I used to write a “dog blog” when I was like 12. I kept at it over the years on and off but once I quit the FSJ Humane Society and dog training I didn’t write about dogs anymore. I kept up writing with my art blog as I focused on my art and starting a family.

Now that I’ve stepped back from publishing my art and hopped back into dog training, I kept going back and forth on whether I’d write a dog blog again or not. It feels right to keep writing, but I know realistically I won’t be able to commit to any sort of schedule. The posts will come when I find time and inspiration for them.

Please also keep in mind that as a professional dog trainer I don’t exactly want to give all of my secrets away for free, either. I’ve been working on a subscription-based Patreon page, but I’m still heavily editing it. It is currently available, but please bare in mind that everything currently on there is still a work in progress. That being said, I will use this space to write about my experiences in dog training, helpful tips or training methods I feel like sharing, and as a place to update what I’m currently working on for my community projects. I will change or omit names just for privacy sake, if I’m talking about any of my clients. Including the dogs… it’s a small town and a lot of people will know exactly who I’m talking about based on their dogs name.

I’m not here to judge anyone. If I talk about a particularly “bad dog” it’s because I want to gain more insight about the case and how to help the dog and their owner. There are no “bad dogs” just misguided dogs and uninformed owners. I’ll probably mostly end up complaining about my own dog, Zelda (haha).

A little bit of back story: I got my certification for Kennel Management and Master Dog Trainer in 2007. I trained in Fort St. James for about 3 years. During that time I also volunteered and was on the board of directors for the Fort St. James Humane Society. A group of caring individuals who tried so hard to make a difference for the animals in our community. I think they actually did a LOT of good and made strides, but unfortunately it sort of fell apart when the founders moved away. I actually bought their house when they moved, so it was interesting some of the things I came across (like a lifetime supply of poop bags and a whole bunch of first aid supplies). I quit the board an dog training because I became emotionally exhausted. There was a lot of very sad cases I had to deal with involving animal abuse and neglect. When I did my training I had a hard time teaching people, especially when most of them were older than me (I was in my early twenties). I was shy and struggling with mental health problems that went beyond just compassion fatigue. I also found a lot of people just struggled with following my advice or keeping with a schedule. I was canceled on or stood up constantly. When I got back into dog training this year I decided that was going to be something I didn’t put up with and wrote my cancellation policy fairly quickly.

Right before I injured my foot badly last June I decided to start doing dog training again. Getting back into it with my foot the way it is has been difficult, but I’ve managed to keep training every week. I’ve learned a lot from my clients this summer and see where I need to tweak my session plans. I’m beginning to see trends in which problem behaviors are most common and what are common goals and expectations out of owners.

I’m also learning what the community needs; the major complaints and expectations out of community members. I’m slowly learning who is currently involved in animal welfare in our town and who would like to be involved. A lot of it has been happening behind the scenes and I’ve been told COVID had a major role in their effectiveness the last few years. Now that things have relaxed a bit they are getting back into the full swing of things.

It’s exciting to be back into dog training and welfare. It was hard for me to finally come to the conclusion that’s what I was going to do but once I made that decision it felt so right. It felt so familiar yet also exciting and new at the same time. I will always create art, and I feel that the time is coming to get back to my drawing course again, but it felt like a struggle. I continuously felt like I couldn’t find my place. When I thought I’d find my place it wouldn’t last long and I’d be searching for another outlet and avenue of sales. It felt like I had to constantly be on top of what’s new and what will sell and it really devalued my self-worth in my art. Dog training doesn’t feel like any of that. It just feels right.