PDTE 2016 July Newsletter
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<strong>PDTE</strong><br />
NEWSLETTER<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
IN DEPTH<br />
UNDERSTANDING<br />
36<br />
PAGES<br />
SLEEP IN DOGS<br />
Inside this<br />
issue<br />
In our dogs shoes 06<br />
Saying no to dogs 08<br />
Verbal communication 10<br />
A preparation called Sileo 22<br />
Picture postcards 24
What’s Inside...<br />
Our Team<br />
04<br />
Letter from the<br />
President and<br />
Chairperson<br />
“<br />
We cannot let our human arrogance deprive<br />
animals of their emotions. We must learn to see<br />
them and respect them.<br />
- Turid Rugaas<br />
12<br />
Our Board<br />
06<br />
In our dogs<br />
shoes<br />
A unique way to understand the<br />
way animals feel by trying to<br />
emulate them<br />
08<br />
Saying no to<br />
dogs<br />
How often do we use the word<br />
“no”? What does it mean to them<br />
and should we be using it?<br />
10<br />
Overuse<br />
of verbal<br />
communication<br />
Are we talking our way out<br />
of problem solving? Examine<br />
the effectiveness of verbal<br />
communication and explore<br />
alternatives<br />
www.pdte.org<br />
Understanding sleep in dogs<br />
Sleep is a complex process of active internal restoration, recuperation and<br />
reconsolidation that is essential to our health and well-being<br />
14. Compulsory<br />
courses in<br />
Switzerland<br />
18. Country corner<br />
26. Member corner<br />
22<br />
A new preparation<br />
called Sileo<br />
15. Reports<br />
IDTE in United Kingdom<br />
Balance Weeknd in Netherlands<br />
33. The conversation<br />
starts at <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Barcelona!<br />
24<br />
Picture postcards<br />
Cover photo credit: Toni Martinez, Spain<br />
Turid Rugaas<br />
President<br />
Karen Webb<br />
Secretary<br />
Ellen<br />
Versteegen-Huijs<br />
Board Assistant<br />
Winkie Spiers<br />
Chairperson<br />
Sonja Hoegen<br />
Treasurer<br />
Hanne Truelsen<br />
Board Understudy<br />
Hello!<br />
Hello from a very wet Bangalore.<br />
Our summer has concluded and<br />
it’s the monsoons.<br />
I am very excited to be brining<br />
you this issue of the newsletter.<br />
I believe that <strong>PDTE</strong> members<br />
are playing an important role in<br />
increasing our understanding<br />
of dogs. So it’s important for all<br />
of you to be heard.<br />
Darkness can only be<br />
vanquished with light and<br />
ignorance vanquished with<br />
knowledge. That’s why it’s so<br />
important to express and share.<br />
I sincerely hope that all of you<br />
will use this platform to voice<br />
your ideas. They matter and<br />
need to be heard.<br />
Sindhoor<br />
2<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 3
“ Remember that our main common<br />
goal is to work for the dogs, being<br />
their advocates.<br />
<br />
Board members at the 2015 Pet Dog<br />
Trainers of Europe AGM held in Bad<br />
Wimpfen, Germany<br />
<br />
Winkie Spiers with her dog Dennis at<br />
Hunter’s Inn walk down on the North<br />
Devon coast, UK<br />
<br />
The participants at the 2015 Pet Dog<br />
Trainers of Europe AGM in Bad Wimpfen<br />
Dear members,<br />
First of all I will wish a warm welcome to<br />
our new editor, Sindhoor, and looking<br />
forward to getting a newsletter in my<br />
hands again ! It has been missed.<br />
I will also welcome all the new<br />
members rolling in to our organization.<br />
We sure are growing fast. Because we<br />
are growing so fast and getting bigger<br />
we might also be able to be more<br />
influencial and powerful and be able<br />
to change things in the dog world that<br />
is still so sadly needing changes for<br />
Letter from<br />
your president<br />
the better. The drawback, of course, is<br />
that we will lose some of that “village”<br />
feeling of knowing everybody. That<br />
can not be helped, It means we have<br />
to depend on you, the members, being<br />
more active in many ways. Thanks to<br />
each and one of you who already are<br />
active.<br />
Remember that our main common goal<br />
is to work for the dogs, being their<br />
advocates. Fidgeting, complaining<br />
and fighting about silly details and<br />
personal privileges should be stored<br />
away on the hat rack.<br />
Let us all pull together in the same<br />
direction and towards the same goal<br />
- and put emphasis on education and<br />
learning on the way.<br />
See you all in Barcelona, Spain this<br />
September !<br />
Turid<br />
Your President<br />
Chairwoman’s<br />
Hello<br />
H<br />
ello and welcome to the<br />
first edition of the <strong>PDTE</strong><br />
<strong>Newsletter</strong> edited and<br />
produced by Sindhoor Pangal. An<br />
enormous thank you to Sindhoor<br />
for volunteering to take over this<br />
important role, a huge undertaking.<br />
Behind the scenes the <strong>PDTE</strong><br />
Board continues to meet on the<br />
last Wednesday of every month to<br />
deal with administration, vote on<br />
new members, updates on what’s<br />
happening and generally keep the<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> moving in a forwards direction.<br />
We are lucky to have Harriet Alexander,<br />
(Country Representatitve for UK) who<br />
designed and maintains our website<br />
(www.pdte.eu) and oversee’s the<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> Organisation Facebook Page<br />
along with the <strong>PDTE</strong> UK Facebook<br />
Page and produces the monthly <strong>PDTE</strong><br />
Bulletin. In addition there are our<br />
Country Representatives and other<br />
members who contribute articles<br />
and videos etc to help promote good<br />
practice and increase awareness of<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> and what we do. It is heartening<br />
that we have more members being<br />
involved and giving up their time to do<br />
some really great work. Thank you to<br />
everyone who gets involved.<br />
The New Year resolutions that many<br />
of you contributed to were very<br />
interesting, I hope that you have<br />
been successful in implementing your<br />
resolutions. I find that my changes<br />
have worked very well for my dogs<br />
and I. It was useful to look at what I<br />
could do to make life even better in<br />
<strong>2016</strong>.<br />
Wishing you a fabulous summer and<br />
look forward to seeing you at the<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> AGM in Barcelona.<br />
Winkie<br />
4<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 5
Ruminations: Walking<br />
in our dogs shoes<br />
Elise Montfort from Belgium discusses a unique way to understand the way animals feel and appreciate<br />
why something feels wrong to them while something we humans never do, can feel so enjoyable<br />
Photo Credit: Harriet Alexander, UK<br />
After years of living with and<br />
working side by side with<br />
animals, I’ve developed a<br />
strong interest for walking in<br />
their shoes, in getting close to feeling<br />
what they are feeling. It all started<br />
with my first dog, Joy, who I’d learned<br />
to mimic so well: the sound of her<br />
nails clicking on the floor, the way she<br />
used to vomit, the way she could play.<br />
But then I was only 12, and that could<br />
still be the kind of childish play I was<br />
allowed to play. Though I’m far older<br />
now, I still enjoy mimicking animals, no<br />
matter how ridiculous I can appear to<br />
some people. To me, it goes along with<br />
understanding the way animals feel,<br />
feeling the way they experience the<br />
world, understanding why something<br />
feels wrong, why going some direction<br />
is just impossible, or why something<br />
we humans never do, can feel so<br />
enjoyable to them. Sometimes, it’s just<br />
as simple as the sun’s reflection on a<br />
metal bar that makes it impossible for<br />
an animal to take a step further.<br />
Of course, I will probably never<br />
get anywhere close to being 100%<br />
positive that what I get to experience,<br />
when I try to put myself in an animal’s<br />
shoes, is actually what this very animal<br />
is experiencing. But for as long as<br />
I’ve been doing it, I’ve always been<br />
rewarded for it. Indeed, it is beneficial<br />
to try to figure out what an animal is<br />
feeling, to get another perspective on<br />
things. Sometimes, we need to leave<br />
behind every single thing we know<br />
in order to “get it”. Other times, we<br />
need thorough observation together<br />
with a good understanding of the<br />
animal’s ethogram and basic needs<br />
to appreciate and get to feel what’s<br />
going on.<br />
In the end, getting into the process<br />
of feeling and understanding what<br />
an animal is experiencing gives us<br />
accurate and efficient tools to get<br />
to know them better, get to live with<br />
them more respectfully and often also,<br />
change their lives and our lives for<br />
the better. Sometimes, all it takes is<br />
to get down on all fours to get their<br />
perspective. Some other times it’s a<br />
little more complicated. You may just<br />
get lucky and get it right away. In any<br />
case, it always turns out to be worth it.<br />
Recently I was reminded that my<br />
closed mind could be opened by<br />
simple things that would help my<br />
dogs. One of my dogs, Judy, had been<br />
having bouts of stiffness. Even though<br />
we made good use of our osteopath<br />
appointments and regular massages,<br />
tension would stay, reappear, build<br />
up, and she would be in pain again.<br />
There definitely was an urgent need<br />
to have a closer look at her daily<br />
routines and opt for healthier habits<br />
and activities. But at the time, I was<br />
feeling hopeless. There was nothing I<br />
could do to alleviate the burden Judy<br />
was carrying as she was refusing our<br />
regular massages. That’s when luck<br />
popped in! I got the opportunity to<br />
have a light touch session. I realised<br />
how tense I myself was and how<br />
relieving those light touches were.<br />
Moreover, I realised that if I had had<br />
a “real” massage session, I would<br />
Photo Credit: Winkie Spiers, UK<br />
The world can look very different from a dog’s perspective. Getting an idea of their world<br />
view can tell us a lot about why our dogs behave the way they do<br />
probably have felt uncomfortable. Immediately I thought of Judy: could it be as<br />
simple as that? Could light touches be the answer she needed at that particular<br />
moment? Just that? I couldn’t wait to give it a try… And yes Judy loved it!<br />
I also recall something my dogs, Judy and Kimba, taught me (our dogs tend<br />
to teach us quite a few things, don’t they?). At the time, there was quite a bit<br />
of tension and every day was a challenge for the three of us. Communicating<br />
properly and understanding each other was a big deal. But then, we had a few<br />
nights in a row, where everything went well. And every time it did, I noticed that<br />
they would lie down and give a big sigh before falling fast asleep. As soon as<br />
one of them would sigh, I could feel the tension in the room vanish immediately.<br />
I started dreaming that I could initiate the sigh, then I thought of first getting the<br />
feel for it (you’ve got it, I never used to sigh). By now, those of you who practice<br />
it on a daily basis may have raised an eyebrow, and the ones who think it’s silly as<br />
well. But guess what? I felt an immediate relief! After that experience, every time<br />
they would sigh, I would sigh in unison. After a few times, I would actually sigh<br />
by myself if I felt like we could “use” a bit of tension releasing. And they would<br />
usually sigh in unison with me. Now it’s part of our “healthy habits”<br />
We can never put ourselves enough in our animals’ shoes. So, next time you don’t<br />
