About Kindred Creatures

The Dog's POV

Observing our dogs behaviour and body language with curiosity offers us a lens to view their experiences and point of view, and the opportunity to lean into their world, and the changing emotions that drive their every moment. It is however informed empathy and respect for the animal's existence as separate from our us and our concerns, that enables us to better understand their natural needs, and operationalize that understanding to optimize their quality of life with us.

When we come from this place our minds can open to our dog's influence. When we allow them to influence our way of thinking about them and our own behaviour towards them will shift. If we can travel this road we will become truly open to their influence, which then offers us the opportunity to impact their sense of deep 'felt' safety that in turn earns us the potential to be chosen by the dog as their best friend.

Dogs are feeling, thinking, beings who perceive the world through the lens of their species, paying attention to the things that they are hard wired by nature to notice and to anything that serves or threatens their safety (physical safety includes the freedom to act to protect themselves and to find the things their biology dictates as self-optimizing and stress reducing--physical comfort, social comfort, purpose, pleasure, and food. Though individual differences prescribed by genetics, biology and learning play a role in a dog's perception of what is safe, and when something becomes unsafe, for those living among and captive to humans, it is our behaviour and things within our control that largely determine if a dog's lens is coloured with pessimism or optimisim.

ABOUT CATE

I was motivated to study dog behaviour and learning by a deep and unrelenting curiosity about a dog's point of view. Possibly because I sensed a disconnect between the popular culture's interpretation of a dog's experience and the truth of it for the dog, but regardless the fascination was a preoccupation.

My goal with every dog and guardian is to positively impact quality of life and bond through effective behavioural support, stress reduction and improved cross-species understanding.

I launched Kindred Creatures in 2015 following a 25-year career in community and home support services devoted to helping people get the information and resources they needed to function well when challenged by disability, illness or other barriers to social well-being. In that capacity I often observed that the behaviour of misunderstood and untrained dogs contributed significantly to the stress in the home, and that often dogs as well as people were suffering.

My commitment is to provide and promote behaviour change strategies and training methods that are experienced by each client dog as positive and free of stress, that enhance each dog’s well-being and relationship with his/her guardian, and that grow awareness of force-free methods in the larger community.

Why a focus on stress?

Life in a human world is often very stressful for dogs. Lack of training can significantly add to that stress. And sadly, training itself can be extremely stressful.

Stress interferes with learning, motivation, and trust.

Stress is an issue of welfare and well-being. A stressed dog is one who in the moment has not been able to meet or manage one or more of its biological needs, including the need for exercise, mental stimulation, and ‘felt’ safety. Dogs, like humans, don't do their best thinking when stressed, and in fact can panic or shut down.

Believing that what your dog is communicating is relevant, and being responsive to that communication can be life changing for you and your dog.

The dog’s “point of view”! What does that mean?

It means that what the dog perceives and experiences is real for the dog. A dog’s well-being must be measured from its point of view.

For example, if a dog shows fear when encountering a novel object, or the vacuum, then the object or vacuum is frightening. The human's point of view, that there is ‘nothing to be afraid of’ is not valid for the dog.

When you want the best from your dog, do the best for your dog...

Give you and your dog the gift of stress-free learning and watch the positive changes add up

[CREDENTIALS]

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Learn from a Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behaviour Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP).

See the KPA pledge here.

Benefit from the expertise of a designated Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT). See here for information on the advantages of working with a CSAT when your dog can’t handle being alone. Learn more about the CSAT credentials here.

Tap into the 'made for families' Dial Guide resources created by The Family Dog, available to clients of Kindred Creatures. See more about the Dial Guide here.

Lean on Kindred Creatures for help with some of your dogs more ‘challenging-to-manage’ genetic-driven behaviours. We'll explore together to identify the do-able ways to meet your dog's breed needs when your dog needs some nurture for the nature within.

Currently enrolled in the LEGS Family Dog Mediation program which holds pet training up to the lens of applied ethology–the study of animals in captivity (captive environments).

See more about Family Dog Mediation here. MAYBE

Attend professional development conferences and continuing education workshops and webinars covering strategies and techniques targeted to specific behaviour challenges and needs, at the rate of about 20 per year.

Full training member and professional advocate of Force-Free Methods with the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) an international organization committed to public education and professional development initiatives.

The Force-Free Method - Informed by Science, Guided by Empathy, Governed by Ethics" TM Pet Professional Guild

Read more…collapsing text from the PPG about the science behind the force free method here.

Link to the following paragraph:

“The Force-Free Method - Informed by Science, Guided by Empathy, Governed by Ethics" TM

PPG promotes the use of positive operant and respondent training methods, both personally and professionally, and holds that all training should be conducted in a manner that encourages pets to enjoy the process, which will, in turn, lead them to become more confident and well-adjusted pets. PPG members optimize the use of applied behavior analysis to systematically identify and resolve problem behaviors using the least aversive and intrusive methods, tools and equipment. Further, both PPG and its members actively recommend against the use of any training tools and equipment whose purpose and/or intent is to interrupt or redirect behavior using fear, force or pain.