Are you listening?

As dog lovers and owners we spend a lot of money, time and energy attending to the practical needs of our dogs but how many of us really consider their inner needs? Is your dog in balance on an emotional and soul level as well as a physical one? Do you really understand your dog? asks Julia Meads, the Lady Dog Whisperer and Animal Communicator.

In picking a dog as a pet or for agility, we look closely for temperament and breeding or chose carefully from dog rescue homes. We never count the cost - a lifetime of ongoing bills such as food, bedding, equipment, toys, vet bills and even our cars/vans, not to mention fuel, entry fees, caging, B & B, which holidays we go on etc plus a small mention of insurance and a number of complementary therapies such as hydrotherapy pools, chiropractors, homeopathic  treatments, remedies etc. We take it all in our stride.

But I strongly believe that your investment in your dog/hobbies/sport is not measured by the amount of money you spend but rather by the amount of yourself you give to them. Educating yourself to understand and supply your team with basic tools for communication is being a responsible dog owner and an essential part of a non- stress competitive life style with your dog.

I teach the true art of leadership which is essential in agility. It is the balance of exercise, calm assertiveness and the ability to deal with a crisis on and off the course. I also focus on reading your dog from the outside, in other words, body language, dog interaction and calming signals. This is the ability to change behaviours and bring out the best in your dog with confidence and flair. The true art of leadership is about realistic expectations, belief and setting boundaries. To be able to read your dogs behaviour and interject a true feeling of confidence is a wonderful gift to you both. The bonus can be stronger partnership with your dog on the agility course.

Invest in your dog
My goal is to bring people and their dogs closer together. Animals appear to teach us much of what we have forgotten in this fast moving world. They also show us the natural cycle of life and the ability to communicate with our animals past and present. My work involves using many different methods, skills and techniques which allow you and your dog to develop a successful, winning partnership even under the stress of competitive agility.

Basically there are three levels to understanding your dog

  1. Dog Whisperer i.e. dog training and behaviour advice

  2. Animal Communication

  3. Animal Healing

You can read more about Animal Communication in my previous article on Agilitynet.

You don’t need to be Dr. Doolittle to talk to the animals
Animal healing goes into the deeper underlying issues. When treating agility dogs, I find that my personal experience of teaching and training my own dog allows me to get to the root of many physical and emotional issues with quickly and effectively. Understanding the needs of both a dog and its owner often means that people do not have to go through the long pre-treatment explanation met with many professionals who do not understanding our sport.

Healing in animals works in a very natural way to re balance the dog. Animals do not have the same mind set and scepticism that we humans do and this allows healing to take place even at a distance. It is important to understand that the healing forms I use such as Reiki and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) are meant to complement veterinary processes as well as other complementary procedures. Either of these can be given to dogs or their handlers or both to treat, for  example, nerve issues relating to competing in the ring.

Many of our dogs mirror their owners or act out their owners deep rooted issues, thus high lighting the area to be resolved. Or visa versa. Either way the human and dog are often sharing feelings which hold the key to resolving issues to make the best of ourselves as an agility team in action.

In my work as a Lady Dog Whisperer, I've seen a growing number of agility dogs and their handlers lately. How does one measure success?

CompoCase study 1 – Phobia concerning travel (Ware)
Carol Wallace has had a wonderful year with Compo (Ag.Ch. Last of the Summer Wine) a  four year old Parson Jack Russell. Both parties of this team have shown great dedication and commitment. Carol approached me to help with Comp's phobic behaviour towards travel in the car.

As you can appreciate, this is a major limitation and handicap when the need is to travel to shows. Many of you may well be aware of the amount of hard work and determination it takes to get to Championship level but are unaware of the immeasurable time and energy spent to get him and Carol to the shows.

A combination of Animal Communication and distant Reiki has been used to largely remove the emotion connected with this travel. Many phobias only ever get worse and Compos recovery is on going but very much heading in the right direction. I am very proud of their all round achievements.

TigCase study 2 – Nerves for Olympia (West Sussex)
Sarah Osbourne is a naturally gifted handler and talented dog trainer of both her dogs and other peoples. Tig (Touchango Top Gear) is a three year old equally talented and keen border collie. This year they have qualified to compete at Olympia in the Kennel Club Novice Stakes. The close and sensitive nature of this team means that they completely reflect and mirror each other.

Combining Animal Communication and EFT to iron out any limiting belief patterns and physical and/or emotional blocks, Sarah and I are working to enable this team to perform at its peak potential and overcome the fear of being watched and judged. Using dog whisperer techniques, we have developed an ever closer and deeper level of understanding. The results will be measured at Olympia. I wish you both every success in the big ring  on 21 December.

Case study 3 – Overcoming life threatening illness (North London)
Ellen Rocco and John Leslie rescued Nilla (Wiccaweys Nilla Vanilla) when he was about years old. He'd had a hard life before being picked up by the rescue and taken to Wiccaweys. Even though he was diagnosed with an eye disease which meant that he had limited vision and was not sound, he still enjoyed his fun agility.

In October 2006 at age five, Nilla was diagnosed with life threatening auto immune disease. One day he was running around an agility course and the next he was so weak he could barely walk. His stats were low and his medication levels were up to a dangerously high dose. He was unable to control his body and could barely walk let alone do agility. He was on a drip at the vets for two weeks, barely clinging to life. But Nilla is a survivor and was eventually able to go home with a . His behaviour had sunk to unacceptable levels. The steroids which had saved his life started taking their toll. His quality life was poor and the vet who checked his progress weekly was not optimistic about his long term recovery.

With nothing to lose, we instigated a combination of Animal Communication and distant Reiki. On his next visit to the vet, his red blood cell count improved and within a comparatively short period time the vet was able to reduce the amount of medication he received. Today Nilla is the picture of health. His coat has grown back and he has regained his strength. He even enjoys an occasional gallop around the agility course. And once again he is wearing his big cheesy grin. To me this is a true measure of success.

Frmation about the Lady Dog Whisperer Workshops in your area or to book a telephone consultation or a home visit, ring Julia Meads on tel. 01243602531 or mobile: 07951 777330. Email julia_meads@yahoo.co.uk. Web www.inca-1.co.uk

About the author...
Julia Meads began to communicate with animals as a small child. She is a member of the APDT, Kennel Club Accreditation Scheme, PAT Dogs, Reiki Federation, Reiki Association, Canine Health Concern, EFT AAMET and Soul Purpose. She is also a teacher for ACT and INCA. Her experience working in the field of animals extends over twenty years. She runs her own company  Intuitive Natural Communication with Animals (INCA). Each week she runs a pet obedience and fun agility dog club. In addition, she runs clinics and workshops around the UK.

She has competed in with her dogs in obedience and agility and has had experience in sheepdog herding and animal film work, too.

Julia currently shares her life with three dogs, a horse, a cat and three fish. She lives near the seaside Selsey, West Sussex and works from home as a Lady Dog Whisperer, dog trainer and behaviour advisor.

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