Profile: Susan Matcham: Professional Canine Consultant

sue with all dogs
sue walking the dogs
Sue with Collie puppy

Myths and Change

There are a lot of myths and half truths out there that have become beliefs like “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” and “people don’t like change” but in my experience where our dogs are concerned the people I have met are more than willing to be innovative and adaptive when they really care about their dogs. I think people welcome ‘change’ if it’s for all the right reasons and it’s acceptable to them, it then becomes a good thing.

My clients inspire me to continue to help dog owners and other societies build the rewarding relationships they deserve, if that sounds a little corny I make no apologies, I have met many genuine people doing this work.

Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Wolf Pack
Yellowstone Wolf Pack

Me

For too many years I let others guide me (often down the wrong road) but I learnt a lot even though I may have not been in the right place as far as dog training or overcoming canine behavioural problems was concerned.

Like many other people I came from it from the humans perspective. Jan Fennell and Tony Knight taught me to view the canine world as nature does – naturally:  Like all species they have their own language and when we use it, it makes much more sense to the dog.

Learning from dogs has been by far my greatest education later in my life – how I wished I’d known what I know now years ago but then no-one had thought to look to nature to translate.

May 2005:

I qualified as a Dog Listener. I learnt from the best behaviourist’s and natural scientists the canine world can offer, free thinking, free living canines such as wolves, coyotes, dingoes, African painted dogs, Indian Dals, as well as our own domesticated dogs.

2008 Yellowstone National Park Wolves:

I travelled to Yellowstone with Jan Fennell (in minus 25 degrees I might add!) and learnt from the Biologists Nathan Varley and Linda Thurston (they, along with Project Leader Doug Smith, were instrumental in returning to wolf back  to Yellowstone National park) Yellowstone’s ultimate filmmaker Bob Landis and many of the scientists and biologists who live and breathe canines each and every day.

Understand canine behaviour doesn’t become more transparent when they translate it.

The training is thought provoking and rigorous. I loved every moment of my time training to help people with their dogs, it also prepared me to help people overcome all the issues our clever dogs can throw at us.

Saying that I can help people overcome every problem (that’s not medically based) is a big claim.

When I first started it was daunting but I quickly fell back on what I’d been taught at my Foundation Courses and Advanced Courses in Canine Communication and it quickly fell into place and still the learning continues…I’m forever the student…… for now the specialist.

I’ve helped 100’s of owners have amazing relationships with their animals. It’s one of my greatest joys and achievements when clients call to tell me their progress.

During my training with Jan Fennell International Dog Listeners I was working at a local Veterinary Surgery, it became increasingly difficult to do both jobs so Canine Consulting was launched in May 2006 and has continued to grow.

I’m now privileged to be invited to speak at canine events, breed societies and rescues etc. I’ve written articles for newspapers, magazines and been invited onto BBC radio to help people overcome their canine issues.

I am now in training to become a tutor for Jan Fennell’s Foundation Courses so others can become Dog Listeners. I hope to take these course throughout the UK or further and if invited, I’m happy to travel to help dogs and owners understand their dogs better.

Happy Endings It’s very exciting. I said on my Home page - “I love my job”  it’s grown beyond my wildest imagination. I’ve met wonderful people not to mention the stars of the show - the dogs! Having moved to North Yorkshire a few years ago from East Anglia I’m now looking to create a new world of canine appreciation. The more I can advance what Jan Fennell started the less dogs will end up in our rescue systems and we’ll have happy dogs owners and stress free, happy dogs. My Motto  If I can just bring one more dog to peace in a stress free happy home I’ll be happy. If I can help others have the same rewarding job as I do I’ll be even happier - well.... we all like a happy ending.
yellowstone-lonewolf
Susan in the snow

Happy Endings

It’s very exciting. I said on my Home page – “I love my job”  it’s grown beyond my wildest imagination.

I’ve met wonderful people not to mention the stars of the show – the dogs!

Having moved to North Yorkshire a few years ago from East Anglia I’m now looking to create a new world of canine appreciation. The more I can advance what Jan Fennell started the less dogs will end up in our rescue systems and we’ll have happy dogs owners and stress free, happy dogs.

My Motto

 If I can just bring one more dog to peace in a stress free happy home I’ll be happy.

If I can help others have the same rewarding job as I do I’ll be even happier – well…. we all like a happy ending.