been taking, and, more importantly, they do not give enough credit to very specific human and non-human individuals who have been there with me. A stubborn, independent, arrogant, but outrageously loyal chow-chow named Tushkan. For those who are familiar with the breed, no more words are needed. For those who are not, I will elaborate by saying that the likelihood of a chow-chow owner getting into dog sports and, consequently, professional dog training, is relatively low. The simple reason is that this is not a dog who wants to work for you. This is not a dog who makes your life easy by willingly performing anything you ask them to do unless they want it at this specific moment in time. This is a breed that is hard to motivate by regular dogs’ prized rewards, such as food and toys. In fact, a chow-chow will do everything to discourage you from ever attempting to make them work. But I was also stubborn and highly motivated to learn how to work with a dog like that. Perhaps, the fact that I was also an arrogant 16-year-old teenager played a part. Ultimately, I like to think that this was meant to happen. He was my first and only dog, and I had to make it work. I had three dog trainers reject enrolling me and my dog in their classes because of the breed. They claimed that a chow-chow should not be put into a group class situation. They are difficult to train, and they like to bite strangers. The depicted picture of a monster dog was not that encouraging either, but then I found a person who worked with police and army dogs, and somehow, they agreed to work with me. After six months of attending group classes, me and my dog received our first obedience title. And I got seriously hooked up by this whole dog training thing. The local club offered dog training courses, and I took it. This resulted in me receiving a certificate, but in all truthfulness, those certificates mean very little without practical knowledge. I mean, I could recite how different operants work and explain (theoretically) what reinforcements are and why they work or do not work, but, if put in a real-life situation where all those terms had to be applied, I would have felt extremely uncertain. Hence, I started interning for my instructor. I helped them with their large group classes; I oversaw attendance and financial details; I worked with equipment suppliers; I cleaned up dog p**p and picked up garbage after pet owners. Gradually, I was allowed to start working with actual dogs and actual people, and by the end of two years of my internship, I was able to start teaching my first group. This is where my chow-chow experience came in extremely handy: very few dogs could compete with this extreme lack of motivation combined with incredible stubbornness. Of course, there were other issues that I yet had to learn how to deal with, but the foundation for all of my knowledge was creativity; if you are creative, you can approach and successfully “conquer” many of the issues that dog owners have. At this point, I have been training dogs for over fifteen years. Yet, creativity is still my main motto. No two dogs are similar. Yes, there are methods and things that work for many dogs, but not for everyone. Yes, there are basic commands that I teach all of the dogs, and yes, all of them are capable to learn – and perform – them. However, the ways in which I approach my teaching always depend on specific dog and specific human. Even in a group class scenario. What does it mean for you if you choose to work with me? It means that I will happily discuss your particular situation and I will offer as many methods/tools/solutions as are possible and applicable. Some behavioural problems are extremely persistent and need a lot of patience, and some are not possible to completely “solve” at all. I have a lot of experience and practical knowledge, and there are very few breeds I did not work with. However, I am not a wizard and do not possess a magic wand. What I can promise, though, is that I will be honest about my assessment, as well as about describing the amount of work you might need to put towards your dog’s training success. I am also always going to be there for you, even beyond our training encounter, should you need any advice or guidance. If my philosophy resonates with you, reach out and inquire about my group or individual classes, as well as free assessments!
