How it all began
It all began, as it so often does, with a new puppy ~ Patch.
Labelled as ‘untrainable’ at puppy class (and subsequently kicked off the course), she set Dakota on a journey of investigation into why ‘traditional’ dog training simply didn’t work on a smart, sassy pup with a mind of her own and a determination to never take no for an answer. (A trait, in fact, they very much had in common!)
During her deep dive into the dog behaviour world, a few things became obvious to Deborah:
Training is essential
Despite having lived with humans for thousands of years, dogs are not born with an innate understanding of how to successfully integrate into our entirely human-centric world.
Training is (often) boring and repetitive
Rote learning is not fun for anyone, and therefore not effective. Learning through play is learning that both lasts and builds a great relationship.
Training doesn't easily translate to the real world
Top of the class but still a complete nightmare in the park? We’ve been there, and addressing this reality gap is our raison d’être.
Training for 6 weeks isn’t enough
A well-run puppy course is important, and creates a great foundation to build from, but you wouldn’t send your post nursery-school child off into the world alone without significant additional guidance around how to live as a fully functioning member of society.
Dogs develop much faster than humans and hit adolescence almost exactly as puppy class ends at which point, apparently, they instantly forget everything they’ve ever learned! Impulsive, irresponsive or just blatantly ignoring you, training an adolescent (or not-yet-trained adult) requires a very specific approach to address the particular challenges of increasing independence and create the kind of relationship with your dog that will last you both a lifetime.
Creating the Canine Circus
During her first decade as a qualified dog behaviour specialist, including a stint at Battersea Dogs Home and subsequently running her own behaviour resolution practice, it quickly became apparent that many of the challenges encountered by dogs and their people were created by this training gap.
Despite having successfully completed a puppy course, little issues started to appear which, by the time folks sought help, had escalated into major problems that were both impossible to live with and, importantly, much harder to resolve.
Putting the magic back into dog training
Having stumbled upon the apparently missing link, Dakota set out to create an accessible training concept deliberately designed to bridge the gap between perfect puppy-class graduate and well adjusted adult, establishing the Incredibly Clever Canine Circus in 2016.
Using proven, science-based learning theory the Incredibly Clever Canine Circus delivers efficient, effective and thoroughly enjoyable training which targets potential problems almost before they appear. As if by magic in fact.
