Aug 4, 20223 min read

‘Give a Dog a Job’

✦ They thrive on it, it strengthens your bond and there’s nothing better than a great relationship with your best friend.

Kerrie Whiteman is the Pack Leader

Give a Dog a Job is the philosophy behind Kerrie Whiteman, The Pack Leader, a mobile dog Behaviourist and Trainer based in Beechwood on the Mid North Coast of NSW.

Kerrie Whiteman, The Pack Leader as featured in Brilliant-Online Magazine — Kerrie Whiteman, The Pack Leader

She believes that by providing a dog with structure and rules makes for a happy dog.

Providing a dog with an environment where they have the opportunity to learn boundaries and limits helps the dog gain their full potential with a calmer state of mind.

Kerrie told us, “This can help a dog feel more secure and if done with the right energy and patience the dog becomes much more relaxed. Our dogs, after all, are like family members and I want them to be balanced and well adjusted so they fit happily into our family lives.”

All dogs live in different situations, with different owners under different circumstances but all dogs require the same thing, explained Kerrie: leadership.

“Physically and mentally challenging your dog can help them maintain a balanced state of mind and strengthen the bond you have with your dog. This can only be accomplished through leadership and giving a dog those all important rules and structure.“

About Kerrie

She has always loved dogs, especially working dogs and specifically Kelpies. After living in the Riverina district for a short period when she was younger and helping out on a family friend's farm where they had working Kelpies, she got her first dog Scout. About six years later she got her second dog Lainie. Both were Kelpies and both have now passed away. Kerrie now has her third Kelpie, Harper, who has just turned two-years-old.

Kerrie has always had a passion for working dogs but being with them on a daily basis, whether it was out in the paddocks, in the yards or on the trucks, helped her gain an understanding of how important it is to ‘Give a Dog a Job’.

“They taught me so much about how much dogs require a leader/boss," she told us. "I had the opportunity 10 years ago to do my Certificate III in Dog Behaviour & Training through the NDTF (National Dog Trainers Federation) and haven’t looked back.”

Dogs require a boss as featured in Brilliant-Online magazine — Dogs require a boss or leader

Best part of her job

Kerrie says it is helping clients understand and learn why their dog might be acting or behaving in a particular way or why they’re not doing what’s asked of them. “I get to spend the day with not only my dog but clients dogs and also meeting new dogs all the time,” she said.

Kerrie trains all breeds and doesn’t discriminate as all dogs (no matter the breed) require the same things including leadership.

“Dogs do best when they know what’s expected of them," she said. "Having rules and boundaries helps them learn manners so you can better manage them. It’s also an opportunity through the process of training to strengthen your relationship and your bond is stronger.”