“get” your dog, just give it a try, as ridiculous as it may make you feel, I can tell<br />
you, you will be as delighted as I always am by what you will discover!<br />
6<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 7
Hard hitting: Saying<br />
NO to dogs<br />
guilty, he must know what he has<br />
done”. Actually, our dog is simply<br />
responding to our “threatening” body<br />
language and communicating in the<br />
only way he knows how to.<br />
Dogs are dogs and they do dog stuff:<br />
chewing, digging, peeing, barking,<br />
nipping, etc. This is all normal<br />
behaviour for dogs, but unfortunately<br />
for them we have a tendency to dislike<br />
these behaviours. So we start saying<br />
NO without even realizing it. At first,<br />
because to him, these behaviours are<br />
normal, our dog becomes confused;<br />
then frustration sets in on both<br />
sides. This can lead to stress further<br />
damaging the desired relationship.<br />
when we say NO. If the dog is doing something we do not wish him to do, instead<br />
of shouting NO, let’s offer him an alternative:<br />
If our dog is jumping up on us, let’s keep turning away from him, without speaking<br />
to him or making eye contact, whilst giving the hand signal thereby giving him a<br />
clear message that now is not the time for any interaction.<br />
If our dog has run off with our toddler’s shoe, let’s invite him to back to us,<br />
offer him a reward for coming and giving us the shoe back and then offer him<br />
something he is allowed to play with. Remember it is our fault not his that he has<br />
the shoe in the first place.<br />
If our dog is barking at the fence/front door, let’s thank him for letting us<br />
know, then show him that there is nothing to worry about and take over the<br />
responsibility, allowing him to take himself off without a care in the world.<br />
How often do we use the word “no” to our dogs? What does it mean to them and should we be using it?<br />
Marina Gates Flemming from Belgium asks us some tough questions about getting tough on dogs.<br />
Photo Credit: Toni Martinez, Spain<br />
“<br />
A healthy puppy certainly, will be<br />
curious and will want to investigate<br />
the world, mostly with his mouth. By<br />
saying NO or stopping the puppy,<br />
we are interrupting this natural<br />
behaviour and not allowing the<br />
puppy to develop at his own pace,<br />
into a healthy adult.<br />
During the summer, I heard someone say NO to her dog<br />
in the garden next door. I could not see anything but I<br />
could hear it and it was obvious, as they were repeating<br />
themselves, that it was not working. We humans talk too much and<br />
one of the things that most people say all too often to their dogs is<br />
NO. It probably starts as soon as the puppy arrives home: “NO, stop<br />
biting”; “NO, don’t jump on me”; “NO, leave that alone”; “NO, not<br />
there”; “NO, that’s my shoe, stop chewing it”. And so on. However,<br />
saying “NO” to our dogs does not help nurture a relationship based<br />
on love, trust and mutual respect.<br />
A healthy puppy certainly, will be curious and will want to investigate<br />
the world, mostly with his mouth. This is how he discovers what the<br />
world around him has to offer. By saying NO or stopping the puppy,<br />
we are interrupting this natural behaviour and not allowing the<br />
puppy to develop at his own pace, into a healthy adult. We need to<br />
remember that a curious dog is a healthy dog. A dog who is unable to<br />
interact with his environment is not coping and is either in shutdown<br />
(depression) or just too stressed to relax into discovering what is<br />
around him. This can ultimately lead to chronic stress.<br />
Dogs have no idea what NO means. Dogs communicate primarily<br />
through body language. So if we use the word NO our dog is not<br />
responding to the word, but to our body language. He will pick up<br />
that we are upset and that something is wrong but he has no way<br />
of knowing what it is. To that you may answer: “But my dog looks<br />
We probably say NO in many<br />
different situations and the dog has<br />
no idea which action the NO applies<br />
to. How can our dog understand that<br />
NO means stop jumping up in one<br />
instance, stop nipping in another and<br />
don’t chase the neighbour’s cat in yet<br />
another. NO is said so very many<br />
times that dogs simply do not even<br />
hear it any more*.<br />
This apart, we could also be giving<br />
our dog attention and therefore<br />
reinforcing that behaviour because<br />
attention, even if negative, as in a NO,<br />
is still attention and can therefore be<br />
reinforcing to the dog especially if that<br />
is what he was seeking.<br />
Worse still, we may not realise this,<br />
but by saying NO, we are actually<br />
punishing our dog and this can be<br />
very disruptive to our dog’s wellbeing.<br />
Indeed, our dog needs to feel<br />
safe when with us, so in addition to<br />
being ineffective in changing the<br />
“unwanted behaviour”, it disrupts the<br />
bond between us. The inconstancy<br />
caused by the NO will result in our<br />
dog to feeling a lack of safety with us,<br />
instead of feeling happy and confident<br />
in our relationship.<br />
We are not teaching our dog anything<br />
Photo Credit: Winkie Spiers, UK<br />
Saying NO is a bad habit, which is best not acquired. If acquired it’s wise to work<br />
hard at losing it as quickly as possible as it will not benefit our relationship with<br />
our four legged friend.<br />
* In psychology, this is called “Learned Irrelevance”, the dog is not able to link a consequence<br />
to the sound and therefore decides it has no relevance to him and systematically learns to<br />
ignore it (this happens all too often with “recall” as well).<br />
8<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 9
Commands:<br />
Verbal communication<br />
Are we talking our way out of problem solving? Je-an Shields from UK examines the effectiveness of<br />
verbal communicaiton with dogs and offers alternatives.<br />
Iwas walking in the park some<br />
months ago, and I must have<br />
heard the name “Bailey” called<br />
over a hundred times during the<br />
course of half an hour! If the poor<br />
dog went more than ten feet away<br />
from it’s owner, he was repeatedly<br />
called, and would eventually go back<br />
to his human. But what was actually<br />
in it for him? Understandably,<br />
he went off to do his own thing,<br />
and would only respond when<br />
he was called four or five times in<br />
succession.<br />
Not long after this, I attended a<br />
seminar with Turid Rugaas, and she<br />
said, if you instruct your dog more<br />
than three times, you’re talking too<br />
much. In summary, “SHUTUP”!!<br />
This got me thinking about just<br />
how much I, and other dog owners<br />
talk to their dogs, particularly on<br />
their walk. I’ve spent a lot of time<br />
observing this, and I’m amazed at just<br />
how many words we do use (a vast<br />
majority of them unnecessary and<br />
meaningless).<br />
At the seminar, Winkie Spears spoke<br />
about doing silent walks, so I thought I<br />
would give this a go, and I have to say,<br />
I’ve not looked back.<br />
I walk a client’s dog twice a week, and<br />
have spent a lot of time building up a<br />
relationship with him, as he isn’t without<br />
his issues. The one thing I became<br />
aware of, is how he shuts down from<br />
verbal communication. Even if I used<br />
a limited dog-vocabulary with him, he<br />
appeared to struggle with it, and there<br />
were times that I couldn’t get him on<br />
the lead to go home. This resorted in<br />
my having to call his owner’s dad, who<br />
does his infamous whistle, that Rufus<br />
responds to.<br />
I’ve been doing silent walks with him<br />
Photo Credit: Laura Evans, Spain<br />
Photo Credit: Je-an Shields, UK<br />
Rufus, the dog that taught Je-an all about<br />
silent walks<br />
for quite some time now, and our<br />
relationship has deepened further,<br />
as we both communicate purely with<br />
body language. He loves to explore,<br />
so he will go into the trees, seeking<br />
out squirrels, but will check in with<br />
me frequently. Not using my voice,<br />
has made me look at myself, and how<br />
I interact with Rufus, and I spend all<br />
my time observing his body language,<br />
to guage how he is feeling in his<br />
environment. When it’s time to return<br />
to the van, I simply stand still, with my<br />
body turned to the side, not engaging<br />
in any eye contact. Rufus will then<br />
approach me, and sit, ready to have<br />
the lead put back onto his harness.<br />
Absolutely no verbal exchange is<br />
made, from the time I collect him,<br />
to the time I take him home, and the<br />
quality of our walks has changed so<br />
much. I have a better understanding of<br />
his needs now, and “listen” to him. He<br />
is very clear on occassions, that a walk<br />
is not for him, so we do treat searches<br />
in his garden (in total silence). We<br />
have an equally lovely time in each<br />
other’s company.<br />
I do silent walks with all my client’s<br />
dogs now, and with my own dogs,<br />
and have recommended it to lots of<br />
people too. Some people look at me<br />
like I’m crazy, but I guess this is a<br />
lack of confidence in themselves and<br />
their dogs, to believe it’s possible to<br />
achieve a much more enriching time.<br />
Those who have tried this technique<br />
have said it’s made such a positive<br />
difference to the experience.<br />
Photo Credit: Winkie Spiers, UK<br />
Dogs do not need words to build friendships and communicate. Should we not reconsider<br />
our use of words as well?<br />
10<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 11
Sleep is a complex process of active<br />
internal restoration, recuperation and<br />
reconsolidation that is essential to our<br />
health and well-being. It is the same<br />
for our dogs.<br />
Sleep is essential to our well being.<br />
When we do not sleep we do not<br />
function as well, we feel tired and<br />
irritable, we make mistakes and if taken<br />
to extremes we die. It is the same with<br />
our dogs and their sleep patterns are<br />
similar to ours.<br />
The slow wave phase is followed by the rapid eye movement phase (REM).<br />
Interestingly, there is more electrical activity in the brain when in REM sleep than<br />
when awake. This is true of dogs and humans. The dog may seem more agitated<br />
during this type of sleep. You may notice his eyes rolling and the dog may even<br />
whine, bark or move his limbs. The increased electrical activity in the brain is<br />
attributed to dreams, according to one theory 1 . Puppies will spend more time in<br />
the REM phase. During REM sleep, there is also increased activity of a specific<br />
part of the brain, which has an effect on GABA 2 . The increased electrical activity<br />
also results in paralysis of the core muscles so they cannot get up but will twitch,<br />
wag their tails, whimper etc... this is why dogs must be able to lie flat out. A short<br />
video of a dog in REM sleep can be seen on the <strong>PDTE</strong> Belgium page.<br />
In depth:<br />
Understanding sleep<br />
Sleep is a complex process of active internal restoration, recuperation and reconsolidation that is<br />
essential to our health and well-being. Marina Gates Flemming from Belgium lays out all the details<br />
Photo Credit: Kirsten Merkel, Netherlands<br />
Slow Wave Sleep (Non REM Sleep)<br />
takes up about 70% of our dog’s<br />
sleeping time. This is the time the brain<br />
sleeps. It has 3 stages:<br />
Stage 1: the stage between<br />
wakefulness and sleep. It is difficult<br />
to pinpoint the actual point of falling<br />
asleep as brain wave activity gradually<br />
slows down with breathing becoming<br />
