To ask a question or make an appointment
for services please email
Denise Collins
Behavior Coach
denise@italkdog.com
or call 925-285-9194
MY BACKGROUND
An exercise program on television provided my first mentor. Jack La Lanne, the #1 fitness TV personality of the time, shaped my life in two ways. He created a passion in me for exercise and nutrition and a love of dogs. Jack would end his show by bringing out his three white German Shepherds. I remember vividly, even at four years old, watching every move those dogs made. I cried, EVERYDAY, when the show ended. “He’ll be back tomorrow,” my mother would say to console me. My first dog was a German Shepherd. As a teenager, I regularly attended obedience classes with her. I have done extensive training with my dog Darla, an eleven year old American Staffordshire Terrier, now retired. For the last 4 years, I have been assisting Laura, in her group classes, at Laura For Dogs in Walnut Creek. I am interested most in the science behind dog behavior and have read the top behaviorist’s books. My most recent training was with the man to whom Cesar Milan is referring his clients. Besides dogs, I’m also passionate about horses. I studied horse behavior with Monty Roberts, who discovered the language of horses. While dogs are predators and horses are prey animals, their behaviors are amazingly similar. The main reason being, they both speak a silent language. This makes them experts at reading body language. Learn the language of dog and you will have the human/dog connection you desire.
MY PHILOSOPHY
I offer you a new way to gain obedience from your dog by learning canine behavior. It is my belief that to be successful in obedience training, you must understand how your dog thinks. To elevate your dog to the status of a reasoning human mind is unfair. I will teach you; what a dog sees, as compared to what we see; to anticipate how your dog will react to any given situation; why we want to humanize our dogs; and how to walk your dog to achieve a happy and successful relationship.
I firmly believe in positive reinforcement. But, just as you would not let your child run wild, dogs need to know the limits. Every social species, dogs, horses, chimps, elephants, and the like, have negative consequences for bad behavior. Negative consequences for breaking the rules must be given within 3 seconds of the offending incident or the dog will not associate the consequence with the misdeed. It should never be done in anger. Equally, praise and reward must be given within 3 seconds for the dog to make the association with the action to ensure the likelihood it will be repeated.
A structured walk is the beginning to all other training you would like to achieve. Learn to be a calm, fair, leader and your dog will follow you anywhere.
Subject: “How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?”
German Shepherd: I’ll change it as soon as I’ve led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven’t missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.
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