When founding a company, you naturally think about an incredible amount of things, including the ‘philosophy’ and what your company should ultimately stand for.
The philosophy was clear to me long before I founded the company.
I wanted to bring a fair, respectful, needs-orientated and positive approach to dogs into the world.
This was quite a challenge at the time, as positive training with dogs was not yet very widespread and most dog schools were still working with hierarchy, dominance theories and ‘you have to show him who's the boss’. Unfortunately, this is no different today in many cases, which makes it all the more important for me to stand behind my philosophy and not let up.
Our aim is to bring people closer to becoming a great team with their dog through prevention, co-operation, positive training and a lot of empathy. Prevention is usually the best way to prevent the dog from making the mistake in the first place so that we don't have to ‘correct’ it. Prevention is not complicated at all, but it does require a bit of thought and foresight in training. For example, I put my dog on the lead when I see a level crossing 50 metres ahead. If people come towards me and I have an extremely people-friendly dog, I call him to me first. If I have a dog that really hunts, then I don't let him loose in the woods. As is so often the case, the examples of prevention are endless.
In addition to the positive and kind interaction with the dog, it is also really important to me that we have the same interaction with people. Listening and watching profoundly is they key to success.
Mastering training and everyday situations takes a lot of patience and can't be achieved with a crowbar. Just as we don't expect a 5-year-old child to do the schoolwork of a 13-year-old, we shouldn't expect a year-old dog to be able to do what a 5-year-old dog can do. It should go without saying that the dog should be given the time it needs to develop and become a great partner on four paws.
Carrying this positive philosophy out into the world is incredibly important to me.
Today, 16 years after its foundation, I can proudly look back on a rapidly growing dog school with almost 400 customers and seven employees.
Thank you very much for your trust.