more regular and the heart rate<br />
slowing down.<br />
Dogs need more sleep than<br />
we do. Adult dogs need<br />
about sixteen hours of<br />
sleep a day. Puppies need about<br />
twenty hours of sleep each day.<br />
Safety is essential for dogs to sleep<br />
well (beware of slippery floors) and<br />
we should not disturb our sleeping<br />
dogs.<br />
Dogs are polyphasic sleepers; they<br />
will choose somewhere to sleep for a<br />
while before getting up and moving<br />
somewhere else. This is normal and<br />
instinctive behaviour. Dogs are also<br />
social animals. They normally like to<br />
sleep with company, day and night;<br />
In multi-dog households though,<br />
they may occasionally need to have<br />
the opportunity to sleep alone and<br />
in peace, away from others. Sleep is<br />
a time for them to get some peace<br />
and quiet - our lives can sometimes<br />
be too noisy and active for them.<br />
Dogs should have lots of choices when<br />
it comes to sleeping surfaces. Sofas,<br />
beanbags, baskets, cushions, fluffy<br />
rugs, sheepskins, raised beds, blankets<br />
etc make for wonderful sleeping<br />
surfaces. The sleeping surfaces should<br />
vary in type and size. Provide them at<br />
different locations in the house (and in<br />
the garden when the weather is right).<br />
The sleeping surfaces should have<br />
enough space to lie flat, or curled up<br />
or on top or under things<br />
I would now like to go into a little<br />
more detail on the role sleep plays<br />
in helping our body and brain to<br />
rebalance. Indeed, we might be<br />
tempted to think that sleep is a<br />
passive state of unconsciousness,<br />
this is however far from the truth.<br />
Photo Credit: Marina Gates Flemming, Belgium<br />
Stage 2: the first real stage of<br />
sleep during which muscle activity<br />
decreases further and conscious<br />
awareness of the outside world begins<br />
to fade completely. Brain waves are<br />
mainly in the theta wave range (as<br />
in stage 1 sleep), but in addition the<br />
dog experiences short bursts of brain<br />
activity (spindles) and K-complexes.<br />
Together, these help to protect sleep<br />
by suppressing response to outside<br />
stimuli, as well as aiding in sleepbased<br />
memory consolidation and<br />
information processing.<br />
Stage 3: is also known as deep, delta<br />
or slow-wave sleep (SWS). During<br />
this period the dog will be even less<br />
responsive to the outside world and<br />
pretty much unaware of any sounds or<br />
other stimuli. Both brain activity and<br />
physical indicators such as breathing<br />
rate, heart rate and blood pressure are<br />
all at their lowest levels. Information<br />
processing and memory consolidation<br />
continues to occur during this period.<br />
Photo Credit: Winkie Spiers, UK<br />
SWS and REM sleep promote different types of learning and REM sleep<br />
appears to promote brain development. Sleep is important for the following:<br />
• Recreating homeostasis<br />
• Rebalancing serotonin levels<br />
• Regulating brain electricity<br />
• Consolidating memory<br />
• Reducing cortisol levels<br />
• Boosting the immune system<br />
• Enhancing tissue repair in the brain (and the body)<br />
• Safe experiencing of potential outcomes prepare the<br />
brain for future possibilities<br />
So let’s make sure that both we and our dogs get the safe, good quality and<br />
comfortable sleep we need on a regular basis.<br />
1<br />
Studies have indicated that dogs have the same blood flow to the visual areas of their<br />
brain that we do, so it is very likely that they are seeing images.<br />
2<br />
GABA is the most inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and it appears to have a<br />
widespread distribution in both the brain and spinal cord. Its natural function is to reduce<br />
the activity of the neurons. Some researchers believe that one of the purposes that GABA<br />
serves is to control the fear or anxiety experienced when neurons are overexcited<br />
12<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 13
Policy: Compulsory<br />
Courses in<br />
Switzerland<br />
Susi Roger, Switzerland<br />
In 2008, a new animal protection<br />
legislation is in Switzerland came<br />
into force. With the introduction<br />
of this legislation, a mandatory<br />
Sachkundenachweis course (SKN)<br />
for dog owners was introduced<br />
throughout Switzerland . This course<br />
is used for prevention of accidents .<br />
Since September 1st, 2008 first time<br />
dog owners have needed to attend<br />
a theory course lasting a minimum<br />
of 4 hours, before buying the dog.<br />
In addition, every dog owner has to<br />
attend a minimum of 4 hours of the<br />
practical course, within a year of<br />
acquiring each additional dog.<br />
Around 80% of dog owners have<br />
attended these compulsory SKN<br />
courses . The surveyed dog owners<br />
have rated the courses in terms of<br />
design , usefulness , quality and<br />
impact.<br />
Many of the dog owners opted<br />
to attend more hours of the SKN<br />
courses with their dogs because<br />
they have realized, that the four-hour<br />
practical course is just a basis for a<br />
good relationship between holder<br />
and dog, but it is not sufficient for a<br />
comprehensive education of the dog.<br />
Criticism of the<br />
courses<br />
20 % of dog owners do not attend<br />
compulsory courses . The quality<br />
assurance of the courses are not<br />
considered optimal . The practical<br />
course must be attended with every<br />
additional dog even if the dog has<br />
previously attended the course with<br />
another owner.<br />
The Federal Office of Food Safety<br />
and Veterinary Services is unable to<br />
prove the effectiveness of the courses<br />
regarding prevention of accidents .<br />
What next?<br />
We need political attempts at national<br />
level to achieve the abolition of the<br />
courses. The argument given is that<br />
the courses are pure chores and<br />
only aiding to drive the business of<br />
dog schools . It is requested that the<br />
courses be abolished as they are<br />
useless .<br />
The other side maintains that not<br />
only should the courses be held, but<br />
that more compulsory lessons are<br />
required.<br />
Apart from the SKN courses , which<br />
are valid throughout Switzerland, we<br />
have 26 different cantonal dog laws in<br />
Switzerland and in addition all the laws<br />
in the individual municipalities . Every<br />
dog owner needs to know where the<br />
cantonal boundaries extend and what<br />
laws are valid (e.g. breeds etc.).<br />
A nationwide dog law is requested<br />
from many dog owners. It would make<br />
it a lot easier for the dog owners and<br />
perhaps also for the communities.<br />
So we are curious, what’s next..<br />
Report:<br />
Balance weekend in<br />
Netherlands<br />
Agnes Degen, Netherlands<br />
Last March, I organised a<br />
weekend retreat for dog<br />
owners with their dogs in the<br />
Netherlands. I did this with Hilda Jager<br />
(she is not a <strong>PDTE</strong>-member but an old<br />
student of Turid’s.) Ten dogs and their<br />
female owners attended the weekend.<br />
So it was a lovely women’s weekend<br />
out. We had a great location in the<br />
north of the Netherlands. Everyone<br />
had their own room with bathroom.<br />
And there was a large cosy room we<br />
used when being together. Outdoors<br />
there was a beautiful forest, fields and<br />
a private area we used. Breakfast,<br />
lunch and dinner was taken care of<br />
by the venue-owners. So no worries<br />
about that.<br />
We had a program with practical<br />
workshops and lectures spread<br />
out over two days and a part of the<br />
evenings. The weekend was called<br />
Balance Weekend. Our aim was to<br />
let people see how we work and live<br />
with dogs in balance - building good<br />
habits, doing different activities with<br />
their dogs etc. It was so nice to see<br />
people totally shift to our vison during<br />
the weekend. The commands and<br />
Photo Credit: Agnes Degen, Netherlands<br />
collars were replaced by a nice hand<br />
signal and harness. Everything went<br />
so smoothly, there were some reactive<br />
dogs in the group. But with the peace<br />
and harmony in the group we had no<br />
problem handling these situations.<br />
Next year we will be back there for a<br />
new weekend to organize.<br />
Photo Credit: Agnes Degen, Netherlands<br />
14<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 15
Report:<br />
First unit of IDTE, UK<br />
Je-an Shields, United Kingdom<br />
“Turid’s no nonsense approach<br />
really appeals to me. She can<br />
wade through the waffle, with<br />
just one aim – allowing a dog<br />
to be a dog, and seeing it’s<br />
true potential. This isn’t done<br />
in a fluffy, airy fairy way, but<br />
it’s simplicity is priceless.<br />
Iconsider myself very lucky to<br />
be an associate member of the<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong>, and am working towards<br />
full membership. The ethics are ones I<br />
value dearly, and it’s great to read the<br />
blogs and get lots of tips from fellow<br />
members. It’s really important to have<br />
the support of like-minded people.<br />
As if that’s not good enough, I am<br />
absolutely elated to be doing the<br />
Photo Credit: Karen Webb, UK<br />
IDTE (International Dog Trainer<br />
Education) with Turid!!<br />
I first met Turid at a seminar in<br />
Staffordshire last September, where<br />
Karen Webb briefly popped in<br />
to talk about the up and coming<br />
education. After the first day of the<br />
seminar, I knew it was something I<br />
really wanted to do, but at the time, I<br />
wasn’t sure if it was achievable.<br />
After a lot of badgering from Karen,<br />
an opportunity presented itself, in the<br />
guise of a cancellation, and I jumped<br />
at the chance!!<br />
The first unit covered some of what<br />
was discussed in the seminar, and<br />
put it freshly back in my mind. I have<br />
also learnt a lot of new stuff, and have<br />
already been putting it into practise,<br />
not just as part of my homework, but<br />
with clients as well. The results speak<br />
for themselves.<br />
Turid talked about creating an<br />
enriched environment, and we had a<br />
practical demonstration with some of<br />
the student’s dogs. It was fascinating<br />
to see how differently the dogs<br />
interacted with the objects. One dog<br />
didn’t go near them, and it helps to<br />
provide a bigger picture of what is<br />
actually going on in the emotions of<br />
the dog.<br />
I’ve done this with a couple of dogs,<br />
as part of my homework, and I’ve<br />
learnt so much more about them,<br />
which helps to give you a clearer<br />
direction of where to go next, with<br />
their rehabilitation/training.<br />
Turid’s no nonsense approach really<br />
appeals to me. In her decades of<br />
experience, I’m sure she’s seen it all,<br />
and can wade through the waffle, with<br />
just one aim – allowing a dog to be<br />
a dog, and seeing it’s true potential.<br />
This isn’t done in a fluffy, airy fairy<br />
way, but it’s simplicity is priceless. As<br />
humans, we seem to be obsessed with<br />
the idea that we have to do as much<br />
as possible to make a change, but her<br />
methods blow this blind philosophy<br />
out of the water!!<br />
I am so excited about the journey I’ve<br />
begun, it’s very thought provoking,<br />
it makes you put yourself under<br />
the microscope, and question what<br />
you do, why you do it, if it’s actually<br />
necessary, and does it really work.<br />
I’ve already made changes to the<br />
relationship I have with my own<br />
dogs, and with the dogs I work with.<br />
It’s deepened our connection, and I<br />
feel that we are all a lot happier and<br />
