PDTE 2019 June Newsletter

newsletter 

PET DOG TRAINERS OF EUROPE 

Summer 2019 

Special edition: 

PDTE XXI Annual Conference & AGM 

NH Collection Roma Giustiniano 

What’s inside: 

President’s Report - Pg 2 

Come and Learn - Pg 5 

New Full Members - Pg 5 

21st PDTE Annual Conference 

and AGM - Rome - Pg 6 

Canine Aggression Course for 

Professionals - Pg 14 

Member Gathering Norway - Pg 16 

Have you given your pet a letter of 

intent? - Pg 18

President’s Report 

Dear members and friends of PDTE, 

We have not long celebrated the 20 years anniversary, and looking forward to years to come, with more 

development, learning and challenges, for PDTE and also for you personally and jobwise. 

There will be changes coming, and some will be good 

- just look at what some of our CRs have achieved, 

and new and exciting speakers performing-and some 

will be not so good, I am afraid. But we should 

welcome changes no matter what. That means there 

is life and action and no stagnation. Stagnation, 

standing on the same spot, is probably what we 

should dread the most. 

Personally last year was a lot of big changes for me, 

and I was a bit afraid if I could cope leaving my 

beloved farm, my paradise on earth, where I put down 

so many emotions, so much sweat and tears and love 

for 35 years. But I landed here, in a completely 

different world, and it feels good. It feels inspiring to 

start some new things, get new ideas, find new ways. 

Change feels right. 

So instead of doing what traditionally you think you 

should do as a dog trainer, find new pathways, clear 

new roads, see new possibilities. Look at the horizon 

and follow your dreams! 

But never, ever lose the ground we should stand firmly 

on: the ethical side of dog training. Let it sit on your 

left shoulder and guide you through whatever you do 

with dogs. 

Turid 

President of PDTE 

www.pdte.eu 

Front Cover Photograph: 

Joachim Mayr 

2 Summer 2019 - PDTE Newsletter

Editor’s Welcome 

Recently a client described me as a couples counsellor! He said ‘you go 

into a home and sit down with the human and the dog and find where the 

communication between them has broken down. Then put together a plan 

to give hope, and bring harmony back to their relationship once again’. 

I laughed, but then realised in a way he is right and that is why I always 

consider being one of Turid’s dog behaviourists such an honour. We must 

always treat clients with empathy and kindness because we don’t know 

what is going on in their lives, and that is where the ‘couples counselling’ 

approach comes from. 

As we know stress is such a huge problem for both people and their 

dogs. Amongst so many factors, stress reduces the ability to handle 

situations, to think clearly or see a way forwards. It can make people 

vulnerable and sensitive to feeling a failure, yet they are desperate for 

help with the dog they love. 

Through our training with Turid we know how important it is to listen, be 

calm and above all show them how to repair that communication, and 

how important it is for them to keep it simple and get that relationship 

back once again. 

Be that inspiration to the owners, and always remember how important 

being a dog behaviourist truly is. 

Caroline 

In this edition... 

Pg 4 

The PDTE Board 

Pg 5 

Come and Learn 

Pg 6 

21st PDTE Annual Conference 

and AGM - Rome 

Pg 10 

Country Corner 

Pg 16 

Member gathering in Norway 

Pg 5 

New Full Members 

Pg 14 

Canine Aggression Course 

for Professionals 

Pg 18 

Have you given your pet a letter 

of intent? 

Pg 20 

New members 

Summer 2019 - PDTE Newsletter 3

The Board of PDTE 

Turid Rugaas President Winkie Spiers Chairperson Karen Webb Secretary 

Sonja Hoegen Treasurer Susanne Lautner Board Understudy Stephanie Rousseau Board Assistant 


Come and 

Learn 

Hello world! 

We love being a global organisation as it means we get to 

connect with, and learn from, such a diverse range of humans 

and dogs from all over the globe. 

Just take a look at our online events page – 

we have got members providing learning 

opportunities in the Netherlands, Germany, 

India, UK, Italy, Taiwan, France, New Zealand 

and online! And that's just the latest listing. 

https://www.pdte.eu/events-and-education 

New Full Members 

Turid Dyvesveen Sunde - Norway 

Federica Iacozzilli - Italy 

Winter 2017/18 - PDTE Newsletter 5

Welcome to Rome 

Experience the PDTE XXI 

Annual Conference & AGM 

being held at 

NH COLLECTION ROMA GIUSTINIANO 

September 28 - 29th 2019 

Every year the PDTE is proud to organise an AGM in a different country. 

This year it is Italy’s turn and the AGM will take place in Rome, for the very 

first time since 1998! 

We will be happy to have you join this amazing event, full of worldrenowned 

speakers, speakers and members of the PDTE, networking and 

latest news about the canine world. 


EXCELLENCE IN THE WELL-BEING, CARE 

AND EDUCATION OF THE DOG 

Haqihana was born in 2003 at the behest of Rita and Leonardo, who make high quality and 

ethical components indispensable. 

Haqihana produces leashes and bibs and does it by hand, each piece is the result of 

human care. 

Easy to wear, comfortable and elegant, the Haqihana bib is the ideal equipment to 

guarantee maximum comfort to your dog without causing pain, constriction, rubbing or 

other discomfort. We are waiting to satisfy your needs and those of your friend, with our 

professionalism, cordiality and sympathy. 

Official Sponsor 


Program 

May be subject to changes 

Friday, 27 September 2019 

19:00 Reception & Registration 

Saturday, 28 September 2019 

8.00 Registration 

9.00 Welcome 

9.30 - 10.30 Turid Rugaas, “Choosing choices” 

10.30 – 11.00 Coffee Break 

11.00 – 12.00 Manja Leissner, “Doggie daycares and social groups” 

12.00 - 13.30 Lunch 

13.30 – 14.30 Cristina and Aurelién Budzinski, “At the heart of the walk” 

14.30 – 15.00 Coffee Break 

15.00 – 16.00 Valentina Biedi, “Stray dogs of Italy” 

18:00 Driving tour and dinner 

Sunday, 29 September 2019 

8:00 – 8.50 Annual general meeting of PDTE (members/non-members/guests are welcome) 

9:15 – 11:00 Amber Batson, “Abnormal behaviour in dogs, are we just chasing our tails” 

11.00 – 11:20 Refreshment Break 

11.20 – 13:00 Amber Batson continued 

13.00 – 14.30 Lunch 

14.30 – 15.30 Valeria Rapezzi, “Special need dogs and home-cooked diets” 

15.30 – 16.15 Photo shootings, coffee break 

16.15 – 17.15 Harriet Alexander, “Why dogs?” 


Book online 

Book online at: http://www.pdterome2019.com 

With discounts for members and friends of the PDTE 

PDTE AGM & Conference being held at NH COLLECTION ROMA GIUSTINIANO 

The NH Collection Roma Giustiniano hotel puts you footsteps from the Vatican and right 

on the doorstep of the Prati shopping district with its high-end designer stores. This hotel 

in Rome has direct connection with Vaticano City, St Peter's Basilica, Sant'Angelo Bridge, 

Sant'Angelo Castle, Trastevere neighborhood and Rome’s historical center, meanwhile, is 

just 10 minutes away on foot. 


Country 

Corner 

Update 

United Kingdom 

Kirsty Grant 

England has made a step forward in the attempt to put an 

end to the incredibly cruel puppy farm operations that 

currently supply independent traders and some pet shops 

with very young puppies. 

