Adelaide Canine Training

In-Home Behaviour Modification & Obedience Training - Adelaide South Australia

Are you tired of shouting and going mad at your dog, and nothing seems to work except raise your stress levels? Then learn how easy it is to be a calm natural leader and educator for your dog.

Dog Whispering

A dog whisperer is someone that understands dogs and works on building well balanced relationships between humans and dogs due to understanding canine behaviour, body language and instincts. Dog Whispering doesn't necessarily encompass training, although some training can be involved. Dog whispering is about  helping dog owners understand their dog better, and why their dog behaves and acts the way it does. Dog whispering works on going back to a dogs natural instincts, and focuses on maintaining a well balanced dog and dog/human pack relationship.

This is my main purpose now, to help dog owners understand their dogs, and relate to their dogs in a way their dog understands. Dogs definitely do not understand us humans, and this is the main cause for so many behavioural problems, stressed, anxious and fearful dogs. We as dog owners need to understand our dogs better, as our dogs deserve this from us. A dog can never view the world through human eyes, so we need to view their world through our dogs eyes. We need to stop humanising our dogs and get back to basics, by recognising and understanding dog pack dynamics.

I can help you understand your dog better. Many dog owners believe they have a well balanced and happy dog, when in reality they don't. Many dog owners do not know how to read the subtle body language of their dog, and do genuinely confuse stressed and anxious behaviour with their dog being happy or "just" seeking some affection (as I have so often heard). Or I hear so many dog owners say "Oh thats just Charlie, he is always pacing like that..just nevers seems to calm down, but he looks happy enough". So many dog behaviours are not seen for what they are, as they are viewed from a humans perspective. Often owners are imprinting/conditioning certain behaviours into their dogs, because it makes the owner feel good, however this is not what is always best for our dogs.

Even if you feel you have no dog behaviour problems, do you really know if your dog is in a well balanced state of mind? Do you truly understand your dog or do you expect your dog to understand you instead?

Dog training & behaviour modification services

Owning a dog isn't about just teaching your dog commands, it's a holistic approach on your "total" relationship with your dog, and understanding one of the most basic and important rules; "Whenever we give our dog a positive (attention, food, affection, etc), we are reinforcing a current state of mind, and not necessarily the action (eg; the sit)". I have seen way too many people who base their training on food, or freely give affection when their dog is demanding it  believing they are rewarding an action, or just returning affection, when in many instances they are actually reinforcing the dogs current assertive, fearful, anxious or stressed state of mind. We should never reward or reinforce these states of mind. 

My methods are based on your dogs natural instincts, and understanding that your dog is fundamentaly a social pack animal that seeks leadership. Over the years I have found that without a doubt all dogs seek a leader, and our training and behaviour modification should be built around this philosophy.

 Many dog owners are now turning to dog behaviourists to come to their home for dog behaviour related issues. This is because obedience training alone does not address the underlying cause of the behavioural problems, but instead only use training techniques that deal with the surface issues. In other words methods that only deal with correcting a dog for unwanted behaviour, but not dealing with the root cause of the behaviour. Behaviourists look for the underlying cause of the unwanted behaviour, and work on changing the dogs behaviour by working on these underlying causes, that may or may not be apparent to the owners.

Many dog owners tend to humanise their dogs to much without realising what they are doing, and therefore place human values on their dogs, and expect their dog to perceive, respond, and live in the world the way humans do. Once we understand the world view from the dogs perspective, and have a relationship with our dog in the way he understands, then and only then, can we have a truly fullfilling and well balanced relationship with our dogs.

The successful dog owner

The secret to having a well behaved and well balanced dog, or to be successful at modifying unwanted behaviour, is to understand that it is not your dog that needs to get the relationship right, it is how you, the dogs owner, relates to your dog. A dog owner that focuses on what their dog is doing wrong, and feels that their dog is a bad dog, will not fully modify their dogs behaviour successfully, or even have a fullfilling relationship with their dog. In the dogs world there is no good or bad, there is only positive and negative experiences. A dog responds to influences, such as its perceived position within its pack and satisfying its natural instincts and drives.

I as a dog behaviourist focus on what the owner is doing, and how that owner relates to thier dog. I then observe the dog to see how the dog views its relationship with the owner. I then focus on changing the owners view of their dog, and how they relate to their dog, so the dogs unwanted behaviour can be modified at the root cause. Learning how to "correct" unwanted behaviour only, is dealing with the surface issues only, and in many cases relying on these "training" methods can create even more confusion in your dog. We need to work on the root causes of why the dog behaves the way it does, and work on changing the owners own views on how the owner relates to their dog.

By using your dogs own natural instincts, and creating in your dog a more balanced state of mind we can very quickly in most cases alleviate most behavioural problems.

Dogs that are confused as to where they fit into the family, or that have taken on a leadership role may develop problems such as stress,  insecurity, aggression (dog, human), anxiety, barking, destructive behaviour, digging, jumping, demanding, overly submissive or assertive behaviour, etc,etc......

Of course in some cases there can be an underlying medical condition that is contributing to your dogs particular problem, or there can be a genetic reason for your dogs particular behaviour that  cannot be addressed by behaviour modification methods. This cannot be known until a proper assessment has been conducted.

My methods work safely, humanely and very quickly. Dogs can and do learn very fast, if we base our training and behaviour modification methods on the way mother nature intended. By understanding your dogs natural instincts, and by relating to your dog in a way he understands, we then create a well balanced, happy and stress free dog.

 Does your dog live a natural, harmonious and balanced life?

Dog Behaviour Modification & Obedience Services for Adelaide