Humans are often sceptical of my work... and that's okay!

Not everyone I work with is a believer. In fact, many of my clients start off as a little sceptical, or even a little doubtful about what I do. And that’s perfectly okay, as humans, we tend to feel nervous about the things we don't fully understand. But, as humans, we are also curious...

My meeting with Polly Vernon - journalist and her dog, Rita

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting Rita and her wonderful owner, Polly, after she reached out to me through a personal recommendation. To my delight, Rita had started communicating with me before we even met, so I was even more excited for our session.

From the very first moment, Rita was calm and open with me — unusual for her, as she’s normally on high alert with new people in her home. Dogs know. They sense energy, they feel intentions, and they understand and feel a lot more than we humans give them credit for. That's why I do what I do: I open people's eyes.

At first, her owner was curious and asked questions and then Rita began to “speak.” She shared her love, her gratitude, her humour, and her sass — her exasperation at how emotional her human gets sometimes! (Dogs are always so much funnier than we give them credit for.)

Polly was always worried about whether she had done the right thing, taking her away from her cosy family home in Somerset as a puppy and bringing her to busy, noisy London.

Rita reassured her; she was happy she chose her.

Moments like this are why I do what I do. Because underneath the training, underneath the behaviour, there is always emotion. Dogs carry stories from puppyhood, from rescue, even from past lives. And when we listen, we can begin to understand their behaviours, triggers, emotions and start to understand how to build new, positive behaviours and slowly unravel their past traumas too.

Rita wanted her owner to know one thing: she is happy. Truly happy.

And sometimes, that simple message is all owners need to know.

Polly has created a beautifully written blog post on her experience with me. You can read a snippet of it below, or subscribe and read the full article!