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Andrea Williams |
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Our
latest Top Student is Andrea Williams from Wales – pictured here with Spud.
She tells us, “Back in 1987 my relationship with my first dog Toby began.
Toby was a rescue pup and it was love at first sight. At that time, I had no
idea what I had taken on. I envisaged walks in the park, fun and games,
kisses and cuddles and I had the usual somewhat romanticized and unrealistic
expectations most novice dog owners have as I carried home this flea-ridden,
rather smelly and forlorn bundle of black matted fur. His first visit to the
vet revealed that he was most likely a labrador/german shepherd cross! Over the next couple of years I had to
deal with the usual challenges such as house training, destructiveness, manic
outbursts, jumping up at visitors, escaping from the garden, roaming etc.
After tearing my hair out, reading a “problem dog” book, experimenting with a
variety of different methods and an operation to remove Toby’s testicles, he
eventually calmed down. However a few problems still remained, for example barking
incessantly in the car and some aggression towards other dogs. I loved him
with all my heart, I would never have parted with him, I will never forget
him and he taught me a great deal. I am convinced, however, that he could
have had a much fuller, happier and less stressful existence if only I had
known then what I know now and done a few fundamental things differently.
The day I lost Toby was a very sad day
for me but much to everyone’s surprise I knew within a matter of days that I
was about to set out to find another doggy companion. I found him at a rescue
centre, a seven week old border collie cross labrador – as far as anyone
could tell. I named him Spud. This time I was determined to make a supreme
effort right from the start. I wanted to have a happy, well-behaved dog who I
could take anywhere without fear of embarrassment or repercussion. My focus this time was on plenty of
positive reinforcement and ignoring unwanted behavior as much as possible. I
found myself saying “good boy” and “well done” instead of yelling “no” and
“get down” and “stop it” and “bad boy” which is what I had instinctively done
when poor Toby had “misbehaved.” Like most people I had expected that he
would know what to do and what not to do. I know now how ridiculous that
assumption was and Spud and I are still reaping the rewards of my
enlightenment. I experienced very few problems with him and things just got
better each day. He was and still is an absolute pleasure to be around and he
impresses everyone who meets him! I think that was probably the start of my
interest in working in the field of dog behaviour. The realisation that my
own behaviour was the key to success was very encouraging and I knew that I
wanted to spread the word. My career has followed a rather
unconventional route – from teaching computer skills to training as
reflexologist and practitioner of Bach Flower remedies, Indian head massage
and Reiki. I now teach a number of courses related to these therapies and run
stress busting and holistic therapy days in the workplace. I discovered the Canine Behaviour
Centre about two years ago and mulled over the Dog Psychology Course for a
while. My love of dogs and interest in their behaviour had grown over time
and in the back of my mind I kept thinking about the Course but not doing
anything about it! My aim for the future now is to
further my knowledge and I am currently attending a course to become a Bach
Flower Animal Practitioner. I would like to combine behavioural techniques
with Bach remedies and Reiki which is a form of energy healing. With my
background in teaching I would love to run some short courses in the
community and maybe talk to some children at schools to help raise awareness
of what dogs need, why they behave the way they do and how we can have the
most mutually beneficial relationship with them. I am aware that I have so
much more to learn and I am very excited at the prospect of working with and
helping animals. I would like to thank the Canine
Behaviour Centre for making this Course available and I am sure that the
knowledge I have gained will be put to good use in the near future. I have enjoyed
the Course a great deal and putting the case studies together was both
challenging and thought-provoking. It is also good to know that you are
always there to offer advice and support when needed. I also want to mention Nikki whose
email address I came across on the Discussion Forum. I wrote to her at the
outset about the Dog Psychology Course and her response was such an
inspiration to me. Thank you Nikki for your time, advice and understanding –
Spuddy and I value your friendship enormously!” Many people ask us how we select our Top Students.
Quite simply, they are those students whose work is outstanding. They display
all the qualities we are looking for - the ability to think of all possible
options, an empathy with human as well as dog problems, flexibility,
open-mindedness, creativity - and much more! |
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