“Develop the control you need to give your dogs the freedom they desire.”
Merging the gap
between scientific theory and practical application, Tatiana has helped countless people better communicate with their animals to achieve a long-lasting, balanced relationship.
From the moment she taught me to walk, my mother realized she might need a leash.
No matter the size or species, if I saw an animal, off I went! Then came the ceaseless questions: "what is it?" "why is it doing that?" "can I touch it?" "can we keep it?" Like any good mother, she was patient; (it's a duck - he's looking for food - don't touch it - no). Once I was old enough to realize I could leverage my parents' curiosity, the menagerie grew at an aggressive rate: pond-sliders, frogs, mice, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, cockatiels, ducks, and a chicken (who turned out to be a rooster and was "sent to live on a farm" after inflicting multiple puncture wounds to the back of my father's legs). However, in spite of the array of fascinating species at my fingertips, my real obsession was with two very unattainable ones: wolves and orca whales.
Finally, my parents decided we were ready for our first dog, a Brazilian Mastiff or "Fila Brasileiro" we named Luke (yes - after Skywalker). This is certainly not a breed for inexperienced owners, but as the story sometimes goes, we got lucky. Then, we got Luna… Another Fila, who was very sound of temperament, but sadly not of genetics. It was my first experience with the unfortunate world of irresponsible breeding, though I was too young to truly grasp the stress my parents were under from the onslaught of vet bills.
Eight years, three countries, a mutt, two rescue cats, two corn snakes and one tarantula later, I found myself in England - beginning my Zoology degree and in possession of a husky-malamute cross I named Kiba. Being the first dog I’d truly cared for on my own, it was he rather than my degree who truly opened up the door to animal training. My childhood obsession with wolves had developed early on into a passion for huskies, though Kiba was quick to teach me that the only real commonality between the two was physical appearance. Nevertheless, Kiba and I embarked on a journey of learning the foundations of obedience training and working sled dogs. Of course, England didn’t have much snow to offer, so we learned to race with scooters rather than sleds. Following a brief period running teams of dogs in Lapland, I soon discovered that when the gift of snow was plentiful, I appreciated the scenery more than the physical experience.
It wasn’t long before Kiba and I came across Border collies on our training quest, and little did either of us know, this was the first step in my diversion from my love of wolf look-alikes. Off we went to Wales to train sheep dogs! Eventually my interest in training dogs for utility led me to Buckinghamshire, where I began learning how to train hearing dogs for deaf people. The service dog training world was considerably slower-paced and meticulous, but it provided me with an entirely new outlook of what dogs and trainers were capable of.
By this point in the story, I was almost a bona fide Zoologist and under the immense pressure of having to “narrow down" a career path. Yet my hunger to discover the various dog training disciplines in existence remained, so I enrolled in two police dog handling and training courses. The instructor wasted no time in testing our resolve; on our first day, he assigned each of us a dog, lined us up along a row of kennels, facing saliva-trimmed snarling teeth, and said:
“Well, get them out of the kennels then.”
In comparison to the carefully-selected/bred service dogs I’d spent so much time learning to train, these were not dogs at all… these were monsters. None of us moved. The instructor tried again, raising his voice over the clamoring of barks, kennel slams, and snarls:
“If your dog bites you, try not to move and I’ll come help you. Who’s first?”
Once again, there were no volunteers. I took a deep breath in, gripped my leash hook tightly, walked as confidently as I could to Xena’s kennel, unlocked the door, and stepped in. In one adrenaline-fueled swoop, I reached for her collar ring and hooked the leash on. Xena stared up at me, both of our bodies slightly stiff. Finally I exhaled and switched my gaze to the instructor, and in response Xena copied, wagging her tail excitedly. I knew then, as I stepped out of the kennel with her at the end of my leash, that I was addicted.
Shortly thereafter I understood why our instructor had immediately put so much pressure on us.
This was high-stakes, fast-paced training that was very unforgiving of mistakes and insecurities.
Only one of the initial five students continued through to the second course with me. It was certainly not for everyone, and it was certainly not for every dog.
After I’d successfully certified and sold my first few security/protection dogs and completed my degree, my new focus became broadening my animal training experience across species. England was a fascinating place to have undertaken this venture, because it juxtaposed very modern animal training philosophies with the rich histories of sports such as falconry and fox hunting. Learning to handle and train birds of prey quickly shot to the top of my list, particularly since the biology of birds is so different to that of mammals. Consequently I enrolled in The Falconry School, where I worked with Harris’ hawks, Peregrine falcons, Gyr/Saker hybrids, and various species of owls, to obtain a Lantra certification in falconry.
From raptors I shifted gears again, and discovered the US Navy Marine Mammal Program, where animals are trained and deployed to detect submerged mines and divers. This captivated my childhood interest in cetaceans and gave me first-hand experience in the training and handling of bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions. However, in my efforts to remain updated on cognitive research, it wasn’t long before I came across Brian Hare’s breakthrough in canine cognition at Duke University, and the beckoning of my dog training days was deafening.
I had my eyes set on ringsport, a protection dog sport with various offshoots that I’d come across when I was working with police dogs. It seemed the epitome of dog-handler relationship and display of complex behavior chains. But first, I needed a dog. The Belgian Malinois was an obvious choice, but I had worked with so many that it agitated the rebel in me - and so, I went for the Dutch Shepherd.
The moment I brought this new puppy home, I thought I might have accidentally acquired a badger.
This little thing was angry, independent, and relentless. My inner dork decided to name him Kovu (after the Lion King character), which means “Scar” in Swahili - something I was certain he was going to leave behind. Fortunately, the tools I’d spent so much time calibrating served me well, and it wasn’t long before and Kovu and I were on our way to another fantastic chapter in my dog training story.
Fast forward again - six years, French ring trials, Nosework competitions, countless hours helping owners with their dogs, and starting my own ring club in Hawaii. All of those years, and all of the animal training disciplines I’m fortunate to have experienced left me with two major realizations:
1) A great deal of miscommunication exists between the scientific community and the dog training industry.
Despite there being so much information readily available online, few people are speaking the same language, and we can’t push the industry forward if we don’t understand each other.
2) No amount of personal success ever felt as profound as helping a client and their dog achieve a balanced relationship.
As such, I decided it was time for a new chapter in my animal training story. A time to continue to use my experience and theoretical background to bridge this “language gap” and return to helping those who need their questions answered. My goal became to help people filter the overwhelming amount of information online and use this to understand their dogs as the complex, cognitive animals they are. And this is how Calibrated Canine was launched again!