PDTE 2016 July Newsletter

PDTE 

NEWSLETTER 

July 2016 

IN DEPTH 

UNDERSTANDING 

36 

PAGES 

SLEEP IN DOGS 

Inside this 

issue 

In our dogs shoes 06 

Saying no to dogs 08 

Verbal communication 10 

A preparation called Sileo 22 

Picture postcards 24

What’s Inside... 

Our Team 

04 

Letter from the 

President and 

Chairperson 

“ 

We cannot let our human arrogance deprive 

animals of their emotions. We must learn to see 

them and respect them. 

- Turid Rugaas 

12 

Our Board 

06 

In our dogs 

shoes 

A unique way to understand the 

way animals feel by trying to 

emulate them 

08 

Saying no to 

dogs 

How often do we use the word 

“no”? What does it mean to them 

and should we be using it? 

10 

Overuse 

of verbal 

communication 

Are we talking our way out 

of problem solving? Examine 

the effectiveness of verbal 

communication and explore 

alternatives 

www.pdte.org 

Understanding sleep in dogs 

Sleep is a complex process of active internal restoration, recuperation and 

reconsolidation that is essential to our health and well-being 

14. Compulsory 

courses in 

Switzerland 

18. Country corner 

26. Member corner 

22 

A new preparation 

called Sileo 

15. Reports 

IDTE in United Kingdom 

Balance Weeknd in Netherlands 

33. The conversation 

starts at PDTE 2016 

Barcelona! 

24 

Picture postcards 

Cover photo credit: Toni Martinez, Spain 

Turid Rugaas 

President 

Karen Webb 

Secretary 

Ellen 

Versteegen-Huijs 

Board Assistant 

Winkie Spiers 

Chairperson 

Sonja Hoegen 

Treasurer 

Hanne Truelsen 

Board Understudy 

Hello! 

Hello from a very wet Bangalore. 

Our summer has concluded and 

it’s the monsoons. 

I am very excited to be brining 

you this issue of the newsletter. 

I believe that PDTE members 

are playing an important role in 

increasing our understanding 

of dogs. So it’s important for all 

of you to be heard. 

Darkness can only be 

vanquished with light and 

ignorance vanquished with 

knowledge. That’s why it’s so 

important to express and share. 

I sincerely hope that all of you 

will use this platform to voice 

your ideas. They matter and 

need to be heard. 

Sindhoor 

2 

PDTE Newsletter PDTE Newsletter 3

“ Remember that our main common 

goal is to work for the dogs, being 

their advocates. 

 

Board members at the 2015 Pet Dog 

Trainers of Europe AGM held in Bad 

Wimpfen, Germany 

 

Winkie Spiers with her dog Dennis at 

Hunter’s Inn walk down on the North 

Devon coast, UK 

 

The participants at the 2015 Pet Dog 

Trainers of Europe AGM in Bad Wimpfen 

Dear members, 

First of all I will wish a warm welcome to 

our new editor, Sindhoor, and looking 

forward to getting a newsletter in my 

hands again ! It has been missed. 

I will also welcome all the new 

members rolling in to our organization. 

We sure are growing fast. Because we 

are growing so fast and getting bigger 

we might also be able to be more 

influencial and powerful and be able 

to change things in the dog world that 

is still so sadly needing changes for 

Letter from 

your president 

the better. The drawback, of course, is 

that we will lose some of that “village” 

feeling of knowing everybody. That 

can not be helped, It means we have 

to depend on you, the members, being 

more active in many ways. Thanks to 

each and one of you who already are 

active. 

Remember that our main common goal 

is to work for the dogs, being their 

advocates. Fidgeting, complaining 

and fighting about silly details and 

personal privileges should be stored 

away on the hat rack. 

Let us all pull together in the same 

direction and towards the same goal 

- and put emphasis on education and 

learning on the way. 

See you all in Barcelona, Spain this 

September ! 

Turid 

Your President 

Chairwoman’s 

Hello 

H 

ello and welcome to the 

first edition of the PDTE 

Newsletter edited and 

produced by Sindhoor Pangal. An 

enormous thank you to Sindhoor 

for volunteering to take over this 

important role, a huge undertaking. 

Behind the scenes the PDTE 

Board continues to meet on the 

last Wednesday of every month to 

deal with administration, vote on 

new members, updates on what’s 

happening and generally keep the 

PDTE moving in a forwards direction. 

We are lucky to have Harriet Alexander, 

(Country Representatitve for UK) who 

designed and maintains our website 

(www.pdte.eu) and oversee’s the 

PDTE Organisation Facebook Page 

along with the PDTE UK Facebook 

Page and produces the monthly PDTE 

Bulletin. In addition there are our 

Country Representatives and other 

members who contribute articles 

and videos etc to help promote good 

practice and increase awareness of 

PDTE and what we do. It is heartening 

that we have more members being 

involved and giving up their time to do 

some really great work. Thank you to 

everyone who gets involved. 

The New Year resolutions that many 

of you contributed to were very 

interesting, I hope that you have 

been successful in implementing your 

resolutions. I find that my changes 

have worked very well for my dogs 

and I. It was useful to look at what I 

could do to make life even better in 

2016. 

Wishing you a fabulous summer and 

look forward to seeing you at the 

PDTE AGM in Barcelona. 

Winkie 

4 


Ruminations: Walking 

in our dogs shoes 

Elise Montfort from Belgium discusses a unique way to understand the way animals feel and appreciate 

why something feels wrong to them while something we humans never do, can feel so enjoyable 

Photo Credit: Harriet Alexander, UK 

After years of living with and 

working side by side with 

animals, I’ve developed a 

strong interest for walking in 

their shoes, in getting close to feeling 

what they are feeling. It all started 

with my first dog, Joy, who I’d learned 

to mimic so well: the sound of her 

nails clicking on the floor, the way she 

used to vomit, the way she could play. 

But then I was only 12, and that could 

still be the kind of childish play I was 

allowed to play. Though I’m far older 

now, I still enjoy mimicking animals, no 

matter how ridiculous I can appear to 

some people. To me, it goes along with 

understanding the way animals feel, 

feeling the way they experience the 

world, understanding why something 

feels wrong, why going some direction 

is just impossible, or why something 

we humans never do, can feel so 

enjoyable to them. Sometimes, it’s just 

as simple as the sun’s reflection on a 

metal bar that makes it impossible for 

an animal to take a step further. 

Of course, I will probably never 

get anywhere close to being 100% 

positive that what I get to experience, 

when I try to put myself in an animal’s 

shoes, is actually what this very animal 

is experiencing. But for as long as 

I’ve been doing it, I’ve always been 

rewarded for it. Indeed, it is beneficial 

to try to figure out what an animal is 

feeling, to get another perspective on 

things. Sometimes, we need to leave 

behind every single thing we know 

in order to “get it”. Other times, we 

need thorough observation together 

with a good understanding of the 

animal’s ethogram and basic needs 

to appreciate and get to feel what’s 

going on. 

In the end, getting into the process 

of feeling and understanding what 

an animal is experiencing gives us 

accurate and efficient tools to get 

to know them better, get to live with 

them more respectfully and often also, 

change their lives and our lives for 

the better. Sometimes, all it takes is 

to get down on all fours to get their 

perspective. Some other times it’s a 

little more complicated. You may just 

get lucky and get it right away. In any 

case, it always turns out to be worth it. 

Recently I was reminded that my 

closed mind could be opened by 

simple things that would help my 

dogs. One of my dogs, Judy, had been 

having bouts of stiffness. Even though 

we made good use of our osteopath 

appointments and regular massages, 

tension would stay, reappear, build 

up, and she would be in pain again. 

There definitely was an urgent need 

to have a closer look at her daily 

routines and opt for healthier habits 

and activities. But at the time, I was 

feeling hopeless. There was nothing I 

could do to alleviate the burden Judy 

was carrying as she was refusing our 

regular massages. That’s when luck 

popped in! I got the opportunity to 

have a light touch session. I realised 

how tense I myself was and how 

relieving those light touches were. 

Moreover, I realised that if I had had 

a “real” massage session, I would 

Photo Credit: Winkie Spiers, UK 

The world can look very different from a dog’s perspective. Getting an idea of their world 

view can tell us a lot about why our dogs behave the way they do 

probably have felt uncomfortable. Immediately I thought of Judy: could it be as 

simple as that? Could light touches be the answer she needed at that particular 

moment? Just that? I couldn’t wait to give it a try… And yes Judy loved it! 

I also recall something my dogs, Judy and Kimba, taught me (our dogs tend 

to teach us quite a few things, don’t they?). At the time, there was quite a bit 

of tension and every day was a challenge for the three of us. Communicating 

properly and understanding each other was a big deal. But then, we had a few 

nights in a row, where everything went well. And every time it did, I noticed that 

they would lie down and give a big sigh before falling fast asleep. As soon as 

one of them would sigh, I could feel the tension in the room vanish immediately. 

I started dreaming that I could initiate the sigh, then I thought of first getting the 

feel for it (you’ve got it, I never used to sigh). By now, those of you who practice 

it on a daily basis may have raised an eyebrow, and the ones who think it’s silly as 

well. But guess what? I felt an immediate relief! After that experience, every time 

they would sigh, I would sigh in unison. After a few times, I would actually sigh 

by myself if I felt like we could “use” a bit of tension releasing. And they would 

usually sigh in unison with me. Now it’s part of our “healthy habits” 

We can never put ourselves enough in our animals’ shoes. So, next time you don’t 

“get” your dog, just give it a try, as ridiculous as it may make you feel, I can tell 

you, you will be as delighted as I always am by what you will discover! 