The first stage has been a ban on puppies being sold under 

the age of 8 weeks which came into effect on 1st Oct. 

Although this doesn't go anywhere near enough to reach 

what is appropriate for young dogs, up until now, many 

puppies who start their lives in these terrible places are 

leaving their place of birth at 4 or 5 weeks old to then go 

on sale at 6 or 7 weeks old. Along with the horrendous 

mental and emotional scarring that these dogs endure, this 

also often results in serious and potentially fatal illnesses. 

The next stage which has been announced although the 

details are still in consultation, is the implementation of 

Lucy's Law. This will hopefully see the total ban of 

commercial sales of dogs under the age of 6 months by 

third party sellers. If passed, it would be a big step 

towards reducing the profit that is currently possible 

which, along with continuing to educate people should see 

these disgusting places pass into history. 

The UK continues to try to understand what the 

implications of leaving the EU will be, one of the areas of 

concern is the potential shortfall in the numbers of 

veterinary professionals. At the moment a substantial 

number of vets who register with the RCVS each year have 

come from abroad, most of those from EU countries. 

Coupled with this, NOAH have said that a 'no-deal' 

agreement would mean there are likely to be shortages in 

the availability of many veterinary medicines, such as 

antibiotics and painkillers. In this event, it is safe to 

assume we would be also looking at much higher prices 

for these products. With households already experiencing 

financial pressures, this could have serious welfare 

implications for many dogs. 

Notes from the Park Bench 

On the whole is is good to see that more and more people 

are choosing harnesses over collars, we still need to be 

very vocal to ensure that information about the correct 


We also held two workshops with Raili Halme and while 

the attendance could be better, I am happy we started 

international PDTE talks and workshops. It's something I 

hope to continue in the future. 

As for the not so happy news - the new animal welfare law 

which forbids euthanasia of healthy animals in shelters 

was put on hold for a while, but now it looks like it will go 

through again. 

The problem remains the same, the law simply forbids 

euthanasia but doesn't offer a solution in terms of funding 

and providing adequate care for these animals. Some dogs 

and cats stay in shelters for years if the shelters can 

afford it. 

But what happens when they run out of space? What if 

they run out of money for the food and even basic care? 

Most shelters do not provide adequate enrichment for 

these animals, in many places dogs get to live in empty 

kennels where all they have is a bed, sometimes not 

even that. 

type of harness is getting over. I have found that the 

brilliant harness leaflets designed by Els Vidts have been a 

very useful tool in gently educating people. Several of us 

clubbed together to buy a print run and I recommend this 

as a great way of making them more affordable. 

I am loving seeing so many more people interested and 

engaging with scentwork and enrichment activities with 

their dogs rather than trying to wear them out with physical 

activity, this is such a fabulous optimistic thing and I hope 

there will be much more to report in future. 

Slovenia 

Alja Willenpart 

It's always good to start with the good news. I am happy to 

say that Slovenia is now 4 members (and as far as I know, 

1 friend) strong and hopefully more will follow. As the AGM 

was pretty close to Slovenia last year, the attendance was 

good, too - 10 people total. It is really great to see more 

and more people on board with the dog-friendly way of 

working with dogs. 

Many shelters try and don't euthanise, but there are 

some who simply cannot afford better care and if they 

don't manage to find new homes for the animals, or if 

the animals have too severe behaviour problems, 

they euthanise. 

I really worry what will happen if this is no longer an 

option. There are also other areas in our legislation that 

could really use some improvement but aren't addressed at 

all in the new proposition of the law (such as keeping dogs 

on chains their whole lives, which is still allowed). 

Our NGO plans to take action, let's hope we are successful 

and I have good news to report next time. 

Belgium 

Manon Pekelharing 

GAIA, an animal welfare organisation with 50.000 

members is very powerful in negotiating with the 

governments and putting animal welfare on the agenda. 

They are striving to include animals in the Belgian 

constitution. GAIA also relentlessly works to bring 

awareness of the need for fur-free clothing and against 

household products or cosmetics being tested on animals. 

In their March 2018 newsletter, the SRSH/KMSH (the 


Belgian Kennel Club) announced that “as of now dogs will 

be allowed to enter all competitions and dog shows in 

Belgium, based on the result of a titer test carried out by a 

vet… as this will be sufficient proof that the dog has enough 

protection from his previous vaccination.” As previously 

reported, since 2016 rabies vaccinations are no longer 

required for Belgian dogs who do not leave the country, but 

newly imported dogs need a valid rabies vaccination. 

As mentioned in the last newsletter, we now have a political 

party Dier Animal, that will participate in the elections. 

Flanders 

In Belgium it is not always easy for dog owners to find a 

house to rent. Dogs are often excluded from living indoors. 

Also moving to another house sadly has become a 

legitimate reason for some dog owners to put their dog up 

for adoption. 

Legislation in Flanders has been revised for newly rented 

houses from 'no animals allowed, except with a written 

permission' (which can be withdrawn at any moment) to 

'animals are allowed, except when the house is not suitable 

for an animal'. 

Maximum sentences for animal abusers have gone up from 

6 to 18 months. Fines have gone up and animal abusers 

can actually be sentenced to jail. Injustices in dog breeding 

have been exposed more often recently. 

Also and this is a really nice new private initiative vzw AAP 

(Animal Assisted Projects) was launched, that aims at 

connecting dog owners and elderly people, to provide the 

elderly people with animal company/social contacts and 

vice versa during the absence of the dog owner. It reminds 

me a lot of Turid's "Senior Snuggler Group"! It is being 

tested in 4 cities at the moment. 

Wallonia 

On Wednesday 3/10/18 - the Walloon Parliament approved 

new laws regarding animal welfare. An essential 

orientation: animals are sentient beings. 

These laws aim to ensure the protection and welfare of 

animals, taking into account their physiological and 

ethological needs, as well as their roles in society and the 

environment and they cover: 

 

The detention of animals (see previous "country 

corners" regarding breeders) 

 

Prohibited practices and authorized interventions on 

animals 

 

Animal trade 

 

Transport and introduction of animals in the Walloon 

territory 

 

The killing of animals 

 

Animal experiments 

 

Control and prosecution for animal welfare offences 

A license is now required to detain an animal. Every citizen 

(over 18) has this "virtual" licence automatically, unless an 

administrative or judicial decision forbids him to do so. A 

database will identify those who are prohibited from 

detaining an animal. 

It is prohibited to interfere with the freedom of movement 

of an animal and to keep him permanently attached. 

The pet population is constantly growing in Wallonia 

bringing with it a growing phenomenon of abandonment 

(according to current statistics, 1 in 4 dogs in Belgium will 

end up in a shelter). In order to control this, the 

identification (micro-chipping) and registration of dogs 

(and cats) is mandatory since 1/09/1998. The existing 

contribution when registering a dog (and cat) has been 

revised. From now on, part of this payment will contribute 

to a Protection Fund against abandonment and animal 

abuse that can be used by shelters for the construction or 

renovation of their infrastructures. 

In order to combat impulse acquisitions (and limit puppymill 

sales), advertising is only authorized in specialized 

magazines/websites or in a closed social media groups. 

Animal abuse will be severely punished in Wallonia, with 

maximum penalties of 10 to 15 years imprisonment and 

fines up to 10 million Euros. 

