Soul Touched by Dogs

Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs
Podcast, the show for dog lovers who

see dogs not as toys or tools, but
wise souls worth our respect and care.

I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.

I talk to poor some humans, people who
do great work for dogs and their people.

So come and join us for
today's conversation.

Anke: Hello.

Welcome Julie.

I'm super excited to have you here.

Julie: Thank you.

I, I am very excited to be here
in your, um, your new venture,

Anke: it sounds like.

Yeah.

I'm like crazy puppy excited about it all.

Love it.

So, Why don't we just start, let people
know where you're based, you know, what's

your business because you are a pro, and
then we'll, we'll have a little dig into

Julie: the work you do.

Perfect.

So I am based in Edinburgh in Scotland.

That's where I am right now.

And the sun is shining
and the sky is blue.

It's amazing.

Um, however, I do do all of my work
online, which is, um, a bit of a.

Mind blow for a lot of people because
I work with dogs and I help people

with their dogs and I don't always get
to meet their dogs, which in itself

is, can bring up a lot of questions.

Um, however, I've been doing it now
online for about four years and it

is super effective, um, way more
effective actually in the long term.

Um, To actually meet your dog that
in that first instance, because

very quickly, You will realize
that I'm not here to fix your dog.

I'm here to help you.

I'm here to share information
with you that will allow you to

change your behavior with your dog.

So there's actually no reason
for me to see your dog.

And oftentimes when you, you'll
know the people, I mean, when I say

this, I won't name them, but it's
very egocentric and it's all about

the trainer and how great they are
and how they're gonna fix your dog.

Um, so yeah.

That's, oh, I love that.

Because

Anke: I mean, in my own experience,
it's definitely on this end of

the leash where the shoes are.

Julie: Well, that's where, it's not
necessarily where the issue is, but

it's certainly where the solution is.

Yes.

Because you can't do anything what's out
there, but you can do something yourself.

That's where we have, that's
where we have some choice.

So

Anke: what are the mo like?

I mean, I would imagine people would be
kind of surprised initially to find that,

oh, so you are helping me with my dog
and you don't even wanna see the dog.

That's funny.

I love it.

I love it.

So what's the most common, um,
issue people come to you for?

Julie: Wow.

Yes.

What's the most common?

I would say there's two, two main things.

Um, reactivity, um, in all its
guises, whatever that might mean.

And probably, and it's kind of
the same thing, but maybe just the

narrative slightly different is,
um, is barking, excessive barking.

Um, I would say that's probably the two.

Oh, and separation anxiety.

It's probably three, um, main
things that people come to me with.

And as I say to them, you know,
when they talk about, well,

you know, you need to see it.

I'm like, I believe you.

I believe you.

I don't need to see it in action.

I don't wanna put your dog in that
stressful situation any more times

than is absolutely necessary.

I

Anke: believe you.

I love that.

I love that.

And so, how, How would you describe
your approach different from what

people might have heard or read up on?

Like what's the

Julie: difference?

So the main difference is that we
look at helping people and helping the

dogs away from where the problem is.

So if you have a reactive dog that
reacts to, you know, you're out

for a walk and it's reacting to a.

Man in a black cap or a hives
jacket or another dog or whatever.

Trying to work with your dog there
is really, really difficult because

they are already not listening.

Yeah, yeah.

So you can distract them, you can
shout louder, you can blow whistle,

you can do all these things.

Yes.

But it's just really, really
difficult because they're

not listening at that point.

The only thing you can do at that
point is get the hell out of there.

Keep your dog safe, show them
that you're not going to put them

through this painful situation.

You know, listen to them,
trust that they're feeling bad.

They're not doing it just to annoy
you ever and get them out of there.

And all the work that we do
is will at home, and then we

build up slowly from there.

Yeah.

I mean

Anke: that, that makes
so much sense to me.

It's, it's, I remember the first
time I heard this idea that my

only job was to help my dog relax.

Yeah.

'cause a relaxed dog just
doesn't do stupid shit.

