“People are looking to get from their dogs what they are lacking from people,” said Carol Denomme, a Wedgeport native.
Denomme has worked with the RCMP in the past, training and placing dogs for many purposes including border patrol, work in Afghanistan, and as personal protection dogs with large companies, celebrities and rape victims.
The lack of leadership problem results, she explains, when people bring a dog into their life to be the listener, to replace children that are gone, or a husband that’s divorced.
“They’re looking to their dogs to be that connection and it’s difficult because a dog doesn’t live that way,” she said,
“It’s cruel to put all that baggage on a dog and have him carry all of your burdens,” she added.
The dog begins to think it has to take care of this unstable pack member. They’re the ones you see dragging people down the street, barking at everything and trying to bite at other dogs to keep things away.
“We’ve created the problems that exist. Once you understand that it is a dog – I’m not saying don’t love your dog but treat it as a dog -most of those problems are going to go away,” said Denomme.
Exceptions are dogs that have been bred incorrectly or “scared dogs.”
Denomme approves of almost any training aid if used correctly – even prong collars.
“A lot of people see a prong collar and think, oh, that’s cruel. It’s not. The idea of it is the dog walks into it and he corrects himself so it’s like a dog bite. It’s how a mother would correct a puppy.”
One of the more frustrating problems experienced by some owners is that of continual pooping and peeing inside the house.
Sometimes it’s all in how we react, explains Denomme.
“Dogs will do it because of your reaction. It’s attention of some sort. Sometimes they do it because they are trying to take ownership of this particular space. It depends on what the situation is with the dog.
“A lot of times what typically happens is you bring a dog or puppy home, he pees on the floor and you go, ‘Oh, Louie! What have you done?!’ And then they panic and they run around, and the dog is going, oh wow, some life out of ya. So then they’ll go and pee on the floor again. But if you say nothing, they’ll think, oh, that didn’t work.
“People take offense that the dog is peeing on their $3,000 rug. The dog doesn’t look at it as your prize possession. He’s looking at it as a nice comfy spot. He’s thinking, this is mine too, isn’t it?”
“A lot of people let their dog run all over the place. That’s wrong. You don’t say here’s my house, have at her. You say, this is where you can go and I’m going to give you rules and boundaries, like kids in that way. You don’t let them just do what they want because then you’re going to have problems.”
Denomme and her husband Mike, general manager for Canadian Tire, own four dogs but also have a passel of pups at the moment.
She says she chose South African Boerboels for several reasons.
As the least vicious of all working breeds, it makes a wonderful family dog and has the least amount of health issues.
A lot of people think life is rainbows and butterflies, but it’s not. A hug and a biscuit are not going to work on every dog. Once you understand how the dog thinks, you can process and come up with a plan. - Trainer Carol Denomme
Bred correctly, from true lines, they have no dysplasia in elbows or hips. Another bonus for a big dog is they don’t drool.
She opened Atlantic Canine Outfitters on Main Street earlier this year and also provides group and private obedience lessons.
In addition to being a board member of the Yarmouth SPCA, she belongs to the Nova Scotia SPCA board and is assessing shelters to make them function better. She’s also taking on the task of humane education in schools.
Denomme works at correcting behavioral problems in long-term shelter dogs.
“A lot of people think life is rainbows and butterflies, but it’s not. A hug and a biscuit are not going to work on every dog. Once you understand how the dog thinks, you can process and come up with a plan,” she said.
Proper training makes life better all the way around. She says she has seen many dog owners that don’t understand certain concepts yet think they are doing wonderful things.
“When you point something out and they see that it can be better, they do better. If I explain to you how to walk a dog and you’re going to have an enjoyable walk, you’re going to walk more. Your dog’s going to be happy, you’re going to be happy.
“My joy comes from watching people grow (in their knowledge of dogs),” she said.
