About Bronwyn, and how K9 & H came to be
Building relationships between dogs and their people since 2003
Job titles and descriptions:
Dog (and other species) behaviour specialist. Metatheorist. Pro dog trainer & training educator, people educator, builder of inter-species relationships. Animalist. Dog whisperer & communicator.
Dog ownership history / Who inspired me in my life?
I met my first dog, our family Spaniel, as a baby. My childhood dogs included two medium sized mongrels, Gina and Gimini, and some large breeds dogs of which Luka, the German Shepherd, and N'Tshu, our family Labrador x GSD were very influencial. After loosing my bestie Gina, my mom took me to fetch my first purebred, a champagne Maltese poodle named Jimmy. He was the first dog that I taught tricks, and invented games with.
I fell in love with Dobermann through a family friend who owned two beauties. Then finally, in 1989, the day came that I could own my very own Dobermann too, Alexis. My deep journey into Canis Familiaris started here. She was not the general family dog. She was my Dobermann, and my responsibility. I grew up with her, joined the Boxer club and had her fully trained after a year. I continued to train her in obedience, and personal protection, 'till end Matric (12th grade). In 1990, she birthed her first litter out of which Jean-Claude stayed with us. Hawk also joined the family a year later.
I launched into dog training, and later showing and competitive triaining with my Dobermanns. I also bred a few litters, but soon realized that the breeding of purebreds was not for me. I experienced the joy of the Dobermann with Fabiana, Lobo, Darco, Elsa and Dea, some made up to Champion, others also qualified in ZTP.
Then my trip abroad, and my great love, Nikitah, joined my life from the local shelter. She was soon joined by a tiny mongrel I found in a black bag. Reminding me of the famous 'Speedy Gonzales', Gonzales stuck. Since I lived in a communal town, at that time, with culturally no fences for dogs, I soon built up my own pack of dogs which started to follow me around, and join me on long hikes. Fifteen not-my-dogs in total was the average pack size with joiners and leavers over 7 years. Ahsi, the busy Amstaff girl, Nina, embedded collar survivor, and not the brightest bulb in the box. Chief, the Dobermann I found tied up, but managed to have freed by its owner. So many dogs rush into my mind, fearful Rocky, then there was the Sharpei with the skin problem, poor boy. The old girls. Nikitah's nemesis that lived just a few houses away.
My years of teaching abroad came to a close in 2007, and Nikitah flew back to South Africa with me, while Gonzales remained with my family there.
Sebastien joined me in December of 2007, a hard boy, Amstaff. His untimely death at 20 months again left a huge hole in my heart. I searched for many months before finally welcoming Jupiter, Amstaff, into my life. Him and I went on to complete absolutely every piece of training offered by my own school, as well as three years of intensive training in the disciplines of personal protection, tracking and more. He was an astute protector of his mom, and an exemplary service dog.
Nikitah passed away at age 14, and again I had to face the loss of my bestie. In 2019, Jupiter lost his fight against cancer too. I was sure that I would not own a dog again. I had also by now gained additional disability.
But alas, in July of 2020, Tsunami came to fill up that huge space in my life, my dog space. He is one of the breeds I had dreamed of having for so many years, an XL American Bully. I captured the rearing of Tsunami on film, and Rowland world was born.
Animal studies:
Studied Animal Science theory (3 years, TUT):
Majors:
Intermediate veterinary prognosis to treatment;
Diseases and management;
Anatomy and physiology;
Animal sport physiology, preparation, management;
Nutrition;
Genetics and breeding;
Handling techniques for huge strong animals;
Business, customer care, and people studies.
Seminars:
Seminars attended over the years vary from breeding management,
to K9 development, genetics and bloodline assessment and specialist bloodline planning.
Dog training, behaviourism theory.
I have a very deep understanding and accurate, consistent application of reinforcement techniques, schedules, extinction, marker, clicker, voice training, canine body language and communication (verbal, visual and emotional), phases of learning for both dog development and the owner learning curve.
Learning through volunteering:
Did volunteer work and casual dog training and rehabilitation at shelters abroad (7 years)
1994 – 1999.
My Dobermann years, the German trainers, and Schutzhund ('94 - '99):
I Schutzhund & ZTP prepared my 5 Dobermanns, and competed in the KUSA conformation show ring full time. I met so many wonderful owners, trainers, judges, and other professionals, and learned so much.
Bred Dobermann litters A – F, under KUSA's rigorous Breeder's Code for Dobermann ('94 - '99):
Pro Dobermann breeder (KUSA registered, Shadivale), and active member of The Dobermann Club, and The Dobermann Club of the Northern Transvaal.
'Majors':
Raising pups 1 day - 8 weeks & readying for new home;
Temperament assessment of puppies and adults;
Raising a working dog 8 weeks to adult;
ZTP fitness for breeding preparation pup to adult;
Schutzhund training incl. Obedience, Tracking, Personal protection aka manwork;
Dog illness and healthcare, operations and injections;
Fighting and aggression among dogs;
Emergencies;
Conformation showing pup to KUSA Champion, and under FCI International rules;
Preparation for the showring;
General and show grooming;
The reproductive process in dogs.
