Derry has North's first 'dog whisperer'
DERRY HAS always had a bit of a reputation for being a city of firsts, and now the city can add another string to its bow in the form of Northern Ireland's first ever dog whisperer.
Michaela Healy is delighted to be finally doing her dream job. Little did she know a few years ago that opening a book would mean the start of a new career for her.
"About three years ago my best friend bought me a book called 'The Dog Listener' by a lady called Jan Fennell," explains Michaela. "It was a fascinating read about the work she was doing in terms of behaviour shaping for dogs. It was so different to anything I had come across.
"Having read the book I thought I'd love to try something like this. I looked her up on the internet and discovered she actually did courses in it. Last year I went to her home in Lincolnshire and did basic training."
Just back from doing more advanced training in England, Michaela explains how dog whispering is old news across the water, while virtually unheard of here.
"It's relatively unknown here in Ireland and only one other lady in Wicklow does it. England however has one in almost every county and it's popular in France, Spain, Canada and New Zealand, and yet it's strange that I'm the only dog whisperer in Northern Ireland."
Michaela is adamant that she doesn't do obedience training, and takes a more philosophical approach to her work, using 'amie chien' bonding techniques. She told the 'Journal' a bit more about the secrets behind dog whispering.
"All our wee dogs that we have in our living rooms are descendants from wolves," says Michaela. Because wolves are pack animals they will always look for a leader in their pack, even the tiniest dogs.
"Therefore instead of them thinking we're responsible for them, they actually think they're responsible for us. That's the reason we often see a tiny dog on a lead pulling their owner down the street, it's because they're leading the pack.
"In our efforts to be nice to them sometimes we're actually confusing them. We're elevating them into the position of being a leader. The whole process of dog whispering is about reversing those roles and essentially trying to change their minds about being a leader. It's all about willing co operation. It's about getting the dog to think 'what's in this for me?".
Building up a solid customer base in the North West and beyond, Michaela is determined to makes dogs throughout the North a much happier bunch, as she explains.
"Everyone should be connecting with their dog and everyone deserves this kind of friendship with their dog. I'm just delighted to be able to do what I'm doing."
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Weather for Derry
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 8 C
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