relaxed. After all, it’s it’s about the<br />
dogs, as it should be.<br />
It’s been a few years since I’ve<br />
been in education, and I feel very<br />
fortunate to be under the tutelage of<br />
the incomparable Turid Rugaas, and<br />
such a lovely group of students.<br />
The venue is great, the dog pods<br />
are a stroke of genius, and the food<br />
provided is totally scrummy!!<br />
None of this would be possible<br />
without Karen and Alan Webb, who<br />
have worked tirelessly to put this<br />
together. Last but not least, a huge<br />
thank you to Winkie Spears for<br />
overseeing things too. I’ve really<br />
learnt a lot from your input.<br />
Here’s to the next seventeen months!<br />
They’re going to be incredible!!<br />
Photo Credit: Karen Webb, UK<br />
Dog pods to help the dogs relax during the theory sessions at IDTE, United Kingdom<br />
Photo Credit: Je-an Shields, UK<br />
16<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 17
Country Corner<br />
v<br />
<br />
For the first time Turid<br />
Rugaas’ International<br />
Dog Trainer Education is<br />
being hosted in the UK.<br />
<br />
On the October 4th, the<br />
Dutch Day of the Animal,<br />
seven members will each<br />
organise a theme day<br />
“Stimulate the senses”<br />
T<br />
he Kennel club of the Netherlands<br />
sent out news that the faculty of<br />
Dierengeneeskunde of the University of<br />
Utrecht has developed DNA tests that enable<br />
owners of the Dutch breeds: the Kooiker and the<br />
Friese Stabij, to test if their dog is a bearer of a<br />
divergent gene. Breeders can take the DNA test<br />
as a precaution.<br />
v<br />
Ta he BBC released a harrowing documentary<br />
in May called ‘Britain’s Puppy Dealers<br />
Exposed’. While distressing to view, it<br />
generated discussion and outrage among<br />
the public about the brutal conditions these dogs<br />
and puppies are kept in, as well as an investigation<br />
into the illegal puppy dealers featured.<br />
S<br />
<br />
ince mid 2014, Welfare for animals has<br />
been devolved to the 3 regions. They have<br />
all inherited the Animal Welfare Act which<br />
was written in 1986. Each region will be looking<br />
to update this and have each appointed an<br />
Animal Welfare Minister<br />
Belgium has unique form<br />
of a federal state with<br />
segregated political<br />
power into three levels -<br />
the federal government,<br />
regional and linguistic<br />
18<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 19
Country<br />
Corner<br />
Reports from country representatives of member countries<br />
United<br />
Kingdom<br />
Harriet Jane Alexander<br />
T<br />
he dog world is bustling<br />
in the UK this year, both<br />
nationally and within <strong>PDTE</strong>.<br />
We’ve welcomed some new associate<br />
members to our midst, and for the first<br />
time Turid Rugaas’ International Dog<br />
Trainer Education (IDTE) is being<br />
hosted in the UK. <strong>PDTE</strong> Secretary<br />
Karen Webb and her husband have<br />
done an extraordinary job putting the<br />
course together, and the response from<br />
students has been very encouraging.<br />
We can’t wait to hear more about it!<br />
The UK is often a contradictory<br />
place when it comes to dog welfare.<br />
There are an estimated eight and<br />
a half million pet dogs in the UK,<br />
and interest in dogs is reflected in<br />
the many products, training classes,<br />
Netherlands<br />
Rachaël Draaisma<br />
Last year we welcomed several<br />
new members to <strong>PDTE</strong>, a<br />
few of them are Dutch and<br />
living in the Netherlands. Some have<br />
been working as dog trainers. Others<br />
are starting up their dog schools, and<br />
are busy making websites, facebook<br />
pages, etc. We have two dates a year<br />
television programs and research<br />
projects that exist. Unfortunately,<br />
dogs are still facing the same issues –<br />
the prevalence of outdated and cruel<br />
training methods, puppy farming and<br />
a surplus of unwanted and abandoned<br />
pets that ended up in over-crowed<br />
rescue centres. Dogs Trust, the UK’s<br />
largest dog welfare charity, reported<br />
last year that 47,596 dogs were given<br />
up by their owners, and 5,142 were put<br />
to sleep (around 14 dogs per day).<br />
The BBC released a harrowing<br />
documentary in May called ‘Britain’s<br />
Puppy Dealers Exposed’. While<br />
distressing to view, it generated<br />
discussion and outrage among the<br />
public about the brutal conditions<br />
these dogs and puppies are kept in, as<br />
well as an investigation into the illegal<br />
puppy dealers featured. For those of us<br />
working in the training and behaviour<br />
world, it highlights how important it<br />
is to educate people not only about<br />
respecting and valuing their canine<br />
were we offer opportunities to meet<br />
each other and these get-togathers<br />
are visited by an average of eleven<br />
people. A lot of members are busy<br />
organising lectures and seminars,<br />
both for customers, and for a broader<br />
audience.<br />
At the horse fair <strong>PDTE</strong> member Helga,<br />
organised enriched environments<br />
for people visiting the horse fair,<br />
companions, but also where they<br />
should get them from in the first place.<br />
Supply and demand is the key issue –<br />
if people know how and where to get<br />
a healthy and cared for puppy, these<br />
unscrupulous ‘breeders’ will struggle<br />
to keep their horrific businesses<br />
operating.<br />
Compulsory micro-chipping of dogs in<br />
the UK came into place in April <strong>2016</strong>,<br />
which ideally will make it easier for<br />
missing dogs to be reunited with their<br />
owners. There have been criticisms<br />
surrounding who will monitor and<br />
police this change in the law (and who<br />
will bother to comply with it), and only<br />
time will tell if it has an impact on the<br />
stray dog population.<br />
There’s been quite a bit of discussion<br />
among UK members about the <strong>PDTE</strong><br />
AGM – we are looking forward to<br />
catching up with our fellow members<br />
across the channel !<br />
but wanted to do an activity with<br />
their dog. Calming Signs visited the<br />
Woof stock fair for the first time and<br />
showed visitors their products. On<br />
the October 4th, the Dutch Day of<br />
the Animal, seven members will each<br />
organise a theme day “Stimulate the<br />
senses”. A collective press release on<br />
the theme will be written and sent to<br />
the press.<br />
Some other dog related news from the<br />
Netherlands. The dog is still a very<br />
beloved family companion. Number<br />
of dogs in the Netherlands is being<br />
considered steady by the government.<br />
The estimation is that every one out of<br />
five families in the Netherlands owns a<br />
dog. Eighty percent of these families<br />
have children. This is about one and a<br />
half million dogs in this country. Mind<br />
you these are the registered dogs. The<br />
number could well be higher. Great<br />
news is the decision of the Dutch<br />
government to ban the shock devices<br />
sold at stores. However the huge<br />
disappointment is the fact that the<br />
government does make an exception<br />
Belgium<br />
Marina Gates Flemming<br />
Belgium is a sovereign state<br />
in Western Europe. It is a<br />
founding member of the<br />
European Union and hosts several<br />
of the EU’s official seats and as well<br />
as the headquarters of many major<br />
international organizations such as<br />
NATO.<br />
Belgium covers an area of just<br />
over 30,000 square km and has<br />
a population of about 11.5 million<br />
people. The capital, Brussels, is also<br />
the capital of the EU and of Flanders.<br />
Belgium is home to 3 linguistic<br />
groups: the Dutch-speaking, Flemish<br />
community, which constitutes<br />
about 59% of the population, the<br />
French-speaking, mostly Walloon<br />
population, which comprises 41% of<br />
the population and a small group of<br />
German-speakers who are officially<br />
recognized.<br />
for dog specialists, who use these<br />
devises to prevent danger for others.<br />
A growing number of dog lovers<br />
question the use of vaccinations and<br />
are requesting information regarding<br />
tittering their dog. More places are<br />
offering titter tests for dogs.<br />
The Kennel club of the Netherlands<br />
sent out news that the faculty of<br />
Dierengeneeskunde of the University<br />
of Utrecht has developed DNA tests<br />
that enable owners of the Dutch<br />
breeds: the Kooiker and the Friese<br />
Stabij, to test if their dog is a bearer<br />
of a divergent gene. In the Friese<br />
Belgium is a federal constitutional<br />
monarchy with a parliamentary system<br />
of governance and the territory is<br />
divided into three Regions: Flanders,<br />
(the Flemish Region), Wallonia (the<br />
French speaking Region) and the<br />
Brussels Capital Region (where you<br />
will hear many a language spoken).<br />
Belgium has compulsory voting and<br />
thus maintains one of the highest rates<br />
of voter turnout in the world.<br />
Based on the four language areas<br />
defined in 1962–63 (the Dutch,<br />
bilingual, French and German language<br />
areas), consecutive revisions of the<br />
country’s constitution established a<br />
unique form of a federal state with<br />
segregated political power into three<br />
levels:<br />
1. The Federal government based in<br />
Brussels.<br />
2. The three language communities<br />
3. The three regions<br />
The Federal Government authority<br />
includes justice, defense, federal<br />
police, social security, nuclear energy,<br />
Stabij the divergent gene causes<br />
an error in a protein that normally<br />
ensures the reabsorption of a neuro<br />
transmitter after a neuron is activated.<br />
The defective protein reabsorption<br />
leads to continuous stimulus. This<br />
results in compulsive behaviour in<br />
pups like walking in circles. Pups<br />
that are diagnosed with this disease<br />
are being euthanized. The DNA test<br />
is developed to be used by breeders<br />
before they start breeding. In the<br />
Kookier dog the defect gene that can<br />
be tested upon is causing paralysing<br />
of the hind legs. A cure has not been<br />
found. Breeders can take the DNA<br />
test as a precaution.<br />
monetary policy and public debt,<br />
and other aspects of public finances.<br />
It controls substantial parts of public<br />
health, home affairs and foreign<br />
affairs.<br />
Regions have authority in fields that<br />
can be broadly associated with their<br />
territory. These include economy,<br />
employment, agriculture, water<br />
policy, housing, public works, energy,<br />
transport, the environment, town and<br />
country planning and nature.<br />
Since mid 2014, Welfare for animals<br />
has been devolved to the 3 regions.<br />
They have all inherited the Animal<br />
Welfare Act which was written in<br />
1986. Each region will be looking to<br />
update this and have each appointed<br />
an Animal Welfare Minister<br />
(Flanders: Ben Weyts; Wallonia:<br />
Carlo Di Antonio and Brussels<br />
Capital: Bianca Debaets); this being<br />
just one of their responsibilities.<br />
I propose to comment on the<br />
progress made by the respective<br />
animal welfare ministers in the next<br />
newsletter.<br />
20<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 21
A new preparation<br />
called Sileo<br />
BSAVA Small animal<br />
Formulary<br />
Causes diuresis by supressing ADH<br />
secretion, a transient increase in blood<br />
glucose by decreasing endogenous<br />
insulin secretion, mydriasisand<br />
decreased intraocular pressure.<br />
Vomiting could be caused after i.m.<br />
application. Due to effect on blood<br />
