Mark's Blog

Interview with a dog whisperer

A Q&A with Jacqui Rome from P3 Leamington Spa about her previous job as a dog whisperer!

What is a dog whisperer?

I used to be a mobile dog groomer, and I took a dog whispering course. If you’ve ever heard of Cesar Millan who did the TV show ‘The Dog Whisperer’, it’s all to do with training your dog using the right body language and eye contact, just saying things once and then it’s all about your stance and how you interact with the dog.

How did you get into this line of work?

I did dog grooming for about a year. It was my partner’s sisters business, so she trained me up over a few weeks and we did the dog whispering course together – that was a two-day course. The lady who trained me is based in the Cotswolds, but there are mobile dog groomers in all areas who do training.

Did you have a favourite type of dog to work with?

Training-wise, probably a German Shepherd or a Collie; working dogs are easier to train, whereas something like a Shih Tzu or a Bulldog is a bit more difficult. I’ve got a Bulldog who’s about six and a half months old and training him is taking a bit longer.

In terms of grooming, Cockapoos were a nightmare: if their owners didn’t groom them weekly or give them a brush, their hair is that curly it would get matted. And at that stage, I would have to give them a ‘No.10’ and take all the hair off!

Oh no – woof!

Do you have any tips for someone who is training their new
or young dog?

Of course! Here are some handy go-to pointers:

People often make the mistake of putting the puppy toilet training pads in the living room or by their dog bed. It should be by the door so they get used to going to the door, and so they don’t end up peeing in their bed!

If your dog’s doing something you don’t want it to, just stand, make your shoulders as big and broad as you can and then with one finger, look them in the eye and say ‘no’, really stern. If they don’t do what you want, don’t carry on shouting at them because basically the dog thinks you’re barking at them and playing, so they’ll start playing up. So just say no once, and wait at least a minute and if they’re still being naughty then you take them out of the room. I just put my dog in the kitchen. Give them five minutes, let them back in, if they start doing it again you repeat the process.

If you’re telling a dog to ‘sit’ and they sit and yawn, people often think the dog’s tired from the training. But actually if they yawn when you’ve given them a command, this means they’re taking it in, and it’s working.

Eye contact is important but in the right way: if you look a dog in the eye and it does what you want it to do and then it looks away, don’t keep your eyes on the dog. If it looks back at you and you’re still maintaining eye contact, this can be seen as threatening or challenging to the dog.

With some things it’s like a pack mentality – your dog shouldn’t be sitting higher than you or on your feet. If the dog’s sitting on the back of the sofa for example, it thinks it’s in charge of the house!

If anyone is looking for advice or tips on training their dog, please get in touch with Jacqui at: Jacqueline.Rome@p3charity.org

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