Dog Tired is a proud member of The Dog Gurus program and are still the only Dog Gurus Charter Member in the Charleston area. You may have seen our Safety Pledge hung in the hall or read a Dog Gurus pamphlet at the front desk. But what does it mean to be a Dog Gurus Member? What is the Dog Gurus Program exactly?
Susan Briggs and Robin Bennett are the authors, consultants, and founders of The Dog Gurus. They are long-time animal enthusiasts and dog professionals. Robin Bennett is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and has been in the pet care industry for the past 20 years as an author and consultant on dog daycare, training, and off-leash play. Susan Briggs is the founder of Crystal Canine, a leading consulting company in the pet care industry, and 12-year owner of her own dog daycare, boarding, grooming, and training center in Houston, TX.
Susan and Robin’s passion, and the passion of The Dog Gurus program, is the safety and well-being of dogs, owners, and professionals, especially in the off-leash, group-play environment. Susan and Robin are advocates of learning and understanding dog body language in order to best assess and meet your dog’s needs and be able to effectively communicate with your animal. They have developed an amazing program called Knowing Dogs that makes Canine Body Language easy for everyone.
All Dog Tired employees must complete the Knowing Dogs series. Each DVD covers different material and breaks down understanding dog body language into easily manageable pieces, with testing both throughout the DVD and a written exam at the end. From posturing and vocalizations, to different play styles, the interactive program explains how to best assess and handle different dogs in varying situations. This equips viewers to not only identify the state their dog may be in but also educates them on how to move their dog into a green, or safe state. Through the Knowing Dogs program, handlers can create a safe, comfortable environment for both people and animals. In this way, dogs can flourish and improve both emotionally and behaviorally.
Unfortunately, injury and even fatality is a daily occurrence in the dog care industry. The only way to reduce this statistic is by education. Understanding Canine Body Language minimizes risk by enabling handlers to quickly identify non-green states (arousal, discomfort, aggression, etc.) and intervene or redirect to bring dogs back to a green state.
Communicating with dogs in a language that they understand is key. Additionally for off-leash, group play, understanding how dogs communicate with one another is also crucial. Quite simply, The Dog Gurus provide these tools and allow us to create the safest, highest-quality care environment for your dogs.