6 


Hard hitting: Saying 

NO to dogs 

guilty, he must know what he has 

done”. Actually, our dog is simply 

responding to our “threatening” body 

language and communicating in the 

only way he knows how to. 

Dogs are dogs and they do dog stuff: 

chewing, digging, peeing, barking, 

nipping, etc. This is all normal 

behaviour for dogs, but unfortunately 

for them we have a tendency to dislike 

these behaviours. So we start saying 

NO without even realizing it. At first, 

because to him, these behaviours are 

normal, our dog becomes confused; 

then frustration sets in on both 

sides. This can lead to stress further 

damaging the desired relationship. 

when we say NO. If the dog is doing something we do not wish him to do, instead 

of shouting NO, let’s offer him an alternative: 

If our dog is jumping up on us, let’s keep turning away from him, without speaking 

to him or making eye contact, whilst giving the hand signal thereby giving him a 

clear message that now is not the time for any interaction. 

If our dog has run off with our toddler’s shoe, let’s invite him to back to us, 

offer him a reward for coming and giving us the shoe back and then offer him 

something he is allowed to play with. Remember it is our fault not his that he has 

the shoe in the first place. 

If our dog is barking at the fence/front door, let’s thank him for letting us 

know, then show him that there is nothing to worry about and take over the 

responsibility, allowing him to take himself off without a care in the world. 

How often do we use the word “no” to our dogs? What does it mean to them and should we be using it? 

Marina Gates Flemming from Belgium asks us some tough questions about getting tough on dogs. 

Photo Credit: Toni Martinez, Spain 

“ 

A healthy puppy certainly, will be 

curious and will want to investigate 

the world, mostly with his mouth. By 

saying NO or stopping the puppy, 

we are interrupting this natural 

behaviour and not allowing the 

puppy to develop at his own pace, 

into a healthy adult. 

During the summer, I heard someone say NO to her dog 

in the garden next door. I could not see anything but I 

could hear it and it was obvious, as they were repeating 

themselves, that it was not working. We humans talk too much and 

one of the things that most people say all too often to their dogs is 

NO. It probably starts as soon as the puppy arrives home: “NO, stop 

biting”; “NO, don’t jump on me”; “NO, leave that alone”; “NO, not 

there”; “NO, that’s my shoe, stop chewing it”. And so on. However, 

saying “NO” to our dogs does not help nurture a relationship based 

on love, trust and mutual respect. 

A healthy puppy certainly, will be curious and will want to investigate 

the world, mostly with his mouth. This is how he discovers what the 

world around him has to offer. By saying NO or stopping the puppy, 

we are interrupting this natural behaviour and not allowing the 

puppy to develop at his own pace, into a healthy adult. We need to 

remember that a curious dog is a healthy dog. A dog who is unable to 

interact with his environment is not coping and is either in shutdown 

(depression) or just too stressed to relax into discovering what is 

around him. This can ultimately lead to chronic stress. 

Dogs have no idea what NO means. Dogs communicate primarily 

through body language. So if we use the word NO our dog is not 

responding to the word, but to our body language. He will pick up 

that we are upset and that something is wrong but he has no way 

of knowing what it is. To that you may answer: “But my dog looks 

We probably say NO in many 

different situations and the dog has 

no idea which action the NO applies 

to. How can our dog understand that 

NO means stop jumping up in one 

instance, stop nipping in another and 

don’t chase the neighbour’s cat in yet 

another. NO is said so very many 

times that dogs simply do not even 

hear it any more*. 

This apart, we could also be giving 

our dog attention and therefore 

reinforcing that behaviour because 

attention, even if negative, as in a NO, 

is still attention and can therefore be 

reinforcing to the dog especially if that 

is what he was seeking. 

Worse still, we may not realise this, 

but by saying NO, we are actually 

punishing our dog and this can be 

very disruptive to our dog’s wellbeing. 

Indeed, our dog needs to feel 

safe when with us, so in addition to 

being ineffective in changing the 

“unwanted behaviour”, it disrupts the 

bond between us. The inconstancy 

caused by the NO will result in our 

dog to feeling a lack of safety with us, 

instead of feeling happy and confident 

in our relationship. 

We are not teaching our dog anything 


Saying NO is a bad habit, which is best not acquired. If acquired it’s wise to work 

hard at losing it as quickly as possible as it will not benefit our relationship with 

our four legged friend. 

* In psychology, this is called “Learned Irrelevance”, the dog is not able to link a consequence 

to the sound and therefore decides it has no relevance to him and systematically learns to 

ignore it (this happens all too often with “recall” as well). 

8 


Commands: 

Verbal communication 

Are we talking our way out of problem solving? Je-an Shields from UK examines the effectiveness of 

verbal communicaiton with dogs and offers alternatives. 

Iwas walking in the park some 

months ago, and I must have 

heard the name “Bailey” called 

over a hundred times during the 

course of half an hour! If the poor 

dog went more than ten feet away 

from it’s owner, he was repeatedly 

called, and would eventually go back 

to his human. But what was actually 

in it for him? Understandably, 

he went off to do his own thing, 

and would only respond when 

he was called four or five times in 

succession. 

Not long after this, I attended a 

seminar with Turid Rugaas, and she 

said, if you instruct your dog more 

than three times, you’re talking too 

much. In summary, “SHUTUP”!! 

This got me thinking about just 

how much I, and other dog owners 

talk to their dogs, particularly on 

their walk. I’ve spent a lot of time 

observing this, and I’m amazed at just 

how many words we do use (a vast 

majority of them unnecessary and 

meaningless). 

At the seminar, Winkie Spears spoke 

about doing silent walks, so I thought I 

would give this a go, and I have to say, 

I’ve not looked back. 

I walk a client’s dog twice a week, and 

have spent a lot of time building up a 

relationship with him, as he isn’t without 

his issues. The one thing I became 

aware of, is how he shuts down from 

verbal communication. Even if I used 

a limited dog-vocabulary with him, he 

appeared to struggle with it, and there 

were times that I couldn’t get him on 

the lead to go home. This resorted in 

my having to call his owner’s dad, who 

does his infamous whistle, that Rufus 

responds to. 

I’ve been doing silent walks with him 

Photo Credit: Laura Evans, Spain 

Photo Credit: Je-an Shields, UK 

Rufus, the dog that taught Je-an all about 

silent walks 

for quite some time now, and our 

relationship has deepened further, 

as we both communicate purely with 

body language. He loves to explore, 

so he will go into the trees, seeking 

out squirrels, but will check in with 

me frequently. Not using my voice, 

has made me look at myself, and how 

I interact with Rufus, and I spend all 

my time observing his body language, 

to guage how he is feeling in his 

environment. When it’s time to return 

to the van, I simply stand still, with my 

body turned to the side, not engaging 

in any eye contact. Rufus will then 

approach me, and sit, ready to have 

the lead put back onto his harness. 

Absolutely no verbal exchange is 

made, from the time I collect him, 

to the time I take him home, and the 

quality of our walks has changed so 

much. I have a better understanding of 

his needs now, and “listen” to him. He 

is very clear on occassions, that a walk 

is not for him, so we do treat searches 

in his garden (in total silence). We 

have an equally lovely time in each 

other’s company. 

I do silent walks with all my client’s 

dogs now, and with my own dogs, 

and have recommended it to lots of 

people too. Some people look at me 

like I’m crazy, but I guess this is a 

lack of confidence in themselves and 

their dogs, to believe it’s possible to 

achieve a much more enriching time. 

Those who have tried this technique 

have said it’s made such a positive 

difference to the experience. 


Dogs do not need words to build friendships and communicate. Should we not reconsider 

our use of words as well? 

10 


Sleep is a complex process of active 

internal restoration, recuperation and 

reconsolidation that is essential to our 

health and well-being. It is the same 

for our dogs. 

Sleep is essential to our well being. 

When we do not sleep we do not 

function as well, we feel tired and 

irritable, we make mistakes and if taken 

to extremes we die. It is the same with 

our dogs and their sleep patterns are 

similar to ours. 

The slow wave phase is followed by the rapid eye movement phase (REM). 

Interestingly, there is more electrical activity in the brain when in REM sleep than 

when awake. This is true of dogs and humans. The dog may seem more agitated 

during this type of sleep. You may notice his eyes rolling and the dog may even 

whine, bark or move his limbs. The increased electrical activity in the brain is 

attributed to dreams, according to one theory 1 . Puppies will spend more time in 

the REM phase. During REM sleep, there is also increased activity of a specific 

part of the brain, which has an effect on GABA 2 . The increased electrical activity 

also results in paralysis of the core muscles so they cannot get up but will twitch, 

wag their tails, whimper etc... this is why dogs must be able to lie flat out. A short 

video of a dog in REM sleep can be seen on the PDTE Belgium page. 

In depth: 

Understanding sleep 

Sleep is a complex process of active internal restoration, recuperation and reconsolidation that is 

essential to our health and well-being. Marina Gates Flemming from Belgium lays out all the details 

Photo Credit: Kirsten Merkel, Netherlands 

Slow Wave Sleep (Non REM Sleep) 

takes up about 70% of our dog’s 

sleeping time. This is the time the brain 

sleeps. It has 3 stages: 

Stage 1: the stage between 

wakefulness and sleep. It is difficult 

to pinpoint the actual point of falling 

asleep as brain wave activity gradually 

slows down with breathing becoming 

more regular and the heart rate 

slowing down. 

Dogs need more sleep than 

we do. Adult dogs need 

about sixteen hours of 

sleep a day. Puppies need about 

twenty hours of sleep each day. 