glucose, use in diabetic animals is<br />
not recommended. Spontaneous<br />
arousal from deep sedation following<br />
stimulation can occur with this<br />
preparation. Aggressive animals<br />
must be sedated with caution.<br />
Moreover it is not working in stressed<br />
animals with high adrenalin - this<br />
medicine binds the same receptors<br />
as adrenalin. When they are busy this<br />
medicine does not work. That is why<br />
it is not possible aroused animals fall<br />
alseep with this preparation.<br />
I am strongly against sedatives<br />
beeing used by owners without<br />
veterninary supervision. It could be<br />
life threatening. I have the antidote<br />
for this at my practice but owners at<br />
home do not. If the animal develop<br />
cardiac arrest at home they are not<br />
able to do anything. I think it is my<br />
duty to warn dog people before<br />
using this at home. It is not safe.<br />
Editorial correction: the original publication of this article listed the preparation as Silio rather than Sileo, which was corrected 18/07/16<br />
Dr. Martina Nčeradská from Czech Republic explains the workings and side effects of Sileo and advices<br />
against it’s unsupervised usage<br />
One of my clients asked me<br />
about a new preparation<br />
Sileo. I decided to write<br />
about this to inform dog people who<br />
love their dogs and do not want to<br />
harm them. This new preparation<br />
is meant to “protect” dogs from<br />
fireworks and sound.<br />
European Medicines Agency<br />
recommends this preparation<br />
for medical use. Sileo contains<br />
dexmedetomidine hydrochlorid,<br />
which is selective alpha-2 adrenergic<br />
receptor agonist (alpha-2 agonist)<br />
that works by reducing the activity<br />
of the sympathetic nervous system,<br />
making the dog calm or sleepy.<br />
I use this preparation in my practice<br />
as a part of anaesthesia. It is good<br />
sedative, but in my opinion it has<br />
to be used under the supervision<br />
of a veterinary doctor in case of<br />
complications and the animal should<br />
be carefully monitored. It is not a<br />
preparation which could be allowed<br />
for unsupervised use at home.<br />
The letter from European Medicines<br />
Agency states: “The benefits of Sileo<br />
are its efficacy in the alleviation of<br />
acute anxiety and fear associated<br />
with noise in dogs. The most common<br />
side effects are transient paleness of<br />
mucous membranes at the application<br />
site, sedation, emesis and urinary<br />
incontinence. Detailed conditions<br />
for the use of this product will be<br />
described in the summary of product<br />
characteristics (SPC) which will be<br />
published in the European Public<br />
Assessment Report (EPAR) and will<br />
be available in all official European<br />
Union languages after the marketing<br />
authorisation has been granted by the<br />
European Commission. The CVMP,<br />
on the basis of quality, safety and<br />
efficacy data submitted, considers<br />
that there is a favourable benefit to<br />
risk balance for Sileo and therefore<br />
recommends the granting of the<br />
marketing authorisation.“<br />
I like dexmedetomidin for use in my<br />
practice, but I am really scared of<br />
what could this do in the hands of<br />
owners not knowing how it works -<br />
this medication is contraindicated in<br />
many animals - vets should know that,<br />
but owners do not.<br />
Contraindications in<br />
BSAVA Small animal<br />
Formulary<br />
Do not use in animals with<br />
cardiovascularor other systemic<br />
disease. Use of dexmedetomidine in<br />
geriatric patients is not advisable. It<br />
shuld not be used in pregnant animals,<br />
nor in animals requiring or receiving<br />
sympathomimetic amines.<br />
Adverse reactions in<br />
22<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 23
Picture Postcards<br />
01<br />
Relaxing a little between sessions at<br />
International Dog Trainer Educaion<br />
(IDTE), United Kingdom. Photo by<br />
Winkie Spiers, United Kingdom<br />
03<br />
02<br />
Enriched environment at<br />
International Dog Trainer Educaion<br />
(IDTE), United Kingdom. Photo by<br />
Karen Webb, United Kingdom<br />
01<br />
04<br />
Yanko relaxing at the Pelutopias<br />
centre in May during International<br />
Dog Trainer Education, as<br />
photographed by Laura Evans from<br />
Spain<br />
04 05<br />
06<br />
05<br />
Gala’s first time at the beach. Photo<br />
by Angeles Martinez from Spain<br />
03<br />
Puppy socializing group - so important for the puppies’ development !<br />
Playing a little with same age group, and meeting adult nice role models,<br />
the best you can do with your puppy !<br />
In Scandinavia the winter has just said goodbye for now, and puppy groups<br />
and classes pop up everywhere now the weather and temperature is more<br />
puppy-friendly. A sure sign of spring !<br />
02<br />
06<br />
Zoom while tracking with friends<br />
Sabadell, Spain. Photo by Julia Guiu.<br />
Photo by Turid Rugaas, Norway<br />
24<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 25
Members<br />
Corner<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> is happy to welcome twenty two new associate members.<br />
Julia<br />
Robertson<br />
United Kingdom<br />
I<br />
have always worked with animals<br />
and from the age of ten decided<br />
that would be my vocation.<br />
After working as a veterinary nurse,<br />
I started training and working in<br />
agricultural and animal husbandry.<br />
I partnered the management of a<br />
large dairy herd that we establish<br />
from one heifer to 250 dairy cows.<br />
But the pivotal moment arrived when<br />
Alexa Martinez<br />
Spain<br />
our six month old Labrador ‘Huffo’<br />
suffered a massive trauma and we<br />
were recommended PTS. But as it<br />
transpired, it was a soft tissue problem!<br />
I managed him with gentle exercises,<br />
as he could not lift his head from the<br />
floor; eventually he made a recovery<br />
and then lived until he was 17 years<br />
old! That was the time when I realised<br />
how muscular pain perception in<br />
dogs was so misunderstood and that<br />
many dogs could be suffering extreme<br />
muscle pain.<br />
In 2002 I established the Galen<br />
Therapy Centre, where I began<br />
treating dogs with degenerative<br />
musculoskeletal change that were<br />
referred from local veterinary<br />
practices. I still run and work in<br />
busy consultancy where I treat dogs<br />
as well as run extensive accredited<br />
training programmes and modules.<br />
I have now developed a variety of<br />
courses aimed at enhancing mobility<br />
I<br />
have lived in Spain for almost<br />
20 years now. I have two<br />
daughters and two dogs. I am a<br />
cat & dog behaviorist and trainer (as<br />
well as industrial engineer, but that’s<br />
another story). I graduated with a<br />
Masters degree in clinic ethology and<br />
have had special training for behavior<br />
modification, both from the University<br />
of Barcelona.<br />
I am lucky to have always lived with<br />
dogs and cats. Because of my love<br />
of pets, I decided to professionally<br />
dedicate myself to improving the<br />
in dogs both from a preventative<br />
and management perspective. The<br />
therapy uses a multidimensional<br />
assessment programme, to evaluate<br />
areas of muscle dysfunction and<br />
pain, followed by hands-on, totally<br />
specific massage techniques to<br />
treat and manage degenerative<br />
musculoskeletal change. Examples<br />
of this change could be osteoarthritis,<br />
general pre or post rest stiffness,<br />
post injury or accident and all forms<br />
of specific or non-specific lameness.<br />
I have authored and co-authored<br />
three books published through CRC<br />
Press (Taylor Francis) and Hubble and<br />
Hattie. I have produced two DVD’s on<br />
the subject of Myotherapy. ‘Tongue<br />
to Tail, the integrated movement of<br />
the dog’ won the 2012 Dog Writers<br />
Association of America, Maxwell<br />
Award. I have been a regular columnist<br />
for Dog World magazine for last three<br />
years.<br />
bond between humans and their pets<br />
and helping them solve problems of<br />
coexistence. In my opinion, the wellbeing<br />
of pets and owners is the key<br />
to a good and lasting relationship,<br />
which will result in fewer abandoned<br />
animals. I truly believe that respect,<br />
trust, empathy and knowledge will<br />
help achieve this goal.<br />
I am very interested in pet well-being,<br />
behavior modification techniques and<br />
stress management.<br />
Nicole Grygar<br />
Germany<br />
My name is Nicole Grygar<br />
and I live with my<br />
husband in a small village<br />
near Nuremberg in Germany. We live<br />
together with our two dogs – Beyla a<br />
9 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback and<br />
Jule a 4 year old Whippet,<br />
M<br />
y name is Kirsten<br />
Merkel, I´m 48 years<br />
old and my daughter<br />
is 20 years old. I live in the south<br />
of Germany, in Reutlingen. Since<br />
childhood, dogs have always been<br />
with me. Three years ago, I decided to<br />
get a dog trainer education. And since<br />
I<br />
have always loved animals. When<br />
I was a kid I dreamed of having<br />
a dog and a horse. As soon as I<br />
M<br />
y name is Lizz I live in<br />
Dutchess County NY.<br />
I have my CPTD-KA<br />
and have completed Turid Rugaas<br />
International Dog Education Course<br />
in Asheville NC. I do Private lessons,<br />
and want to continue until I get<br />
certified in Behavior. I want to bring<br />
Because I didn´t know how to handle<br />
Beyla in some situations I started<br />
attending seminars and workshops<br />
and now I´m so thankful for that<br />
trouble Beyla gave me. In 2011 I<br />
attended a seminar with Turid Rugaas<br />
in Bad Wimpfen. There I met Sonja<br />
Hoegen. I accompanied her one day<br />
during dog training and I really liked<br />
the way she worked with the dogs<br />
and also with the clients. So I decided<br />
to apply for the next dog trainer<br />
education at dogcom which I finished<br />
last year in October. I´ve completed<br />
a dog-nutritionist education with<br />
Silvia Weber this year. During the dog<br />
trainer education I got an idea about<br />
the importance of good food for dogs<br />
and I wanted to learn more about it.<br />
<strong>July</strong> 2014 I have my own dog school<br />
“Hundetraining Land & Stadt“.<br />
Kirsten<br />
Merkel<br />
Germany<br />
could afford it , I realized my dream<br />
. Our first dog was a Labrador -<br />
Groenendael cross. That is how my<br />
love for the Belgian Shepherd started<br />
. Over the years several Tervuren and<br />
Groenendael shepherds have come<br />
and gone. Then we decided to breed<br />
a litter.<br />
I also wanted to know more and more<br />
about dogs, how they feel, think and<br />
Turid’s method to the US. That is<br />
currently how I work with dogs. I<br />
have also volunteered at a shelter.<br />
Elizabeth<br />
McKeon<br />
USA<br />
At the moment I am attending the<br />
nosework dog trainer education with<br />
Anne Lill Kvam, because my dogs and<br />
I love doing nosework and I also want<br />
to do it with clients. It´s a nice way of<br />
doing something together. It´s really<br />
good for the dog-client relationship<br />
and it´s fun!<br />
In my other life I´m a social worker. I<br />
support mentally ill people that they<br />
can live an independent live. I realised<br />
that there are so many similarities in<br />
dog training and the work I do with<br />
my clients. I just started my own dog<br />
school. My aim is to support dog<br />
owners living together with their dogs<br />
in a respectful way.<br />
communicate. How could I make<br />
them happy whilst respecting them as<br />
dogs?<br />
Ultimately I would like to teach people<br />
