About me
Love life with your dog
Hello my name is Birgitta
I’m Birgitta Geerlings-Wensveen and live together with my husband Marcel and our 3 rescue dogs we live in South Lappland in Sweden.
Dogs have always played an important role in my life. I think the unconditional love of dogs towards people is incredibly beautiful and that is why dogs deserve that we understand them well and that dogs therefore have a beautiful dog-worthy life.
We had four rescue dogs. Bella adopted from Romania, Eppie from Bulgaria Bob a border collie from Belgium and Dazzler. Dazzler is not with us anymore since August 2022. He was my best teacher ever.
I have been certified since November 2017 as a Natural Dog Trainer & Behavioral Expert Level 5 (NDTE) and I followed this training at Calming Signs in Koningslust. Since then I have been working according to the principles and code of ethics of the famous Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas. Since December 2021 I’m a certified Separation Anxiety trainer, I followed this training via Julie Naismith.
“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.”– Orhan Pamuk
Our working method is animal-friendly and based on mutual trust and respect. We communicate but do not command.
I am a full member of the international professional association PDTE and I work according to the code of ethics of this association.
Since 2021 I am CR (Country Representative) Sweden for the PDTE.
I am also a member of the Dogwellfare Alliance and ICAN.
My education
Education | Year | Trainer |
|---|---|---|
L.E.G.S.® Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation® | 2022 | Professional Course from Kim Brophey |
Advanced Animal Training | 2022 | by Karolina Westlund |
SEE THE DOG: Observation Skills | 2022 | Suzanne Clothier |
Separation Anxiety trainer program | 2021 | The SA Pro Trainer™ programme from Julie Naismith |
Do-It-Yourself Separation Anxiety Program
| 2021 | Moira Hechenleitner |
Separation Anxiety Shadowing Program part 1 and 2 | 2021 | Moira Hechenleitner |
Doggy daycare /hotel school | 2021 | Hundens Hus Cilla Danielsson |
Understanding Stress in Dogs | 2020 | Animal Therapy Works |
Nosework for dogs | 2019 | Anne Lill Kvam bij Calming Signs in Koningslust |
Nutrition education for dogs | 2018 | Lotte Botter |
Natural Dogtrainer Education (NDTE),d Natural Dogtrainer & behaviour | 2017 | Calming Signs volgens de principes van Turid Rugaas in Koningslust |
The International Training Programme | 2010 | Dogstrust UK |
Webinars and training
Webinar | Year | Trainer | |
|---|---|---|---|
Conference Trauma in Animals | 2022 | Control the meerkat | |
An Unconventional Approach to Separation Anxiety | 2022 | Moira Hechenleitner | |
TRAPPED – The Effects of Captivity on the Modern Pet Dog | 2022 | Kim Brophey | |
Separation Anxiety in Dogs: Shelter, Rescue and the Newly Adopted Dog | 2022 | Malena DeMartini | |
Tackling Reactivity course | 2022 | SpiritDog | |
Resource Guarding Management | 2021 | Trish King & Sue Sternberg | |
Preventing Separation Anxiety | 2020 | Malena DeMartini | |
Identifying treating Separation Anxiety | 2020 | Moira Hechenleitner | |
Memory matters | 2020 | Amber Batson | |
PDTE AGM | 2019 | PDTE in Rome | |
barking mad, abnormal behaviour in the dog | 2018 | Dr. Amber Batson | |
Stress in dogs | 2018 | Petra Driessen | |
thyroid and behaviour | 2018 | Petra Driessen | |
Keeping your dog healty | 2015 | Turid Rugaas | |
ICAWC (International Companion Animal Welfare Conference | 2015 | Dogsturst in Istanbul |