Safety is essential for dogs to sleep 

well (beware of slippery floors) and 

we should not disturb our sleeping 

dogs. 

Dogs are polyphasic sleepers; they 

will choose somewhere to sleep for a 

while before getting up and moving 

somewhere else. This is normal and 

instinctive behaviour. Dogs are also 

social animals. They normally like to 

sleep with company, day and night; 

In multi-dog households though, 

they may occasionally need to have 

the opportunity to sleep alone and 

in peace, away from others. Sleep is 

a time for them to get some peace 

and quiet - our lives can sometimes 

be too noisy and active for them. 

Dogs should have lots of choices when 

it comes to sleeping surfaces. Sofas, 

beanbags, baskets, cushions, fluffy 

rugs, sheepskins, raised beds, blankets 

etc make for wonderful sleeping 

surfaces. The sleeping surfaces should 

vary in type and size. Provide them at 

different locations in the house (and in 

the garden when the weather is right). 

The sleeping surfaces should have 

enough space to lie flat, or curled up 

or on top or under things 

I would now like to go into a little 

more detail on the role sleep plays 

in helping our body and brain to 

rebalance. Indeed, we might be 

tempted to think that sleep is a 

passive state of unconsciousness, 

this is however far from the truth. 

Photo Credit: Marina Gates Flemming, Belgium 

Stage 2: the first real stage of 

sleep during which muscle activity 

decreases further and conscious 

awareness of the outside world begins 

to fade completely. Brain waves are 

mainly in the theta wave range (as 

in stage 1 sleep), but in addition the 

dog experiences short bursts of brain 

activity (spindles) and K-complexes. 

Together, these help to protect sleep 

by suppressing response to outside 

stimuli, as well as aiding in sleepbased 

memory consolidation and 

information processing. 

Stage 3: is also known as deep, delta 

or slow-wave sleep (SWS). During 

this period the dog will be even less 

responsive to the outside world and 

pretty much unaware of any sounds or 

other stimuli. Both brain activity and 

physical indicators such as breathing 

rate, heart rate and blood pressure are 

all at their lowest levels. Information 

processing and memory consolidation 

continues to occur during this period. 


SWS and REM sleep promote different types of learning and REM sleep 

appears to promote brain development. Sleep is important for the following: 

• Recreating homeostasis 

• Rebalancing serotonin levels 

• Regulating brain electricity 

• Consolidating memory 

• Reducing cortisol levels 

• Boosting the immune system 

• Enhancing tissue repair in the brain (and the body) 

• Safe experiencing of potential outcomes prepare the 

brain for future possibilities 

So let’s make sure that both we and our dogs get the safe, good quality and 

comfortable sleep we need on a regular basis. 

1 

Studies have indicated that dogs have the same blood flow to the visual areas of their 

brain that we do, so it is very likely that they are seeing images. 

2 

GABA is the most inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and it appears to have a 

widespread distribution in both the brain and spinal cord. Its natural function is to reduce 

the activity of the neurons. Some researchers believe that one of the purposes that GABA 

serves is to control the fear or anxiety experienced when neurons are overexcited 

12 


Policy: Compulsory 

Courses in 

Switzerland 

Susi Roger, Switzerland 

In 2008, a new animal protection 

legislation is in Switzerland came 

into force. With the introduction 

of this legislation, a mandatory 

Sachkundenachweis course (SKN) 

for dog owners was introduced 

throughout Switzerland . This course 

is used for prevention of accidents . 

Since September 1st, 2008 first time 

dog owners have needed to attend 

a theory course lasting a minimum 

of 4 hours, before buying the dog. 

In addition, every dog owner has to 

attend a minimum of 4 hours of the 

practical course, within a year of 

acquiring each additional dog. 

Around 80% of dog owners have 

attended these compulsory SKN 

courses . The surveyed dog owners 

have rated the courses in terms of 

design , usefulness , quality and 

impact. 

Many of the dog owners opted 

to attend more hours of the SKN 

courses with their dogs because 

they have realized, that the four-hour 

practical course is just a basis for a 

good relationship between holder 

and dog, but it is not sufficient for a 

comprehensive education of the dog. 

Criticism of the 

courses 

20 % of dog owners do not attend 

compulsory courses . The quality 

assurance of the courses are not 

considered optimal . The practical 

course must be attended with every 

additional dog even if the dog has 

previously attended the course with 

another owner. 

The Federal Office of Food Safety 

and Veterinary Services is unable to 

prove the effectiveness of the courses 

regarding prevention of accidents . 

What next? 

We need political attempts at national 

level to achieve the abolition of the 

courses. The argument given is that 

the courses are pure chores and 

only aiding to drive the business of 

dog schools . It is requested that the 

courses be abolished as they are 

useless . 

The other side maintains that not 

only should the courses be held, but 

that more compulsory lessons are 

required. 

Apart from the SKN courses , which 

are valid throughout Switzerland, we 

have 26 different cantonal dog laws in 

Switzerland and in addition all the laws 

in the individual municipalities . Every 

dog owner needs to know where the 

cantonal boundaries extend and what 

laws are valid (e.g. breeds etc.). 

A nationwide dog law is requested 

from many dog owners. It would make 

it a lot easier for the dog owners and 

perhaps also for the communities. 

So we are curious, what’s next.. 

Report: 

Balance weekend in 

Netherlands 

Agnes Degen, Netherlands 

Last March, I organised a 

weekend retreat for dog 

owners with their dogs in the 

Netherlands. I did this with Hilda Jager 

(she is not a PDTE-member but an old 

student of Turid’s.) Ten dogs and their 

female owners attended the weekend. 

So it was a lovely women’s weekend 

out. We had a great location in the 

north of the Netherlands. Everyone 

had their own room with bathroom. 

And there was a large cosy room we 

used when being together. Outdoors 

there was a beautiful forest, fields and 

a private area we used. Breakfast, 

lunch and dinner was taken care of 

by the venue-owners. So no worries 

about that. 

We had a program with practical 

workshops and lectures spread 

out over two days and a part of the 

evenings. The weekend was called 

Balance Weekend. Our aim was to 

let people see how we work and live 

with dogs in balance - building good 

habits, doing different activities with 

their dogs etc. It was so nice to see 

people totally shift to our vison during 

the weekend. The commands and 

Photo Credit: Agnes Degen, Netherlands 

collars were replaced by a nice hand 

signal and harness. Everything went 

so smoothly, there were some reactive 

dogs in the group. But with the peace 

and harmony in the group we had no 

problem handling these situations. 

Next year we will be back there for a 

new weekend to organize. 

Photo Credit: Agnes Degen, Netherlands 

14 


Report: 

First unit of IDTE, UK 

Je-an Shields, United Kingdom 

“Turid’s no nonsense approach 

really appeals to me. She can 

wade through the waffle, with 

just one aim – allowing a dog 

to be a dog, and seeing it’s 

true potential. This isn’t done 

in a fluffy, airy fairy way, but 

it’s simplicity is priceless. 

Iconsider myself very lucky to 

be an associate member of the 

PDTE, and am working towards 

full membership. The ethics are ones I 

value dearly, and it’s great to read the 

blogs and get lots of tips from fellow 

members. It’s really important to have 

the support of like-minded people. 

As if that’s not good enough, I am 

absolutely elated to be doing the 

Photo Credit: Karen Webb, UK 

IDTE (International Dog Trainer 

Education) with Turid!! 

I first met Turid at a seminar in 

Staffordshire last September, where 

Karen Webb briefly popped in 

to talk about the up and coming 

education. After the first day of the 

seminar, I knew it was something I 

really wanted to do, but at the time, I 

wasn’t sure if it was achievable. 

After a lot of badgering from Karen, 

an opportunity presented itself, in the 

guise of a cancellation, and I jumped 

at the chance!! 

The first unit covered some of what 

was discussed in the seminar, and 

put it freshly back in my mind. I have 

also learnt a lot of new stuff, and have 

already been putting it into practise, 

not just as part of my homework, but 

with clients as well. The results speak 

for themselves. 

Turid talked about creating an 

enriched environment, and we had a 

practical demonstration with some of 

the student’s dogs. It was fascinating 

to see how differently the dogs 

interacted with the objects. One dog 

didn’t go near them, and it helps to 

provide a bigger picture of what is 

actually going on in the emotions of 

the dog. 

I’ve done this with a couple of dogs, 

as part of my homework, and I’ve 

learnt so much more about them, 

which helps to give you a clearer 

direction of where to go next, with 

their rehabilitation/training. 

Turid’s no nonsense approach really 

appeals to me. In her decades of 

experience, I’m sure she’s seen it all, 

and can wade through the waffle, with 

just one aim – allowing a dog to be 

a dog, and seeing it’s true potential. 

This isn’t done in a fluffy, airy fairy 

way, but it’s simplicity is priceless. As 

humans, we seem to be obsessed with 

the idea that we have to do as much 

as possible to make a change, but her 

methods blow this blind philosophy 

out of the water!! 

I am so excited about the journey I’ve 

begun, it’s very thought provoking, 

it makes you put yourself under 

the microscope, and question what 

you do, why you do it, if it’s actually 

necessary, and does it really work. 

I’ve already made changes to the 

relationship I have with my own 

dogs, and with the dogs I work with. 

It’s deepened our connection, and I 

feel that we are all a lot happier and 

relaxed. After all, it’s it’s about the 

dogs, as it should be. 

It’s been a few years since I’ve 

been in education, and I feel very 

fortunate to be under the tutelage of 

the incomparable Turid Rugaas, and 

such a lovely group of students. 

