Monika Mosch

I grew up with dogs, and got into horseriding and was in times very busy with horsetraining. Since the millennium change, I've focused primarily on sighthounds, their nature, their needs, and how to 'read' them. Much of what I know and have learned does not derive from trainings, but from this wonderful being itself. Apparently I live in Hamburg - together with my male Borzoi Illidan Stormrage and the Italian Greyhounds Amadeo and Percy.

For me it always was and still is important that my sighthounds can walk everywhere unleashed. A sighthound always on a leash, is like a sky without stars, like a summer day without sunshine. The way to skip the leash is not that rocky, I'll help you out..

"Leadership is always a thing of a decent structure and a clarity. You will have to get rid of any humanization when you try to read the behaviour of your sighthound. At the end you will succeed in communicating at eye-level."

Sighthounds are out for a partnership, and seeking mutual understanding beyond big words and gestures. So you will have to try feeling and thinking like a sighthound in order to get on to the right path leading to a harmonical human-dog relationship.

When dealing with dogs – and that goes for any animal – school is never out. I regularly continue my education, catch up with other philosophies, training approaches and procedures.

Member of DWZRV, the German Sighthound Breeding and Racing Association and Pro-Hunde, the association of professional dog trainers

Prices

No matter what kind of 'problem' you're facing - be it that you want to get yourself a sighthound, or that your sighthound started showing unwanted behaviour, or that you're eager to be underway off-leash with your hound, or that your sighthound or podenco is keen on hunting outdoors - I'll help you with the upbringing, I will sensitise you to the signals of your sighthound or Podenco, and get you on the right path for a harmonious friendship between you and your sighthound.

Detailed consultation (120 minutes)
with specific problem 120 €

Coaching unit (45 minutes) 60 €

Training walk/review (90 Minuten) 75 €

Compact training at your place or in Hamburg (from 2 days) from 300 €

I offer individual one-to-one-lessons only.
Groups and seminar offers you will find among the „dates“ on the German website.
For further details and appointments you can reach me via the contact form here on the website, or preferably on
mobile +49 171 77 35 196.

Courses, seminars and private lessons at your location.

If you are a group (from 6 participants) of sighthound or podenco oweners, then I will also be happy to see you at your place.

The following list shows when I am around in which region. You have the possibility to book a one-to-one training or a course / seminar with several participants:

Schwitzerland - Stuttgart - Augsburg - Munich - Landshut - Aachen - Frankfurt am Main – Cologne - Netherlands – South Tyrol and Austria.

Requests and further information e-mail:

hello@sighthound-coach.de

Dog training for sighthounds and their owners.

Sighthounds - and that goes for Podencos as well – are out for a partnership, and seeking mutal understanding beyond big words and gestures. So you will have to try feeling and thinking like a sighthound in order to get on to the right path leading to a harmonical human-dog relationship.

GOOD COMPANY. You will win the sighthounds heart by letting go, since giving space means having faith, and faith is the required in any partnership.

FAITH. Sighthounds are sensitive by nature, and attuned to memorize, and always out for harmony. Whereas sighthounds originating from foreign animal welfare often lack faith in a working partnership with humans.

AN UNLEASHED LIFE. Not only is it possible but should always be an sighthounds owners aim. It's of course a long way to go, meaning lots of work and training with the dog. But it's feasible: my sighthounds are always underway without any leashes, even around the town.

HUNTING BEHAVIOUR. Of course, the sighthounds hunting behaviour tends to become a big challenge for each and every owner. Surely it will be impossible to teach the sighthound or podenco to stop hunting and chasing. But you can, at least within obvious limits, make it manageable.

FEARS. If you get hold on a sighthound/podenco affected by fears, you will need patience. This doesn't mean that you need to box your fosterling in cotton wool, rather than that you help your dog to overcome its anguishes.

AGGRESSIONS. Aggressive behaviour is a rare thing among sighthounds. If your sighthound is aggressive towards humans and animals, then there will always be a reason. And it will be your turn, to find it out. I'll help you with that.

TO SAY 'YES'. As I mentioned earlier, the sighthound or podenco will tie the knot with you. I will go more into details in my contribution "Light and shadow of a sighthounds life".

LONDRES 3 YEARS ANIMAL SHELTER IN SPAIN

Londres had isolated himself from dogs and humans of the shelter in Spain. He was aggressive with other dogs and you couldn’t think of him having confidence in people.
Londres was in his world of fear. He has learned to attack another dog rapidly, massive and unannounced to intimidate the "enemy". Londres threatened other dogs from afar.
Spyder and me only saw a puzzle which we had to analyze and bring all loose parts with lots of patience and a clear leadership in order to a contented and socially acceptable dog life.
After many tests that helped me to assess Londres behavior and to find the cause of his incident. I realized that he would rather rely on himself not ready to be on a human-dog / dog -human or dog-dog relationship.
Through a specifically training with Londres I build up some trust in 6 weeks. We daily made progress and also had some setbacks.
Controlled he could run off leash in a dog less area but mentally Londres was still not stable and I decided to test him if he would enjoy a "special" task. At the beginning he escorted me on the bicycle later Londres pulled me on a scooter. We had a single course with Michael Tetzner because I don’t wanted to harm Londres physically. Daily we could run for 4-5 km with good instruction and the right equipment. Whereby it was very important to me that Londres was only trotting.
Have a look at our scooter course video here: Londres Roller (password: Londres)
Training on Roller caused the breakthrough so it was possible that Londres could meet other dogs without attacking them. Londres was nearly 3 months with me and mid-September he resettled in his own family. They still work with him but he now is just a normal Galgo Español who enjoys his life.

courses, seminar, workshops 2018

Dates and content in german only.

