About us
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Here at Canine Know How we are passionate about improving the lives of dogs and their owners. Through fun educational classes or private consultations we can help you achieve the training results you desire.
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Cat Watson
Cat is the owner of Canine Know How and a professional dog trainer and dog walker. Cat has a diploma in Canine Behaviour and Training, Canine Communication, Dog Training, Puppy Training and Canine Nutrition.
She is pet first aid trained and a member of the APDTNZ (Association of Pet Dog Trainers New Zealand). Cat has also completed several online courses through the Dunbar academy ran by Dr Ian Dunbar and through the FDSA.
Cat works part time as a dog walker for Petsitters NZ, walking groups of 6 dogs at a time which gives her an invaluable insight into the way our canines communicate with us and each other.
Cat is the very proud owner of a Greyhound X Collie, Defa (left) and Greyhound X Huntaway X Staffy, Pippi (right).
She is pet first aid trained and a member of the APDTNZ (Association of Pet Dog Trainers New Zealand). Cat has also completed several online courses through the Dunbar academy ran by Dr Ian Dunbar and through the FDSA.
Cat works part time as a dog walker for Petsitters NZ, walking groups of 6 dogs at a time which gives her an invaluable insight into the way our canines communicate with us and each other.
Cat is the very proud owner of a Greyhound X Collie, Defa (left) and Greyhound X Huntaway X Staffy, Pippi (right).
Why choose us?
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At Canine Know How we are passionate about using positive reinforcement training which follows the latest scientific training techniques. We are dedicated to using completely force free training methods which not only leads to great results but strengthens the bond between dog and owner.
By keeping up to date with the latest scientific research we are able to set you up to succeed! But what about the dominance theory? Don't I need to be the pack leader?As a trainer, owner and lover of dogs my aim is to make people aware of the source of the dominance theory and why this out of date method has no place in our society.
In the 1940's scientists Rudolp Schenkel and David Mech completed studies on the social structure of wolf packs. Their studies were based on a pack of unrelated captive wolves - the complete opposite to how wolves naturally live. The studies found there was a rigid hierarchy in the pack whereby the 'Alpha' Wolf or Wolves used force and aggression over other pack members. In actual fact wolf packs usually consist of a mother, father and their offspring. As with most families the mother and father lead the group with their offspring willingly following their lead. The offspring offer submissive behaviours within the pack, these are not forced upon them. Unfortunately the Alpha Theory was assumed to be the same as that of the domestic dog despite the fact that domestic dogs are separated from wolves by thousands of years of evolution and domestication. Not forgetting the fact that humans, who domestic dogs now live with, are a completely different species - which your dog is very aware of! Since these studies were released David Mech himself has tried to revoke his research, if you would like to learn more check out https://davemech.org/wolf-news-and-information/. Sadly there are still trainers out there today who adhere to the dominance theory. Not only can using force on a dog result in physical and psychological damage, it increases the risk of aggression and more often than not results in more serious behavioural issues in the long run. Do we need to be the leader and have control over our dogs? Of course we do! In order to keep them safe from harm and others safe from them we must train and socialize our dogs but it's the way in which we go about this that is the important part. A dog that is terrified of being 'punished' is a dog that lives in a constant state of stress. This can lead to a huge amount of physical and mental health problems which isn't much fun for your dog or you as its owner. A dog that looks to you for guidance, listens to you and trusts you will result in a happy dog and happy owner. So let's get back to the way training is supposed to be, have fun with your dog and reap the rewards! For further reading on the subject please visit the following links: https://apdt.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/dominance-and-dog-training.pdf https://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/man-who-cried-alpha |
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