how they can make their dogs happy.<br />
Diane<br />
Buytaert<br />
Belgium<br />
26<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 27
Robert<br />
Llorente<br />
Spain<br />
Iam Robert Llorente, a dog<br />
trainer from Tortosa, Catalonia.<br />
I have been training dogs since<br />
2006 and teaching new trainers<br />
since 2010, as well as organizing dog<br />
training courses and events. This year I<br />
graduated with Masters of Veterinary<br />
Clinical Ethology at the UAB<br />
(Universitat Autonoma Barcelona).<br />
These days I live with my five dogs<br />
(four staffies and one mix), all of<br />
whom have their own personality<br />
and abilities, which complement each<br />
other, making a diverse and complete<br />
team for a variety of different cases.<br />
Tilly<br />
Mrofcynski<br />
Netherlands<br />
M<br />
y name is Tilly<br />
Mrofcynski. From the<br />
moment I got my first<br />
dog on my twelfth birthday, my life has<br />
been about dogs, both my own dogs<br />
and other’s dogs. I’ve done all kinds of<br />
jobs with dogs. I worked as a groomer,<br />
Blue is good for using to work with<br />
dogs suffering from fear, as she<br />
respects the space of the other dogs<br />
and reassures them from a distance.<br />
Lisa is better with active dogs or<br />
puppies as she uses play to calm down<br />
the situation or the other dog. Homer<br />
is used with small dogs for a variety of<br />
problems as he is very self-confident<br />
and ignores all bad behaviours from<br />
other dogs. Maggie is the first dog I<br />
introduce to an aggressive dog I am<br />
working with because she remains still<br />
and lets the other dog interact with<br />
her. They are the most important part<br />
of the team, because without them, I<br />
would never finish the special classes<br />
with other dogs.<br />
Another activity I’ve been doing with<br />
dogs, is taking them to children’s<br />
schools. Some schools also come to<br />
my center. We educate the children<br />
on how to treat and care for dogs,<br />
show them respect and interspecific<br />
communication.<br />
I’m trying to raise awareness amongst<br />
people that this breed, can be<br />
wonderful. I don’t like the law here<br />
with dog breeders, as a veterinary<br />
assistant and spent years taking care<br />
of dogs in shelter.<br />
Despite following several studies and<br />
courses on animal-behaviour and care<br />
I hadn’t found satisfying answers for<br />
many questions. I found out that a<br />
lot of solutions for dog-behaviourrelated<br />
problems were not long-term<br />
solutions and they often didn’t feel<br />
right to me. I kept the feeling that<br />
something was missing.<br />
In 2007 I started teaching groups of<br />
dog owners at a dog school. It was<br />
at that time that someone gave me<br />
Turid Rugaas’ book about calming<br />
signals. I immediately loved this book.<br />
By respecting the natural behaviour<br />
of dogs so much more seemed to be<br />
in Spain regarding dangerous dogs.<br />
I believe that we need some laws<br />
regarding dangerous dogs, but not<br />
the existing ones. For example if you<br />
own a breed of dog considered to be<br />
dangerous you must put a muzzle on<br />
the dog in public places, you cannot<br />
use a lead longer than one meter and<br />
if you own more than one “dangerous<br />
dog” you are only allowed to walk one<br />
dog at a time.<br />
I have a business partner and we teach<br />
together. We have a social club that<br />
meets every week. The owners and<br />
their dogs can come to our center and<br />
spend time interacting. We also have<br />
other activities: walking through the<br />
city or the forest, games with teams,<br />
activities to find something (food,<br />
people), socialize some reactive dogs<br />
in groups (when the dogs are ready to<br />
be there).<br />
I’m very interested in dog<br />
communication: among themselves<br />
and with humans. I emphasize on this<br />
in my classes, because if you don’t<br />
understand how they communicate<br />
you can’t communicate with them.<br />
possible when working and living with<br />
dogs. Finally I got answers I had been<br />
looking. After meeting Turid in person<br />
during one of her seminars I decided<br />
to sign up for her International Dog<br />
Training Education in 2012.<br />
Nowadays I run my own company<br />
“Dog’s Turn” where I work as an IDTE<br />
dog trainer and behaviourist. I work<br />
together with another dog school,<br />
where I am one of the dog trainers and<br />
the chairman of the board. It has been<br />
my project for three years to change<br />
this school from a regular dog school<br />
to a more dog-friendly dog school. I’m<br />
happy to say that today all instructors<br />
work according to the vision of IDTE<br />
and three of us have successfully<br />
completed IDTE.<br />
Reidun<br />
Johansen<br />
Sweden<br />
Born in Norway, and raised in<br />
Sweden, I have lived in the<br />
Spanish Pyrenees for the last<br />
19 years. I now live in Sweden. My<br />
love for nature and the mountains<br />
comes with my Scandinavian genes.<br />
My passion for animals is a gift from<br />
my father. I have always had a fourlegged<br />
companion in my life, be it<br />
a dog, a cat or a horse. For the time<br />
Miluse<br />
Kapounova<br />
Czech Republic<br />
Icurrently share my home with a<br />
dog, cats, turtles and parrots. I<br />
am an enthusiastic defender of<br />
animal rights, an admirer of the nature´s<br />
beauty and an engineer of economy. I<br />
studied at University of West Bohemia<br />
in Pilsen, Faculty of Economics.<br />
During my career in corporations<br />
being I share my home with all three<br />
species. Having been mainly a horse<br />
trainer for many years, I became more<br />
dedicated to dog training 15 years<br />
ago. I then realized there is so much<br />
I need to learn and I haven’t stopped<br />
learning since.<br />
When Gloria came into my life<br />
learning became a way to be able to<br />
cope with everyday life. Gloria is a<br />
highly reactive Malinois, that I found<br />
abandoned on the highway and she<br />
came into our home to stay. The<br />
journey with Gloria, set me off on a<br />
challenging path. Since this is the first<br />
time I have crossed paths with a dog<br />
with serious fear and reactivity issues,<br />
our road together has been a rollercoaster.<br />
I will, however, be forever<br />
grateful for all she has taught me. To<br />
make a long story short – living with<br />
Gloria, has opened my eyes for all<br />
the dogs that need special attention<br />
(mostly working in finance controlling)<br />
I gained exposure to American,<br />
German, French, Japanese, Swedish<br />
and Austrian corporate cultures. I<br />
am a traveler with interest in learning<br />
foreign languages, exploring different<br />
cultures and traditions. It was a great<br />
pleasure for me to visit Japan and<br />
Canada. I spent one year living in the<br />
US and a year and a half in Sweden.<br />
All kind of animals have become<br />
an integral part of my life since<br />
my childhood. There have been<br />
three dogs in my life (Argo - a male<br />
Welsh Terrier, Sid – a male Alaskan<br />
Malamute and Lumpik – a male wirehaired<br />
Dachshund). They all have<br />
contributed to my strong relationship<br />
with other creatures. The more I learn<br />
about dogs the more I am impressed<br />
by them.<br />
In 2012 after a major life event, I<br />
decided to change my profession<br />
and move from the economic field<br />
to the animal field. I started to look<br />
to adjust to our society and our lives,<br />
and working with reactivity and fear<br />
issues is one of my passions.<br />
I live in a very rural area, and I think<br />
I am one of very few trainers here<br />
that uses non-aversive and positive<br />
training methods – but I am proud<br />
to say that the ripples have started<br />
to spread. I see reactions of people<br />
change around me as they observe<br />
the results of the training. I am not<br />
originally a clicker trainer but I find the<br />
clicker useful for certain behaviours.<br />
I teach nose work and obedience<br />
classes. I have also been involved in<br />
shelter work and I have done private<br />
rescue and adoptions for many years.<br />
My dream is to learn more about<br />
manual and hands-on therapies and<br />
canine movements and to include this<br />
knowledge in my dog-related work.<br />
for a suitable work with dogs. In<br />
2013 I suddenly appeared at Turid´s<br />
seminar in Prague. Because I’ve been<br />
convinced about who my future<br />
teacher would be, since 2014, I have<br />
started Turid Rugaas´s International<br />
Dog Trainer Education in Germany.<br />
I am a person who thinks that to have<br />
a dog means to have him as a member<br />
of my family, to accept him as a dog<br />
and to respect his needs and feelings,<br />
to communicate with him properly and<br />
to provide him love, safety, good care,<br />
good food, enough mental stimulation,<br />
proper activities and other necessary<br />
conditions to keep his body, soul and<br />
brain healthy, to give him a lifelong<br />
learning and experiences that will<br />
make the dog self-confident and polite<br />
to people and other dogs.<br />
I would like to spread this true way of<br />
thinking about dogs and to educate<br />
people that there are better ways of<br />
dealing with dogs.<br />
28<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 29
Veronica<br />
Taborga<br />
France<br />
M<br />
iracles happen in people’s<br />
lives all the time. My<br />
miracle is Eli, a long hair<br />
dachshund, a shorty clown with a<br />
huge personality and character. He<br />
pushed me to learn dog language, to<br />
understand why dogs do the things<br />
they do. Eli, by being very patient,<br />
taught me about patience. Then, Patch<br />
entered our lives. A dalmatian mix, full<br />
of joy and happiness. Then, KitKat,<br />
a Norwegian forest cat. He was<br />
definitely waiting for us. He is the zen<br />
of our four legged family.<br />
I guess like almost all dog teachers, I<br />
started working and getting interested<br />
in Animal Behaviour because I found<br />
the need to work on my dogs. As I<br />
progressed, my curiosity took over and<br />
I started educating myself, attending<br />
seminars, and conferences, reading<br />
books and sharing experiences. That<br />
brings me to one of my special interest<br />
M<br />
y name is Mieke van<br />
den Boogaard. Since<br />
childhood I’ve liked dogs<br />
a lot. In our family, we’ve always had<br />
at least one dog. I went to puppy<br />
class with my current dog. In my<br />
opinion the teaching style of one of<br />
the instructors was very interesting.<br />
Her way of dealing with dogs was in<br />
line with my way of thinking about<br />
dogs. I started an internship at that<br />
dogs chool. My interest in dogs<br />
grew. I like to observe what dogs do<br />
- neuroscience. The more I learn the<br />
more I come to realize that I just know<br />
the tip of the iceberg.<br />
Eli and Patch helped me discover my<br />
passion. I am so happy and grateful<br />
to them. Now, it’s time for me to start<br />
working, to start giving back, to align<br />
with my passion. That is why I receive<br />
the gift of Doggily - my company<br />
where I love teaching my human and<br />
non-human students.<br />
I am here because understanding<br />
animal behaviour is my “why”.<br />
and the way they communicate with<br />
each other. The instructor told me<br />
about the Turid Rugaas International<br />
Dog trainer Education. I started this<br />
education in May 2014. When I finish<br />
the education I want to help other<br />
people with their dogs.<br />
Mieke van den<br />
Boogaard<br />
Netherlands<br />
Liz Ott<br />
Lanzarote, Spain<br />
Iam originally Swiss, from the<br />
