Meet Birgit Walker: Dog Behavior Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Birgit Walker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Birgit, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor for us is to always keep an open mind and to approach each dog and their owner with a completely open mindset. We strongly believe that every dog is different, and we therefore wish to offer a training approach that is uniquely customized to help the dog become a well-behaved, balanced pet. Our training approach is therefore never based on a technique or method, but rather combines the relevant parts of such methods to fit the individual dog, based on the temperament and disposition of the animal. We also place huge emphasis on teaching the owners. Any trainer can get quick results from the animal, because dogs eagerly learn and adjust. It’s by teaching the pet owners to more effectively communicate with their dog, that lasting results are possible.

Please tell us more about your work. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
This last year has been challenging for everyone. As a small service business, it certainly has presented us with an opportunity to rethink the way we do business in our community. We at Modern Canine Services decided to offer more online resources to our customers by providing dog training tips on our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/ModernCanineVlog.) and through our other social media accounts. These tips are available at no charge to our viewers. We also hope that people will see that being out in nature can have such a positive effect on your day to day lives. We hope that our dog adventure videos will inspire other dog owners to take some time to go out into nature and enjoy the company of their pets on walks and hikes.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being that I love the outdoors, I would most certainly take my friend on a few hikes here in the Sonoran Desert. I love the unique landscape. One of my favorite hikes is the Hidden Valley trail at South Mountain Park. For dinner, we’d go to the Rustler’s Rooste Restaurant. It’s one of the best views and they serve great steaks. I also love taking friends to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix and Gertrude’s Restaurant is one of my favorite lunch spots. To truly experience the beauty of our desert, I would treat my friend to a dinner cruise on the Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake. We’d definitely spend an afternoon in Old Town Scottsdale to stroll though the shops and galleries and have seafood guacamole at the Salty Senorita. To celebrate our friendship and as a special last evening, I would take my friend on a hike up Camelback mountain and then to dinner at Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would say, it is because of my father that I learned to love animals. He loved them and he instilled in me the love and respect for all kinds of different animals. The famous dog whisperer, Cesar Millan, has greatly influenced me with his teachings. My husband, Jim, is my mentor, when it comes to dog training. As a Master Dog Trainer, he is full of experience and knowledge and continues to help me become a better trainer. Building Modern Canine Services, LLC together has been a wonderful experience and we continue to expand the services that we offer.

Website: https://www.moderncanineservices.com/
Instagram: MCS.dog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcs.dog
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernCanineVlog
Other: Read our blog at https://www.moderncanineservices.com/blog Find our book on Amazon: Keep You Paws on the Road – A Practical Guide to Traveling with Dogs https://amzn.to/37Zxsii