We had the good fortune of connecting with Amelia Harvey and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Amelia, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
When you start a business, you assume it’s all about effort and determination. But I’ve found that the biggest thing for me has actually been about trust. You have to trust yourself, and trust your process.
When things don’t go right, you have to trust that it’s all part of a greater good and learning. When things do go well, you have to trust that it’s real and can happen again! When you work with animals, you’re telling the animal to trust you and let you lead them. You tell your clients to trust you and let you guide them. All of that stems out of learning how to trust yourself.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think when people hear “dog training” they imagine tricks and obedience. I don’t particularly find that stuff to be very interesting – I am more interested in how a dog’s emotional balance and relationships influence their quality of life, and by extension, their behaviors. It’s a lot more like therapy than training commands.
In reality, most of us don’t want our dog to be a soldier or a performer, we want them to be a friend. Someone who we can share life experiences and trust and mutual respect with. Obedience happens to be a natural consequence of good emotional balance, but when approached from this direction it is rooted in intrinsic motivation rather than transactional motivation.
I’ve learned that this approach is therapeutic not only for the dog, but for my human clients as well. Dogs are like little canaries in the coal mines of our hearts and homes – they often reflect our own imbalances and challenges, and they offer us an opportunity to work on it. Helping people and their dogs transform together is such a meaningful thing to experience. I really do believe dogs are here to teach us how to be better versions of ourselves.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Growing up in Colorado, I have always loved getting in my car and hitting the road. The freedom and beauty of the American West is very much woven into my identity, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. So, I’d probably take a circuit far and wide through the whole state!
I would probably drive them down 285 toward Buena Vista, Salida, and the San Luis Valley. From there we could check out some hot springs, look for aliens at the observation deck, and go see the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Then I’d go over to Ouray for a night or two – maybe a stop at Orvis Hot Springs. Then head back North and swing through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, where there is some amazing camping. Then we’d go up to Glenwood Springs, but first I’d want to stop for a meal in Marble at Slow Groovin’ BBQ! Once in Glenwood Springs we’d have to do another hot springs soak, right? (Has it been a week yet??)… Then back home! But gosh there are so many cool trips you could take and places to visit, it’s hard to choose!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I was fortunate to have Alex and Jack of Dream Dog K9 spend countless hours mentoring me and sharing their combined decades of dog training experience. Mentorship is such a valuable thing – it’s a relationship that has to develop mutually and organically.
I spent the better part of two years going on adventures with their own pack and their clients’ dogs, learning what’s possible and how magical our connection with dogs can truly be when we learn how to tune into them. They encouraged me to take on my own clients. I will always be grateful!
Website: https://www.wildbluedogtraining.com
Instagram: @wildbluedogtraining
Image Credits
Matt Crossley
Wild Blue Dog Training