So your dogB次元官网网址檚 a wingnut. YouB次元官网网址檝e been told the dogB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渟tubbornB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址渢rying to dominate you.B次元官网网址� You tried classes and your dog was super smart and caught on fast, but got bored easily and acted up in class.

When a little help beyond the usual sit down, stay, heel, come commands is needed, thatB次元官网网址檚 the specialty of Wingnut Training.

Head Wingnut trainer Zoe MacBean (pronounced Mak Bayne) says people with dogs of a certain over-the-top enthusiasm can relate to the name on so many levels.

B次元官网网址淥riginally, it was just a reference to how my dogsB次元官网网址� ears looked in silhouette when they were happy and relaxed after a good training session,B次元官网网址� said MacBean, 54.

Now it acts as a kind of filter that attracts the kind of people and dogs she likes to work with.

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B次元官网网址淲hat makes my heart sing are the joyful ones that are just on the edge of being a little bit crazy,B次元官网网址� she noted. B次元官网网址淭he ones that really want to be good and maybe just donB次元官网网址檛 know how to make sense of their world. Just because theyB次元官网网址檙e genius doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean they have to be a total pain to live with and you donB次元官网网址檛 have to squash all that spirit to teach them functional skills.B次元官网网址�

The true motivation of MacBeanB次元官网网址檚 training technique is obvious. B次元官网网址淲ingnuts, they challenge you,B次元官网网址� she conceded.

MacBean and her family were living in Powell River and made a brief detour to Port Alberni before moving to Chemainus late in 2019. She found a group class location at the Saltair Community Centre that November for a few months before COVID hit. She hopes to return there for outdoor classes in the near future.

MacBean and her husband Brian share their small acreage with her daughter and a long-time friend/co-shepherd. They have goats, a flock of sheep for herding and hand-spinning and OB次元官网网址橦enry the mule, who will tell you he runs the place.

MacBeanB次元官网网址檚 own dog, Taliesin, is a five-year-old Blue Lacy from Texas who shares her birthday. The breed is little known outside the hill country as they are serious working dogs and generally not suitable as pets.

B次元官网网址淎ll my life IB次元官网网址檝e had very friendly dogs,B次元官网网址� said MacBean. B次元官网网址淭ally is, to put it nicely, not entirely neuro-typical. More bluntly, heB次元官网网址檚 an ornery little cuss and would really rather people left him alone to get his work done.B次元官网网址�

He was a serious bear dog in Powell River as well as being a stock dog and tending dog (grazing sheep where there are no fences).

MacBean noted having a more reserved dog thatB次元官网网址檚 actually a bit scared of people has taught her a whole new set of skills as she helped him learn to navigate social situations.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not about training out the fear, itB次元官网网址檚 about teaching him foundation skills and concepts that help him know how to handle those situations and how to tell me when he canB次元官网网址檛.B次元官网网址�

MacBean decided to become a trainer at age seven and has only taken other work when she wanted to learn more about training other species. She grew up in a college environment because her mother was a psychology professor and single mother at a time when child care wasnB次元官网网址檛 readily available.

MacBean used to earn pocket money marking exams and perhaps that was the start of her fascination with behaviour shaping. She was a foreman at a large stables in VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Southlands district and had a stint in Seaforth Highlanders as an infantry reservist B次元官网网址� because people training is important, too, she quips.

MacBean has lost count of the number of dogs sheB次元官网网址檚 trained over the years and assures her students training gets a lot easier after the first 5,000. All jokes aside, MacBean said itB次元官网网址檚 really important to remember what it feels like to be a beginner. To that end, she regularly sets out to learn new things she might not be good at just to stay in touch with how overwhelming it can be to learn a new skill while holding on to an out-of-control animal at the end of a leash.

MacBean said the training relationship is a balancing act between what the owner wants and needs and what the dog wants and needs. Sometimes she suggests the owner aims a little higher with their training goals because many dogs need the challenge and satisfaction of a job. Just like humans, it can give them more focus, direction and self-worth.

MacBean added sheB次元官网网址檚 an eclectic, concept-based trainer and draws on a wide variety of techniques learned from trainers and schools in Canada, the United States and England. Her go-to foundation program is a games-based approach.

B次元官网网址淎nything that works and doesnB次元官网网址檛 harm the dog, the owner or their relationship is worth a try,B次元官网网址� she indicated. B次元官网网址淢y job is to help owners find the dog theyB次元官网网址檝e always wanted inside the dog they have now.B次元官网网址�

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