We recently connected with Kirsten Wojcik and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kirsten thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)? Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style.

The practice of dog training went through some huge shifts in the 90s. I was fortunate enough to be able to apprentice with several different dog trainers and behavior consultants which is crucial when learning a hands-on craft like dog behavior modification. One of my early mentors at a Board and Train facility in the late 90s used what are now considered non-positive based training methods. I remember watching her and trying to understand the reason for her methods, but I really struggled with her forceful style. When it came time for me to demonstrate the training to the client during what we call a “transfer,” I just could not do it. Using force felt wrong. When I then instead demonstrated to the client what were some of the early methods of positive-based training, the client was thrilled. She called to tell my boss how happy she was that we were using the new positive methods. Needless to say, my boss wasn’t pleased. But that moment gave me the courage to change to working at a local shelter that did use methods that were more aligned with my sense of beliefs and ethics. Here I learned incredible techniques and skills from some of the best professionals in the Bay Area. By following my heart in the moment, and standing up for what I believed in, I started down a path of being passionate about my work with dogs. I see myself as a canine advocate and I work to meet the needs of both dogs and their people. It is such a gift to have a career that is fulfilling and important. I am so grateful for my early mentors and am now working as a mentor for new behavior consultants and trainers to continue the tradition of hand-on learning and coaching.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As the owner and operator of KW Happy Dogs, I am a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and a Licensed Family Dog Mediator. I work with human and dog clients to figure out why dogs are performing certain behaviors, and then I make a plan for how we can make changes to meet the needs of the family and the dog. Specializing in reactive and aggressive behaviors gives me an opportunity to work with clients who are really struggling to understand their dog. By taking time to educate clients about…

•the physical and social environmental influences in their dog’s life,
•how dogs learn,
•the impact of the dog’s genetic breed group on their form and function
•and the dog’s physical and mental health and temperament
I am able to offer insights into how the dog is thinking and feeling. And this gets us to the “why” a dog is acting the way they are acting.
Once people understand the motivation for a behavior, and they can see the world from their dog’s perspective, it is so much easier to address behavior change from a place of empathy and relationship.

I am passionate about meeting the needs of both dogs and humans and working to build a community of positive-based behavior consultants who are focused on bettering the well-being of our pet dogs.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Many of my client referrals come from other trainers and veterinarians in the area. Because I specialize in reactive and aggressive canine behaviors, people who notice a dog is struggling will send them to me for support. When I switched from general dog training to behavior consulting, I reached out to other local trainers and vets and told them about my move towards specializing in aggressive behavior. I even offer “Lunch and Learn” sessions with local veterinary offices where I bring them food and do a short presentation about my methods and techniques. Also, I invite trainers to shadow me and become part of my Canine Behavior Mentorship Program. This way other professionals in the area get to see how effective my positive-based behavior modification methods can be.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

For many years I was working part-time as a physical education and English teacher, while also working part-time as a dog behavior consultant and trainer. There is actually a lot of overlap between teaching and dog training, but my happy place was definitely working with dogs.  At one point, the school I was working at closed and I was forced to make the decision of either looking for a new teaching job, or taking the risk and going full-time as a dog behavior consultant. It felt scary to go out on my own as I am a single mother with two daughters (not to mention 4 dogs) to feed. But the risk paid off and I now have a thriving business and I wake up every day so excited to go to work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kwhappydogs.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kwhappydogs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kwhappydogs
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-wojcik-21a4a7288/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVKtYlkrH3dhzOViHRUpGgQ
• Other: Podcast https://dogchats.podbean.com/

Image Credits
NorCal Pet Photography