For those who wish to know more (only in French and 12 

chapters and 109 articles) - 

http://www.wallonie.be/sites/wallonie/files/publications/c 

ode_wallon_bea.pdf 

France 

Cristina Gomes Budzinski 

In France, it’s been hunting season, so people walking their 

dogs next to fields or forest have to keep that in mind and 

wear a car safety jacket or other neon, flashy clothes to be 

seen (you and your dog preferably). A good tip is to go to 

national forest and look beforehand which days hunting is 

allowed there (on the ONF website : www.onf.fr); but be 


careful some forest are private, some belongs to the cities 

so they can have others huntings dates mentioned on their 

city website. 

About seminar, France recently hosted a seminar with 

Cristina and Aurelien Budzinski, people were very receptive 

to calming signs, stress, dog’s need and also the pulse 

study; they gave feedback after that about letting the dog 

sniff, giving him the choice where to sleep, not using crates 

inside anymore, and so on. 

France will have new seminars in 2019 including our 

reference: Turid Rugaas! 

People are using more and more good fitting harnesses, 

and they start to discover a new way of seeing their dogs. 

So let’s keep continuing our efforts to spread good 

informations! 

Austria 

Dr Susanne Lautner 

A little while ago a Rottweiler bit a child which died after 

weeks in the hospital. The story behind I don’t really know, 

but the owner (female)was drunk walking with him on the 

street on a leash without muzzle, On the other side of the 

road the grandparents went with the little child swinging 

him up and down. The dog ran across the street and bit the 

child. Well known is that the owner always was drunk, very 

aggressive against her dog in the daily life. Very tragic case. 

List dogs in Vienna have to have at the moment muzzle or 

leash when the owner is walking them and they have to do 

an exam, where they have to show to how their dog in daily 

life and answer some questions - not very difficult. I had 

lots of them in training and they all where successful. Of 

course they got trained and taught after the PDTE ethic 

guidelines. 

Now-because of this case-leading politicians (Mrs Sima) 

discussed muzzle and leash for all dogs on the list (staff, 

pits, etc.) all the time. It should have got a law on 23rd of 

October. No professionals are/were heard by making the 

new law. Many arousels have been going on in the media. 

At the last moment another political party (greens) stopped 

the law for the moment. So anyway it is all political - and 

we do not know what will come. There are always ‘news’ in 

the newspapers and the medias, many (stupid) ideas like 

kill a dog who has bitten twice - equal what the case was. 

Some good trainers in Vienna (me too) are doing a lot of 

talks, prevention, social media work. I wrote to my PDTE 

members to write something and do some education. 

As a resolution to that our animal medical association 

starts a very basic Information day (with Certificate after) 

for veterinarians - as change in behaviour also can be painabout 

min 50% - you all know my speech about it). 

The knowledge of most of the veterinarians about 

behaviour in dogs is - as you know - very little. This day of 

information is very very basic-but better than nothing. 

So I wrote an email to the one who is responsible for this 

information day- and hopefully I can mix in (as a speaker, 

as a examiner…) I also will have an appointment with the 

president of the veterinarian association of Austria, 

If I am successful I will tell you - I am a bit afraid that they 

take only people who know each other and not ones who 

know a lot - but we will see. 

Some colleagues of me - they are ok, there is one dog 

trainer club in Austria with some nice working trainers 

(VÖHT) who plan lots of talks about dogs behaviour.. as I 

said I will try to do something (maybe together with my 

members). 

The Netherlands 

Karin Dondertman 

With approximately 40 NL members, we are the largest 

group within the PDTE. 

I think it is nice and desirable that there is a small group of 

4 or 5 NL members, who can brainstorm on topics and take 

things together, such as the name recognition of the PDTE 

and the implementation of the ethic code for the dogs and 

why this is so important. 

I am setting this up and initiate periodically, centrally via 

streaming twice a year and arrange twice a year a meeting. 

I would love to hear the ideas of our Dutch members, two 

members already were very positive to join this 

brainstorm group! 


Canine Aggression Course for 

Professionals with Dr Amber Batson MRCVS 

North of England - Durham | For Professionals, Dog Trainers, Behaviourists, Veterinarians, 

Vet Nurses & Technicians 3 Modules over 3 weekends 

Module 1. 25th & 26th January 2020 

Module 2. 22nd & 23rd February 2020 Module 3. 28th & 29th March 2020 

Venue: Durham School, Quarry Heads Lane, Durham City. DH14SZ 

The Aggression in dogs for professionals course is written and 

presented by veterinary behaviourist Amber Batson. It is classroom 

lectures and no dogs are allowed. 

The focus of the course is to understand how aggression as a 

behaviour is often a ‘jigsaw puzzle’ of various pieces where 

factors such as stress, frustrations of domestic life, health 

issues, pain, poor training, poor sleep patterns, inappropriate 

exercise patterns etc all contribute to the unwanted behaviour. 

Aggression modification is rarely achieved through training alone 

and needs a ‘multi-pronged’ approach which requires the 

professional to have a detailed understanding of physiology, effects 

of neutering, awareness of health issues, awareness of medications 

as well as a very solid understanding of learning theory. 

Offering up to date scientific knowledge combined with its 

practical application. This is achieved combining lectures with 

video illustrations and multiple group exercises and case studies 

to work through. All scientific references are given during the 

course, and each module has recommended reading books to 

assist with further learning and information consolidation. 

Handouts for the modules will be given in PDF format. 


VENUE: 

Durham School, Quarryheads Lane, Durham City DH1 4SZ 

Less than a mile from Durham Railway Station 

Within 10 minutes walking distance of Durham City. 

BOOKING: Availability is limited. 

Early Bird Booking £415 now available until 7th July (subject to 

availability). 

Availability of places is limited. £100 deposit is required to book 

your place (This is non- refundable deposit). 

Full cost of course after 7th July 2019 is £475 

Refreshments & lunch included each day. 

The course is presented in 3 modules over 3 weekends: 

MODULE 1 

Defining and ‘typing’ aggression 

Physiology of aggression: predatory vdd fear 

Physiology of stress 

Causes of stress and understanding the role of the ethogram, 

exercise and training methods 

Memory physiology 

How to weaken behavioural pathways in the brain 

Context of aggression 

A unique template for approaching the aggression case 

MODULE 2 

Further physiology of aggression: the role of certain 

neurotransmitters 

The effect of body sugars on aggression including how these are 

affected by frequency and type of feeding, medications and sleep 

Learning theory: habituation, sensitisation, instrumental learning 

and classical conditioning 

Effective use of learning theory to change behavioural responses 

Effective consultation practices - safety during the consultation, 

history taking, gaining additional information from observation, 

maximising human compliance including a section on creating 

human behaviour change 

MODULE 3 

How disease effects aggression 

Pain recognition and aggression 

How medications affect aggression 

Psychopharmaceutical options for the aggressive dog 

Neutering and reproductive hormones and aggression 

Aggression and dog welfare 

Working within the law: legal and moral responsibilities 

TIME SCHEDULE: Start 9.30am - will finish approximately 

4.30pm. This may be subject to change. 

Individual modules can not be purchased. Only the full course of 

3 modules. 

Filming of the presentation, including audio recordings are not 

allowed without prior agreement with Amber Batson. 

Certificate of Attendance will be given on completion of the 

3 modules. 

If you require further information or require a booking form 

please email me at: karen@pawscrossed.co.uk or 

Mobile: 07443043662 

Advanced Aggression Course with 

Dr Amber Batson MRCVS 

will be held in 2021 

Module 1 - January 30th & 31st 

Module 2 – February 27th & 28th 

Module 3 - March 27th & 28th 

Venue: Durham School, Quarryheads Lane, 

Durham City DH1 4SZ 

A discount will be available for those attendees of 

the Canine Aggression Course in Durham City 

2020 and to PDTE members! 

