Rachel Townsend | Local service

Rachel Townsend

Phone: +61 402 943 809

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• Dog trainer

25.01.2022 One of the things I love about my job, is watching people grow more into themselves. Going down a path of personal development they didn’t know they were asking for. The beautiful thing about dogs is that they show up everyday willing to give it their all, loving you with everything they have got, simply just asking for love in return. ... They can also hold a mirror to the things we need to develop and work on. When people hear the journey I have taken from where I used to be to where I am now, they are always surprised to hear the hurdles and trials I have gone through. For being able to get through those times I owe the biggest thanks to the dogs I have had in my life. They have helped keep me grounded, present, remember that what is right in front of me, what makes my heart sing, is exactly where I want to be, but also that I want to be the best version possible of myself for the ones I love, especially my dogs. Self development is a life long journey, it has it’s hard moments and it has it’s incredibly rewarding moments, other than the very close humans in my life, I can’t think of anyone else I would want to share those really raw, beautiful blessed moments with than my dogs. They aren’t just pets they are fully fledged family members I would go to the same lengths to help them as I would my children. They help hold me accountable with their unwavering honesty as they reflect back my behaviours, but they always accept me for who I am in that moment. Hands up, or thumbs up, who else shares that same love and appreciation for the dogs in their lives??

24.01.2022 When hiring a dog training what is one thing you guys should look for? A good connection with your trainer. The feeling of being heard is incredibly important, your feelings, frustrations and concerns are just as important to the over all picture as your dogs behaviour. When working on dog behaviour and the pyschology that is going on environment matters, how you think and feel matters, it's ultimately what will drive or wont drive change. ... Spend time talking with the trainers you are interested in hiring and go with the one you connect the best with. Why? because at the end of the day it's all about what we can teach YOU not what we can teach your dog, you are the one who has to wake up and go to bed with your dog in your presence its important you guys can do the work well on your own. I can teach a dog how to ride a skateboard but that isn't going to help make him a good house mate and someone you are happy to live with day in day out. I think almost all of my clients would have answered no to the question if your dog was a housemate would you keep living with him. Thing is though your dog isn't like a housemate who can come and go as he pleases and find somewhere else to live if it doesn't work out because he is dependant on you. To make better decision, to help him learn and understand better ways to communicate and connect in with you. To be the best version of himself that he can be. OR and not that you ever would but to also find him a new home if it works out. Ultimately all of things things are YOUR choice. Whether it changes or stays the same. You deserve and need the support and help probably more so the dog in getting this right because your the leader in this dance, he is just always trying his best to keep up and not step on anyone's toes, and when you're not a great dance teacher thats going to happen often. But it doesn't have to KEEP being that way.

24.01.2022 Candice is one of the amazing people that coaches me in my work, and this not only hits home with me when it comes to the work I do to improve myself, my business and what I deliver but it also speaks directly to you guys about the work that you need to do to get the results.

24.01.2022 Just catching up with one of my puppy clients and we were talking about the last puppy they had in their lives was brilliant. Excellent, crusiey, didn’t have any concerning habits or behaviours and any that he did that was slightly not loved he grew out of them, he was an easy going doing and as an adult he is absolutely brilliant. My summary to that was, people who own dogs like that don’t get why I have a job in dog training, those are the kind of dogs that give you a fals...Continue reading

24.01.2022 Quite often people mention to me they are aware that their own emoitons have an impact on their dog. and while they aren't wrong it does add to a dogs emotional response if you act in an intense way as well, this is just a small piece of the puzzle of whats going on and how to fix it. Faking how you genuinely feel about your dogs behaviur doesn't teach them how to behave properly and that frustration often surfaces elsewhere and continues on the negative feedback loop of em...otions between dog and owner. Have you ever tried to pretend like you werent frustrated, stressed, worried, scared or any other negative emotions about your dogs behaviour and found yourself feeling it double because despite how well you tried to handle the situaiton it still didnt go well?

