This month we interviewed Caroline Griffith of the Spiritual Dog Trainer, to find out more about Holistic therapy for Dogs and the beneifts it can have for your pet.
What is Canine Hypnotherapy?
https://youtu.be/lNxlXIvI6pE
How did you start out Spiritual Dog Trainer and what inspired you to begin your journey?Remember those days when the internet worked on dial-up? And not many people had even heard of Meditation, let alone considered it for their dog! Well there was me, and my beautiful little dog at the time Spud, a Jack Russell born on a potato farm.
We had discovered Hypnotherapy and worked out we could use it to help with dog behaviour too. It fitted so well with other energy therapies I was already doing, and my life long work in a small holistically run kennels. Spud and I wanted to go on a dog friendly holiday and meet other dogs and people who loved the natural way of working with animals.
We searched the dial-up internet far and wide but couldn’t find anyone offering a holistic type of holiday, that included dogs.
We did however stumble across a run-down Welsh farmhouse that had recently been re-opened as a retreat centre, and was dog friendly. This find led me to create these Retreats. What began as a weekend away, quickly turned into 4 days and in time 5 days too.
Both the Retreats themselves and the venue have grown together, I have watched the venue slowly turn into one of the most amazing, energy centred, eco-friendly, rustic yet modern centres. I am very proud to run my retreats there, and that except for perhaps 1 dog, I am still the only person they trust to have a pack of dogs running about the place soaking up the natural energies and countryside air.
This year of 2018 I am even venturing to the USA to start the Retreats over there in an equally cute farmhouse, and now having moved to warmer climates myself I am planning to offer a version in Cyprus.
What can you expect from attending a retreat?
There is magic about these Retreats, coupled with the amount of space and nature, the dogs and owners find themselves at ease almost immediately. Forming bonds from the first afternoon, and very often staying friends for many years afterwards too. I often feel they are guided by some other kind of force, with exactly the ‘right’ people and dogs booking on each Retreat.
We meditate twice a day, head off on lovely dog walks, learn and practice energy techniques for dogs and discover new ways to grow and transform on a personal level too. Our chef is a professional retreat chef, who has that much desired way of looking at a few items in a fridge and creating something wonderful out of them. All vegan, mostly gluten free and 100% delicious! I usually include ‘eating only until I am full’ as one of my Intentions on our intention setting class at the beginning of the Retreat, but I always fail that one dismally!
All Retreats can now also count towards a certified qualification as a Canine Flow practitioner, which include Professional Canine Hypnotherapy, and is currently the only solely heart-based dog training method in the world.
Attendees can either come on a Retreat simply to enjoy it as a pet owner or attend several and build up enough knowledge to run classes and consults in my Canine Flow method.
How much does a retreat stay cost?
UK and Cyprus are £695, USA $795.
Is there accommodation for a weekend retreat or suggested accommodation, which accepts dogs? Is this included within the price?
Yes for UK and Cyprus. However for this first USA Retreat we have chosen the best dog friendly venue for the activities that we could find. Attendees will need to stay in their own accommodation and travel in each day.
How does a retreat differ from a one-to-one session?
Clearly the time frame is part of it, this work is about personal growth, as well as pawsenal growth, being on a Retreat allows for a deeper amount of that to occur. However not everyone can attend a Retreat, consultations provide an opportunity for those people to tap into the work and learn. At no point is what we do a ‘we fix the dog’ situation, our dogs are our absolute heart to heart mirrors for our own emotional state of being. They are actually truly delighted that people are beginning to listen them as heart-centred feeling beings, rather than mind, or thought based animals.
What can I expect from your online mem-paw-ship support group?
This group provides educational seminars from scientists and experts in energy techniques or natural dog care, live videos on Canine Flow, discounts in natural dog stores and support for any problems or concerns you may have with your dog.
Mempaws can also contribute their own seminar or interview if they have a service or product of educational value to the other mempaws. It’s all about making the most of your dog ownership, learning as much as you can in an easy accessible way.
Can you tell us more about your upcoming Doga retreat in August?
Yoga is largely misunderstood in the modern-day world. The postures are only 1/8th of yoga, with 7 other hugely calming, transformational parts they call the Limbs of yoga.
Having not seen any kind of dog yoga that follows true yogic principles I decided to create one Doga-Flow. Dog owners are truly missing out if they are only using postures, either for or with their dog.
To make it fun and something different I set myself a task to find the most luxurious UK dog venue I could, and The Manor Weston has not let me down!
The weekend will be a time for reflection and relaxation as well as learning new, yet ancient, concepts that could just change the way you look at your dog, and the rest of the world, forever.
If you'd like to find out more from The Spiritual Dog Trainer, click here to her site and blog or visit her Facebook Page or Twitter