Anyone interested contact Karen at: 

karen@pawscrossed.co.uk or 

Mobile: 07443043662 


Member gathering in Norway 

11-12 May 2019 

The Norwegian CR, Turid Sunde, invited the Norwegian 

members for a week-end, and 6 of us accepted, and 

we also allowed 2 interested people to take part. One 

of them let us use her house, both for the meeting and 

for staying over, the other one has been seeing us for 

years, - and this week-end they started to fill out their 

application forms, so we gladly welcomed them into 

our group. 

We got two full days with discussions and talking and planning. 

They all had things to discuss, and questions to ask, and it 

became a real inspiring week-end for all of us. 

I gave them the chance of taking part in a country wide harness 

campaign I am planning, and they all signed up to take part in it. 

In a limited time frame after summer we will have stands in 20 

different locations all over the country, handing out harness 


ochures. The brochures have to be printed first, and sent out, 

so it cannot happen until after the holidays. It feels so much 

better to be a whole group doing the same thing - together we 

are strong ! 

We watched films from different enrichments and sensory 

gardens, as most of the present members are thinking about 

setting up similar things in their home towns. They live with big 

distances from each other, and have not many possibilities of 

visiting each other, so important to get inspiration to do it on their 

own when they come home. 

It was a very good and positive week-end, and we certainly did 

enjoy ourselves a lot, with talks and meals and being social. 

Thanks to Turid, our CR, for arranging and planning the meeting. 

It was a great success, and we hope to have it repeated next year. 

We also challenge other CRs to arrange similar gatherings ! 

Turid 


Have you given your pet a 

letter of intent? 

A wonderful ten year old Labrador named Futte came into the clinic – an old friend which we had 

been following for years. 

Over the past few months there had been a change in Futtes 

behavior. He seemed more fatigued and had trouble settling in at 

night. His abdomen had become bloated, but he still seemed to 

want to eat, play and go for walks. 

Could this behavior “just” be the body’s natural way of aging? 

A dog of his age cannot be expected to have the same energy it 

once had, especially when battling arthritis and a low 

metabolism. 

What seems to be the problem? 

The owners still had a sense that something wasn’t right. 

Futte was examined and his abdomen did look bigger for a 

typical food-loving Labrador. 

Bloodwork were done to screen his organs. While waiting for the 

result to come back from the laboratory an x-ray was taken of 

Futtes abdomen. The x-ray was clear; an enlarged spleen, which 

was confirmed by the laboratory. 

Futte had cancer of the spleen. 

Cancer of the spleen or a spleen tumor can occur as a result of 

changes in the spleen itself, or could have spread from other 

parts of the body to the spleen. 

This type of cancer usually affects larger dog breeds and is 

typically seen in dogs past the age of 5. The course can be very 

varied depending on the extent of the cancer and how advanced 

it is. 

As with all types of cancer, the symptoms may come in many 

different disguises. 

The most typical symptoms are; a subdued behavior, 

increased drinking desire and need to urinate, enlarged abdomen, 


pale mucous membranes and sometimes the dog might 

even collapse. 

If you experience any of these symptoms in your dog, you should 

consult your veterinarian immediately. 

Is an operation the right course of action? 

Futtes owners had a tough decision to make of whether to 

operate or if Futte should be euthanized and laid to rest. 

It is possible to remove cancer of the spleen or a spleen tumor 

with an operation. 

During the operation, the veterinarian will investigate whether the 

cancer has spread to other organs. If the cancer has spread, it is 

very unlikely that the dog will come out of surgery. 

If the cancer is localized to the spleen, the spleen will be 

removed and many dogs can live a long and normal live without 

a spleen. 

Although Futtes case was a bit more difficult, we must always 

asses each case individually. 

How far should we go to keep our dogs alive? This is a question 

of ethics in many cases and Futtes case was no different. 

Should Futte be put through an operation? Especially considering 

that Futte already has other health issues. 

If he was younger and without arthritis, would it have made a 

difference in making the decision? 

Letter of intent! 

Was love, the motivation for letting Futte undergo the operation? 

Or is it a greater love to be able to say goodbye and thereby let 

Futte be laid to rest, as to not put him through unnecessary 

suffering. 

When to let go of a beloved pet, is the toughest decision an 

owner will ever make! 

We know – that when we get a pet, we also get a sorrow in 

knowing that a pet rarely outlives their owner. When is a live no 

longer worth prolonging? 

Facing such a decision it is very difficult as an owner to remain 

objective, because we wish to keep our beloved pets with us. 

This is why it is important to keep in mind when enough is 

enough. It is therefore important to talk about the subject 

throughout our pet’s life. 

Through this difficult process it’s important to remember the 

letter of intent we gave to ourselves and our pet when they came 

into our lives. 

Facing the tough decision of euthanasia our emotions can 

sometimes get the best of us because the thought of losing our 

pet is painful. 

I had a long talk with Futtes owners and they looked at each other 

and told me that they had made a promise to themselves that 

they wouldn’t prolong Futtes life unnecessarily. His age and 

health issues made it clear. 

Futte went home with his owners to spend a last weekend with 

his family and on Sunday afternoon Futte came back to the clinic 

and was laid to rest surrounded by his family. 

In my book it was a ”good” euthanasia. Futte have had a 

wonderful life and his time had come. 

If you as an owner don’t have any doubts whether euthenisia is 

the right desicion, then you have been putting it off for too long. 

Anyone with a common sense would agree that a tremendously 

weak and sick animal should be laid to rest. 

It is much more difficult making the decision in situations where 

the pet’s illness isn’t at a point where life is unworthy. 

This is the point where I as a vet believe that we should let the 

love for our pet prevail and let them be laid to rest with dignity. 

Have you given your pet a letter of intent regarding a 

worthy passing? 

Have the talk with your family members about what you consider 

to be a good life for your pet and a worthy passing, should it ever 

come up. 

A letter of intent might spare your pet from unnecessary pain in 

the end. 

The grief will not be any easier but it will be easier to bear 

knowing that you kept your pet’s best interest at heart. 

The night sky burned a bit brighter on Sunday as Futte took his 

place amongst the stars, representing both the beginning of life 

and a final farewell. 

Written by Lise Rovsing, Denmark 

Veterinarian & Member of the PDTE 


New members... 

 

Susanne Jodeleit-Lampe - 

Germany 

I'm working as an alternative medicine 

therapist for dogs and horses. Now I 

finished my dog trainer-education. The 

greatest fulfilment is working and living 

with animals, especially dogs and to 

learn people understanding them. 

Nina Ozmec - Slovenia 

My name is Nina Ozmec and I'm a 

student of pedagogy for primary school. 

I come from a small country Slovenia, 

and I live in Ljubljana with my partner, 

dog Topla and cat Lily. 

Topla is my first dog and I've adopted 

her from a shelter in 2007. Although she 

20 Summer 2019 - PDTE Newsletter 

was just a puppy at that time, she had a 

lot of issues and behavioural problems. 

Mostly due to my ignorance and her bad 

start - she was found only three days 

old in a dumpster and was bottle fed by 

her human mother. 

Through years we took a lot of courses 

and searched for help, but it was only 

getting worse. However, everything 

changed two years ago when I 

discovered a different kind of dog 

school where we started to work in a 

different, gentle way. 