22.01.2022 Well, as usual as it can be given the worlds current situations. Yes we are still operating fairly close to normal. Yes we are still helping people kick training goals and hot wire amazing connections with their dogs across the country.... No we do not use or do Skype consultations. Yes are distance clients and or local clients get the same results providing they are willing to show up and do the work. It takes all of half an hour to an hour commitment for lessons, and 4 minutes 4 times a week of actual hands on work to start seeing a difference. Yes we are busy, in a time like right now people want any sort of normality and grounding they can get, making sure all the wheels are turning correctly in the home environment AND focusing time on a loved one especially with four legs and fur helps destress people which is needed more now than ever before. despite being busy NO we are not booked out, we have our time set up so that we have ample time for both new and current clients. We may not be available for 1-2 weeks for our free phone consultation but other than that we make sure we have time for you guys! Yes peoples stress levels are affecting there dogs. No it doesn’t have to be like that. No you don’t have to change you or your zen levels. What really needs fixing is the feedback loop. Right now for most people stress feeds into stress with their dogs and current situation, owner gets stressed and frustrated so the dog acts up which causes the owner to get stressed and frustrated. What we do is not ask you to stop being human but flip the feed back loop so that your dog is able to behave better, make better choices and see those choices improve your mood so it then increases the likelihood he will continue to make good choices without a shit done of treats, rewards and time and energy spent on training. 4 minutes 4 times a week of hands on work minimum to see great results. If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to reach out!

21.01.2022 Quite often when speaking to people I will help them describe their dogs undesirable action as if their brain has fallen out of their head. Meaning that everything their dog knew previously, has shown and understanding of goes out the window, in fact EVERYTHING goes out the window, their dog gets tunnel vision and the only things that exist in the dogs world is themselves and the thing they are reacting strongly to (negatively or positively) and any information that owners at...Continue reading

20.01.2022 A question I’ve been trying to work out a simple answer to, is what kind of training methods do I use. I don’t struggle to answer it because I have anything to hide, it’s because funnily enough it’s not an easy question to answer. It’s like asking me what kind of parent I am, truth is I don’t know, I’m not this way or that, I don’t follow one way of doing things and that be it. ...Continue reading

20.01.2022 What better way to spend a Friday night and start my weekend than getting a cuteness overload from you guys, would love to see some photos and a cuteness brag of your beautiful pets!

20.01.2022 Lara’s story The first time her owners reached out to me, they told me she was due to be PTS that day but they just couldn’t go through with it and asked me to come and asses her. Lara had been assessed by another trainer who deemed her dangerous especially with kids and that she should be put to sleep, her brother a 12 month old pup was said to be great, workable and that he would shine with some training. ... Sadly it was her brother that was unsafe and was let go of, a heart breaking decision and a story for another day. I assessed Lara through our very thorough bite risk assessment test before meeting her in person. I knew what I was walking into well before going anywhere near her, and my god she was a ball of energy and so god dam sweet. She was VERY jumpy and playful, she had zero control over her excitement levels, her chosen behaviors weren’t great and did pose a risk if left to grow and strengthen mentality I’ll get you before you will get me. They had their work cut out for them, but if the family was willing to stick with me for 6 months while we untangled the belief systems and behaviors so had developed, strengthen some new skills, created better decision making, learning how to regulate emotions better then they would definitely get the results they were looking for. All with three young children and a baby on the way. Time and energy were not something these guys had a whole lot of, but with our structure, making learning easy and the hands on work even more so to do with a hectic schedule. These guys absolutely nailed it, this dog has achieved so much and I am so proud of these guys, she went from not even the male owner being able to play with her any more because she was far too rough, to being able to have the second youngest family member at just 3 years old be able to play tug with her. Lara has learned how to keep in check her excitement around the kids, she can adjust her play strength and enthusiasm better than ever before, she used to take off when ever given the chance, she can now be trusted off leash, she used to have NO off switch when it came to the hose or any body of water which made water play with the kids non existent around her, she can now leave the hose alone when told to do so, and the best part is now when she sees other dogs she doesn’t care, she is happy to be around her family and let the other dog do their thing. She will probably never love playing with other dogs and really it’s not necessary anyway especially when you have these cheeky monkeys as your best friends. I am so proud of Lara and her family and all the things they have achieved together and all the things I know they will now be able to do together. You guys rock thank you for letting me be a part of the journey!

19.01.2022 You guys have been NAGGING me for this and I am so excited to say I have had the opportunity to help with this wonderful gem of a business to help bring you guys some more doggy daycare spots locally (albury wodonga area) spots are very limited at this stage so to be sure to message the page and register your interest as they will only be running two days a week at this stage.

