About

From Sparky Smith.

How can one describe the moment in space and time, when everything drops away, and the connection between two beings is made? And though different in so many ways, like how they walk, see, and smell ... there is a dialogue created in these moments of safety, trust and care.

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"When in these moments, it is not lost on me that I am being watched closely, one part of me recalls later, having heard concerned dog parents murmuring to one another, "I can't believe what I am seeing," or some other wonderful expression. 

I began as a teenage animal behaviourist,  engaged with any animal who came into view on our farm.  I would watch the animal and then place myself in the role of a teacher.   I met and engaged with many working line dogs who were tasked with gathering up the cows, chickens, ducks and horses. Ah horses. Like many teenage girls, they were my heart's calling.  I learned how to speak to them first. Whispering in their ears all the secrets of youth, until simply the sound of a whisper had them coming over as if to hear more.  Quite the friendships were gratefully made by a lonely kid and remembered to this day. 

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Between being a teenager and my move into full-time dog psychology, I became a strategy expert for big business.  I consulted at the pinnacle of the global finance world, leading strategic market share growth, new product lines, innovation projects and customer loyalty programs. I was a thought-leader, panelist, and speaker at many industry conferences and Ivy League schools. My focus was on shifting  behaviour successfully and repeatedly to hundreds of thousands of employees. My fuel was Systems Thinking, a way of seeing interconnections and influences on change.  

It is no wonder that the shift to dogs occurred because the connection was clear. A  life-long passionate curiosity of wanting to know how animals (humans and dogs) think, feel and behave.  For over 40 years now, I've studied scientific journals on neurobiology, neuroplasticity, animal-swarm-based optimization, systems thinking for organizational, social change, how animals change and the underpinning psychology to sustain the change.  The curiosity and knowledge gathering has never stopped.  

Professionally certified in dog psychology and in behaviour in 2016 & 2017,  I took a lifetime of varied experiences and systems thinking into the dog field.  Between my early years and today, I've become artful in transferring capabilities, knowledge and skills to elevate what I've been taught about dog psychology and the often overlooked part of the behaviour system, the human caregiver, or, as I like to call it, the dog parent.   

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As I grew PivotalChange.ca, I needed to personally train dog behaviour professionals in my methods, which often proved to be more efficient and effective.   There is little taught about human psychology, the way humans change, and the implications of parenting a traumatised dog.  There certainly is no curriculum that includes Systems Thinking and System Dynamics which is the baseline for this field, in my opinion.  I feel confident in saying my team is able to more completely see complex behaviour issues and the brain-body-behaviour paradigm for dog parents and dogs.

We have worked across Canada, offering dog parents online and in-person (selected areas) and do-it-yourself options. Our methods were singularly unique, focusing on traumatised and rescued dogs with serious behaviour issues. 

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In July of 2024, I wanted to reach event more people who've adopted dogs. The barrier, in many cases, is that they cannot afford to hire a professional, especially in this economy. Adopting a dog is commonly experienced as trying to understand the problematic behaviours and fix them. But for traumatised dog which is common in adoption, the pathway and the questions are much different.

The passion to keep dogs in homes is a strong motivator for me.  For that to happen we need to make the most current and valuable information accessible. Adopters need to understand the accountability of raising an adopted dog that arrives in their homes with poor pasts, abuse, neglect or other traumas. That is why I no longer refer to adopters as owners, but as 'dog parents'. There is a built-in accountability to be the best at nurturing a sentient being, while healing their psychological trauma, and gaining a valued family member who is cooperative and thriving in their own right.

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It is why we are launching, or have launched, depending on when you read this, the Dog Parentology Podcast. It is here where we hope to reach a wider audience of dog parents and make accessible the most current information on dog care for those with persistent and problematic behaviour. 

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I hope you can join us and support our journey to democratise this knowledge to dog-parents wherever they are.

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Sparky

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