Marc and Karen Deppe from Vero Beach, Florida didn’t come north to Squamish because they are fleeing U.S. politics.
The couple is in the district this month because it is the only location on the continent to get trained as Bark Busters dog behavior experts.
“We are absolutely blown away,” Marc told The Chief. “The training is amazing.”
Bark Busters is run by Squamish’s Barb Cooke, a master-trainer who specializes in dog behaviour issues, and her partner Jeff, better known to those who spend a lot of time on two wheels as the face of Squamish’s Off-Road Cycling Association (SORCA).
The couple originally brought Bark Busters to Canada from its home base in Australia back in 2003.
There are now 20 Bark Busters in Canada, according to Jeff Cooke. Starting this year, the Cookes are responsible for educating all new Bark Busters in-home dog trainers. In addition to the Deppes, a woman from Grand Rapids, Michigan is also in town for the intensive training.
“They are learning the skills necessary to solve complex dog behaviour issues,” Jeff Cooke told The Chief, adding behaviour issues can include aggression, separation anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.
“They are really learning how to teach people how to teach their dog.”
Cooke said one of the most common negative issues dog owners in Squamish have is their pets reacting to other dogs.
“People walking down the street and their dogs sort of lunging to get at the other dogs, whether it is out of aggression or curiosity, it can be a big problem,” he said.
People can get pulled over by their dog, especially when it is snowy and icy, he added.
Other annoying issues Bark Busters sees in Squamish include dogs barking at people who knock at the door or come over to visit.
“We worked with someone just two weeks ago here who hadn’t had anyone over in two years because their dog was aggressive to people coming in,” Cooke recalled. “Barb went out to see them and within a week and a half they had their first visitors and guests come to their house.”
The problem is often that dogs don’t understand what is expected of them, Cooke said.
For example, dog owners often stand tall and use a sharp voice when they call their pets to come when it is much more effective to crouch down and call the dog in a welcoming way.
“Because we are not naturally good dog communicators as humans, they get confused and they tend to be afraid or fearful or worried about far too many things,” Cooke said. “So by teaching them and teaching the owners how to communicate with their dogs more clearly you see a lot of the stress and anxiety in the dog go away which then leads to a lot less stress and anxiety in the family.”
As for Deppe, he and his wife will soon return to Florida to start their own Bark Busters.
“We absolutely adore dogs and this looked to us like an incredible opportunity not just to have a business but to help people with their important family member and to have it be a better experience,” he said.
For more information or to complete a behavioral quiz to rate your dog’s behavior, go to www.barkbusters.ca.