18.01.2022 I don’t need to work with people in person to help create a massive change in how their day to day lives are with their dogs. Snuffy has been one of a small group of dogs that have done significant physical damage to another animal, and I wanted to tell the story of how I help snuffy and his owner heal and move forward from their broken bond. To see and hear updates from these guys nowa days in absolutely wonderful I am so proud of them, for just simply taking that leap of faith with me that’s the hardest part is that very first step but I think Daniel will tell you it was worth that very first step even if I took me a little bit to wear him down haha love you guys and so so proud xx

18.01.2022 Lets talk about giving affection is a multi dog household, that you can give your focus to one dog at a time and it's ok! Having it help bond with your dogs more. ALSO saying NO to giving any affection and it being OK ... Sometimes you just need a bit of space and it's ok to ask for that, to say nope I'm done now and not feel guilty about it in the slightest. Want to know more? Check out the video. Have comments and questions? Please do reach out, I love engaging with you guys!

17.01.2022 Often our clients have prior experience with dog trainers and havent quite gotten the results they were hoping for. and because of this we often see certain techniques that aren’t bringing the result our clients really want for their dog. These techniques usually create a situation where the dog becomes reliant on that particular feedback and doesn’t actually learn how to stop, think, and attempt/succeed at making a better choice themselves.... Setting up this kind of understanding for the dog, means that the owner has chances to develop trust with their dog in particular situations and also being able to step back and allow the dog to manage themselves a lot better without being reliant on being told what to do. A training technique we often come across that doesn’t actually help build the above is when owners are told to use a can with rocks or coins in it to stop the dog in his tracks. I wanted to talk a little more in depth about why this doesn’t work and what needs to be done to create better learning experiences for your dog.

16.01.2022 No one can help you if they don't know you need help. SO How is it going guys? What do YOU need help with?

16.01.2022 If you're in the Albury Wodonga area Furmumma a local business who does so many good things for owners and their pets on the border put together a fantastic blog post of her favourite walking tracks so that you guys get to enjoy them too! Bonus she will be adding more in the future so keep an eye out for updates. https://www.facebook.com/furmummapetsitting/posts/1010974809378459

12.01.2022 Got to help these two pups, plus the handsome Dusty boy (not pictured) have some social time at the vets today thank you Townsend Veterinary Clinic for allowing us to use your waiting room to help build some positive association and some social experience for these guys today so appreciet it

12.01.2022 The little things make the big things all the more easier to do

11.01.2022 Dog Training goes so much deeper than wanting your dog to sit, drop, stay. A well behaved dog needs a great mindset! When people say to me I really want my dog to stop jumping what they really want is how do I teach my dog how to calm down and read a situation properly.... When people come to me and say I wish my dog was good with kids, what they are really wishing for is that their dog could adjust their emotional state excitement and play as well as their strength to be able to interact properly with kids of different ages, heights and understanding of how to interact with their dog. Getting clear on what you really want from your training experience will help you in navigating and deciding WHO is the right fit to help you. LANGUAGE WARNING with this video I did drop a few f bombs, but feel free to watch me explain this is more depth and what I teach, why and why my clients are so grateful for what and how I teach these things.

11.01.2022 Have you guys heard of donuts for dogs before?? These guys have helped me put a smile on some of my clients faces with some pretty special orders lately and I am just in love with the quality and care these guys put into their services and products. If you find the idea of dogs having donuts as adorable as I do please give the page a like! ... Even better spoil your best friend with a very special treat.

09.01.2022 Am I the only one that says please and thank you to my dogs, or do others do this as well? Tell me I'm not alone

09.01.2022 Where there is trust there is freedom

08.01.2022 Did you get an iso puppy and are a little bit worried about socialisation, lets chat about it! xx

07.01.2022 When is the right time to start training with your dog?

03.01.2022 AFFECTION What do you guys know and understand about giving your dog affection. Are there times where you shouldn't or dont? ... Do you use it within your reward system? If so how does that look? Do you withhold affection from your dog at particular times? Do you tend to be a more affectionate person than you are with your dog? Are there times where you would really love to be affectionate with you dog but you're not? If so why? Is there guilt? A feeling of I know I shouldn't but I'm going to anyway at certain times? Tell me guys what comes to mind for you when you think about giving your dog a pat or a cuddle?