We had the good fortune of connecting with Chrissy Messick, MS, CTC, CPDT-KA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chrissy, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
As of 2023, there are 471 million pet dogs worldwide. As different species living together, it is imperative that we understand each other and communicate clearly with each other so that we can coexist peacefully. Through our animal companions we can learn skills that we practice with our dogs and apply those skills to any other interactions with humans or non-humans to create wonderful relationships and understand ourselves better as humans.

There are so many harmful myths about dogs that have been perpetuated by unqualified and unethical “dog trainers” in all facets of social media and in the community in general. They have done a great disservice to the human/animal bond – harming dogs physically, mentally, and emotionally just because they are not properly educated. Dog training is an unregulated field, so anyone can call themselves a dog trainer just because “they have a dog or have experience with a dog.” This damages our relationships with our animal companions and confuses people who are just trying to figure out how to help their dog. Not only does this affect people living with a dog, but it also affects people who don’t have dogs or who are scared of dogs. Misinformation in the general public can lead to unnecessary accidents.

By having an educated and deeper understanding of our dogs, as well as deeper connection with our dogs, we can create deeper relationships and communication that lead to a peaceful coexistence in many aspects of our life which can spread to all parts of the community and world.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
After working in the field of sports medicine for 15 years I started looking for other options because I could no longer keep up with the 90 hour weeks and constant traveling while trying to raise a family. My love for animals and fascination about their inner world led me to start my dog training business. We lived with two boxers for 11 and 13 years and one of them had a lot of behaviors issues. This led me specifically to working with fearful/anxious/reactive/aggressive dogs.

Our approach at The Nature of Animals is based on humane, ethical, and science-based standards. What we do goes way beyond “dog training.” In addition to helping dogs learn how to safely navigate living in this world, we also focus on building a strong, trusting relationship and connection between human and dog. We do this by changing human behaviors in relation to our dog, changing our habits in relation to our dog, clear and consistent humane and ethical communication, meeting the humans needs, meeting your dog’s needs, consistency, accountability (on the human side), kindness, and integrity. You & Your Dog Deserve Both!

We focus on teaching our animal companions desired and safe behaviors, reinforcing those behaviors, gradually building distractions around those behaviors, addressing any underlying emotions that may be causing fear/reactivity/aggression, and integrating effective management strategies to prevent less desired behaviors. This sets everyone up for success instead of frustration. We don’t focus on punishment, corrections, force, or aversive tools such as prong collars, shock collars, or choke collars – they are never needed. These can have devastating mental, emotional, and physical fall out for the humans and dogs.

What sets me apart from others is my ability to integrate animal communication into my dog training practice. You could say I have one foot in science and one foot in soul. By integrating dog training and animal communication we are working on the mind, body, heart, and soul. I have some clients who only want my dog training skills, some who only want my animal communication skills, and some who want a combination of both. I enjoy doing any and all of these. I’m proud of these skills that I have developed – it has taken me 5 years of studying and getting certified in each of these fields individually before I felt that I had the bandwidth, knowledge, and skills to do both at the same time.

I got where I am today with a lot of studying, practice, failing and learning from those failures, feedback, mentors, a ton of mindset work, taking risks, asking for help, personal growth, having an open mind, support from others, knowing my “why”, setting boundaries, having a life outside of my work, trusting and taking care of myself.

The reason why I’m so passionate about giving animals a voice, helping humans and their animal companions live peacefully together, teaching animals how to navigate safely in the world, creating deeper connections and relationships, teaching behavior change in a humane and ethical way, educating and protecting consumers who are doing the best they can to help their dog…… is because growing up, I was never given a voice, or choice and I experienced trauma and abuse. I knew there was a better way or a “secret” and I found it through our dogs. They taught me how to be a better human and I love showing people how they can learn through their own dogs. They have so many lessons to teach us if we are open to learning and listening.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would spend a lot of time in our back yard. It’s like our own private oasis and we love relaxing and enjoying the view of the Rocky Mountains and eating some delicious food or having a cup of coffee while watching the wildlife explore our yard.

Besides relaxing in our yard, some of our favorite places to eat and drink are Jeannot’s Patisserie & Bistro, Morning Glory, Rocky Mountain Tap & Garden, and Liquid Mechanics.

Some places we love to visit are Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Pearl Street, Chautauqua Park, too many amazing hiking trails to name, and the Wild Animal Sanctuary.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My list is long, ha!:

I have to give a shoutout to my family and friends! They have been patient and supportive as I have gone through the process of starting a new career by going back to school and starting my business. I’m very thankful for them!

Another shoutout to the Humane Society of Boulder valley. I was given the opportunity to volunteer at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley in the Training & Behavior Center which has been invaluable. The staff there is incredible and I learned so much from them. In fact, that is where I got the training and behavior bug which started me on my path to become certified and start my own dog training+ business. I’m grateful to call them friends and collaborators.

A big shoutout to The Academy for Dog Trainers. The education I received from The Academy for Dog Trainers by Jean Donaldson and her staff is excellent! The standards are the highest in the industry, the information is very comprehensive, and the support during and after the program is wonderful.

Another shoutout to Psychic Horizons in Boulder and Lynn McKenzie at Animal Energy Certification Training. I was quite skeptical about coming from a well known field of science in medicine to a not so well known science and study of intuitive interspecies communication (animal communication). Their patience and teachings helped me to develop and refine my skills in this growing field of study.

Last but not least, a shoutout to my brilliant colleagues in our community and around the world who offer amazing support and collaborations. We cannot do this alone!

Website: https://www.theanimalnature.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenatureofanimals/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenatureofanimals/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmrhqXfZWpsfWni4ImS0Niw

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