The bond between humans and dogs is well established, but for Valley Calderoni of Canine Valley Re-education and Adventure Centre it can even promote health.
On Saturday, she made a presentation at Totem Hall called “Humans Helping Dogs, Dogs Helping Humans.”
The event served as a fundraiser to help local kids, as proceeds will go to the non-profit Budo Society, which offers martial arts training for kids that otherwise might not be able to take part in such activities. The aim is not only to teach the discipline of self-defence but also to empower kids, especially those that might fall through the cracks.
On Saturday night though, the focus was on how to improve the relationship between dogs and humans in a way to promote better overall health.
As Budo’s Carl Merac puts, there are lots of dogs in Squamish, so it makes sense to educate people here about how the animals behave.
“A lot of people don’t know how to recognize signs for dogs,” he said.
During her presentation, Calderoni touched on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) and how understanding dogs’ signals can let a person know where the animal might lie on the 10-point scale – ideally, at five or below.
Typical signals of stress and, ultimately, aggression include ears back, eyes wide open, tails standing straight up and exposed teeth and gums. This compares with signs of a low SUDS state, such as relaxed ears and eyes.
Calderoni covered some techniques about how to get the dog less stressed and aggressive, such as simply moving the dog on a leash behind you from one side of you to the other.
Much of it has to do with the human though and their own state of mind. Calderoni encourages simple techniques, along the lines of yoga, to stay calm and help calm down the animal.
“It’s all about your breathing, it’s about you,” she said.
The relationship between humans and their best friends is, of course, a symbiotic one, as Calderoni also covered in her presentation how dogs can help heal humans.
“I cannot tell you how beautiful it feels when you take a dog and transform it into a healing machine,” she said.
In the same way, it’s about the dog helping the person’s SUD levels come down. Calderoni has even noticed this effect in herself when she is with her dogs.
“My dogs taught me to be more fully present,” she said.
Play is also important between the person and the animal, which helps keep everyone calmer and healthier.
“The more we play, the happier we feel,” she said.
Canine Valley is planning other local events in the near future, such as Shirin-yoku, an approach from Japan that involves using the atmosphere of the forest for healing, which Calderoni describes as much more than a walk in the woods with one’s dog.
As well, the organization is planning pack walks for people and dogs in the coming weeks. These are set for Aug. 14 and 28, Sept. 16 and 25, and Oct. 16 and 23. For more information, see www.caninevalley.com.