We are now learning and growing 

together. We attend social walks and 

nose work courses. In the meantime I 

am expanding my knowledge through 

seminars and workshops. My wish is to 

continue learning about dogs and to 

participate in helping other dogs get a 

better life. 

I wish one day I will be a student of 

Turid Rugaas in International Dog 

Trainer Education and I will study 

Canine Myotherapy in Galen Therapy 

Centre. Hopefully one day, but till then I 

try to learn as much as I can from my 

dog so we can have a great life 

together. 

Kelly Hillis - Ireland 

I have always had a great love for dogs 

and was raised with a variety of breeds 

from Pomeranians to Alsatians! Having 

studied canine behaviour and training 

part time, I began full time work with 

dogs last year, with my business, 

‘Cosmopawlitan’. I am a fully accredited 

member of the Institute of Modern Dog 

Trainers (IMDT) and am currently 

studying Canine Behaviour under the 

guidance of David Brice. I am also (and 

most importantly!) a proud Norwegian 

Elkhound mom. 

Joeson Hsu - Taiwan 

Hi, my name is Joeson. I have 2 dogs 

and 10 cats. I am a dog trainer and have 

worked with dogs around 7 years. I'm 

also the organiser of the Turid Rugaas 

IDTE Taiwan. 

I had graduated from Karen Pryor 

Academy in 2010, taught clinker training 

for one year then I follow Turid's way 

from 2013. I graduated from Turid 

Rugaas IDTE and finished Anne Lill 

Kvam's Dog Nosework Education in 

2017. 

In my training course, I teach people to 

know calming signals, enrichment and 

socialisation, and how to prepare a 

good environment suitable for dogs and 

cats. I also teach nosework. 

I am also TTouch certificated 

practitioner. TTouch can be effective 

with stress and emotional problems, so 

I usually use it in any situation if dog 

gets nervous. It's very helpful for cats or 

other animals, I also do TTouch with 

shelter dogs when I go as a volunteer. 

I totally agree with Turid that we have to 

learn more about dogs and live with 

dogs, not just train them.

Eva Masthagen - Sweden 

As an only child I got a dog as a 

companion. I have always been 

interested in finding out more about 

dogs behaviour and in 1999 when I got 

my first dog as a grown up, it became 

more important as this dog was very 

special. This dog taught me more about 

dogs than any other dog. His silent 

communication brought calmness 

around him and I was so impressed. 

So I started to study dog behaviour and 

after about 3 years of studies, I stopped 

working in marketing and started to 

work with dogs. I have continued to 

study dogs behaviour and I cannot get 

enough. 

In 2013 I started working part time at a 

local dog day care facility. I wanted to 

learn more about different dog breeds 

and how different dogs behave. 

At home I have 3 male dogs. 2 spaniels 

and one retriever. I mainly train them for 

hunting but I am not a hunter. My 

working cocker is training to be a 

sniffer dog. 

Cristina Gomes Budzinski – 

France 

Cristina is a behaviour canine 

consultant in France and was a student 

of Turid Rugaas. She is passionate 

about the canine world. 

Sensitive to the animal cause since a 

young age, she lives in perfect harmony 

with Fidji (a female cane corso rescued 

from an illegal breeder), Ink (her black 

German shepherd) and her two cats. 

Moreover, she helps as often as 

possible at an animal shelter in 

Portugal in which her sister is an active 

member (O canGnho da Milu shelters 

over 700 dogs - 

www.ocanGnhodamilu.com). 

She uses gentle and respectful methods 

with dogs in order to improve their lives 

and their relationships with their human 

(and dogs, cats...) family, while fulfilling 

their needs. Her moto is Observe, Learn, 

Share and Respect (whether dogs or 

humans). 

She works with her husband Aurelien, 

and together they use their knowledge 

to assist dog owners to gain a better 

understanding of their animals. Through 

Toutpourmonchien.fr, she highlights her 

convictions to help humans and dogs. 

Aurelien and Cristina also created the 

Dogbrochures.com project to help 

people share information about dogs all 

around the world. 

They also work on a field study about 

observations and pulse measuring and 

presented their latest results at the Dog 

Symposium 2018 in Oslo. 

Yvette Potter - Gibralter 

My name is Yvette Potter I am 51 years 

old, married with two grown up children 

and we have a multi dog household of 

one Labrador who is 6 years old his 

name is Cory, and two German 

Shepherd girls called Skye and Bella. 

I live in Gibraltar and I have worked in 

Admin in Govt of Gibraltar for the last 

34 years. I’m also a dog trainer with 

IMDT certification although my aim is to 

move to a more holistic approach to 

training, and I belong to the PPG as a 

Proud Member and I’m also a Be A Tree 

Presenter for Doggone Safe. 

I also have a very keen interest in 

therapies like zoopharmacognosy 

and Tellington Touch, which I have 

done seminars and courses about 

and I actively use on my dogs on a 

regular basis. 

I use a lot of enrichment ideas and tools 

on my dogs as I think it keeps them 

more relaxed and gives them something 

interesting to do sniffing out and using 

their brains. I also use these enrichment 

tools on our walks and try different 

routes regularly. 

I also have my dog training business 

which is The Urban k9 Gibraltar (on fb) 

where I do one to one consults at 

clients homes and I also have a 

Saturday socialization and enrichment 

walk with a group of clients where we 

walk through different areas where we 

use social and environmental 

enrichment for the wellbeing of the 

doggies and owners. I also include in 

this valuable training that they can also 

use at home and in their normal day to 

day walks. 

On a regular basis I also try to help by 

rehoming dogs for a few rescues 

around the area and further afield. I try 

to help out as much as possible by 

giving either my time to them in any way 

possible, be it by fundraising through 

my Snuffle Sistas page on FB. Where we 

make snuffle mats and balls of which a 

percentage goes toward the charities or 

rescues that need funds, or by actively 

helping out in rescues by transporting if 

need be or walking dogs or finding 


New members (continued 1) 

 

possible adopters for the doggies 

in rescue. 

I think its very important to keep 

learning and staying in the loop of all 

things dog and trying to empower 

myself to be able to help others with 

their dogs and with mine as well. When 

I’m not working or training, I’m also a 

keen environmentalist and vegan. 

Lysanne Nissen – Netherlands 

I’m Lysanne Nissen. I’ve been loving all 

animals since I was young, but especially 

dogs. We always had a lot of animals at 

our home, so I grew up whit them. 

All the dogs we had were rescues. Until 

my dad got Laika, she was a 

Malinois/Scotch Collie mix. He did a lot 

of nose work with her and she did it her 

own way, very calm and no one could 

take her off her track. No one of us had 

knowledge of this training method, but 

it already fascinated me that she always 

brought peace wherever she went. 

I really wanted to have a dog of my own, 

so I got Ydesh a French Bulldog. At that 

time I was ignorant about dog 

behaviour so I took her everywhere, 

picked her up all the time and wanted to 

cuddle her all day. I was assuming I was 

doing the best for her. She came from a 

puppy mill and she was only 6 weeks 

when I got her. 

After 2 years the problem behaviour 

started, she lunged at every dog we 

came by and she started to bite. I tried 

a lot to make it better but all the 

traditional methods made it worse not 

better. Until I learned about Calming 

Signs, Ellen and Nelis taught me about 

the behaviour of dogs and that made 

everything a lot easier. 

