How I teach

A brief rundown of how I reach your dogs

Chris of Delusional Dogs

It's been an odd journey to arrive here, helping dogs and teaching people....

..teaching people (again).

Although one of my first jobs was teaching English (ESOL) this was before University and what I would consider my first career working in various roles in the computer games industry (Blizzard,4A and even Crytek) a switch to canine care has surprised a number of people, but what started as a hobby during the summer of 2018 has grown into a fun and engaging long term project and great job, one that will keep me here in the Netherlands.

Having grown up living in the rural British countryside I have been surrounded by tame and feral animals all my life.
From pigs (guinea and swine) through cats, dogs, rabbits and out to horses, foxes and hedgehogs (here you can see me with King a shire horse who lives near my father - it was a joy to be able to hug and even lean on an animal so much bigger and stronger than me).
However my passion has always been dogs, they just seem to listen and understand when spoken to - if I could simply transfer that skill to another in a single lesson I guess it would be a lot more marketable.

So with my first career moving me regularly around the world, my own dog was never an option.
Instead I would volunteer at the local shelters where I would work with some of the dogs & cats - dogs would need to be walked, cats I would just be asked to sit and read so they could get used to a man.

The transition into working with dogs was a turbulent one, not least with housing issues - I can happily expand in person.
So I have been working with dogs professionally since 2018, I've learnt a lot about them from books, studies and my own observations.
It has been fascinating to learn how to deal with their issues and possible problems, I've become better at reaching them on an intellectual level and this does make training them a lot easier.
I will often talk about "Teaching" vs "Training" with the dogs, as it seems clearer to me that they are much closer to being an "Utlänning" or "Främling" than how they are mostly viewed as being "Ramen" or even "Varelse" (Note: These are terms from a book series are defined here on my site, they are originally Swedish)
So they are what you make of them (in many ways just like a child) although the dogs are more limited in their range.
Think what you want from your dog and work with me, we can get probably get it done!

Since my relocation to the Bijlmer area my work has become more of the longer term Holiday work, which is very rewarding. Although the unreliability of my latest Hondenbus (v4) has been a key factor in this, I am hoping this is now past as we move forward with the latest modifications.
In these last few years I have often seen more *reactive dogs* where the owner is in need of a lot more help than the dogs (usually), it's very rewarding to have playful and relaxed interactions with these dogs - although easy dogs are very welcome too :)

Methodology of Delusional Dogs

I want to start this by saying that there is a shocking lack of standardisation within pet-care - by this I mean that what one source of information (vet/trainer/etc) will tell you may vary wildly to the next.

As this is not a "protected profession" yet there is no way to check the validity of a person's qualifications with the government or similar ruling body.

With that in mind I will be clear that although over the years of interest in animals, some UK courses (mostly useless qualifications), working with shelters or "pounds" ("hondenasiel") in the various countries I lived and most recently since 2018 a regular face to face with so many doggies, I have genuinely lost count. Whether I knew them from birth to death, or just a few moments in a park they are all very wonderful.

I am regularly trying to keep up with the latest positions and view points on the subject there is always a new study being done, although my favourite has a familiar 2018 date to it: Decoding Human Emotional Faces in the Dog’s Brain where the dogs were ironically CAT scanned to see how happy they were when seeing their owners, the footnote that always tickled me "We did not test cats".
More recently I have been reading up about the long term effects of stress and cortisol in dogs.

There is also talking to dog owners and others working in the same field.
I've even been known to ask the dogs themselves, although whilst their listening skills are great they rarely bring much to the conversation beyond that - If you want to change that I strongly recommend looking into "Dog Buttons" more below.

I do my best to take it all in and filter the information and advice I will give you, but ultimately it is based mostly on my own observations, experiences and understandings. It is my opinion. It might also be fact.

When it comes to "Breed specific personality traits" we start getting on tricky ground.

In general "I refute almost all breed specific personality rules" just because dog is X breed does not mean you can predict how it will be with other dogs or humans unless you ignore the needs of Breed X.
So getting a real Husky, one that has come from a family of being used for work and then denying them a life with their daily needs met* will get very agitated and that agitated dog will be less patient with you in every other way and you will hear about it.

*Daily needs of a Siberian Husky - Ideally 90 minutes, twice a day including active running of between 5-15 miles (10-20km).
Standing in a large field throwing a ball consistently for 2 hours (x2 a day) is a terrible replacement for what they need.

I've never met a "violent" breed of dog, although it is true that a Pomeranian would struggle to seriously hurt me unless I was asleep whereas a Doberman would be difficult to stop that is due purely to their bodies which they can no more decide over than humans can.
There are of course physical aspects to breeds that are definitely accurate, but their personalities are up for shaping and growth.
Each dog is their own being and will have their own views and opinions on all aspects of their day to day lives.

​

So with all that in mind each dog is different, I will always aim to meet you and your dog, feel out the personality of your pooch and with your co-operation shape them into a healthy happy hound!

All dogs should be able to walk off leash and with you, safe for you, safe for them. 

​

I advocate for a mixture of training and teaching with all dogs:

  • Training - A standard for dogs, this process is simple described as Trigger = Reaction!
            A good example of this would be the "Heel!" (Naast) command, upon hearing this the correct response is for your dog to immediately come over to your feet and sit down. There should be nothing in between command and action.
    Command > Reaction: Instant!

​

  • Teaching - Whilst training includes this, it is more about the dog's thinking process to add items of importance.
            A good example of this would be the "Come here" command, which is tells your dog that you want them to come over to you, if along the way they pause, or say hello to another dog that is fine, as long as they keep moving toward you.
    Command > Reaction: A few minutes.

​

This adds a level of complication and engagement for your dogs, similar to giving them choices on where to go and what to do

Buttons, push me, more buttons!

I do highly recommend dog Buttons!

​

I have seen multiple videos on dogs using buttons, opposite is a promotional video of "Bunny the talking dog" who is currently the Gold Standard for talking dogs.

​

Very occasionally I have convinced some of my clients to start using them with great results.

​

Personally I have used the "Go outside/pee-pee" button, this is only a very basic concept of what is possible, unless the client is following up at home.

"Chris knows dogs well and he has a genuine love for them. We know our dog is in good hands whenever we have to leave him at Delusional Dogs. 💕"