Karen Davison's Blog - Posts Tagged "dog-behaviourist"

While working as a dog behaviourist, I have travelled the length and breadth of rural Kerry, much of it off the beaten track and often in reverse gear. This is usually due to obscure directions resulting in lots of three-point turn practise, or backing up to the last passing place because there is a tractor coming the other way.

Postal addresses in rural Ireland have no house numbers, street names or postcodes. They are simply the general area where the house is located. This means that there can be thirty properties spread over several miles with exactly the same address, which can make finding a particular house a tad challenging.

Ireland has many quaint features, the sense of humour at the road signs department for example. While on main roads, signposts are on every junction, which is most helpful. Once directed off the main road however, you are led down a maze of small roads with many crossroads and junctions where signposts are conspicuous by their absence. The approach seems to be that they point you in the general direction; then you’re on your own.

There are some cultural differences in the Irish approach to pets, which is somewhat more relaxed than I was accustomed to. It took me quite a while to get used to the fact that in Ireland, you see large numbers of dogs running loose all the time. Town dogs take themselves off for walks and meet up with their regular friends to find adventure, while in rural areas you often have to run the gauntlet of sheepdogs and terriers that break cover of concealment to chase your car up the road, trying to bite your tyres.

A good proportion of dogs live outdoors, which means that much of my work is carried out in the elements. In Ireland, this can be an uncomfortable experience. Autumn is the season of constant rain and gale force winds. Winter is like the twilight zone; it never seems to reach full daylight and rains most days. Spring can see rain for weeks on end with no respite and summer can be glorious - if it is not raining. When trudging through muddy fields in the lashing rain, it sometimes occurs that there may be easier ways to make a living.

Occasionally after training I have to call into the supermarket to pick up supplies. I get many sympathetic glances from women who look like something from Vogue magazine with their designer clothes, perfect hair, impeccable make up and high heels. In contrast I stroll up the aisles in my walking boots caked in mud, my dog training coat covered in muddy paw prints and my hair, which looked halfway decent when I left the house in the morning, plastered to my head.

Excerpt from It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog Trainer - Volume 1