When I finally got my own home I 

wanted to have another dog so I got 

Leo, he came from a shelter in 

22 Summer 2019 - PDTE Newsletter 

Romania. He is very sweet and gentle, I 

also learned a lot from him. He is just 

the best dog! For 5 months now I have 

had another dog, Bobby. He is anxious 

but also very sweet. 

I was fascinated about this method and 

how good it works. So I wanted to help 

more people and their dogs because 

there are so many dogs who have 

problem behaviour just because people 

don’t understand them. In 2016 I 

graduated for NDTE at Calming Signs, 

now I hope I can help a lot of dogs and 

their human to have a better life 

together. 

Bernd Hufmann - Germany 

Since years I’m working with dogs as a 

trainer at the DRK rescue dog area and 

now I made the final examination for 

dog trainers at dogcom (Sonja Hoegen). 

I have two active Golden Retrievers and 

one of them has some handicaps (deaf, 

epilepsy and arthrosis). 

PDTE is an optimal source for new dog 

information, and having the possibility 

to get in contact with other very 

experienced trainers around the world, 

symposiums or seminars. 

I´m really interested to get more 

information about health, behaviour and 

dog friendships, dog partnership. Also, 

to exchange my own experiences with 

our dog colleagues. 

Nicole Corby - Gibraltar 

Hello everyone, I have decided to reapply 

for membership after having 

completed my journey with my beautiful 

dog as he left my side last month on the 

25th March. He was with us for close to 

ten years. 

I could not have asked for a better 

companion, teacher or mentor, He is the 

reason that I got into this, and the 

reason why I will continue on this 

journey. 

I have worked as an Animal Welfare 

Officer, I have recently completed a 

course on working with and 

rehabilitating rescue dogs and I am 

proud to say that I passed with a 

distinction! 

Throughout the years that we have been 

together I have dedicated most of the 

time to being in his company, studying 

canine behaviour and training, and 

working with him to help him feel 

comfortable and safe throughout his 

life. I hope I can say I did a good job. 

I am a student member of the IMDT. I 'm 

due for re-assessment this coming

September and I am hoping that they 

consider me worthy enough to receive 

full membership. 

My special interest in the field of dogs 

is (Perhaps strangely!) the dog's limbic 

system, their sense of smell and how 

emotions influence behaviours. I am 

still learning and the more I learn the 

more I realize how little I know. 

I cannot add much more other than I am 

trying to introduce positive force free 

dog training in Gibraltar by obtaining 

Government approval and support and 

that I do it in memory of the most 

exceptional companion, my Zimba, who 

I will miss till the end of my days. 

Melani Skornsek - Slovenia 

Born and raised in Germany but now 

living in Slovenia for almost 20 years 

together with my two cats and four 

dogs. 

Dogs were always a big interest, but it 

took some time for me to decide to get 

one, because I wanted to be responsible 

about it. I bought my first dog when I 

felt ready at the age of 25, I quite soon 

realized I wanted to know more about 

them and do more than just “have a 

dog”. 

We started being a team, teaching each 

other, making mistakes together and 

learnt from them together. I went to 

regular puppy school and because my 

Dalmatian showed interest and was 

having fun in clicker training and 

working/learning with me in general, we 

explored various activities. 

Beginning with classic obedience, 

Tracking, then having more fun with 

Rally Obedience, where we competed 

mostly for fun but with nice results. At 

that time our dog trainer recommended 

Turid Rugaas and Calming Signals for a 

better understanding of dogs and so the 

wish for additional knowledge arose. 

She also recruited us to try dog 

assisted therapy, we liked it both very 

much and so went to Tiere als Therapie 

Austria to get the knowledge for it, be 

tested and certified almost a decade 

ago and actively volunteering since 

then. 

While also volunteering with cat and 

dog rescues, I met my next dog and so 

adopted a very fearful adult pointer and 

in the following years two more, a mix 

and a poodle mix. Each one is teaching 

me something new. 

Looking for alternatives for my oldest 

dogs to keep them entertained and in 

physical, as much as mental shape but 

without the physical strains, I started 

exploring nosework possibilities. That's 

when my nosework / scent detection / 

mantrailing journey started and we all 

fell in love with it. So much so I applied 

for a nosework dog trainer education 

and afterwards started teaching 

classes. 

My oldest dog with his 13 years is still 

enjoying and competing in scent 

detection just like my other three dogs. 

In addition he's teaching me the 

glorious life with an old dog, again a 

first for me. 

But the youngest is keeping me busy on 

a new level now with her separation 

anxiety, so this is a new field I want to 

learn more about and possibly help 

others with it. Luckily, life with dogs is 

never boring. All in all, I am very 

interested in pet wellbeing, dog body 

language, stress management and 

behaviour modification techniques. 

Lisa Lang – Norway 

Hello from Norway! 

My name is Lisa, I am a passionate dognerd 

and proud dog-owner. I have been 

living in Norway for about 12 years, but I 

was born and grew up in Germany. 

I grew up with dogs and the oldfashioned 

way of treating and training 

them. When I got my first own dog Saga 

in 2009, I attended a puppy class with a 

pretty old-fashioned and harsh 

instructor. I hated it and it reminded me 

of the difficult feelings from my 

childhood about how our family dog 

was treated. 

I had always hated my father for jerking 

her leash, shouting at her and 

correcting her physically. I didn't treat 

my rabbits or the other animals like that 

and could never understand why the 

dog had to be treated that way. I wanted 

to do it better, I wanted my dog to not 

fear me and to trust me. 

One day I was introduced to a couple 

that had trained their dog to close doors 

by clicker training. I got curious and 

that's how my journey through the 

jungle of dog-training started. The 

journey to where I am today, having 

relationships based on trust and 

respect, not fear and force. 

For me it is an ongoing journey, 

probably a life long one, a process of 

learning and experiencing from these 

beautiful and gentle animals. It includes 

a lot of self-development and moments 



 

where I realize how my behaviour 

affects others. That is not always 

pleasant, but an important part of this 

journey towards a better understanding 

of myself and those around me. 

Good relationships are important to all 

of us, both humans and animals. A 

good relationship can heal wounds and 

make a foundation for a good life 

together. That and building them up, so 

they become strong and confident 

individuals, is what I try to achieve with 

my own dogs. 

Kath Hardington - UK 

I live in Northumberland, UK, with my 

husband and two dogs. One Ridgeback 

and a Cross Labrador/English Pointer. I 

have been brought up with dogs all my 

life, from Poodles to German 

Shepherds. 

I first encountered Turid on a two-day 

conference in Edinburgh and then was 

lucky enough to attend her full course in 

2017, in the UK. 

I volunteer at a local dog rescue centre, 

where we deal with some dogs who 

have been terribly mistreated by 

humans. 

The techniques that I have learnt from 

Turid have proved invaluable and have 

made a huge difference for these dogs. 

For example, simple things like 

understanding the calming signals and 

treat searches. I have also attended 

Anne Lill Kvam’s Nosework Education. 

My aim is to basically spread the word 

of the techniques I have been learnt, 

and work with dogs full time. 

Anja Bødiker - Denmark 

My name is Anja and I first became 

acquainted with dogs at the age of 4 

when my grandmother bought a Poodle 

called Lady. I spent time with her daily 

with walks, petted her, and other 

activities until her death at the age of 

12 years. 

Before Ladys death I got my own dog 

Micka when I was 11 years old. Micka 

was a mix of Poodle, Bichon Frisé and 

West Highland White Terrier. Micka was 

my responsibility, I groomed her, took 

her to the vet, went for walks, slept with 

her in my bed and taught her some 

tricks. 