Dates 2018

Please contact me by email or visit the german page hello@sightound-coach.de for more details. Courses in english are on request only.

A person should choose their favorite animal and study it until he sees the innocence of his behavior and may interpret his sounds and movements.

Rules &
Boundaries

Many sighthound owners often think that they make a wrong turn if they demand much from their sighthounds, and that the dogs were supposed to make decisions on their own, since this would, at the end, boost the self-assurance of the dog.
Others don't demand anything at all, having an alleged bad past of the dog banging in their heads, and a deserved better life in their view.
In fear punishment would harm his dog and himself being labled as authoritarian, he avoids penalisation, which in turn makes the dog owner's own self-esteem appear as rather fragile.



Many dog owners do in fact suppress any strong impulse in contact and in communication with the sighthound, because they have been told - or they themselves assume - that they would harm their sighthound or even traumatize it.
True Leadership sometimes goes along with a „No“
What is the reason, if there never is a „no“, nothing ever will be forbidden, or the dog never experiences a punishment, when he oversteps borders?
The sighthounds owner is terrified of losing the love of his dog.


Choosing to abandon any kind of severity or annoyance in dealing with the dog often results in a rather defensive attitude. It is then no longer about the self-esteem of the sighthounds – looking behind the scenes, you can often clearly see the self-doubt of dog owners instead.
Why not practise to say „no“, letting the dog learn to say „yes“?
Leadership does of course not imply any sort of doing the dog down by beating, frightening or appearing in an unneeded commanding way. To be clear rather means to be consistent in the manner of doing things, which subsequently leads to safety. In the dogs world there is indeed a „yes“ and a „no“. To cut it short, the dogs are sometimes even out for „no“
since it sends out a strong sign in terms of determination and emphasis, which dogs can relate to.


But in the first place the dog should learn to follow us humans, getting orientation by the human being, learnto say “yes”. Sighthounds lacking boundaries and rules often see themselves as equal partners or even look upon their owner as a playmate.
Thus, the sighthound neither learns frustration tolerance nor self-control. He gets caught in self-esteem and often remains in limitless claims.

Light and shade

Being aware of his own occasional unease, the sighthound owner will be open towards his world of emotions and approach his sighthound both with friendliness and severity.

Those owners impose light and shadow of a sighthounds life to their animal. And they demand their sighthound to behave well.

It is possible to take command and to be nice at the same time.
To appear both rigid and to be nice simultaneously could become an efford, since this contrast is a vital part in dog training.

Friends we like

Leiky dog ​​food. A very great offer awaits you at Leiky, specially for sighthounds. An absolute energy highlight are the meat bites (lamb or beef). The high fat content in this power-brownie is the ideal snack for on the go. Whether it's a day at the beach, a hike or a race / coursing, the meat bites hold high-dosed energy.
The entire Leiky range is very impressive. www.leiky.de

The discovery of 2015, „Bolleband“ from Hamburg. Magnificent leather collars, leashes and the "thing" that free your hands - In the summer for ice, and in the winter you can comfortably rub your hands and your dogs are safe on the CLICK-To-Go!
www.bolleband.de

Tony Gallagher.
His Workshops and Talks are a compulsory for all dog owners, vets and physios. www.tonygallagheruniversity.com

Gülay Ücüncü dog training and behavior counseling. A competent trainer colleague. I really like her philosophy particularly: "Dogs bring people together in conversation, even with themself - this social symbiosis makes living with dogs always colorful and fascinating!.
www.kuestenschnuten.de

CLICK-TO-GO

To be honest, I was very skeptical at first about needing a device like this, since I saw myself being troubled by complicated strap procedures. Eventually I was inspired by CLIK-TO-GO .

A very slim leather, well worth having a look at, thanks to the design of Sylvia (www.bolleband.de) which pack a punch.

Just having tried and tested, the CLICK-TO-GO became indispensable in my everyday life with the dogs.

My short leather leash was instantly strapped to it, and I knew I needed a matching leather leash, tailored for the big ones and of course for the little ones of my greyhounds.

I recorded my test with the Bolleband in a small film.

The leash for the big sighthound has 56 centimeters and for the wind chimes I find 75 centimeters perfect.

But I'm sure Sylvia at Bolleband will help you out perfectly.