You know?

I thought it was so simple, but it's like,
yeah, actually, if you look at everything

through that lens, it's very much that.

You know, it's like take him out
of the stress and, and help them.

You know?

So where would you start then At home.

So you might like, my layer was like that.

He got bitten when he was little.

You know, I was, what I sometimes
think, looking back, knowing what I

know now, I'm thinking, well, me being.

Totally panic.

Probably didn't help.

Like he would've looked at me
and like, well, you are, you

can't trust you to help out here.

You know, well, you know, so the
co whatever conclusion he drew

then would probably wasn't helpful.

But, you know, first time, no
idea dog mom, that was all I could

do to just get him out of there.

But I was panicky, so I was not like, now
I am like, I'm a pit bull to go in there.

I'll tell whatever dog off.

It's like a whole different
presence, you know, 20 years later.

And it makes a difference.

Like it makes a difference.

But, but So now, as a result of that
incident, he was always wary of male

dogs, especially when he was on leash
and you, he couldn't go anywhere.

Right?

So where would you then, How
would you start working with

me to help him with that

Julie: kind of stuff in that situation?

So the first thing I would say is
that, you know, the judgment and

the, the added pressure that we put
on ourselves after a situation like

that's really unhelpful and it's.

Actually really, really helpful to
acknowledge that and recognize that

we are all doing the best we can.

And you know, for me to think
that no dog is ever gonna attack

my dog because I know what I'm
doing, it's just blatant nonsense.

It's just not true.

You know, it's like going out in a car.

You have to deal with the
other idiots on the road.

Yeah, that's just the name of the game.

There's no around it.

And so if you are coming to work with
me and think that all of a sudden that's

not going to be an issue, then then
you know I'm not the right person for

you because we don't live in a fluffy
pink world where all the other dogs are

lovely, and your dog's gonna be able to
cope with every other dog in the world.

It's not gonna happen.

Okay, so let's just.

Accept that.

That's just the way of it.

So the first thing I would do is actually
have that conversation, because that

conversation is really important because
as long as we're thinking in our heads

about all the things that could happen,
oh my God, we are gonna fix that.

Fix that, fix that.

Okay.

We we're not gonna be able to do
that, but we are gonna be able to

have a plan in place that's going
to help us feel more confident.

Okay.

And then the first thing I would say
is, okay, you need a two week holiday.

Your dog needs a two week because
your dog's adrenaline is up like this.

Your adrenaline is up like this.

So let's take a holiday.

So by holiday, I mean, um, keep.

Keep their world as small as you possibly
can within the boundaries of your life.

So it depends if you live in
a flat or you, you know, you

have a garden or whatever.

Um, but I would basically
take a holiday for two weeks.

That would be the first thing I would do.

And during that holiday, there would be
some changes that I would make at home,

around food, around, um, the throne.

We call it The Game of Thrones.

Whose throne is it?

Um, and we would do some work,
some communication at home.

During that period and then, and
only then now this two week period

can sometimes last months because if
your dog has been stressed for four

years, two weeks might not cut it.

It's like, you know, being in
a job, you know, and you've

been in that horrendous job.

We've all been there with
that horrendous boss.

And you go and you go away on holiday for
two weeks, you're like, Two weeks helps,

but sometimes you just need a bit more.

Um, so it depends at
what level the dog is at.

And we can, through conversation, I
can tell like where your dog is at.

And then after two weeks we
would reassess and we'd say,

right, okay, what we're gonna do.

So yeah, without going into
what would take about an hour,

Anke: The gentle nature of
that and that gentle guidance.

But because it, it isn't about kind
of wrapping the dog in fluffy wool.

It's very much about a
gentle, calm leadership.

And that's what I really love
about what I'm hearing from you.

Julie: It's exactly that gentle, calm
leadership, um, and going with, by

that leadership, it's not dominance,
it's not dictatorship, it's listening.

Really, it's listening and
saying, okay, so next time, so

say this has happened, right?

And you have your two weeks off.

