It's not where you are...it's who you are with!

Our local beach is now open to dogs. I’ve always hated daytime dog walks on the beach, much preferring to go at night when it is quiet, I can relax and enjoy the walk and the view! In the daytime there are so many people, little children with buckets and spades, other dogs and sometimes horses. Brando, my Bullmastiff, used to want to run up to every man, dog and child and it could cause mayhem. Suffice to say these were very stressful, shouty walks and not fun at all. Even when I sought the help of a dog trainer, when Brando was 5 months old, he said that he never takes his dogs to the beach, it’s too high excitement and it’s setting the dog and ourselves up for failure.

Obviously, with Pips tutelage, Brando and I have come a long way since then….My Husband said he fancied a walk on the beach with the dog and with my new found determination and confidence, thanks to Pizarra in our last lesson, I decided we would indeed go for a walk on the beach.

I have had a bug and wasn’t able to walk Brando for a week. He had been walked by other people and had lost some of his manners! So from the moment we left the house I made sure he walked to heel. The energy required to maintain this mental contact with Brando and keep him slightly behind me had me sweating before we even got to the beach! It worked though. Even when he could see that we were going onto the beach he stayed to heel. I made sure I was using my confident, assertive energy and that my body language was strong.

What a transformation! The beach was packed with people, dogs and children and yet Brando stayed behind us the entire walk, chased his ball that we threw behind us, didn’t run ahead to run up to people and even ignored unbalanced dogs who came up to have a go at him! Our walk was the best walk ever! It was a beautiful sunny day and we were able to enjoy it together. Brando had a great time playing in the sea, chasing his ball and jumping over the groynes….

This is what I love most about Pippsway. Pip teaches you how to bring your relationship with your dog or horse to a point that you can achieve cooperation in any situation. It’s not about where you are, or what is happening….When you have your animals trust and they see you as their leader you can have a positive outcome in any scenario.

I am so grateful to be learning this way of being with animals. It is so rewarding and gives our animals a secure and happy life.