When Micka died almost 13 years old, I 

thought I could live without a dog, but 

after one year I couldn’t. I then bought 

Lina in 2008, a Bichon Havanais and I 

adapted my everyday life to having a 

dog despite study and a full time job. 

I started training and socializing Lina in 

the local dog club Vedbæk Hundeklub. 

In 2012 I became a dog trainer at DGI, 

and I am also a treasurer in Vedbæk 

Hundeklub. 

Along with training in the club, I was 

introduced to show dogs through the 

kennel where I had bought Lina, and so I 

chose to take her to a show. 

She won despite very little ring training 

and just common dog behaviour like a 

normal dog, not like all the others, it 

was a shock to see how they handled 

the dogs. I then chose to have puppies. 

I did so, to get the greatest opportunity 

to imprint these lovely little creatures 

right from birth. It was an indescribable 

experience, I took leave to take care of 

the puppies and spent a lot of time 

finding suitable families. 

I kept Lina's last-born bitch, Nana, when 

the family, who originally should have 

bought her, had turned out to be unfit. 

When Lina died I adopted a Bichon 

Havanais (Olivia) who wasn’t doing so 

fine. Now, I am participating the IDTE in 

Denmark and I am so grateful for all I 

have learnt so far. 

Kerstin Biernat-Scherf- Austria 

My life is dogs! Since I was young I 

loved to collect pictures from dogs to 

look at their body language and learn 


about them. When I was 6 years old I 

knew all kinds of types of dogs and it 

become a game in my family to ask me 

dog breeds when we saw them in TV, on 

the streets or somewhere else. 

Today I’m 36 and I’m living with my 

husband and my dogs in a house near 

the forest – as I wanted to do since 

early childhood. I made my hobby into 

my profession when I decided to work 

as a dog trainer for myself some years 

before. And I love my job! 

I’m working with my dogs to search for 

lost people and pets, to help fearful other 

dogs, or to help aggressive ones to 

become more fearless and social. Every 

day in every week my life is about dogs. 

Especially the fearful ones are my 

favourites, because they need help and 

knowledge to be understood better. 

My part between their owners and them 

is something like a translator: What is 

your dog telling you? How can you 

interact more carefully? What signs are 

important for you? 

In Austria I’m working with 

veterinarians, in animal shelters, with 

other dog trainers, dog 

physiotherapists, dog food sellers and 

I’m writing for the Austrian dog 

newspaper (Österreichische 

Hundezeitung) to distribute knowledge 

about dogs and dog language in the 

dog owner’s world. 

My special part is to focus on new 

knowledge and to destroy wrong 

knowledge about dogs. Therefore I’m 

doing presentations for an auditorium 

routinely. The last presentations have 

been about misunderstandings between 

dogs and humans, about the questions, 

how many influences and behaviours of 

the wolf is to be found in our dogs, and 

about the part and the importance of 

dogs in our society and which danger 

this understanding includes. 

I learnt from Anne Lill Kvam in 2013 and 

got my certificate at the University of 

Vienna and the Messerli Institute. 

Sarina Kriechbaum-Young. - 

Austria 

My name is Sarina Kriechbaum-Young. I 

am a teacher. I teach English and 

German as a second language and I am 

a dog trainer. I live with my husband and 

our two dogs in Southern Styria, Austria, 

near the Slovenian border. 

I have always been fortunate to live with 

dogs, all the members in my family 

were/are dog lovers. I actually can’t 

imagine living without animals. 

In 2012, my husband and I started a dog 

walking service in Graz, Austria. 

Business picked up quickly and we soon 

added a doggy day care and dog 

boarding. My husband is running this 

successful business near Graz. 

In 2013/14, I had the opportunity to 

train with Anne Lill Kvam and I attended 

her International Dog Trainer Education 

in Vienna. Now I am able to combine my 

two passions in life: dogs and teaching! 

I feel very lucky and blessed. 

My special interests in the field of dogs 

are puppies and nose work. In addition, 

I am also very interested in nutrition (for 

dogs and humans) and in the topic of 

stress and aggression. I also give 

lectures on topics such a human-dog 

communication, problem solving, and 

how to raise a puppy. 

Bono Beeler - New Zealand 

My name is Bono. I’m from Switzerland 

but am living in New Zealand since 

1996 mostly in Christchurch. I was 

always fond of animals, but it was the 

dogs that I just somehow greatly 

connected to from a very young age. 

Unfortunately, I never owned a dog 

when I was a child but later in my 

school years walked neighbours’ dogs 

and later joined obedience and agility 

classes with my friend and her dogs. 

However, I just didn’t enjoy obedience 

and agility at all. I didn’t like the devices 

and definitely not the force which was 

taught to be applied to train dogs. So I 

stopped it and eventually decided, that 

instead of becoming an animal trainer, I 

start an apprenticeship as a chef. For 

most of my life I stood behind a stove in 

hot kitchens and in the 2000-nds owned 

my restaurant in Christchurch. 

After loosing everything in the February 

2011 earthquake, I decided to go back 

to my dream and work with dogs. 

Mainly because I had a lovely friend 

called Sam who had chosen me in 

1998. She was a 13 weeks old Red 

Heeler X. She taught me so many things 

but mainly how silly my ideas were 

which I had learned in those early 

obedience classes! 

I decided to start studying at the British 

College for Canine Studies. I chose their 

course because they weren’t forcing an 

opinion on students, but my essays 

consisted of having to research and 

present fact based answers. Long story 

short, during researching I came across 



 

Turid Rugaas’ book about Calming 

Signals and from here everything 

changed...... the black and white days 

became colourful. Ones I had finished 

my theoretical work I travelled to 

Leicester in England and did my 

practical testing in April 2013. 

Officially, I started my business 

(SpeakingDog) in 2013; I am qualified 

as a Behaviour Practitioner, but my 

main income comes really from walking 

dogs in the morning. I don’t really do 

dog training as such; I look at it more as 

coaching owners to learn positive 

methods, habits and how dogs 

communicate to them. It is these 

experiences which also influence me to 

not think of behaviour issues as 

problems but as symptoms; a form of 

communicating that life is unbalanced. 

During my studies, I started fostering 

ex-racing greyhounds and eventually 

started working at a boarding kennel at 

weekends to get other experiences. I 

don’t have a favourite breed of dog I 

just love all dogs. 

I currently live with four greyhounds: 

Cash, Loren, Del and foster-hound Billy. 

They seem to think I’m pretty cool, 

HOWEVER they do tell me how stupid I 

still am sometimes and encourage me 

to learn, learn, learn... 

Sylvie Dietrich – France 

My name is Sylvie, 56 – married - 2 

children. I live in France, with my 3 dogs 

• I g rew up with 6 dogs, mixed breed, 

two at a time. 

• I have had various jobs, in different 

parts of France. I moved a lot as 

resident in England, Switzerland, 

Germany 

• In 2015, I got tired of my job... sales 

forecast, growth forecast ... working 

overtime!.... I left it! 

• I went to get Chocky, a wonderful 

Labrador who is 5 years old now and 

wanted to know more about dogs 

• I had training courses, with Ethology, 

clicker training, Education/ Reeducation 

but the revelation came 

when I met Turid. I was lucky to have 

training courses with Turid in 2016 

and finally I had all the responses to 

my questions. 

I became a dog trainer... 