Jupiter's training for real life:
I had a 1 year apprenticeship with Chris Domatezo Bully breed specialist (Kongo):
War dog training and person protection;
Handling hard dogs;
Bully breed psychology, management and handling techniques.
Bully ownership experience:
I own my second Amstaff, and am now raising my own XL American Bully male. I have 8 years ownership experience of 2 super drive, stubborn, high fight and strong Leadership dogs. Through much interest, reading, Dvd's and club chats, and the interaction with so many Bully owners I helped over the year, I'm now a Bully breed specialist (Pitbull, Amstaff, American Bully, Bullterrier, Bulldog, Boston Terrier, American Bulldog...).
Experience across breeds:
I've worked with over 100 individuals of each (specialist) :
Husky
Gsd
Bullterrier
Pitbull
Labrador
Rottweiler
Dobermann
Jack Russell Terrier
Yorkshire terrier
Goldie
Spaniel
Afrikanis
And many more
Rare and unusual animals I've worked with:
I’ve trained a pure wolf and a wolf hybrid.
I met some real special individuals too:
The a Shepsky who 'didn't want to listen' and turned out to be hard of hearing (rescue). Thembeka went on to saving her mom's life during a panga attack (South Africa).
I met many severe PTSD puppy mill dogs who required OCD rehabilitation and guidance for life adjustment in the new family homes they had.
Other unusual disciplines I've trained:
Psychiatric service dog (up to international travel level);
Epilepsy dog;
Cancer sniffing dog;
Poisoning prevention (Inventor of the K9 & H method of Poisoning Prevention Training (PPT) for family dogs);
Enrichment for factory, office protection, and other pure working dogs.
Experience ito number of dogs through my hands:
3000+ dogs & puppies trained successfully through the K9 & H method.
Experience ito number of human learners through my hands:
The families of 3000+ dogs. I prefer to work with a whole family, and not just a single 'handler' (depending on the discipline of course, and level of advancement).
Human language learners: full time, in groups, over the span of eleven years? The calculation results in excess of 60 000 individuals successfully acquiring their chosen level of a foreign language.
Mentor:
Robbie Bocchini (Italy) - International Dobermann specialist and all breeds trainer (6 years colleague + 6 months apprenticeship):
Preparation for ZTP;
Schutzhund;
IWT 1;
Showdog;
Bloodlines.
Mentor:
JC Pieters (South Africa) - International Dobermann specialist and pro dog trainer and breeder of over 35 years! (6 years apprenticeship & coaching):
Obedience training;
Leadership, that inspired my K9 & H approach to non-confrontational leadership and relationship management;
Understanding dog temperament;
Learning and working ability of dogs;
Whelping pups;
Rearing, assessment and placement of pups with a family;
Veterinary care male, female, puppies;
Developing the mind and abilities of the young, and adult dog.
Mentor:
Marc Odendaal (South Africa) - GSD/Malinois specialist, Police, security and corridor dogs (5 years learning part time & 3 years cooperation agreement):
IWT/Schutzhund preparation with Amstaffs;
Defence & prey triggers;
Working dog development;
Dealing with dominant/aggressive/hard working dogs;
Advanced equipment need, use and safety.
More Influencers and Mentors:
Jurgen Trebbin (Germany and South Africa);
Hans Wiblichshauzer (Germany);
Des & Bettina Kluck (Dobermann Club Ntvl, South Africa);
Hymie Liebman (Dobermann Club, South Africa);
Chris Griffith KUSA Vice Chairman;
and many more.
Acquired my BCom Business Management and Entrepreneurship Degree (5 years, UNISA):
Relevant Majors:
Learning management, and Learning design;
Industrial (work) psychology;
Entrepreneurship,
Business-, Product - , Price - , Customer -, Technology -, and Brand management;
Research and Development;
Ethics;
Public relations and marketing;
Purchasing;
Financial, and investment management.
2002 – 2013 – Teaching Language to Human Adults:
Lead Teacher at Berlitz International for 5 years before joining the Berlitz Virtual Classroom (BVC) to help them Pioneer their online Classroom. I continued being Lead Teacher at BVC for another 6 years:
Achievements, amongst others, at Berlitz:
Foreign language acquisition, training and development;
Teaching and learning techniques applied to humans,
Berlitz method of training for foreign language acquisition by language immersion techniques (applies 'interspecies'...);
Marketing, promotion and rolling re-enrolment skills;
Understanding your student;
Matching individuals into groups;
Specialisations I mastered include:
Working with difficult clients
Business-, aviation-, and medical- English for Professionals.
Online teaching and education experience:
I've been teaching, and studying how to teach online, since 2005;
I trained a dog online for the first time back in 2010. Since then I've successfully trained dogs all around South Africa , purely in online format. I worked with numerous especially difficult cases that had run out of options before finding me.
Brand founded:
The K9 & H Dog School brand was founded in 2003.
Incorporation into Rowland world was in June 2021.
Published books & Audio CD's:
Author of 4 dog training and behaviour books including 3 training textbooks (11th edition), 6 dog training teacher's manuals (11th edition), and 3 Audio CDs on dog language.
During the first few years of K9 & H, the 2003 copyright edition was updated twice yearly, to incorporate every piece of useful feedback I received from clients' weekly feedback. These feedbacks formed part of an active 'ask the client campaign' that continues to this day..
