About me
Hello, I'm Simone
I have been training dogs for about 11 years. All kind of dogs sports through the years. Now I specialize in obedience at a high elite and international level. I have experience-based knowledge both within family-dog training, working dog training, and training with service dogs.
I have achieved various championships within obedience, both with my non-workingdog, more likely a couch potato, a dalmatian and my current working dogs.
From experience, I have worked with non-workingdogs, who did not have any desire, motivation or willingness to work/train. Not regarding food nor toys. On the contrary, I have worked with very high workingdogs, where the level of stress had taken over, and was a challenge for the dog handler to handle.
I started to train and compete in the Danish Civil Dog Handler Association called DcH, With my dalmatian. My very first two dog trainerstried to make me train with harsh methods, like punishment and choke collars etc., which was never going to work, when working with a soft and sensitive dog. The dog trainers told me, I would not be able to use my dalmatian in training, not at all in any dog sports, competeting or anything in that matter. I should stop trying to use and train with my own training methods. I quit training in that club… Then I found a dog trainer who based the dog training with using positive training methods. Long story short; I then realized there were other ways of dog training. I started to researched and was curious and interested in learning about other training methods and experiences within different dog sports areas. I wanted to gather and use knowledge from all different dog sports, to optimize my own training and knowledge..And especially for not being narrow-minded and only being able to train with one or few methods. To sum up; I gathered dog training and knowledge within Canis clickertraining, tracking and searching within DcH and PH regi (policedogs association) FCI obedience, and rally obedience. Bitework/bitework within both The German Shepherd Dogclub, The Danish Policedogs association, K9 prosport and IGP.
Simone Holdensgaard
Dog trainer
A little about me
It is Important for me to inform, I do not have a education/license paper form as a dog trainer. I started studying to become a dog trainer within the dogsport, DcH, but I decided to stop/drop out from the education simply because it was not the right direction/training methods I wanted or could back up on. It was not the way I wanted or believe you should train dogs. My heart wasn’t in it. So I decided to go my own way. I have knowledge based on experience from many dog sports. Both from me training, getting seminars, and working in a lot of different dog sportclubs. I have done all of this because I wanted to gather all the best knowledge from as many dog sports I could. Seen from all perspectives. .. And not to be narrow – minded and llimited by only knowing dog training methods from one or two different dog sports. I wanted to expand my horizons. My beliefs and experience shows, you do not have to have a license paper degree to be a successful dog trainer. Most top dog trainers, whom also show resultsin the competiting ring, are not dog trainers with a licens papir education. Their knowledge is based on experiences from working with dogs in real life, which is a lot more usefull, than having knowledge from reading a book. I have been teachingobediencetraining for 6 years both in Denmark and in other contries. I participate in dog training seminars hosted by international instructors at least twice a year, because I want to develop and expand my knowledge within all forms of dog training.
Dog training background;
My approach and methods of dog training are very unique, and are not something you will be able to find elsewhere.
As your dog trainer it is mainly about giving you tools on how to get better at training your own dog. I will help you to optimize and improve your skills to be able to train your own dog in the best way possible. The training is always on your terms, and I will focus on helping you with your goals and needs. Regardless if it is basics, on how to get your dog to come back to you, when you call your dog’s name, or if you want help with small details, adjustments or helping you with heelwork, for example. I will help you with whatever you are struggling with in your training with your dog. It is important for me to emphasize, I do not show you how I (myself) can train YOUR dog. Simply because you won’t learn how to train your own dog in the future, and when you are alone training your dog. Many dog trainers tend to show off, how THEY can train your DOG easily. It gives a short term ‘wow effect’,… but does the dog trainer really in fact teaches you, how to train your dog, when you are on your own? The answer is no. As your dog trainer, my focus is, how to give you the best possible terms, for you to get useful solutions to things you are struggling with in your dog training. Long terms solutions to which you may experience in the training with your dog. I will provide you with tools, you can use long-term in your training. Tools which suit you and your dog, and not general tools / training advice. I have a lot of focus on organizing the training based on your dog’s needs and drive. It means; I have an eye for your dog’s needs, whether your dog needs to be lifted, mentally, in his commitment, attitude, whether your dog is insecure, soft, or whether your dog has a high drive, and possibly a little difficult to control. I always considerates your and your dog’s current dog training level and the problems, you experience take up space in your training together. The dog training is based on positive training methods.