And I say, right, get out your lead.

And the dog either goes
boom, boom, boom, or hides.

Then we're gonna put the lead back down
and we're gonna wait at least an hour

and we're gonna bring it out again.

And we're gonna keep doing that
until the dog can cope with the

idea of leaving the house with four
paws on the ground in a calm way.

That's step one.

Because if your dog can't do that,
then they're gonna be reactive

when they go out, basically.

That's the game that that is
what will happen because they're

already getting themselves ready.

They're like, okay,
we're going, we're off.

Right.

I'm on it.

What do you need me to do?

Anke: That is so true, like,
because I see the difference

now with Master Puppy, right?

Because she has this calm temperament.

Right?

And also she's big.

Nobody messes with her.

Other people grab their
little dogs and run off.

It's really funny right now we like
come along walking like other people.

You can see even I've seen the guy with
a, with a German Shepherd, like hide.

You know, I mean, she's big, right?

But she's just turned a year and
she doesn't have any of these

issues because she's calm, she
doesn't like, okay, we got on.

Oh, great.

You know, so whole different energy.

So she doesn't pull, she doesn't get.

Like people bark, like dogs bark at her.

Cats run by not my problem.

'cause she starts out calm, like it's
a whole different temperament than

the little dogs who are like, let's
go and, you know, take on the world

that, that, but that difference in
energy makes all like and is true.

It starts within the house.

She's, she's come.

When we are leaving, right?

And then there's no issue on the outside.

Whereas the little ones
are like, oh, we cold.

We're going out.

We're going out.

This is gonna be fun.

You know, and it's, you know,
all revved up and it's a lot more

difficult to reign that energy in.

Julie: Yeah.

And also for the, you know, the guy with
the German Shepherd Shepherd or the other

dogs that go past, you know, it's helpful
to recognize that he might be doing that

because he knows his dog is reactive.

So he's like, okay, I'm gonna take
the sensible action here, and,

Anke: which is beautiful.

I love it.

I love it.

And I've had like, you know, we've
had this, you know, because I, I

really appreciate that because when
I would come with Leo and other

people, Kind of could, you could see
that he was getting tense and anxious

and people just like, I don't care.

My dog goes past.

Or when they then come and says, oh,
well, you know, why don't you want

pe the dogs to greet each other and
literally shove him in their face?

And I've always hated that.

So I, I just like give him
some space for God's sake.

Right.

Julie: Yeah, my dog's
friendly if I've heard Yeah.

A million

Anke: times.

Yep, yep, yep.

Yeah, exactly.

So you have a very interesting and fun
way for people to find out a little bit

more about your approach and how you work.

Julie: Tell us about it.

Okay.

So yes, I do.

It is great fun.

Um, and it's uh, what I call
a free, this one is called,

Three, three days of action.

So it's kind of like a challenge,
but it's, we're focusing on

the action part this time.

Um, so you can come along,
join me in Facebook.

Um, I do like a training video.

We have q and as, we have conversation,
and it's really about being open to the

idea that there is something different
to whatever you're doing at the moment.

That isn't working, that might work.

And so that's all I ask of anyone
is just, you know, you can sign up,

come along with an open mind and be
ready to hear something different.

And it's great.

We have a great time.

Really enjoy it.

People see results.

Literally within that three days,
you know, they see a relaxing because

if you go away and actually do the
things, um, I have a free ebook that's

on my website that you can download.

I always recommend people do that at
the start of the three days anyway,

so you've kind of got it all there.

Um, So you can, yeah, you can
literally just start day one and

um, put it into action and we'll pop

Anke: the links.

It's gonna be below wherever
you're listening or watching this,

so no, it will be easy to find.

So thank you.

Thank you so much.

And uh, I love what you're
doing for dogs and their people.

Julie: Thank you.

I love talking about 'em.

Anke: Awesome.

Take care.

Julie: Thanks.

Bye.

Thanks so much for listening.

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And if you know a pawsome human
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That's A N k E at Soul
touched by dogs.com.