Kindred Creatures
Canine Behaviour Services
Modern, professional, welfare-centered dog training.
About Kindred Creatures
My name is Cate Taylor
In the beginning, a persistent curiosity about 'the dog's point of view' motivated me to pursue education in canine behaviour and learning. I wanted to see the world, especially human behaviour, through the eyes of a dog. I wanted to know how to know what a dog is communicating about what it needs and how it perceives the actions of people. In particular, I wanted to know how I would know if a 'strange' dog was likely to be suspicious or aggressive or happy in response to being approached, or touched.
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I have learned a lot in the eleven years since I started training--I have acquired certification in training skills and learning theory, studied body language and emotions, learned about the nature of 'dog', the biological species, natural canine behaviours, and the impact of captivity, pain, anxiety, and stress on behaviour, and much more.
Today I remain motivated by my curiosity about, and respect for, the dog's point of view and experience. As a professional behaviour specialist I am driven to continue learning and to grow my understanding of nuances related to perspective, perception, and behaviour as they impact different individual dogs, in different environments and circumstances, breed differences, ages and stages, and to support other dog loving guardians to gain understanding and communication that optimizes their dog's responsiveness, prevents or resolves behaviour problems, and maximizes the peace and satisfaction in their cross-species partnership .
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My goal with every dog and guardian is to positively impact quality of life and bond for each by facilitating cross-species understanding, and behavioural rapport.
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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.
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​My commitment is to provide behaviour-change strategies and training methods that: are positive and free of stress; that enhance each dog’s well-being and relationship with his/her guardian; and that grow awareness of the nature and benefits of humane and welfare-centered methods in the larger community.
The Dog's POV
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What is the "Dog's Point of View" and why does it matter?
The dog's point of view refers to what the dog perceives and experiences. Respecting it, means we understand that it is real [and not optional] for the dog. A dog’s well-being must therefore be measured from its point of view.
For example, if a dog shows fear when encountering a stranger, the vacuum, or a Halloween prop, then the person, vacuum and prop ARE frightening. The fear is felt by the dog, therefore it is real. The human's point of view, that there is ‘nothing to be afraid of’ is not valid for the dog. To help a dog with fear, we start by respecting the fear and then provide experiences that help the dog learn not to fear those things by offering opportunities for carefully selected and positive experiences.
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.
A dog’s radar is necessarily hypersensitive to threats, assessing safety constantly—in all interactions, in every moment, sound, and movement of every person, object, and animal in its space—physical, mental and emotional safety.
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​​A dog must feel safe, not simply be safe. Only a dog's own point of view counts in this; safety 'felt' (perceived) by the dog is an essential ingredient in any and all positive experiences. ​
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​Dogs experience emotion before cognition and before acting. Observing our dogs' behaviour and body language offers us the opportunity to see with ever-more clarity the changing emotions that drive their behaviour moment to moment. To learn about a dog's unique point of view however, requires informed empathy, respect for the dog's experience as separate from our own, and informed consideration of the role and impact of the environment and the context in which the dog is operating at any given point in time.
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We must be curious about, and above all, respect the dog's point of view in order to optimize our communication, our effectiveness and trust-worthiness as their guides in the human world, and the quality of their life with us.
The beauty of leaning into the dog's point of view lies facilitates our becoming open to our dog's influence. And that is a beautiful thing.
When we allow our dogs to influence our thinking about them, and our behaviour towards them--not our reactivity to them but our proactive interest in the nature of their experience--when we pay close attention to and become informed and responsive to what they are communicating and to what meets their conditions for their unique 'felt' safety on every level--then our dog may choose us as their Best Friend.
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Some of the things we do to keep our dogs healthy and safe from a human perspective have no positive association for dogs--such as involuntary confinement, restricted movement, a short tight leash--do not convey safety, are often not pleasant, and can panic the dog. Things we humans do for our own convenience--to keep the house clean, or quiet, or so we don't have to worry about the dog--limit the range and frequency of the dog's natural behaviours, and stress may be very stressful.
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Individual differences determined by genetics, biology and prior learning play a significant role in a dog's perception of what is safe, and the point at which conditions in the environment (space, scent, movement, sound, other dogs, other animals and human behaviour) are perceived as safe or unsafe.
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By and large, for dogs living among humans, it is our behaviour and things within our control that largely determine if a dog feels safe or stressed and whether its lens on life is coloured with optimism or pessimism.
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About Stress
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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, adequate food, mental stimulation, and ‘felt’ safety. Dogs, like humans, don't do their best thinking when stressed, and in fact can panic or shut down.
Stresses, such as those caused by frustration, are a normal part of life, and will occur and impact our dogs. As caregivers to dogs living as pets, we need to intervene if a dog's frustration does not readily resolve with or due to an opportunity in environment or circumstances; we must identify harmful and protracted stressors and be intentional about not using stress or stressful situations for teaching or training.
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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.
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Stress interferes with learning, motivation, and trust. Learning​ what your dog is communicating and being responsive to that communication can be life changing for you and your dog.
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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!
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