Local Business: The Doggy Lama

Bonny King-Taylor and Bartleby, from doggylama-petcoaching.com

If dogs are man’s best friend, do you sometimes wonder why yours keeps sabotaging the relationship?  The Doggy Lama may be just who you’re looking for if you and Spot are in need of some couples therapy.  Bonny King-Taylor, aka The Doggy Lama, was a psychologist for 10 years before Bartleby, the adorable and well-behaved pup pictured left, came into her life and prompted her to study pet psychology, adding dog trainer to her field of expertise.

King-Taylor works with clients on a variety of skills at all different stages, from puppies to mature dogs.  When asked if she’s training pets or people, she emphatically answers, “I train people, absolutely.  It’s on us – we’re the ones with complex minds.  Dogs live by a very simple, finite set of rules.  They’re very cut and dried.”  So what is the secret?  King-Taylor says most common problems can be traced back to two things:  a lack of information about how Astro’s mind works and inconsistent boundaries.  “A dog’s mind works on ‘always’ and ‘never’,” she says.  Which means when people try to make distinctions based on circumstance, the subtlety is lost.  For instance, Bruiser can either jump on you all the time or not at all.  And if she can jump on you, then it’s also okay to jump on others too.

Rather than working with Lassie on your terms, King-Taylor helps her clients learn how to work with him on his terms.  “Work with their instinct, rather than against it,” she advises.  But what if Rin Tin Tin is older, with a long track record of bad habits, or  “untrainable”?  “There really are no bad dogs,” she says, “it’s simply a matter of communication.”  For all those Labradors and herding breeds at Lincoln Park, King-Taylor would suggest giving them jobs to keep them happy.  “If you have a working dog and don’t give it work to do, you’ll regret it.”  Some examples she gave were having Bo carry a backpack with his food and water, which she finds really helps to calm them down.  She also suggests games, like hiding a toy in the house so Eddie can hunt it, and play dates with dogs of similar energy level.  These activities provide an intellectual focus and release some of the built-up energy.  Having a dog in the city offers particular challenges because they’ll frequently come into contact with other animals and people and need to know how to behave.  “In the city the number one most important thing is to socialize your dog and number two is to have a set of tools when things don’t go well.”

Socialization and coping tools can be developed in any dog, but King-Taylor is particularly pleased when people come to her with their puppy or even before they choose a dog.  “It’s great when people can come to me before the fact.  Otherwise we have to work on remediation after the fact.”  Instilling positive behaviors isn’t a one-shot opportunity, though.  “Sooner rather than later is best, but it’s never too late because it’s not about the dog but about the way you behave with the dog.”  King-Taylor also encourages clients to think of training as a life long pursuit, like a perpetual game that keeps Vincent physically and mentally active and the owner keyed in to how best to work with, instead of against, the dog.

Capitol Hill has several great parks where Scooby can get some exercise, but sharing space with people (particularly children) can cause friction.  “Our neighborhood is the best for dogs, as far as I’m concerned.  Tolerance and acceptance is much higher here than I’ve seen anywhere else,” King-Taylor says.  But that means dog owners have more responsibility to respect that acceptance and be good pet citizens, while recognizing the benefits the neighborhood enjoys from having Marley in residence.  “Dog owners should understand boundaries and respect them.  In terms of  the park environment, having dogs in a community is a symbiotic relationship.  Burglaries go down, people [walking dogs] on the street subverts muggings.”

In the end, the proof is in the pudding.  King-Taylor’s dog Bartleby welcomed me to the house from the top of the stairs, sat quietly while we talked and then walked me to the door when I left.  She wasn’t looking for a dog when he came to her — far from it.  But he has certainly made a difference in King-Taylor’s life and, by extension, the lives of many others.