The venue is great, the dog pods 

are a stroke of genius, and the food 

provided is totally scrummy!! 

None of this would be possible 

without Karen and Alan Webb, who 

have worked tirelessly to put this 

together. Last but not least, a huge 

thank you to Winkie Spears for 

overseeing things too. I’ve really 

learnt a lot from your input. 

Here’s to the next seventeen months! 

They’re going to be incredible!! 

Photo Credit: Karen Webb, UK 

Dog pods to help the dogs relax during the theory sessions at IDTE, United Kingdom 

Photo Credit: Je-an Shields, UK 

16 


Country Corner 

v 

 

For the first time Turid 

Rugaas’ International 

Dog Trainer Education is 

being hosted in the UK. 

 

On the October 4th, the 

Dutch Day of the Animal, 

seven members will each 

organise a theme day 

“Stimulate the senses” 

T 

he Kennel club of the Netherlands 

sent out news that the faculty of 

Dierengeneeskunde of the University of 

Utrecht has developed DNA tests that enable 

owners of the Dutch breeds: the Kooiker and the 

Friese Stabij, to test if their dog is a bearer of a 

divergent gene. Breeders can take the DNA test 

as a precaution. 

v 

Ta he BBC released a harrowing documentary 

in May called ‘Britain’s Puppy Dealers 

Exposed’. While distressing to view, it 

generated discussion and outrage among 

the public about the brutal conditions these dogs 

and puppies are kept in, as well as an investigation 

into the illegal puppy dealers featured. 

S 

 

ince mid 2014, Welfare for animals has 

been devolved to the 3 regions. They have 

all inherited the Animal Welfare Act which 

was written in 1986. Each region will be looking 

to update this and have each appointed an 

Animal Welfare Minister 

Belgium has unique form 

of a federal state with 

segregated political 

power into three levels - 

the federal government, 

regional and linguistic 

18 


Country 

Corner 

Reports from country representatives of member countries 

United 

Kingdom 

Harriet Jane Alexander 

T 

he dog world is bustling 

in the UK this year, both 

nationally and within PDTE. 

We’ve welcomed some new associate 

members to our midst, and for the first 

time Turid Rugaas’ International Dog 

Trainer Education (IDTE) is being 

hosted in the UK. PDTE Secretary 

Karen Webb and her husband have 

done an extraordinary job putting the 

course together, and the response from 

students has been very encouraging. 

We can’t wait to hear more about it! 

The UK is often a contradictory 

place when it comes to dog welfare. 

There are an estimated eight and 

a half million pet dogs in the UK, 

and interest in dogs is reflected in 

the many products, training classes, 

Netherlands 

Rachaël Draaisma 

Last year we welcomed several 

new members to PDTE, a 

few of them are Dutch and 

living in the Netherlands. Some have 

been working as dog trainers. Others 

are starting up their dog schools, and 

are busy making websites, facebook 

pages, etc. We have two dates a year 

television programs and research 

projects that exist. Unfortunately, 

dogs are still facing the same issues – 

the prevalence of outdated and cruel 

training methods, puppy farming and 

a surplus of unwanted and abandoned 

pets that ended up in over-crowed 

rescue centres. Dogs Trust, the UK’s 

largest dog welfare charity, reported 

last year that 47,596 dogs were given 

up by their owners, and 5,142 were put 

to sleep (around 14 dogs per day). 

The BBC released a harrowing 

documentary in May called ‘Britain’s 

Puppy Dealers Exposed’. While 

distressing to view, it generated 

discussion and outrage among the 

public about the brutal conditions 

these dogs and puppies are kept in, as 

well as an investigation into the illegal 

puppy dealers featured. For those of us 

working in the training and behaviour 

world, it highlights how important it 

is to educate people not only about 

respecting and valuing their canine 

were we offer opportunities to meet 

each other and these get-togathers 

are visited by an average of eleven 

people. A lot of members are busy 

organising lectures and seminars, 

both for customers, and for a broader 

audience. 

At the horse fair PDTE member Helga, 

organised enriched environments 

for people visiting the horse fair, 

companions, but also where they 

should get them from in the first place. 

Supply and demand is the key issue – 

if people know how and where to get 

a healthy and cared for puppy, these 

unscrupulous ‘breeders’ will struggle 

to keep their horrific businesses 

operating. 

Compulsory micro-chipping of dogs in 

the UK came into place in April 2016, 

which ideally will make it easier for 

missing dogs to be reunited with their 

owners. There have been criticisms 

surrounding who will monitor and 

police this change in the law (and who 

will bother to comply with it), and only 

time will tell if it has an impact on the 

stray dog population. 

There’s been quite a bit of discussion 

among UK members about the PDTE 

AGM – we are looking forward to 

catching up with our fellow members 

across the channel ! 

but wanted to do an activity with 

their dog. Calming Signs visited the 

Woof stock fair for the first time and 

showed visitors their products. On 

the October 4th, the Dutch Day of 

the Animal, seven members will each 

organise a theme day “Stimulate the 

senses”. A collective press release on 

the theme will be written and sent to 

the press. 

Some other dog related news from the 

Netherlands. The dog is still a very 

beloved family companion. Number 

of dogs in the Netherlands is being 

considered steady by the government. 

The estimation is that every one out of 

five families in the Netherlands owns a 

dog. Eighty percent of these families 

have children. This is about one and a 

half million dogs in this country. Mind 

you these are the registered dogs. The 

number could well be higher. Great 

news is the decision of the Dutch 

government to ban the shock devices 

sold at stores. However the huge 

disappointment is the fact that the 

government does make an exception 

Belgium 

Marina Gates Flemming 

Belgium is a sovereign state 

in Western Europe. It is a 

founding member of the 

European Union and hosts several 

of the EU’s official seats and as well 

as the headquarters of many major 

international organizations such as 

NATO. 

Belgium covers an area of just 

over 30,000 square km and has 

a population of about 11.5 million 

people. The capital, Brussels, is also 

the capital of the EU and of Flanders. 

Belgium is home to 3 linguistic 

groups: the Dutch-speaking, Flemish 

community, which constitutes 

about 59% of the population, the 

French-speaking, mostly Walloon 

population, which comprises 41% of 

the population and a small group of 

German-speakers who are officially 

recognized. 

for dog specialists, who use these 

devises to prevent danger for others. 

A growing number of dog lovers 

question the use of vaccinations and 

are requesting information regarding 

tittering their dog. More places are 

offering titter tests for dogs. 

The Kennel club of the Netherlands 

sent out news that the faculty of 

Dierengeneeskunde of the University 

of Utrecht has developed DNA tests 

that enable owners of the Dutch 

breeds: the Kooiker and the Friese 

Stabij, to test if their dog is a bearer 

of a divergent gene. In the Friese 

Belgium is a federal constitutional 

monarchy with a parliamentary system 

of governance and the territory is 

divided into three Regions: Flanders, 

(the Flemish Region), Wallonia (the 

French speaking Region) and the 

Brussels Capital Region (where you 

will hear many a language spoken). 

Belgium has compulsory voting and 

thus maintains one of the highest rates 

of voter turnout in the world. 

Based on the four language areas 

defined in 1962–63 (the Dutch, 

bilingual, French and German language 

areas), consecutive revisions of the 

country’s constitution established a 

unique form of a federal state with 

segregated political power into three 

levels: 

1. The Federal government based in 

Brussels. 

2. The three language communities 

3. The three regions 

The Federal Government authority 

includes justice, defense, federal 

police, social security, nuclear energy, 

Stabij the divergent gene causes 

an error in a protein that normally 

ensures the reabsorption of a neuro 

transmitter after a neuron is activated. 

The defective protein reabsorption 

leads to continuous stimulus. This 

results in compulsive behaviour in 

pups like walking in circles. Pups 

that are diagnosed with this disease 

are being euthanized. The DNA test 

is developed to be used by breeders 

before they start breeding. In the 

Kookier dog the defect gene that can 

be tested upon is causing paralysing 

of the hind legs. A cure has not been 

found. Breeders can take the DNA 

test as a precaution. 

monetary policy and public debt, 

and other aspects of public finances. 

It controls substantial parts of public 

health, home affairs and foreign 

affairs. 

Regions have authority in fields that 

can be broadly associated with their 

territory. These include economy, 

employment, agriculture, water 

policy, housing, public works, energy, 

transport, the environment, town and 

country planning and nature. 

Since mid 2014, Welfare for animals 

has been devolved to the 3 regions. 

They have all inherited the Animal 

Welfare Act which was written in 

1986. Each region will be looking to 

update this and have each appointed 

an Animal Welfare Minister 

(Flanders: Ben Weyts; Wallonia: 

Carlo Di Antonio and Brussels 

Capital: Bianca Debaets); this being 

just one of their responsibilities. 

I propose to comment on the 

progress made by the respective 

animal welfare ministers in the next 

newsletter. 

20 


A new preparation 

called Sileo 

BSAVA Small animal 

Formulary 

Causes diuresis by supressing ADH 

secretion, a transient increase in blood 

glucose by decreasing endogenous 

insulin secretion, mydriasisand 

decreased intraocular pressure. 

Vomiting could be caused after i.m. 

application. Due to effect on blood 

glucose, use in diabetic animals is 

not recommended. Spontaneous 

arousal from deep sedation following 

stimulation can occur with this 

preparation. Aggressive animals 

must be sedated with caution. 

Moreover it is not working in stressed 

animals with high adrenalin - this 

medicine binds the same receptors 

as adrenalin. When they are busy this 

medicine does not work. That is why 

it is not possible aroused animals fall 

alseep with this preparation. 