nice mountain area of St.Moritz.<br />
A body therapist and nutritionist<br />
by profession, I’ve been living with<br />
my daughter and animals for almost<br />
20 years on the magic volcano island<br />
Lanzarote.<br />
I have always been surrounded by<br />
animals. As a child, I spent time after<br />
school with the donkeys, horses, cows,<br />
pigs, cats, dogs on my grandparent’s<br />
or neighbours farms. I spent my<br />
holidays in my uncle’s zoo, feeding<br />
the small lions, bears, chimpanzees<br />
or other animal babies with the bottle<br />
when their mother couldn’t do it. Uncle<br />
Walter was my first animal teacher<br />
and to date I hear him saying: “If you<br />
really want to know the animal needs,<br />
just sit down, keep quiet and observe<br />
their interactions and behaviour. Read<br />
a lot about the species. This is the only<br />
way you will learn to respect them.”<br />
So I did! I observed ants, squirrels,<br />
deers and birds in the forest along with<br />
domesticated animals with people. I<br />
took the village dogs for walks, which<br />
ended up with me letting them offleash<br />
so they could sniff around in a<br />
safe area. We always found interesting<br />
things. They opened my eyes to small<br />
things we normally don´t recognize.<br />
After that, they were happy and tired,<br />
the dog owners always thought we<br />
are running long distances. Oh no, just<br />
sniffing around! This was much more<br />
fun!<br />
Then I got my first German Shepherd<br />
from friends who could not handle<br />
him, because of his aggression. In<br />
1976 the only possibility was to train<br />
“Mandy” in the GS-Club, where they<br />
used the aversive methods. I saw<br />
awful things, poor dogs and some<br />
helpless owners. Nice puppies turned<br />
into reactive youngsters. But most of<br />
the owners seemed to be proud about<br />
their reactive dogs. I suffered enough<br />
and Mandy was more reactive than<br />
before. So finally I quit the training,<br />
even as the trainer scared me with<br />
bad prognosis for this dog. But I had<br />
to find my own way. I found out that<br />
he is only aggressive because of fear,<br />
and not because he was a bad and<br />
dangerous dog. So I followed my heart<br />
and after a few month we became a<br />
strong couple. Friends then started<br />
to bring their dogs to me to change<br />
the “bad manners”. With each dog I<br />
learned more about respecting them<br />
as individuals.<br />
During my last 35 years of work with<br />
all kinds of shelter dogs which were<br />
aggressive, traumatized or mistreated,<br />
I progressed in my knowledge of<br />
training and resocialization.<br />
And then Turid came out with her<br />
CALMING SIGNALS. Wow, great!<br />
That answered so many observations<br />
I did over the years. It was a big step<br />
further in my work to help fearful<br />
creatures becoming nice socialized<br />
dogs! Thanks Turid, you changed the<br />
life of so many dogs all over the world<br />
by explaining their body language,<br />
signs of stress and avoidance and<br />
of course...feeling happy! After so<br />
many years and knowing several<br />
training methods and philosophies, I<br />
still keep my positive reinforcement<br />
and respectful training, based on<br />
principles of Ethics in the best interest<br />
of our lovely furry friends<br />
Petra Tobben<br />
Netherlands<br />
Hi! my name is Petra Tobben.<br />
I am 33 years old. I was<br />
educated as a veterinary<br />
assistant and I have been totally<br />
crazy about dogs since I was a<br />
little kid. I’ve been in love with the<br />
Dogue de Bordeaux since 2002. The<br />
combination of their soft nature and<br />
their robust appearance made me fall<br />
in love with them.<br />
I live with my boyfriend Ludy just<br />
outside a small town called Montfort.<br />
We live just across the woods where<br />
we love to spend time with our dogs.<br />
At this moment we have seven Dogue<br />
de Bordeaux - Two boys, Mex and<br />
Boes and five girls, Jopie, Qadira,<br />
Kaatje, Dink and Juulke. We also have<br />
a cat, some rabbits and two parrots.<br />
I’ve worked for ten years as a<br />
veterinary assistant till my boss retired<br />
and the practise closed.<br />
We occasionally breed our Dogues.<br />
It’s our goal to try and breed healthy,<br />
mentally stable dogs. We spend a lot<br />
of time finding good ‘foster-parents’<br />
for our little furbabies. We try to<br />
inform and coach them as much as we<br />
can. Last year, I attended the IDTE<br />
education at Calming signs. I really<br />
enjoyed all the things we learned<br />
about the behaviour of dogs.<br />
Apart from behaviour, I am also<br />
interested in nutrition, genetics,<br />
homeopathy and veterinary medicine.<br />
Outside the dog world I like<br />
photography, cooking and baking.<br />
Je-an<br />
Shields<br />
United Kingdom<br />
M long<br />
y name is Je-an Shields,<br />
and I’ve had a lifepassion<br />
for dogs. I<br />
worked for the RSPCA in the 90’s as a<br />
kennel assistant, and then worked in a<br />
dog shelter in Spain, which was a very<br />
different experience to that in the UK.<br />
I was lucky enough to have my first<br />
dog at the age of 30, and have lived<br />
with several dogs since then. I would<br />
be the first to admit that I made lots of<br />
mistakes with her, and she developed<br />
social issues with other dogs. This<br />
led me to take her to an aggression<br />
specialist, who used teaching<br />
dogs to teach appropriate canine<br />
communication. I was so intrigued by<br />
this method, that I asked to learn more<br />
about it, and did an internship for three<br />
years, where I learnt a great deal about<br />
dogs, and how they communicate with<br />
each other.<br />
During that time, I acquired a couple<br />
of rescue dogs, offered a dog boarding<br />
service, became a professional dog<br />
walker, assisted in training classes,<br />
and then set up my own business to<br />
become a trainer myself. I have been<br />
a trainer and behaviourist for over<br />
ten years now, and have loved every<br />
minute of it. Each dog teaches you<br />
something different and I never stop<br />
learning from them<br />
30<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 31
Christina<br />
Steinhart<br />
Gran Canaria, Spain<br />
Iam Christina. I live with my two<br />
Belgian Shepherd ladies on the<br />
Gran Canaria Island. The two<br />
Groenendaels, Molly and Meg, are<br />
7 years and 11 month old. I adopted<br />
Molly when she was nearly 4 years old<br />
and it that was the best thing I did in<br />
my life.<br />
When I first got Molly she was very<br />
afraid of loud sounds, especially strong<br />
voices of men. But we put all our trust<br />
in each other and she gained more<br />
and more self confidence. We went<br />
Katrin Brenn<br />
Hillmann<br />
Germany<br />
Ihave lived with dogs since my<br />
childhood and got my first dog in<br />
1997. Rosa was a Staffordshire<br />
Bull Terrier bitch and I only know now<br />
that I did everything wrong. I was<br />
quickly overwhelmed by her problems<br />
and I looked for a dog school to help<br />
me. Wherever I went, the training<br />
methods that were recommended to<br />
together to the first dog trainer course<br />
here on the island. To work with her<br />
was (and still is) very interesting - to<br />
see how she started to gain confidence<br />
in herself, asking for new things every<br />
day. She is such a grateful dog.<br />
I attended a few weekend O.C.I.<br />
seminars with Fernando Silva who<br />
said something I will never forget,<br />
“she imght not bring the apport to you<br />
in her life. But she would give her life<br />
for you.” I also attended the G.B.M.A<br />
Maintrailing Seminar and “Do as I do”<br />
to see what could be the right thing<br />
for Molly and me. We also passed the<br />
CAP1 and CAP2 together.<br />
As it was clear that Molly never would<br />
have any fun working with an approt<br />
or playing with any converntional dog<br />
toys, we decided to go on learning little<br />
tricks and in 2013 we started to train<br />
agility (here you are not allowed to<br />
walk your dog without a leash, so the<br />
agility gave her plenty of possibility to<br />
run a little bit). She had a lot of fun with<br />
both. We even participate in the little<br />
me went against my deepest intuitions<br />
of what was right. Everything from<br />
choke-collars to Teletact was offered.<br />
At the time, I said to myself: ‘If these<br />
things are necessary to educate my<br />
dog, I will only walk with her at night...<br />
But this is something I will not do with<br />
my dog!’<br />
So I decided to take the problem<br />
into my own hands and I came to<br />
the conclusion that the best way was<br />
to become a dog trainer. In 1998 I<br />
opened my dog school in order to<br />
show another way to dog owners.<br />
To date, I have completed two<br />
training courses for dog trainers. I did<br />
a study of animal psychology with<br />
a specialization in dogs and many<br />
seminars on all kind of topics. My<br />
real teachers are always the dogs; my<br />
own dogs who have accompanied me<br />
club competions of agility, but always<br />
in the “starters” group (without the<br />
slalom and the seesaw).<br />
There was just one thing about Molly,<br />
which made me a little bit sad. She had<br />
no friend, because in the beginning<br />
she was quite unfriendly with the<br />
dogs around our house. Now there<br />
was no one who really wanted to play<br />
with her. So I started to think about<br />
a second dog. I always had Turid<br />
Rugaas’ words in my mind: “every<br />
dog needs a friend”. So, when Molly´s<br />
sister had puppies, we adopted Meg.<br />
Now Molly not only has a good friend,<br />
but a family member in the house. She<br />
really seems to enjoy it and appears to<br />
be younger each day.<br />
Meg is a very happy and clinging<br />
puppy. I visited a nosework seminar<br />
with Meg. I’ve also attended<br />
Tellington Touch Seminar, a seminar<br />
of physical conditioning of a sports<br />
dog and seminars on therapy dogs.<br />
I’ve organized a Seminar with Turid<br />
Rugaas here on Gran Canaria.<br />
until today and that of my clients and<br />
friends, but also those who I simply<br />
happen to meet in everyday life.<br />
Since 2004 I have been working<br />
as an expert for my Country State<br />
Dangerous Dog regulation. Here we<br />
analyze so-called ‘listed’ dogs and<br />
dogs with problems. It has become my<br />
passion to help these dogs.<br />
My goal has always been to make the<br />
world a better place for dogs.<br />
In December 2015, I successfully<br />
completed my third Dog Trainer<br />
Education by Turid Rugaas and I can<br />
honestly say that it was the best thing<br />
I’ve done so far. This experience, the<br />
colleagues that I have met, the friendly,<br />
warm-hearted, respectful treatment<br />
of dogs and people will stay in my<br />
memory all of my life.<br />
Oswin Klotz<br />
Germany<br />
H<br />
ello, my name is Oswin Klotz.<br />
I was born in Aschaffenburg<br />
in 1962, but I grew up in<br />
Westerngrund and I still live in this<br />
small town with my family.<br />
I married my wife Elke in 1985 and my<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> cordially invites you to the<br />
wonderful city of Barcelona for our<br />
Annual General Meeting of Dog<br />
Trainers at the Atenea Port Hotel. We<br />
have curated an exemplary selection<br />
of the continent’s finest trainers to talk<br />
on a wide variety of topics covering<br />
the cutting edge in dog training<br />
techniques.<br />
daughter was born in 1990.<br />
After I finished my schooling, I started<br />
my education as a brick layer. However<br />
I switched to a chemical company in<br />
