Q&A with Wholistic Woofers & Co. founder Vivian S. Tjeng

 

WW: What led you down your path in pet training?

V: I have always had an immense love for all types of animals.  I primarily grew up with dogs, but I also had heavy interactions with cats and ducks from a very young age. 

It took me a while to find my way, however.  After spending a few years exploring options in the medical field, I turned my attentions to my own dogs.  They were struggling with several fear-based issues many of my pet parents experience today.  After watching trainer Victoria Stilwell from It's Me or the Dog and the exciting ways she humanely handled troubed dogs, I decided working with animals full time was where I needed to be.

WW:  How did you get your start as a dog trainer?

V:  It wasn't until I attended Animal Behavior College and graduated in 2007 that I made pet training a profession.  After participating in the HSPCA's training program as a dog training extern, I was hired by the PETCO in League City in the spring of 2007 to lead their dog training program.

WW:  What contributions have you made to the dog training profession up to this point?

V:  Once I had transferred to the PETCO in Sugar Land in 2009, I worked to shape PETCO's local dog training program as a district dog trainer and company dog trainer mentor.  My job was to not only provide examples for training to pet families but to also educate other trainers in dog learning theory and effective dog-handler communication.  

In 2012 I was relocated to Alief PETCO, and there I spent the following 4.5 years to continue my work. When I left the company at the end of 2016,  I had by then worked with hundreds of clients and several pet adoption groups from all over Houston and surrounding areas.  I offered my expertise through group classes, one-on-one sessions and AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate training.

Today, on top of running Wholistic Woofers, I remain a practicing dog trainer and am a mentor for student trainers at Animal Behavior College.  I am also a member of the Association of Dog Training Professionals and regularly take continuing education courses from reknown dog trainers and behaviorists.

WW: How did you come up with the holistic concept for Wholistic Woofers & Co.?

V:  As a trainer, I realize the importance of treating pet training as a holistic experience.  One needs to find the right set of dog obedience skills, and gain an understanding of how exercise, proper feeding, emotional balance, socialization and enrichment activities create a balanced pet.  At the same time, one should look onto himself or herself for consistency, patience, persistence, empathy and optimism for the sake of the pet.

Over the years I encountered again and again this lack of balance in many of my families' relationships.  Sometimes this happened for reasons beyond anyone's control.  (These were the ones I would refer out.)  But more often it was due to a missing ingredient or ingredients in the holistic training process.  Many times the breakdown would be environmental (significantly limited space, excess distractions), physical (inadequate exercise, bodily discomfort), maybe nutritional (which may also lead to bodily discomfort like allergies, gas pains or jitters).  The rest of the time, however, the breakdown occurred from underdeveloped human-pet interaction and comprehension.

The limitations I had in my previous work made it hard for some of my dogs and their families to achieve the balance they needed.  There were space concerns and excess distractions, which punctuated stress in certain dogs, but there was also this sense many of these families needed something more personal, quiet, and relevant to their home situation.  When a pet cannot transition what they learn in class to their home life and vice versa, or cannot do so in a timely manner, it brings down optimism and patience for both parties, and training and relationships suffer as a result.  In-home training was not a service I could offer at the time, so there was not as much I could do for these families.

Because I wanted to to help make training and relationship-building fun, relaxing and nurturing and nourishing, all the while increasing compliance amongst my pet families by giving them options to suit their needs, I created Wholistic Woofers & Co.

WW: Photography and treats are part of your services.  How did you make these connections to training?

V:  Even though dog training was my main business, I moonlighted as a professional photographer and a custom confectioner.  When putting Wholistic Woofers together, I had in mind the concept of combining these ventures under one roof.  (Obviously, I traded in my confection recipes for healthy dog and cat-friendly ones.)

As for how these are relevant to the dog training process?  In a way they do contribute to my overall goal.  The photography is a way to help pet parents see how amazing their pets are when captured in the right light.  Not to mention, it's another way to test a pet's ability to sit, down, stay and focus. 

The treats are something to supplement the training process.  You want something that is healthy yet fun for the pet to eat.  Food is a prime motivator for a majority of dogs, and when used properly, it can really supercharge the training process.

It is true that I also have thrown in pet cake baking into the mix.  It's more of a feel-good item than anything else.  Because I'm an artist at heart, I wanted to still be able to work my cake decorating magic on in a way that was safe and healthy for dogs and cat.  Plus, I found many of my clients were disappointed in the fact that Houston offered few options in this area.  So for me, it was logical for my company to fill that need.

WW:  What can we expect to see from the company in the future?

V: My goal is to expand my programs to included a membership-based group training program along with puppy classes and behavioral workshops in the near future.  Perhaps three times a year we will run canine sports-related classes to give our more active clients a chance to put their skills to the test. 

Within the next year I'd also like to be able to roll out a cat-training program to help our feline clients work through some common behavioral problems.  These will be done at the client's home.