I am strongly against sedatives 

beeing used by owners without 

veterninary supervision. It could be 

life threatening. I have the antidote 

for this at my practice but owners at 

home do not. If the animal develop 

cardiac arrest at home they are not 

able to do anything. I think it is my 

duty to warn dog people before 

using this at home. It is not safe. 

Editorial correction: the original publication of this article listed the preparation as Silio rather than Sileo, which was corrected 18/07/16 

Dr. Martina Nčeradská from Czech Republic explains the workings and side effects of Sileo and advices 

against it’s unsupervised usage 

One of my clients asked me 

about a new preparation 

Sileo. I decided to write 

about this to inform dog people who 

love their dogs and do not want to 

harm them. This new preparation 

is meant to “protect” dogs from 

fireworks and sound. 

European Medicines Agency 

recommends this preparation 

for medical use. Sileo contains 

dexmedetomidine hydrochlorid, 

which is selective alpha-2 adrenergic 

receptor agonist (alpha-2 agonist) 

that works by reducing the activity 

of the sympathetic nervous system, 

making the dog calm or sleepy. 

I use this preparation in my practice 

as a part of anaesthesia. It is good 

sedative, but in my opinion it has 

to be used under the supervision 

of a veterinary doctor in case of 

complications and the animal should 

be carefully monitored. It is not a 

preparation which could be allowed 

for unsupervised use at home. 

The letter from European Medicines 

Agency states: “The benefits of Sileo 

are its efficacy in the alleviation of 

acute anxiety and fear associated 

with noise in dogs. The most common 

side effects are transient paleness of 

mucous membranes at the application 

site, sedation, emesis and urinary 

incontinence. Detailed conditions 

for the use of this product will be 

described in the summary of product 

characteristics (SPC) which will be 

published in the European Public 

Assessment Report (EPAR) and will 

be available in all official European 

Union languages after the marketing 

authorisation has been granted by the 

European Commission. The CVMP, 

on the basis of quality, safety and 

efficacy data submitted, considers 

that there is a favourable benefit to 

risk balance for Sileo and therefore 

recommends the granting of the 

marketing authorisation.“ 

I like dexmedetomidin for use in my 

practice, but I am really scared of 

what could this do in the hands of 

owners not knowing how it works - 

this medication is contraindicated in 

many animals - vets should know that, 

but owners do not. 

Contraindications in 

BSAVA Small animal 

Formulary 

Do not use in animals with 

cardiovascularor other systemic 

disease. Use of dexmedetomidine in 

geriatric patients is not advisable. It 

shuld not be used in pregnant animals, 

nor in animals requiring or receiving 

sympathomimetic amines. 

Adverse reactions in 

22 


Picture Postcards 

01 

Relaxing a little between sessions at 

International Dog Trainer Educaion 

(IDTE), United Kingdom. Photo by 

Winkie Spiers, United Kingdom 

03 

02 

Enriched environment at 

International Dog Trainer Educaion 

(IDTE), United Kingdom. Photo by 

Karen Webb, United Kingdom 

01 

04 

Yanko relaxing at the Pelutopias 

centre in May during International 

Dog Trainer Education, as 

photographed by Laura Evans from 

Spain 

04 05 

06 

05 

Gala’s first time at the beach. Photo 

by Angeles Martinez from Spain 

03 

Puppy socializing group - so important for the puppies’ development ! 

Playing a little with same age group, and meeting adult nice role models, 

the best you can do with your puppy ! 

In Scandinavia the winter has just said goodbye for now, and puppy groups 

and classes pop up everywhere now the weather and temperature is more 

puppy-friendly. A sure sign of spring ! 

02 

06 

Zoom while tracking with friends 

Sabadell, Spain. Photo by Julia Guiu. 

Photo by Turid Rugaas, Norway 

24 


Members 

Corner 

PDTE is happy to welcome twenty two new associate members. 

Julia 

Robertson 

United Kingdom 

I 

have always worked with animals 

and from the age of ten decided 

that would be my vocation. 

After working as a veterinary nurse, 

I started training and working in 

agricultural and animal husbandry. 

I partnered the management of a 

large dairy herd that we establish 

from one heifer to 250 dairy cows. 

But the pivotal moment arrived when 

Alexa Martinez 

Spain 

our six month old Labrador ‘Huffo’ 

suffered a massive trauma and we 

were recommended PTS. But as it 

transpired, it was a soft tissue problem! 

I managed him with gentle exercises, 

as he could not lift his head from the 

floor; eventually he made a recovery 

and then lived until he was 17 years 

old! That was the time when I realised 

how muscular pain perception in 

dogs was so misunderstood and that 

many dogs could be suffering extreme 

muscle pain. 

In 2002 I established the Galen 

Therapy Centre, where I began 

treating dogs with degenerative 

musculoskeletal change that were 

referred from local veterinary 

practices. I still run and work in 

busy consultancy where I treat dogs 

as well as run extensive accredited 

training programmes and modules. 

I have now developed a variety of 

courses aimed at enhancing mobility 

I 

have lived in Spain for almost 

20 years now. I have two 

daughters and two dogs. I am a 

cat & dog behaviorist and trainer (as 

well as industrial engineer, but that’s 

another story). I graduated with a 

Masters degree in clinic ethology and 

have had special training for behavior 

modification, both from the University 

of Barcelona. 

I am lucky to have always lived with 

dogs and cats. Because of my love 

of pets, I decided to professionally 

dedicate myself to improving the 

in dogs both from a preventative 

and management perspective. The 

therapy uses a multidimensional 

assessment programme, to evaluate 

areas of muscle dysfunction and 

pain, followed by hands-on, totally 

specific massage techniques to 

treat and manage degenerative 

musculoskeletal change. Examples 

of this change could be osteoarthritis, 

general pre or post rest stiffness, 

post injury or accident and all forms 

of specific or non-specific lameness. 

I have authored and co-authored 

three books published through CRC 

Press (Taylor Francis) and Hubble and 

Hattie. I have produced two DVD’s on 

the subject of Myotherapy. ‘Tongue 

to Tail, the integrated movement of 

the dog’ won the 2012 Dog Writers 

Association of America, Maxwell 

Award. I have been a regular columnist 

for Dog World magazine for last three 

years. 

bond between humans and their pets 

and helping them solve problems of 

coexistence. In my opinion, the wellbeing 

of pets and owners is the key 

to a good and lasting relationship, 

which will result in fewer abandoned 

animals. I truly believe that respect, 

trust, empathy and knowledge will 

help achieve this goal. 

I am very interested in pet well-being, 

behavior modification techniques and 

stress management. 

Nicole Grygar 

Germany 

My name is Nicole Grygar 

and I live with my 

husband in a small village 

near Nuremberg in Germany. We live 

together with our two dogs – Beyla a 

9 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback and 

Jule a 4 year old Whippet, 

M 

y name is Kirsten 

Merkel, I´m 48 years 

old and my daughter 

is 20 years old. I live in the south 

of Germany, in Reutlingen. Since 

childhood, dogs have always been 

with me. Three years ago, I decided to 

get a dog trainer education. And since 

I 

have always loved animals. When 

I was a kid I dreamed of having 

a dog and a horse. As soon as I 

M 

y name is Lizz I live in 

Dutchess County NY. 

I have my CPTD-KA 

and have completed Turid Rugaas 

International Dog Education Course 

in Asheville NC. I do Private lessons, 

and want to continue until I get 

certified in Behavior. I want to bring 

Because I didn´t know how to handle 

Beyla in some situations I started 

attending seminars and workshops 

and now I´m so thankful for that 

trouble Beyla gave me. In 2011 I 

attended a seminar with Turid Rugaas 

in Bad Wimpfen. There I met Sonja 

Hoegen. I accompanied her one day 

during dog training and I really liked 

the way she worked with the dogs 

and also with the clients. So I decided 

to apply for the next dog trainer 

education at dogcom which I finished 

last year in October. I´ve completed 

a dog-nutritionist education with 

Silvia Weber this year. During the dog 

trainer education I got an idea about 

the importance of good food for dogs 

and I wanted to learn more about it. 

July 2014 I have my own dog school 

“Hundetraining Land & Stadt“. 

Kirsten 

Merkel 

Germany 

could afford it , I realized my dream 

. Our first dog was a Labrador - 

Groenendael cross. That is how my 

love for the Belgian Shepherd started 

. Over the years several Tervuren and 

Groenendael shepherds have come 

and gone. Then we decided to breed 

a litter. 

I also wanted to know more and more 

about dogs, how they feel, think and 

Turid’s method to the US. That is 

currently how I work with dogs. I 

have also volunteered at a shelter. 

Elizabeth 

McKeon 

USA 

At the moment I am attending the 

nosework dog trainer education with 

Anne Lill Kvam, because my dogs and 

I love doing nosework and I also want 

to do it with clients. It´s a nice way of 

doing something together. It´s really 

good for the dog-client relationship 

and it´s fun! 

In my other life I´m a social worker. I 

support mentally ill people that they 

can live an independent live. I realised 

that there are so many similarities in 

dog training and the work I do with 

my clients. I just started my own dog 

school. My aim is to support dog 

owners living together with their dogs 

in a respectful way. 

communicate. How could I make 

them happy whilst respecting them as 

dogs? 

Ultimately I would like to teach people 

how they can make their dogs happy. 

Diane 

Buytaert 

Belgium 

26 


Robert 

Llorente 

Spain 

Iam Robert Llorente, a dog 

trainer from Tortosa, Catalonia. 