1985 and worked there as a chemical<br />
worker. After two years I decide to<br />
gain education to be a chemical<br />
laboratory worker. I am still employed<br />
at this chemical company and am<br />
involved in research work.<br />
I got my first dog, a cocker spaniel, at<br />
twelve. Unfortunately he died due to<br />
a tragic accident at the age of two. In<br />
summer of 1998 a dalmatian female<br />
called Eppi moved in our household.<br />
She was an amazing sixteen and a half<br />
year old. One dog was not enough<br />
and therefore in 2002 the dalmatian<br />
male dog Homer von Lucky arrived,<br />
but sadly, he died at the age of nine.<br />
Our little family grew with the cavalier<br />
king charles spaniel named Ginnes in<br />
2004 and my boxer called Amadeus<br />
in 2009. Thereby, for a short time, we<br />
had a multi-dog household with four<br />
dogs.<br />
We visited different dog schools<br />
(obedience school) with the first three<br />
dogs and these experiences got me<br />
interested in working with dogs. Since<br />
2008 I have been attending several<br />
workshops and courses. Since I was<br />
not convinced about the methods<br />
used, I further looked around during<br />
the years 2011 and 2012. I finally met<br />
Sonja Hoegen and Turid Rugass.<br />
I started the professional dog trainer<br />
education in March 2013 and finished<br />
it in 2014.<br />
In 2010 I founded my own dog school<br />
called “Hund und Familie”.<br />
The conversation starts<br />
at <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>2016</strong> Barcelona<br />
Join experts and enthusiasts alike from September 23rd for a weekend of exclusive<br />
insight into the future of dog training.<br />
We’re delighted to welcome back<br />
familiar faces such as Turid Rugaas,<br />
Anne Lill Kvam, Winkie Spiers and<br />
Karen Webb who are ready to bring<br />
their unique ideas back to Barcelona<br />
once more. It is also our great<br />
pleasure to introduce Julia Robertson<br />
and others who are joining our ranks<br />
this summer, as well as special guest<br />
speakers Jesús Rosales Ruiz and<br />
Monique de Röeck. Find out more<br />
about our speakers and register on<br />
our website. (www.pdte<strong>2016</strong>.com)<br />
When you’re not attending one of<br />
our seminars, why not make even<br />
more of your trip with our selection<br />
of extra curricular activities? Join<br />
us at La Barca de Salamanca for an<br />
archetypical spanish dinner by the<br />
beach, find your feet with Yaimi and<br />
Capote at Salsa and Bacheta class and<br />
test your palette with an extensive<br />
spanish wine tasting. We are always<br />
adding new events and you can stay<br />
up to date with the schedule on our<br />
website.<br />
Finally we want to thank you for taking<br />
the time to find out more about <strong>PDTE</strong><br />
<strong>2016</strong>. You can find more information<br />
and register by visiting our website.<br />
We look forward to hosting you here<br />
in beautiful Barcelona!<br />
Please contact Nuria_janeiro@<br />
hotmail.com with any queries.<br />
32<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 33
Carme<br />
Vivancos<br />
Spain<br />
M<br />
Elise<br />
Montfort<br />
Belgium<br />
y name is Carme<br />
Vivancos and I was born<br />
in Mallorca 47 years<br />
ago. I am passionate about the canine<br />
world. For as long as I can remember,<br />
I’ve had a passion for animals, but<br />
specially for dogs. I rescued dogs and<br />
reported animal abuse for years. Then<br />
I started working as a volunteer in<br />
the dog shelter in my home town and<br />
after two years there I realised that<br />
we were only moving them to another<br />
place (from Mallorca to Germany). As<br />
a result of this, I began my training and<br />
tried to prevent dogs from coming to<br />
the dog shelter. Helping them before<br />
arriving there became my goal.<br />
Nowadays I have a school for dogs<br />
that I founded in 2010. It’s name<br />
M<br />
y name is Elise and I<br />
live in Belgium, near<br />
Namur. I share my life<br />
with two beautiful girls: Judy and<br />
Kimba. Both of them went into dog’s<br />
club and socialising sessions at an<br />
early age. Yet, Judy started to show a<br />
clear change in behaviour when she<br />
turned one and Kimba never enjoyed<br />
“traditional” training. Thanks to Judy’s<br />
change in behaviour, I looked for<br />
more appropriate ways of fulfilling<br />
their needs. It took me a few months<br />
to meet THE person who would<br />
is “Nassos”, which means “noses”<br />
in Majorcan. The school has two<br />
locations: Palma and Manacor. Both<br />
establishments are schools, grooming<br />
salons and shops.<br />
I have been training dog trainers for<br />
two years, one course per year for<br />
six people. My personal interest is to<br />
raise awareness (to the general public<br />
and especially to dog owners) of what<br />
a dog’s life is like and how it would<br />
be if they could choose and make<br />
decisions.<br />
definitely change our lives. Thanks<br />
to that person (she’s called Marina<br />
and is a wonderful person and dog<br />
counsellor) I became acquainted with<br />
Turid Rugaas’ philosophy of living<br />
with dogs. One session was enough<br />
to utterly get me into this philosophy:<br />
every single thing was finally making<br />
sense to me! From then on, I’ve been<br />
deepening my knowledge of dogs and<br />
doing my best to fulfil their needs.<br />
Judy, Kimba and I still have a long way<br />
to go, but that’s actually a nice thing:<br />
because we’re heading there together.<br />
Kati Ernits<br />
Estonia<br />
ello everybody, I am Kirsten<br />
van Gaalen-Jeelof and I’m<br />
Hvery happy to join <strong>PDTE</strong>.<br />
Full Members<br />
Iwork as a full time dog trainer.<br />
I offer group and individual<br />
training in addition to problem<br />
behaviour consultations. I have<br />
been training dogs since 2008. I<br />
am a certified obedience trainer of<br />
Estonian Kennel Union and certified<br />
therapy dog handler since 2014. I<br />
have two Samoyeds. Both are working<br />
in children’s programs. I have been<br />
testing new dog teams with the<br />
Estonian Therapy Dogs Association. I<br />
have also been doing puppy character<br />
tests since 2009. To date I have tested<br />
over 150 puppies. In 2015-<strong>2016</strong> I<br />
I’ve been into dogs my whole life but<br />
sometimes I did not understand them.<br />
My dog Civic changed that because he<br />
let me know when he was not happy.<br />
Due to the several medical problems<br />
Civic faced, I realized that some things<br />
in dog training needed to change. We<br />
needed to not only look at behaviour<br />
but also at the feelings of the dog and<br />
why the dog is feeling so bad. We need<br />
to try to make life better for the dog<br />
and not only for the owner. We need<br />
attended the course of diabetic alert<br />
dogs training program in Finland. In<br />
<strong>2016</strong> we started a training program<br />
for diabetic alert dogs in Estonia. I<br />
attended International Dog Trainers<br />
School with Lisbeth Borg de Waard<br />
during 2015-<strong>2016</strong>. I also educated<br />
myself in human behaviour and<br />
psychology, because I believe dog<br />
owner is the one who finally chooses<br />
to train a dog and decides how to train<br />
the dog. I have a basic education in<br />
human psychology (BA) and I am a<br />
certified international NLP (Neuro<br />
Linguistic Programming) Practitioner<br />
to try to make life better for both of<br />
them.<br />
Civic is a great dog to learn from. Be<br />
There for your dog.<br />
Kirsten van<br />
Gaalen-Jeelof<br />
Netherlands<br />
Toni Martínez<br />
Alcaraz<br />
Spain<br />
I<br />
My name is Toni Martínez<br />
Alcaraz and I am from Terrassa<br />
Spain. I am 29 and I work both<br />
on social integration and as a dog<br />
trainer. Currently I am studying<br />
for two University degrees, one in<br />
Social Education and the second in<br />
Psychology.<br />
I discovered my interest and love for<br />
animals during my early childhood.<br />
I was raised and educated among<br />
human and nonhuman animals,<br />
including birds, fishes, rodents, cats<br />
and dogs. In particular, I feel a true<br />
passion and admiration for the latter<br />
two species, cats and dogs.<br />
I am a member of UDOLS, a nonprofit<br />
organization devoted to enhancing<br />
the welfare of urban dogs. I also have<br />
my own website www.educanfel.com<br />
where I publish original articles and<br />
reflections about gentle dog training<br />
as well as with regard to cat behavior.<br />
I live together with two female dogs,<br />
Luna a Labrador who is almost 4 years<br />
old, and Linda, a Beagle who is now a<br />
year and a half. We all share a flat with<br />
a big balcony. Of course my flat mates<br />
can move freely around the place, just<br />
as the family members they are.<br />
My favorite dog activities are<br />
those connected to nosework. I am<br />
passionate about scent!<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> is happy to offer full membership to the following members<br />
Julie<br />
Stephenson<br />
United Kingdom<br />
Sindhoor<br />
Pangal<br />
India<br />
34<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> <strong>PDTE</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong> 35
Send in your articles, event listing, advertisements and to the editor at<br />
contact@bangalorehundeskole.com<br />
20<br />
Aug<br />
Natural agility for city dogs<br />
Helsinki, Finland<br />
Contact: raili@doi.fi / +358 50 504 2109<br />
23<br />
Sep<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> AGM <strong>2016</strong><br />
Barcelona, Spain<br />
Contact: www.pdte<strong>2016</strong>.com<br />
Natural agility helps dogs develop better body<br />
awareness, good co-ordination and increased<br />
confidence. Dogs who live in cities face unique<br />
challenges that can be an used as an advantage. This<br />
workshop Winkie Spiers explores options availalble to<br />
pet owners in cities.<br />
The <strong>PDTE</strong> AGM is the highlight of our calendar each<br />
year. The event features a number of international<br />
speakers, with plenty of opportunity for questions and<br />
discussions. It truly is an event not to be missed. We<br />
look forward to seeing you in Barcelona this year!<br />
10<br />
Sep<br />
Life skills over commands<br />
Germany<br />
Contact: info@animal-team.de<br />
11<br />
Sep<br />
Neuropsychology in dogs<br />
Germany<br />
Contact: info@animal-team.de<br />
This seminar teaches trainers and owners how to coach<br />
their dogs to cope with everyday life. It encourages<br />
participants to challenge old beliefs by exploring a<br />
number of key questions.<br />
Neurology and psychology are discussed a lot in dog<br />
training, but it doesn’t always need to be complicated.<br />
This entertaining and accessible seminar aims to leave<br />
every participant with a better understanding of their<br />
own brain, feelings and behaviour, as well as their dogs!<br />
30<br />
Oct<br />
Dogs in motion<br />
Koningslust, Netherlands<br />
Ellen@Calmingsigns.nl / +31 6 82 93 56 24<br />
12<br />
Nov<br />
Applied Zoopharmacognosy<br />
Germany<br />
www.dogcom.de<br />
With the largest global study ever on the locomotion of<br />
dogs, Martin Fischer’s team has studied how breeding<br />
policy affects the movement of various breeds. In this<br />
seminar Dr. Fischer will extensively cover the basics<br />
of the locomotion of dogs, supported by videos made<br />
with the latest X-ray equipment.<br />
Applied Zoopharmacognosy is about giving animals<br />
choices and the opportunity to heal themselves. In this<br />
workshop Karen Webb will explain how it all works and<br />
show the technique on four dogs during the weekend.