What makes us different?
Well, you see, the basic dog training formula is, a trainer typically gives you the exercises, shows you how to work them, and then says, "Good luck, see you in a bit," and leaves you on the hook, hoping that you apply the exercises in the right ways at the right time. But that doesn't always go optimally. My Transformative Dog Coaching method gives you a more clearly laid out formula to follow with a clear goal, an action plan, and steps for accountability as well as someone to help keep you accountable.
How does it work?
In Transformative Dog Coaching, we are working together as a team, a unit, or a pack* reach our goals with our canine companions. When we begin our journey toward better behaviors, more confidence, less reactivity, a deeper relationship, and/or a greater sense of relaxation all around in our lives with our dogs, the first thing want to do is set our goal. What is it that we are trying to accomplish on this new path? And don't worry, we can talk about this together because again, you're not alone on this journey. All methods that I use are strictly positive reinforcement based and maintain a space of being force-free. My goal is to always acknowledge who your dog is as their authentic self and help them understand how to better control their own behaviors.
Once we have our goals in line, we will begin building out your action plan. This will look different for each person because no two goals are accomplished in exactly the same manner. Now, what this means is that you will have some "homework." It won't be anything too complicated but it will help break down the expectations we've set for your day/week/month and give you a more clear path forward. Your program houses all of your day-to-day tasks and your check in's as we've set them up. The goal of the program is to help you to stay on track as well as stay accountable not only to yourself but to the rest of your pack*. This is also a way for me to see how things are progressing for you throughout the weeks and a way for you to seek more guidance as you and your dog grow together.
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In our coaching sessions, we will address the tasks you worked on throughout the week, talk about the highs and the lows, state our intentions for that new session, and follow through on a path to success. The sessions are designed around what you want to work on in that week as we recognize goals can be dynamic, but we will work to stay aligned on what the ultimate goal is and still always go back to our root goal. There are a variety of locations available to schedule your sessions each time and depending on our goals there may be a path of progression.
Why do I use a pack mentality?
If you haven't yet read my profile, my born and legal name is Abigail Wolf. From the time I was young, I've been fascinated with animals and they've helped give me a sense of community at times in my life. In my family, we commonly refer to ourselves as a pack because we are all supporting and helping to care for one another. Your pack is essentially your tribe, your community, or your family. My pack is the people I care about and want to see grow, bloom, and thrive in the world because the thing about a pack is it's just that, a family unit. In looking up the definition of the pack, one definition you will see is " a set of persons with a common interest" and that is what I'm looking to build for all of my clients. A sense of knowing there are a bunch of other people in your corner dealing with similar issues and helping one another to overcome the hard times.
From a scientific perspective, we know that when it comes to complex tasks they are more efficiently and effectively completed when done in a group setting. I know how hard it can be to work through behavioral challenges with your dogs and I don't want you to deal with that alone. When we take on a hard task like this alone, we set ourselves up for failure because we don't have someone there to help keep us motivated, accountable, and transparent about our work. A pack is a dynamic and fluid space where we are looking to bring out the strengths in each individual and honor them for exactly who they are and support that individual combination of personality and genetics.
Our work together will challenge you to see your dog for who they truly are, thus helping your dog to feel fulfilled in life, and when we feel fulfilled we see a lot of those undesired behaviors start to fade away. My goal is to help you and your dog learn how to communicate, coexist, and comfortably go about your day-to-day behaviors so you can ultimately be one happy functioning pack where each member is acknowledged and accepted for who they are. Let's reclaim this word and help bring it back into the positive!