I have been training dogs since 

2006 and teaching new trainers 

since 2010, as well as organizing dog 

training courses and events. This year I 

graduated with Masters of Veterinary 

Clinical Ethology at the UAB 

(Universitat Autonoma Barcelona). 

These days I live with my five dogs 

(four staffies and one mix), all of 

whom have their own personality 

and abilities, which complement each 

other, making a diverse and complete 

team for a variety of different cases. 

Tilly 

Mrofcynski 

Netherlands 

M 

y name is Tilly 

Mrofcynski. From the 

moment I got my first 

dog on my twelfth birthday, my life has 

been about dogs, both my own dogs 

and other’s dogs. I’ve done all kinds of 

jobs with dogs. I worked as a groomer, 

Blue is good for using to work with 

dogs suffering from fear, as she 

respects the space of the other dogs 

and reassures them from a distance. 

Lisa is better with active dogs or 

puppies as she uses play to calm down 

the situation or the other dog. Homer 

is used with small dogs for a variety of 

problems as he is very self-confident 

and ignores all bad behaviours from 

other dogs. Maggie is the first dog I 

introduce to an aggressive dog I am 

working with because she remains still 

and lets the other dog interact with 

her. They are the most important part 

of the team, because without them, I 

would never finish the special classes 

with other dogs. 

Another activity I’ve been doing with 

dogs, is taking them to children’s 

schools. Some schools also come to 

my center. We educate the children 

on how to treat and care for dogs, 

show them respect and interspecific 

communication. 

I’m trying to raise awareness amongst 

people that this breed, can be 

wonderful. I don’t like the law here 

with dog breeders, as a veterinary 

assistant and spent years taking care 

of dogs in shelter. 

Despite following several studies and 

courses on animal-behaviour and care 

I hadn’t found satisfying answers for 

many questions. I found out that a 

lot of solutions for dog-behaviourrelated 

problems were not long-term 

solutions and they often didn’t feel 

right to me. I kept the feeling that 

something was missing. 

In 2007 I started teaching groups of 

dog owners at a dog school. It was 

at that time that someone gave me 

Turid Rugaas’ book about calming 

signals. I immediately loved this book. 

By respecting the natural behaviour 

of dogs so much more seemed to be 

in Spain regarding dangerous dogs. 

I believe that we need some laws 

regarding dangerous dogs, but not 

the existing ones. For example if you 

own a breed of dog considered to be 

dangerous you must put a muzzle on 

the dog in public places, you cannot 

use a lead longer than one meter and 

if you own more than one “dangerous 

dog” you are only allowed to walk one 

dog at a time. 

I have a business partner and we teach 

together. We have a social club that 

meets every week. The owners and 

their dogs can come to our center and 

spend time interacting. We also have 

other activities: walking through the 

city or the forest, games with teams, 

activities to find something (food, 

people), socialize some reactive dogs 

in groups (when the dogs are ready to 

be there). 

I’m very interested in dog 

communication: among themselves 

and with humans. I emphasize on this 

in my classes, because if you don’t 

understand how they communicate 

you can’t communicate with them. 

possible when working and living with 

dogs. Finally I got answers I had been 

looking. After meeting Turid in person 

during one of her seminars I decided 

to sign up for her International Dog 

Training Education in 2012. 

Nowadays I run my own company 

“Dog’s Turn” where I work as an IDTE 

dog trainer and behaviourist. I work 

together with another dog school, 

where I am one of the dog trainers and 

the chairman of the board. It has been 

my project for three years to change 

this school from a regular dog school 

to a more dog-friendly dog school. I’m 

happy to say that today all instructors 

work according to the vision of IDTE 

and three of us have successfully 

completed IDTE. 

Reidun 

Johansen 

Sweden 

Born in Norway, and raised in 

Sweden, I have lived in the 

Spanish Pyrenees for the last 

19 years. I now live in Sweden. My 

love for nature and the mountains 

comes with my Scandinavian genes. 

My passion for animals is a gift from 

my father. I have always had a fourlegged 

companion in my life, be it 

a dog, a cat or a horse. For the time 

Miluse 

Kapounova 

Czech Republic 

Icurrently share my home with a 

dog, cats, turtles and parrots. I 

am an enthusiastic defender of 

animal rights, an admirer of the nature´s 

beauty and an engineer of economy. I 

studied at University of West Bohemia 

in Pilsen, Faculty of Economics. 

During my career in corporations 

being I share my home with all three 

species. Having been mainly a horse 

trainer for many years, I became more 

dedicated to dog training 15 years 

ago. I then realized there is so much 

I need to learn and I haven’t stopped 

learning since. 

When Gloria came into my life 

learning became a way to be able to 

cope with everyday life. Gloria is a 

highly reactive Malinois, that I found 

abandoned on the highway and she 

came into our home to stay. The 

journey with Gloria, set me off on a 

challenging path. Since this is the first 

time I have crossed paths with a dog 

with serious fear and reactivity issues, 

our road together has been a rollercoaster. 

I will, however, be forever 

grateful for all she has taught me. To 

make a long story short – living with 

Gloria, has opened my eyes for all 

the dogs that need special attention 

(mostly working in finance controlling) 

I gained exposure to American, 

German, French, Japanese, Swedish 

and Austrian corporate cultures. I 

am a traveler with interest in learning 

foreign languages, exploring different 

cultures and traditions. It was a great 

pleasure for me to visit Japan and 

Canada. I spent one year living in the 

US and a year and a half in Sweden. 

All kind of animals have become 

an integral part of my life since 

my childhood. There have been 

three dogs in my life (Argo - a male 

Welsh Terrier, Sid – a male Alaskan 

Malamute and Lumpik – a male wirehaired 

Dachshund). They all have 

contributed to my strong relationship 

with other creatures. The more I learn 

about dogs the more I am impressed 

by them. 

In 2012 after a major life event, I 

decided to change my profession 

and move from the economic field 

to the animal field. I started to look 

to adjust to our society and our lives, 

and working with reactivity and fear 

issues is one of my passions. 

I live in a very rural area, and I think 

I am one of very few trainers here 

that uses non-aversive and positive 

training methods – but I am proud 

to say that the ripples have started 

to spread. I see reactions of people 

change around me as they observe 

the results of the training. I am not 

originally a clicker trainer but I find the 

clicker useful for certain behaviours. 

I teach nose work and obedience 

classes. I have also been involved in 

shelter work and I have done private 

rescue and adoptions for many years. 

My dream is to learn more about 

manual and hands-on therapies and 

canine movements and to include this 

knowledge in my dog-related work. 

for a suitable work with dogs. In 

2013 I suddenly appeared at Turid´s 

seminar in Prague. Because I’ve been 

convinced about who my future 

teacher would be, since 2014, I have 

started Turid Rugaas´s International 

Dog Trainer Education in Germany. 

I am a person who thinks that to have 

a dog means to have him as a member 

of my family, to accept him as a dog 

and to respect his needs and feelings, 

to communicate with him properly and 

to provide him love, safety, good care, 

good food, enough mental stimulation, 

proper activities and other necessary 

conditions to keep his body, soul and 

brain healthy, to give him a lifelong 

learning and experiences that will 

make the dog self-confident and polite 

to people and other dogs. 

I would like to spread this true way of 

thinking about dogs and to educate 

people that there are better ways of 

dealing with dogs. 

28 


Veronica 

Taborga 

France 

M 

iracles happen in people’s 

lives all the time. My 

miracle is Eli, a long hair 

dachshund, a shorty clown with a 

huge personality and character. He 

pushed me to learn dog language, to 

understand why dogs do the things 

they do. Eli, by being very patient, 

taught me about patience. Then, Patch 

entered our lives. A dalmatian mix, full 

of joy and happiness. Then, KitKat, 

a Norwegian forest cat. He was 

definitely waiting for us. He is the zen 

of our four legged family. 

I guess like almost all dog teachers, I 

started working and getting interested 

in Animal Behaviour because I found 

the need to work on my dogs. As I 

progressed, my curiosity took over and 

I started educating myself, attending 

seminars, and conferences, reading 

books and sharing experiences. That 

brings me to one of my special interest 

M 

y name is Mieke van 

den Boogaard. Since 

childhood I’ve liked dogs 

a lot. In our family, we’ve always had 

at least one dog. I went to puppy 

class with my current dog. In my 

opinion the teaching style of one of 

the instructors was very interesting. 

Her way of dealing with dogs was in 

line with my way of thinking about 

dogs. I started an internship at that 

dogs chool. My interest in dogs 

grew. I like to observe what dogs do 

- neuroscience. The more I learn the 

more I come to realize that I just know 

the tip of the iceberg. 

Eli and Patch helped me discover my 

passion. I am so happy and grateful 

to them. Now, it’s time for me to start 

working, to start giving back, to align 

with my passion. That is why I receive 

the gift of Doggily - my company 

where I love teaching my human and 

non-human students. 

I am here because understanding 

animal behaviour is my “why”. 

and the way they communicate with 

each other. The instructor told me 

about the Turid Rugaas International 

Dog trainer Education. I started this 

education in May 2014. When I finish 

the education I want to help other 

people with their dogs. 

Mieke van den 

Boogaard 

Netherlands 

Liz Ott 

Lanzarote, Spain 

Iam originally Swiss, from the 

nice mountain area of St.Moritz. 

A body therapist and nutritionist 

by profession, I’ve been living with 

my daughter and animals for almost 

20 years on the magic volcano island 

Lanzarote. 