Experience in the following
The Danish Civil Dog handler association -– c-b-a-e classes.
FCI obedience – Class 1-3 og FCI3 (elite).
Clicker training
Bitework/defencework
IGP, The German Shepherd Dogclub, The Danish Policedog association , Military workingdogs.
Dog Sports titles;
Flec, dalmatian.
The Danish Championship, Club Champion, The North Jutland Championship, The Jutland Championship, Kreds - Championship (no translation in English), Kommune- Championship (No translation in English) in The Danish Civil Dog Handler association. The higest score of point in The Danish Championship in class C in history.
Qualification for The Danish Championship x 2 in The Danish Dog Handler association.
Qualification for The Danish Championship x 2 in FCI Obedience.
Exo, Border collie;
Winner of the Danish Championship for FCI Obedience.
Qualification for The Danish Championship x 2 for FCI Obedience.
Rayder, border collie
Winner of The Danish Championship x 2 in FCI Obedience.
2. place at The Danish Championship x 1 in FCI Obedience.
3. place at The Danish Championship x 1 in FCI Obedience (FCI3, Elite).
Qualified for The Danish Championship x 7 in FCI Obedience.
3. Place at a international competition in Germany in FCI Obedience. Bitework compeitions; Season Winner Training Division k9 Pro Sport 2021. 1. Place At The Danish Championship TD k9 Prosport 2021. 1. Place PBD-TWO kp Pro Sport 2021. 1. Place TD-TWO k9 Pro Sport 2021. 1. Place TD-ONE k9 Pro Sport 2021. 2. Place PBD-ONE k9 Pro Sport 2021 - We never competed in k9 Pro Sport after 2021.
Qualified for the national team in The World Championship in Obedience, FCI 2022.
Jagger, border collie
Winner of The Danish Championship x 1 in FCI Obedience.
Qualified for The Danish Championship x 1 in FCI Obedience.
All my dogs;
Flec
I started by training and competing with a ‘not willing’ Dalmatian. She did not care for toys, food or social rewards. A dog who lost focus on nothing, and often forgot various exercises. I found the way to how to train Flec. She won all the championships in her class, I became the first dog handler, who competed in the Dansk Championship with using 'bringsel' (Searching for people without using noise( Barks) for marking finding a person), and getting the higest score of point ever seen in the c- class. My first trainers at DcH told me I would never be able to use Flec for obedience. Fortunately, I got a new coach who believed in me.. And it paid off. It only takes one who believes in you. Let me be the one who believes in you.
Rayder
Rayder is a sensitive and is not a environment mentally strong dog. You can train a dog for a lot of stuff, but you will never be able to train a 'non-environmentally strong dog' to become a strong dog when i comes to being 'enviroment mentally strong'. For example, I'm afraid of the dark. I won't be able to 'train' that away - not being scared of the dark - but I can learn to press a switch to turn on the light. This is exactly that approach I used in my training with Rayder. Another challenge with Rayder is that he becomes stiff in his work (his body gets stiff, herding). At the same time, he has a 'useless' kind of stress. Level of stress. By this I mean, that his level of how to cope with stress is very low and it doesn't take much to throw him off course …Despite his challenges, he now competes in elite level, and competed at the World Championships in FCI Obedience 2022.
Jagger
A very high-driven dog, who gets high from running, and generally just by working. The first year and a half was spent training power and attitude. Only training his state of mind. He lacks none of that now! Now he needs to be able to turn his brain on. After a few running exercises, he is so ' high driven' that it is very hard to get him to calm down, and get him to think about what it is, he is doing. Instead he just wants to run. And run even more wihout think about the exercise itself, or his own movements. Despite this, he is a bomb filled with energy and he is fantastic in the competitive ring.