2019 is already behind us and many of us have already dive fully into 2020! Before unfolding the DogsWays plans for 2020 let’s reflect a bit on 2019. Oh, what a year it was!
DogsWays expanded greatly and made a lot of priceless connections, met with and learned from many of the most knowledgable experts in the field of dogs’ behaviour. We broaden our (technical) knowledge on how the brain is built, how does it function and anything that has to do with the decision making and shaping one’s behaviour.
We start seminars about dogs’ emotions which has been welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm from our students.
We worked with more than 100 different dogs in 2019, which makes it more or less a new dog every 3 days. That kept us really busy but equally happy and motivated. There were, as it happens in life some ups and downs. Sometimes our philosophy of working, connecting and understanding dogs in the first place doesn’t correspond with everyone, mostly people who got brainwashed by the specific TV programs. That made us even more motivated to start the campaign of helping people understand that each dog is an individual with his own set of emotions, behaviours and coping strategies. They are not robots to be trained to please us!
Julia, DogsWays founder got acknowledge and welcomed to join PDTE (Pet Dog Trainers of Europe) Association, very prestigious organization working hard on dogs’ wellbeing not only around Europe but around the globe. Exchanging knowledge, experience and support each other is another goal of this organization. Getting support from my colleagues from Belgium, Germany, UK or Australia is just priceless.
Next, we got invited to cooperate with Van Stal – one of the best Dutch dog and horse schools on delivering the dog courses. Very exciting time as Van Stal is one of the few schools only that shares same training values and constantly works on improving own ways and learning new developments.
We got involved in the project of helping stray and shelter dogs in Romania and finding them foster or forever homes in the Netherlands. As a result, Rosa, our shepherd mix has joined us in October and we’re helping her overcome her nasty past and start enjoying life from the beginning in the way it should be. Rosa is an amazing ‘student’ and only proves all the techniques and ‘ways’ we preach make wonders.
Last but not least in December DogsWays launched the new line of Sniffing Mats! Followed by the big demand and lack of the decent and lasting products on the market, we decided to fill in the gap and make our own brand. And with what a success! The first batch got sold within 2 days and there are already more than 50 orders being placed! We got also such a positive feedback from our dear clients who bought the mat and got spoiled with loads of doggy videos and pics. We are so very grateful for each and every one.
And now into 2020 – there are some changes coming!
DogsWays starts the professional Nose Trainer Development Education. It’s a 1.5 yrs program designed to teach you how to train professional detection dogs but also how to use dogs’ amazing ability to sniff as a leisure activity for you and your dog, the program consists of: man-trailing, scent detection, scent discrimination, area search, building search, lost-retrieve and more. Obviously we can’t wait and you can also expect some fun workshops coming out of that in the future.
We continue our work with Van Stal. Every Tuesday morning you could join us for some theory based on the newest scientific developments in the dogs’ training field as well as the practical exercises. And of course all the “gezelligheid” that’s involved when dogs and their people gather together. Dogs of each ages are welcome!
Together with Expats with Dogs in Amsterdam we’re aiming to organize interesting workshops and seminars, with some great names, like Turid Rugaas, Winkie Spiers, Els Vidts and more! Stay tuned!
Our little online shop will soon get expanded by the BioThane leashes and Haqihana harnesses, also as the follow up of the demand for such products and difficulty to get them.
In 2020 there is also a price change. When working with dogs we give 100% of our heart, attention and time. Therefore we have never counted the time spent with the client and their dog. And our support goes well beyond the session itself. We are available 24hrs to answer all the emails, phone calls and messages with questions and concerns. That keeps us pretty occupied each day.
So the principle of not counting the time at the session stays the same for the first initial and the most important session when the problem behaviour is discussed, tackled and the program to change it gets implemented. Our experience tells us that often 1 session is enough to fix the existing problem! Of course, it all depends on the issue on hand, dog, and implementation of the recommendations given.
Following sessions are now shortened to 1hr (extension, of course, possible!) and not-very-urgent issues will be answered once a day in the designated time slot. For urgent matters, you’re always more than welcome to call!
All the projects we are involved in leave us not much space to accommodate each and every client. Therefore in 2020 we aim to work mostly with difficult cases. Do you have a challenging dog? Have you adopted a dog ‘with the past’ and are lost on how to help him? Have you tried some trainers, dog schools, read books and watch YouTube videos only to find yourself 2 steps back from the starting point? Get in touch with us!
And if you don’t have major issues with your dog but would like some guidance on how to do things right, you’re also more than welcome to get in touch! We might be able to accommodate you and if not, with our broad network of trainers and behaviorists we will be able to point you in the right direction and make sure you and your pooch end up in the good hands.
And now we would like to take a chance and wish you all a very fulfilling 2020! Make sure not only your dog is your best friend but other way around as well. Forget the harsh or intensive training and enjoy each other company on the walks or snuggling together on the couch. Happy 2020!!