I have always been surrounded by 

animals. As a child, I spent time after 

school with the donkeys, horses, cows, 

pigs, cats, dogs on my grandparent’s 

or neighbours farms. I spent my 

holidays in my uncle’s zoo, feeding 

the small lions, bears, chimpanzees 

or other animal babies with the bottle 

when their mother couldn’t do it. Uncle 

Walter was my first animal teacher 

and to date I hear him saying: “If you 

really want to know the animal needs, 

just sit down, keep quiet and observe 

their interactions and behaviour. Read 

a lot about the species. This is the only 

way you will learn to respect them.” 

So I did! I observed ants, squirrels, 

deers and birds in the forest along with 

domesticated animals with people. I 

took the village dogs for walks, which 

ended up with me letting them offleash 

so they could sniff around in a 

safe area. We always found interesting 

things. They opened my eyes to small 

things we normally don´t recognize. 

After that, they were happy and tired, 

the dog owners always thought we 

are running long distances. Oh no, just 

sniffing around! This was much more 

fun! 

Then I got my first German Shepherd 

from friends who could not handle 

him, because of his aggression. In 

1976 the only possibility was to train 

“Mandy” in the GS-Club, where they 

used the aversive methods. I saw 

awful things, poor dogs and some 

helpless owners. Nice puppies turned 

into reactive youngsters. But most of 

the owners seemed to be proud about 

their reactive dogs. I suffered enough 

and Mandy was more reactive than 

before. So finally I quit the training, 

even as the trainer scared me with 

bad prognosis for this dog. But I had 

to find my own way. I found out that 

he is only aggressive because of fear, 

and not because he was a bad and 

dangerous dog. So I followed my heart 

and after a few month we became a 

strong couple. Friends then started 

to bring their dogs to me to change 

the “bad manners”. With each dog I 

learned more about respecting them 

as individuals. 

During my last 35 years of work with 

all kinds of shelter dogs which were 

aggressive, traumatized or mistreated, 

I progressed in my knowledge of 

training and resocialization. 

And then Turid came out with her 

CALMING SIGNALS. Wow, great! 

That answered so many observations 

I did over the years. It was a big step 

further in my work to help fearful 

creatures becoming nice socialized 

dogs! Thanks Turid, you changed the 

life of so many dogs all over the world 

by explaining their body language, 

signs of stress and avoidance and 

of course...feeling happy! After so 

many years and knowing several 

training methods and philosophies, I 

still keep my positive reinforcement 

and respectful training, based on 

principles of Ethics in the best interest 

of our lovely furry friends 

Petra Tobben 

Netherlands 

Hi! my name is Petra Tobben. 

I am 33 years old. I was 

educated as a veterinary 

assistant and I have been totally 

crazy about dogs since I was a 

little kid. I’ve been in love with the 

Dogue de Bordeaux since 2002. The 

combination of their soft nature and 

their robust appearance made me fall 

in love with them. 

I live with my boyfriend Ludy just 

outside a small town called Montfort. 

We live just across the woods where 

we love to spend time with our dogs. 

At this moment we have seven Dogue 

de Bordeaux - Two boys, Mex and 

Boes and five girls, Jopie, Qadira, 

Kaatje, Dink and Juulke. We also have 

a cat, some rabbits and two parrots. 

I’ve worked for ten years as a 

veterinary assistant till my boss retired 

and the practise closed. 

We occasionally breed our Dogues. 

It’s our goal to try and breed healthy, 

mentally stable dogs. We spend a lot 

of time finding good ‘foster-parents’ 

for our little furbabies. We try to 

inform and coach them as much as we 

can. Last year, I attended the IDTE 

education at Calming signs. I really 

enjoyed all the things we learned 

about the behaviour of dogs. 

Apart from behaviour, I am also 

interested in nutrition, genetics, 

homeopathy and veterinary medicine. 

Outside the dog world I like 

photography, cooking and baking. 

Je-an 

Shields 


M long 

y name is Je-an Shields, 

and I’ve had a lifepassion 

for dogs. I 

worked for the RSPCA in the 90’s as a 

kennel assistant, and then worked in a 

dog shelter in Spain, which was a very 

different experience to that in the UK. 

I was lucky enough to have my first 

dog at the age of 30, and have lived 

with several dogs since then. I would 

be the first to admit that I made lots of 

mistakes with her, and she developed 

social issues with other dogs. This 

led me to take her to an aggression 

specialist, who used teaching 

dogs to teach appropriate canine 

communication. I was so intrigued by 

this method, that I asked to learn more 

about it, and did an internship for three 

years, where I learnt a great deal about 

dogs, and how they communicate with 

each other. 

During that time, I acquired a couple 

of rescue dogs, offered a dog boarding 

service, became a professional dog 

walker, assisted in training classes, 

and then set up my own business to 

become a trainer myself. I have been 

a trainer and behaviourist for over 

ten years now, and have loved every 

minute of it. Each dog teaches you 

something different and I never stop 

learning from them 

30 


Christina 

Steinhart 

Gran Canaria, Spain 

Iam Christina. I live with my two 

Belgian Shepherd ladies on the 

Gran Canaria Island. The two 

Groenendaels, Molly and Meg, are 

7 years and 11 month old. I adopted 

Molly when she was nearly 4 years old 

and it that was the best thing I did in 

my life. 

When I first got Molly she was very 

afraid of loud sounds, especially strong 

voices of men. But we put all our trust 

in each other and she gained more 

and more self confidence. We went 

Katrin Brenn 

Hillmann 

Germany 

Ihave lived with dogs since my 

childhood and got my first dog in 

1997. Rosa was a Staffordshire 

Bull Terrier bitch and I only know now 

that I did everything wrong. I was 

quickly overwhelmed by her problems 

and I looked for a dog school to help 

me. Wherever I went, the training 

methods that were recommended to 

together to the first dog trainer course 

here on the island. To work with her 

was (and still is) very interesting - to 

see how she started to gain confidence 

in herself, asking for new things every 

day. She is such a grateful dog. 

I attended a few weekend O.C.I. 

seminars with Fernando Silva who 

said something I will never forget, 

“she imght not bring the apport to you 

in her life. But she would give her life 

for you.” I also attended the G.B.M.A 

Maintrailing Seminar and “Do as I do” 

to see what could be the right thing 

for Molly and me. We also passed the 

CAP1 and CAP2 together. 

As it was clear that Molly never would 

have any fun working with an approt 

or playing with any converntional dog 

toys, we decided to go on learning little 

tricks and in 2013 we started to train 

agility (here you are not allowed to 

walk your dog without a leash, so the 

agility gave her plenty of possibility to 

run a little bit). She had a lot of fun with 

both. We even participate in the little 

me went against my deepest intuitions 

of what was right. Everything from 

choke-collars to Teletact was offered. 

At the time, I said to myself: ‘If these 

things are necessary to educate my 

dog, I will only walk with her at night... 

But this is something I will not do with 

my dog!’ 

So I decided to take the problem 

into my own hands and I came to 

the conclusion that the best way was 

to become a dog trainer. In 1998 I 

opened my dog school in order to 

show another way to dog owners. 

To date, I have completed two 

training courses for dog trainers. I did 

a study of animal psychology with 

a specialization in dogs and many 

seminars on all kind of topics. My 

real teachers are always the dogs; my 

own dogs who have accompanied me 

club competions of agility, but always 

in the “starters” group (without the 

slalom and the seesaw). 

There was just one thing about Molly, 

which made me a little bit sad. She had 

no friend, because in the beginning 

she was quite unfriendly with the 

dogs around our house. Now there 

was no one who really wanted to play 

with her. So I started to think about 

a second dog. I always had Turid 

Rugaas’ words in my mind: “every 

dog needs a friend”. So, when Molly´s 

sister had puppies, we adopted Meg. 

Now Molly not only has a good friend, 

but a family member in the house. She 

really seems to enjoy it and appears to 

be younger each day. 

Meg is a very happy and clinging 

puppy. I visited a nosework seminar 

with Meg. I’ve also attended 

Tellington Touch Seminar, a seminar 

of physical conditioning of a sports 

dog and seminars on therapy dogs. 

I’ve organized a Seminar with Turid 

Rugaas here on Gran Canaria. 

until today and that of my clients and 

friends, but also those who I simply 

happen to meet in everyday life. 

Since 2004 I have been working 

as an expert for my Country State 

Dangerous Dog regulation. Here we 

analyze so-called ‘listed’ dogs and 

dogs with problems. It has become my 

passion to help these dogs. 

My goal has always been to make the 

world a better place for dogs. 

In December 2015, I successfully 

completed my third Dog Trainer 

Education by Turid Rugaas and I can 

honestly say that it was the best thing 

I’ve done so far. This experience, the 

colleagues that I have met, the friendly, 

warm-hearted, respectful treatment 

of dogs and people will stay in my 

memory all of my life. 

Oswin Klotz 

Germany 

H 

ello, my name is Oswin Klotz. 

I was born in Aschaffenburg 

in 1962, but I grew up in 

Westerngrund and I still live in this 

small town with my family. 

I married my wife Elke in 1985 and my 

PDTE cordially invites you to the 

wonderful city of Barcelona for our 

Annual General Meeting of Dog 

Trainers at the Atenea Port Hotel. We 

have curated an exemplary selection 

of the continent’s finest trainers to talk 

on a wide variety of topics covering 

the cutting edge in dog training 

techniques. 

daughter was born in 1990. 

After I finished my schooling, I started 

my education as a brick layer. However 

I switched to a chemical company in 

1985 and worked there as a chemical 

worker. After two years I decide to 

gain education to be a chemical 

laboratory worker. I am still employed 

at this chemical company and am 

involved in research work. 