For all the dogs and to complete my 

knowledge for their well fare, I attended 

some training courses and now 

I am also, Reiki practitioner, animal 

interpreter, animal naturopath, 

magnetiser and I am reselling Haqihana 

harnesses 

Two years ago Candy 1 year 1⁄2 

(Podenca) has joined us 

And last year poppy 10 (Golden 

Retriever) deaf and visually impaired. 

Merete Rosenberg - Denmark 

My name is Merete Rosenberg and I am 

a Norwegian living in Denmark for 22 

years now. I live in Copenhagen with my 

boyfriend and our Basset Hound, Alfred. 

Alfred, who is almost 8 years old, 

inspired me to a life working with dogs. 

He showed me that it is all about the 

nose – and taking it slow. 

Shortly after he joined our family, I 

started working as a professional dog 

walker. The only experience I had with 

dogs was from my childhood´s Puli, and 

my first dog as a grown-up – a 

Newfoundland, but Alfred, and all my 

dog clients, taught me so much about 

the wonderful world of dogs. 

They made me want to learn more. I 

wanted to understand them, to 

understand why dogs do what they do - 

and how much our lack of knowledge 

and behaviour towards them affects 

their behaviour. 

I learnt about Turid Rugaas and in April 

2017, I joined her IDTE in Denmark. My 

goal and dream is to open a “Snuffle 

Heaven” for dogs in Copenhagen. A 

place where dogs can come to sniff, 

explore and use their senses without 

having others interrupting. I want to 

show people the importance of sniffing. 

What it means for dogs to be able to 

sniff, be curious and have choices. To 

slow down and let them be dogs. 

That is my motto: Let the dogs, 

be dogs. 


Sandra Sánchez Muñoz - Spain 

My name is Sandra. In my childhood I 

was always surrounded by animals. My 

parents taught me to be humble and 

they instilled a love and respect for 

animals in me from a young age. When I 

decided to study I chose psychology 

because I felt that studying something 

like veterinary medicine would be 

difficult for me because it would be in 

conflict with my personal ethics. 

When I was finishing my university 

degree, I was offered a job in company 

that focused on animal-assisted therapy 

with dogs, where I worked as a 

psychologist. Seven years ago, I ended 

up leaving this job because I felt that 

my boss did not have an appropriate 

knowledge base for working with dogs, 

he did not respect their nature and was 

not concerned for their welfare. 

The first dog I ever lived with was 

Rumba. Rumba is a Labrador Retriever 

and we have been together for eight 

years. She is my mentor and my guide. 

With Rumba I have cried a lot, 

sometimes out of frustration because I 

felt like I did not understand her but 

many other times out of happiness. I 

have spent hours watching her sleep, 

play, explore, eat… and over time I 

began to understand that she was 

communicating with me. 

Currently, I work as a psychologists and 

I also teach psychology classes for 

university students. I have taught 

psychology of learning and 

psychopharmacology for 10 years. Now 

I am able to teach students what I 

would have liked to have been taught 

from the beginning, how to respect the 

welfare of others, whether they be 

human or non-human animals. 

Earlier, my husband, who is a PDTE 

associated member, and I had the 

opportunity to meet Turid Rugaas in 

Barcelona. I saw that we share the 

same philosophy and it is because of 

this that I would like to apply to join this 

organization. 

Vida Pla - Spain 

Hello, my name is Vida and I am here 

thanks to my dog ‘Bigotes’. I rescued 

him in the wild six years ago and after 

spending a lot of money on specialists 

for his education and not getting any 

solution to my case, I decided to study 

myself, learn to understand him as he 

needed and solve my problem 

ourselves. 

Today, it has become my passion and a 

way of life. I have not stopped studying 

although I always think that I still do not 

know anything. 

I am interested in dog psychology and 

solve problems from the roots using 

always kind and respectful methods. 

Audrey Doornbos - Netherlands 

My name is Audrey Doornbos, I’m 

married and live in the heart of the city 

of Groningen. We share our house and 

garden with Wilson, a wonderful Boxer x 

Wetterhoun mix of 6 years old. Almost 

ten years ago I had the opportunity to 

change my career. From the graphic 

design industry I moved to the 

veterinary clinic being a vet technician. 

In 2011 I earned my diploma. Up until 

today I work part time as a veterinary 

technician/assistant. 

I grew up with boxers and always 

enjoyed having a dog around. For about 

20 years I had no possibility to take 

good care of a dog. One day before my 

40th birthday, we picked up Wilson! I 

got snapped by our first boxer at the 

age of 4, I was literally in his face... 

Little did I know, let alone my parents. 

Even after that the dog was still my best 

friend. Now I know why and how it 

happened. Poor dog for the situation he 

was pushed in... 

To learn more about the behaviour of 

dogs I started a course with my former 

dog trainer. In 2014 I earned that 

diploma but soon I found out it left me 

with questions and doubts about his 

approach. 

Then Turid Rugaas entered my life! First 

a seminar and now half way with the 

IDTE-TR in the Netherlands. I’m getting 

answers to my questions and learn my 

doubts were not in vain. 

The more I learn, the better I can 

provide clients at the vet clinic with 

appropriate advice on how to handle or 

treat their dogs. 

The more I learn, the harder it gets to 

actually work at the clinic because of 

the ill treatment and clumsy handling of 

dogs by their owners. 

The more I learn, the more eager I get to 

improve the treatment of dogs at the vet 

clinic. Not only by the owners but also 

by the vets and my fellow technicians. 

Because dogs deserve that! 


Dates for your 2019/2020 Diary... 

STARTING 

JUNE 

10 

JUNE 

22-23 

Reach More Paws 

5 Week Online Course 

www.alldogsaregood.com/reachmorepaws 

Health & Harmony Dog Symposium 

Venue: Brisbane, Australia 

www.completepet.com.au 

SEPTEMBER 

14–15 

SEPTEMBER 

28-29 

It’s a dog’s life: from puppy to senior 

By: Pennie Clayton 

Venue: Harrogate, UK 

www.pdte.eu/events-and-education 

PDTE Annual Conference & AGM 

NH Collection Roma Giustiniano 

Rome, Italy 

www.pdterome2019.com 

STARTING 

OCTOBER 

11-13 

NOVEMBER 

9-10 

Dog Aggression for Animal Professionals 

By Dr. Amber Batson 

Tapei, Taiwan - https://amberbatsontw2018.blogspot.com 

E: Eric Lee - eric.clicker@gmail.com 

Turid Rugaas in France 

Venue: Gisors, France 

www.dolcevitadog.com 

STARTING 

JANUARY 2020 

25-26 

Canine Agression – Course for Professionals 

By: Dr Amber Batson MRCVS 

Venue: Durham, UK 

E: karen@pawscrossed.co.uk 

STARTING 

NOVEMBER 2020 

27-29 

Advanced Dog Aggression for Animal 

Professionals 


Tapei, Taiwan - https://amberbatsontw2018.blogspot.com 

APRIL 2020 

16-19 

Anne Lill Kvam Down Under! 

Venue: Canterbury, New Zealand 

http://www.speakingdog.net 

STARTING 

JANUARY 2021 

30-31 

Advanced Dog Aggression for Animal 

Professionals 


Venue: Durham, UK 

E: karen@pawscrossed.co.uk 

E: Eric Lee - eric.clicker@gmail.com Note: If you have anything to contribute to the next 

issue please email it to pdteeditor@hotmail.com

PDTE 2019 June Newsletter

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