We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lia Marques. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lia below.

Lia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I had always a strong affinity with animals, always wished there was something I could do with them that did not involve seeing blood ( I could never be a veterinarian since the sight of blood makes me queasy) or making them “perform”. Meaning: asking an animal do something in exchange of a bribe. Therefore when I was introduced to the concept of Dog Psychology I felt like I found what I had been looking for several years. I found what I was meant to do. I was lucky enough to start working for Cesar Millan (the father of Dog Psychology) at the Dog Psychology Center and discovered I really enjoyed working with the toughest cases. Dogs with a bite history, dogs that needed intense rehabilitation in order to become the best versions of themselves. The idea of K9 Rehab developed from there. Few trainers are willing to put themselves in situations that are, at a minimum, scary and often times, very dangerous. But I learned so much form working with intense energies. One has to maintain a very cool head when working with severe cases and in my case, I found myself the calmest I have ever felt when working with dogs that displayed severe behaviors.

After I left the Dog Psychology Center and started focusing on my own business I found that the need for K9 Rehabilitation was immense. So many cases of owner’s not trusting their own dog or resenting them for what the relationship had become. Dogs that had been under socialized, or been through the shelter – rescue system and had a really hard time trusting or respecting humans. I knew I found my niche. Dogs like that are not easy to work with, but more importantly, when owners and dogs stop trusting one another that is a recipe for disaster. The conversations with owners was often filled with tears and I realized that the human needed as much, if not more, guidance and support then the actual dog. Weekly sessions (where owners come to learn with their dogs) became mandatory when working with K9 Rehab cases. I became a translator between two beings whose relationship broke down. Where trust needed to be rebuilt. This is a position I do not take lightly and I feel it is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

I guess that is where the business really started, when I was able to understand and accept the fact that very few people do what I do and do it well. There are many dog trainers out there, but very, very few can actually become a translator between these two species. Even fewer can rehab dogs that have a bite history and actually gain the trust and respect of both the human and the dog and bridge those differences. It definitely wasn’t easy, I guess it is not meant to be, is it? Nevertheless once I set my intention to becoming the best translator there was, whatever happened became part of the journey to get there. I surrendered to whatever happens is what needs to happen in order for you to get there. And I have truly enjoyed learning the path that brought me here.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Founder and owner Lia Marques is a Certified Dog Trainer that specializes in Dog Behavior and Dog Psychology. In 2013 Lia was hired as a senior dog trainer at Cesar Millan’s Dog Psychology Center. By working side by side with Cesar Millan, her knowledge of dog psychology became second to none. Cesar continues to be a mentor and friend. In 2016 Lia started working with Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue bringing shelter dogs to prison for a 14 week program called Pawsitive Change. Teaching inmates the basics of dog psychology and having those inmates in turn help dogs has been truly life changing.

Our methods are all based in Dog Psychology, which, at it’s core, means that dogs are social animals that need structure in order to live a balanced pack life. Teaching the dog is only 50% of the equation. What makes us unique is that we work on the human/canine relationship and not solely on “training’ the dogs. We aim to close the communication gap between humans and their canine companions.

Dogs, like humans, are complex beings that have their own way of communicating and socializing.The more one learns, the more one can see this. Working in Dog Psychology is a way of life that not only enhances our understanding of dogs, but can create an entire new conduct in how we approach the way we ourselves live.

We are a human pack that aims to fulfill our community’s canine needs. We do it all with care, compassion and grace. That is what makes us who we are.

Lia is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and an AKC evaluator, able to certify dogs in AKC CANINE GOOD CITIZEN, COMMUNITY CANINE and URBAN CANINE GOOD CITIZEN.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Such a great question…
One really important lesson I had to unlearn in order to become better at my job is that it is not personal. Whatever happens between the dog and I, the owner and I, whatever happens during the process of rehabilitation or training; it is not personal. It is simply part of the process. It is very human of everyone of us to believe that our dog is doing something to us, or “on purpose” when in fact that is never the case. The dog is simply reacting in fight – flight- avoidance or surrender. We humans make up a scenario. Create a story. That might be important to us, but it is not important to the dog. To the dog it is never personal. It is instinct.

With owners the understanding also comes from seeing a fellow human in a state of fight – flight – avoidance or surrender. This is not about me. This is about their relationship with their dog. How can I be of service to that? Sometimes in sessions things get a little heated, after all a lot of people invest a lot of their emotional well being into their dog. When cracks start appearing in that foundation one is going to see a reaction. Often very emotional reactions. But these are not personal responses towards me. It is simply part of their rediscovery of the relationship.

This “unlearning” was also extremely important to me when growing my business. There are many, many situations in this industry that one can not control. There are a lot of ups and downs and one of the most important lessons one can unlearn is that whatever happens, is not personal. It’s just business.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Working with dogs is a daily lesson in resilience. They are amazing beings that can adapt to almost anything. They teach me everyday to surrender, shake it off and move on to the next thing. Dogs are resilience personified. It is truly inspiring.

I remember one case of a dog that was stuck, aggressive case, he was going after the two other dogs in the household. His name was Chase. Chase was so stuck in a state of fight – flight that he spent his first five days not eating. This dog would not eat anything; bacon, cat food, cheese, no matter what was offered he would simply stay frozen. Not scared, not aggressive, simply frozen. I tried (unsuccessfully) everything in my repertoire in order to get this dog to eat. Finally I decided to take him sheep herding. We put him on a muzzle (no sheep were harmed in this exercise) and encouraged him to start herding.

At first he was still stuck. He didn’t move from or towards the sheep. He wasn’t at all interested; totally in avoidance. After 10 or 15 minutes of us simply guiding him with a leash he began to perk up. The nose started working and the dog started to emerge. Dogs are curious beings, once they are able to start using their nose that curiosity usually comes back. He was a little hesitant at first, scared of these beings called sheep. But with support, it finally clicked and Chase found his strut. He started herding the sheep and his self esteem started coming back. It was a joy to see. An animal finding themselves. He herded the sheep for about 20 minutes, never once trying to bite them. We both felt exhilarated. He got unstuck. That night he ate his entire portion of kibble with absolutely no prodding.

I learned that day that we all need help getting unstuck. Sometimes our minds play tricks on us. With a dog it is less sentimental and more instinctual. This was a dog that was extremely confused. He did not know where he belonged. He didn’t feel part of a pack. Being able to spark that curiosity in him made me realized that often times we stop ourselves from doing things we really enjoy simply because we are stuck in a state of flight or fight. That dog taught me a lot in a very short amount of time. Once we surrender to help we can all come out of whatever situation we are in with a pep in our step. It might seem impossible at first. Overwhelming. But we can all work to get unstuck. Even if it takes making friends with sheep in order to find ourselves. That is resilience ins’t it?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dogswithlia.com
• Instagram: @adogslifewithlia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adogslifewithlia

Image Credits

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All photos are ours.