Platinum
feed test

Subject group: Amadeo & Percy, the italian greyhounds.
test period: 18.05. - 23.05.2015

Both Italian greyhounds liked the food of Platinum overall very much and my big Sighthounds were almost a bit jealous that they couldn’t attend the test and again only the bonsai Sighthounds could enjoy the delicacies out of the glossy bag.
I stuck to the feeding recommendations on the packaging which provide both 85 - 115g per day. We started with 100g per day and dog.
After 2 days both had already slimmed and I increased the feed portion to 150g to the joy of the dogs. At the end of the test period I increased it again about 50g. The fur become slightly lackluster.
Conclusion: The food tasted the dogs well overall but the fat content of 16% in Platinum Adult Chicken is too low for Sighthounds so you should also feed them some extra fat.
Compared to my other food for all 3 dogs the portion had to be significantly increased to avoid a weight loss. I feed them 40 + 60g per dog of my other food which has a fat content of 30%. The small portion is better for these small stomaches - okay Percy and Amadeo of course have a different opinion and every Italian greyhound owner knows they are generally less realistic in estimating sizes.
It rather would be interesting to test the dry food for a longer period under the addition of fat. How would they cope with it and how much do they really need to keep them fit and happy.
Definitely it was great fun and I think the subjects also enjoyed it. Food test for Platinum
Feed test for Platinum

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide

The number of people gotten themselves a sighthound or podenco and subsequently find out the different in- and outdoor behaviour, is rising. I often hear statements like "Within closed doors he is so calm, sweet and cuddly with us and the children, has neither a problem staying alone at home nor with the cats, but outdoor I have the feeling having another dog on leash.' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louise Stevenson is certainly known to you. However, having sighthounds and podencos, we are not dealing with good or even evil souls, but, of course, with the very special genetic setup of these animals. And I tell you what: Hunting behaviour can not be counterbalanced, not by anti-hunting training, nor by distraction.

If you care to switch your status from a owner to a partner of your dog, I can help you. You can get a new spin on the wheel by getting yourself an appropriate balance in the human-dog relationship, so that the dog stays atuned with you, and is not after hares, deers and mice while you're around in the woods and fields. The bond between you and your sighthound, the social relationship, comes in the first place. It's no use trying to get along with bribery, distraction or loads of treats, since, in many cases, they become inflationary, or simply get you nowhere. Social recognition should be the ticket in terms of rewarding. I often hear the argument, 'I always praise my dog,' which could indeed be a problem in itself by the sheer frequency. So at the end of the day, praising quickly loses its effect and depth in the context of a relationship.

You cannot go for walk with a sighthound or a podenco in an 'autopilot mode'. Doing some phoning while watching the countryside – this will not work out well with a dog so predisposed to hunting. Establish rules and ensure accurate compliance, act preventatively, be proactive. Train your eye to monitor when the dog is about to show unwanted behaviour. At this point you have to get your dog to follow the established rules. However, you should of course applaud when something is going great and share your delight.

Sighthounds and podencos are able to follow rules very well. I would never expect any strict obedience, but still I find it very important to show commitment in daily life, relying on each other, and this, of course also applies to humans. Gaining confidence results in to slowly and quietly relaxing the list of rules. Just give the dogs more time!
A good and solid basic training of a horse, for example, takes at least three years. If the horse is well promoted in its development taking into account its health, talent and the quality of the training, you will get a reliable and good horse that will show impressing skills.
So, give yourself and your dog the time to catch up with the basic rules of common togetherness with all the consistency and perseverance needed.
Encourage and strengthen the social bond and relationship by spending quality time with your dog. It does not take more than long walks together – strolling around together in your area, and sometimes in unfamiliar areas. When you're emotionally and mentally attuned to your sighthound / podenco, you can accomplish amazing triumphs far beyond any jackpot, distraction and alternative employment. You are the specialist in the human world, and your sighthound will be the specialist on the racetrack, coursing or otherwise around for targets - if you let him be a specialist.

'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hide' is a very popular workshop subject. Starting with 1.0. moving on to 2.0 and 3.0.
All workshops scheduled outside German-speaking countries, are in English.

Compact training

at your place or in the greater Hamburg area. You have a bunch of sighthounds, or want to deal with a certain behaviour? Then you should book some compact training. Either I head for your place, or you come to Hamburg and enjoy a city trip with your sighthounds or podencos - and the Elbe beaches of course. The compact training is tailored to match your sighthound or your sighthound group.

It's up to you to decide what the particular goals are, and to decide about the duration of the compact training.We kick off with six units split over two or three days.
Costs:
6 units compact Training 300€ (2-3 days)
8 units compact Training 420€ (3-4 days)
10 units compact Training 540€ (4-5 days)
12 units compact Training 660€ (5-6 days)
Travel and accommodation costs are on top, if you wish to have the training on site. If you would like to come to Hamburg, I would be happy to send you a list of dog-friendly accommodations. If you are interested in a compact training, then simply send me an e-mail to hello@sighthound-coach.de

Please don't hesitate to contact me for an individual schedule.