I got my first dog, a cocker spaniel, at 

twelve. Unfortunately he died due to 

a tragic accident at the age of two. In 

summer of 1998 a dalmatian female 

called Eppi moved in our household. 

She was an amazing sixteen and a half 

year old. One dog was not enough 

and therefore in 2002 the dalmatian 

male dog Homer von Lucky arrived, 

but sadly, he died at the age of nine. 

Our little family grew with the cavalier 

king charles spaniel named Ginnes in 

2004 and my boxer called Amadeus 

in 2009. Thereby, for a short time, we 

had a multi-dog household with four 

dogs. 

We visited different dog schools 

(obedience school) with the first three 

dogs and these experiences got me 

interested in working with dogs. Since 

2008 I have been attending several 

workshops and courses. Since I was 

not convinced about the methods 

used, I further looked around during 

the years 2011 and 2012. I finally met 

Sonja Hoegen and Turid Rugass. 

I started the professional dog trainer 

education in March 2013 and finished 

it in 2014. 

In 2010 I founded my own dog school 

called “Hund und Familie”. 

The conversation starts 

at PDTE 2016 Barcelona 

Join experts and enthusiasts alike from September 23rd for a weekend of exclusive 

insight into the future of dog training. 

We’re delighted to welcome back 

familiar faces such as Turid Rugaas, 

Anne Lill Kvam, Winkie Spiers and 

Karen Webb who are ready to bring 

their unique ideas back to Barcelona 

once more. It is also our great 

pleasure to introduce Julia Robertson 

and others who are joining our ranks 

this summer, as well as special guest 

speakers Jesús Rosales Ruiz and 

Monique de Röeck. Find out more 

about our speakers and register on 

our website. (www.pdte2016.com) 

When you’re not attending one of 

our seminars, why not make even 

more of your trip with our selection 

of extra curricular activities? Join 

us at La Barca de Salamanca for an 

archetypical spanish dinner by the 

beach, find your feet with Yaimi and 

Capote at Salsa and Bacheta class and 

test your palette with an extensive 

spanish wine tasting. We are always 

adding new events and you can stay 

up to date with the schedule on our 

website. 

Finally we want to thank you for taking 

the time to find out more about PDTE 

2016. You can find more information 

and register by visiting our website. 

We look forward to hosting you here 

in beautiful Barcelona! 

Please contact Nuria_janeiro@ 

hotmail.com with any queries. 

32 


Carme 

Vivancos 

Spain 

M 

Elise 

Montfort 

Belgium 

y name is Carme 

Vivancos and I was born 

in Mallorca 47 years 

ago. I am passionate about the canine 

world. For as long as I can remember, 

I’ve had a passion for animals, but 

specially for dogs. I rescued dogs and 

reported animal abuse for years. Then 

I started working as a volunteer in 

the dog shelter in my home town and 

after two years there I realised that 

we were only moving them to another 

place (from Mallorca to Germany). As 

a result of this, I began my training and 

tried to prevent dogs from coming to 

the dog shelter. Helping them before 

arriving there became my goal. 

Nowadays I have a school for dogs 

that I founded in 2010. It’s name 

M 

y name is Elise and I 

live in Belgium, near 

Namur. I share my life 

with two beautiful girls: Judy and 

Kimba. Both of them went into dog’s 

club and socialising sessions at an 

early age. Yet, Judy started to show a 

clear change in behaviour when she 

turned one and Kimba never enjoyed 

“traditional” training. Thanks to Judy’s 

change in behaviour, I looked for 

more appropriate ways of fulfilling 

their needs. It took me a few months 

to meet THE person who would 

is “Nassos”, which means “noses” 

in Majorcan. The school has two 

locations: Palma and Manacor. Both 

establishments are schools, grooming 

salons and shops. 

I have been training dog trainers for 

two years, one course per year for 

six people. My personal interest is to 

raise awareness (to the general public 

and especially to dog owners) of what 

a dog’s life is like and how it would 

be if they could choose and make 

decisions. 

definitely change our lives. Thanks 

to that person (she’s called Marina 

and is a wonderful person and dog 

counsellor) I became acquainted with 

Turid Rugaas’ philosophy of living 

with dogs. One session was enough 

to utterly get me into this philosophy: 

every single thing was finally making 

sense to me! From then on, I’ve been 

deepening my knowledge of dogs and 

doing my best to fulfil their needs. 

Judy, Kimba and I still have a long way 

to go, but that’s actually a nice thing: 

because we’re heading there together. 

Kati Ernits 

Estonia 

ello everybody, I am Kirsten 

van Gaalen-Jeelof and I’m 

Hvery happy to join PDTE. 

Full Members 

Iwork as a full time dog trainer. 

I offer group and individual 

training in addition to problem 

behaviour consultations. I have 

been training dogs since 2008. I 

am a certified obedience trainer of 

Estonian Kennel Union and certified 

therapy dog handler since 2014. I 

have two Samoyeds. Both are working 

in children’s programs. I have been 

testing new dog teams with the 

Estonian Therapy Dogs Association. I 

have also been doing puppy character 

tests since 2009. To date I have tested 

over 150 puppies. In 2015-2016 I 

I’ve been into dogs my whole life but 

sometimes I did not understand them. 

My dog Civic changed that because he 

let me know when he was not happy. 

Due to the several medical problems 

Civic faced, I realized that some things 

in dog training needed to change. We 

needed to not only look at behaviour 

but also at the feelings of the dog and 

why the dog is feeling so bad. We need 

to try to make life better for the dog 

and not only for the owner. We need 

attended the course of diabetic alert 

dogs training program in Finland. In 

2016 we started a training program 

for diabetic alert dogs in Estonia. I 

attended International Dog Trainers 

School with Lisbeth Borg de Waard 

during 2015-2016. I also educated 

myself in human behaviour and 

psychology, because I believe dog 

owner is the one who finally chooses 

to train a dog and decides how to train 

the dog. I have a basic education in 

human psychology (BA) and I am a 

certified international NLP (Neuro 

Linguistic Programming) Practitioner 

to try to make life better for both of 

them. 

Civic is a great dog to learn from. Be 

There for your dog. 

Kirsten van 

Gaalen-Jeelof 

Netherlands 

Toni Martínez 

Alcaraz 

Spain 

I 

My name is Toni Martínez 

Alcaraz and I am from Terrassa 

Spain. I am 29 and I work both 

on social integration and as a dog 

trainer. Currently I am studying 

for two University degrees, one in 

Social Education and the second in 

Psychology. 

I discovered my interest and love for 

animals during my early childhood. 

I was raised and educated among 

human and nonhuman animals, 

including birds, fishes, rodents, cats 

and dogs. In particular, I feel a true 

passion and admiration for the latter 

two species, cats and dogs. 

I am a member of UDOLS, a nonprofit 

organization devoted to enhancing 

the welfare of urban dogs. I also have 

my own website www.educanfel.com 

where I publish original articles and 

reflections about gentle dog training 

as well as with regard to cat behavior. 

I live together with two female dogs, 

Luna a Labrador who is almost 4 years 

old, and Linda, a Beagle who is now a 

year and a half. We all share a flat with 

a big balcony. Of course my flat mates 

can move freely around the place, just 

as the family members they are. 

My favorite dog activities are 

those connected to nosework. I am 

passionate about scent! 

PDTE is happy to offer full membership to the following members 

Julie 

Stephenson 


Sindhoor 

Pangal 

India 

34 


Send in your articles, event listing, advertisements and to the editor at 

contact@bangalorehundeskole.com 

20 

Aug 

Natural agility for city dogs 

Helsinki, Finland 

Contact: raili@doi.fi / +358 50 504 2109 

23 

Sep 

PDTE AGM 2016 

Barcelona, Spain 

Contact: www.pdte2016.com 

Natural agility helps dogs develop better body 

awareness, good co-ordination and increased 

confidence. Dogs who live in cities face unique 

challenges that can be an used as an advantage. This 

workshop Winkie Spiers explores options availalble to 

pet owners in cities. 

The PDTE AGM is the highlight of our calendar each 

year. The event features a number of international 

speakers, with plenty of opportunity for questions and 

discussions. It truly is an event not to be missed. We 

look forward to seeing you in Barcelona this year! 

10 

Sep 

Life skills over commands 

Germany 

Contact: info@animal-team.de 

11 

Sep 

Neuropsychology in dogs 

Germany 

Contact: info@animal-team.de 

This seminar teaches trainers and owners how to coach 

their dogs to cope with everyday life. It encourages 

participants to challenge old beliefs by exploring a 

number of key questions. 

Neurology and psychology are discussed a lot in dog 

training, but it doesn’t always need to be complicated. 

This entertaining and accessible seminar aims to leave 

every participant with a better understanding of their 

own brain, feelings and behaviour, as well as their dogs! 

30 

Oct 

Dogs in motion 

Koningslust, Netherlands 

Ellen@Calmingsigns.nl / +31 6 82 93 56 24 

12 

Nov 

Applied Zoopharmacognosy 

Germany 

www.dogcom.de 

With the largest global study ever on the locomotion of 

dogs, Martin Fischer’s team has studied how breeding 

policy affects the movement of various breeds. In this 

seminar Dr. Fischer will extensively cover the basics 

of the locomotion of dogs, supported by videos made 

with the latest X-ray equipment. 

Applied Zoopharmacognosy is about giving animals 

choices and the opportunity to heal themselves. In this 

workshop Karen Webb will explain how it all works and 

show the technique on four dogs during the weekend.

PDTE 2016 July Newsletter

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