PDTE Newsletter July 2020

MENTORING PROGRAM
About support and encouragement - learn from the best.
by Sam Walker-Arends - www.samthedogcoach.co.uk
We are lucky to have so many brilliant mentors in the mentorship
scheme. The list currently includes:
• Turid Rugaas
• Winkie Spiers
• Pennie Clayton
• Raili Halme
• Anne Lil Kvam
• Marina Gates Fleming
• Manja Leissner
• Federica Iacozzilli
• Peter Botsch
Hello, my name is Sam and I have recently taken over
the running of the Mentorship Scheme from Steph
Rousseau. I would like to say thank you to Steph for
setting up such a wonderful and important scheme.
I have been learning about dog behaviour for a few years now,
alongside my ‘other job’. For me, I found the learning fascinating
but when it came to thinking how I could make that jump
to taking on clients and setting up my own business, I felt quite
lost. My background was theatre and working with dogs on a
more professional level seemed completely intimidating and
out of my comfort zone.
Luckily, I came across Steph Rousseau after dog sitting for her
and was introduced to the PDTE. Here I found a host of like
minded dog enthusiasts with a message that I could really
invest in. This was at a time when (luckily) the mentorship
scheme was in the process of being set up and immediately I
joined up to be a mentee - it seemed exactly what I had been
looking for to bridge the gap between learning and doing.
Being able to speak to people with a vast amount of skills,
expertise and experience has been key in helping me make
that jump to the next level. What I love best is that you can
really tailor it to yourself. What is your biggest concern at the
moment and what is an area you would love to learn about?
For me it was great to get advice on how to start up a business
but it was also invaluable being able to speak about a whole
range of topics - from ethics and the importance of sniffing to
helping set a plan when I didn’t know how to help a particular
dog and their human.
Most importantly I was able to get some much needed support
and encouragement. I felt that I would always be a fraud until
I knew everything there was to know, but speaking to one
mentor, Winkie Spiers, I was encouraged to start trying to give
it a go and that through meeting people and their dogs I would
continue to learn an enormous amount. It was wonderful
taking on my first few clients and knowing that if I was uncertain
or doubted the way forward that I had a support system of
wonderful dog trainers to be able to work a way forward with.
One word of warning, and something that I learnt, is that you
very much get out of the scheme what you have put in. I have
been guilty in the past of life becoming so hectic that I have not
gotten nearly enough out of the opportunity before the three
month rotation was over - the three months goes very quickly
so if you can possibly soak in as much as you can from your
mentor then I would very much encourage you to do so!
The next rotation will begin in July, please do sign up if you
think it could be of benefit. You don’t need to be new to dog
training - perhaps you feel it would be beneficial to have time
to talk to one of our mentors, brush up on some knowledge or
get some advice. Either way I hope that the scheme can help
you along on your dog training journey.
6 PDTE Newsletter July 2020