Teaching is a two-way street. Our animals have so much to teach us, as we all know how special our connection is with them and the deep love they touch us with that is unexplainable.
Nothing brings me greater joy than to connect with people and their dogs, coaching them to see the situation differently so they can shift into a calmer, more cooperative experience together. |
Our animal companions somehow know parts of us that are out of balance and can often exhibit behaviours as a way to communicate and mirror these imbalances to us. It is through these challenges that we are invited to grow our awareness, which helps us become better companions, and also better humans.
By choosing to see and feel differently about a behavior or situation, our energetic conversations can become quite different with our companions and our ability to guide them renders more decisive, compassionate leadership. |
We can most definitely teach them in practical ways while being mindful of how we are feeling in each moment, and observing where they are at in their mind, body & energy at any given time.
By entering into greater stillness and silence, we can feel more into what they are needing, and what we are also needing. |
How It All Began
My work with dogs started in 2012 after a life-altering experience on a bus in Thailand. While listening to meditative music, I had an other-worldly sensory experience with a loving message being ‘poured’ into me, like liquid light cascading from my head to my toes:
“Your mission on earth is to transmute fear into Unconditional Love. You will do this with animals. First work on yourself ~ use your time in Thailand as your playground” Just as quickly as this message came, it faded out. I felt like I was emerging from a tunnel and entering back into the familiar world I’ve always known, yet it seemed imbued with a new vibrancy. It profoundly shifted the direction of my life. That same day, I found Els Basten, a remarkable animal communicator from the Netherlands on Youtube. Actually, the video of an interview where she describes how she became an animal communicator literally popped up on my screen on its own, and I was captivated. We got in touch, and it was undeniable that she was put in my path for a reason. Since then, she has mentored me to understand the subtleties of healing, communication & transformation, both in myself, and with the animals I work with. To begin my immersion in a more hands-on way with the animals, I began working at two dog daycare & boarding facilities on the Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada in 2013, learning about pack dynamics and behavior with sometimes over twenty dogs at a time. By 2014, I started taking on a number of dogs as a private care-provider when they were not a fit for the dog daycare & boarding center due to reasons such as anxiety, reactivity, or shyness. I started pack walking around the beautiful trails of the Sunshine Coast with groups of 6 or 7 dogs every day over the next few years. Thus, Unconditional Love Animal Teaching was born. By 2017, I knew I wanted to learn and understand even more about dog behavior. I had the honour of training one-on-one with world renowned dog behaviorist in California, Cheri Lucas that spring. In the fall of 2017, I also attended an amazing Lucas Agnew workshop where Cheri Lucas & Brian Agnew worked very closely with about 20 workshop attendees/students on very challenging dog behavior cases. In 2018, I spent a month in Virginia, USA to train with the remarkable Kimberly Artley of Packfit, after hearing interviews and reading her book, My Dog, My Buddha. My senses were nearly overloaded with all of the new information & strategies I had been shown, and I have been integrating it all into my own repertoire of experience and intuitive understanding of dog behavior ever since. In 2019, I was blessed with the opportunity to establish my own place with the space and quietude in the heart of Roberts Creek, BC, to board, teach, & offer day services for my growing client base. In April of 2021, I relocated to Calgary with my fiancé and our two dogs, Lilah & Winston where I continue to grow my knowledge with my enrollment in an excellent online dog behavioral course (TODT) and The Trust Technique. I have also been creating beautiful dog collar pouches to hold crystals that your dog can carry daily to benefit from the healing properties of crystals. You can sneak a peek in our shop www.animaladornments.ca. As I reflect on the decade prior to 2012, I can see how my various jobs, trainings & travels all contributed to the work I do now. In 2001, I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Science (a blend of psychology & sociology), then managed a group home that I had been working part-time at with three adults with developmental disabilities for another year. I moved to Northern Thailand after that and began teaching English as a Second Language, setting up three different kindergarten curriculums in both Thailand and South Korea. I spent two years also teaching as an ESL professor in a Korean University. Between teaching, I found myself adventuring around Asia, exploring new cultures. I would meet fascinating people and have the opportunity to try exciting new things I would never have considered before, which is how I received a practitioner & master level certification in Shamballa Reiki in Thailand and India, respectively. Being drawn to the unique, child-centered teaching method of Maria Montessori, I received my International Certification in Montessori Teaching for early childhood education and landed a position in an International Montessori School in Thailand just before my life-altering experience on the bus shifted my trajectory. My love of figuring out how to connect, communicate and teach others without relying solely on language, and gaining greater understanding of the realm of energetics, became very apparent as I stepped into my new vocation, teaching dogs & their human companions. I must say I have, and continue to receive, so many subtle, powerful lessons along the way from these beautiful creatures; perhaps more than I could ever teach them. In our new home in the community of Lake Bonavista in Southeast Calgary, I continue to offer teaching Sessions for Calm both in person and online. |
Mentor Testimonials
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Erin Norleen is a special woman with an open heart. Her goal is to help each client find their specific unique way of restoring their balance. Whether it be physically, mentally, or energetically, Erin feels exactly what is going on and how to deal with each situation.
Her goal is not to play the role of convincing dog guardians, but rather to guide them on how they can help themselves so that they can help the dog. Erin has honed in on her own unique way of healing and has already applied this successfully to many dogs and their humans. Seeing Erin grow in her life and naturally in her work is like witnessing a diamond in its pure state as nature intended. I highly recommend working with Erin, because it will be a divine experience that will change your life forever. /
Erin is a remarkable trainer on so many levels.
She is one of the most dedicated trainers I've ever worked with and is an absolute natural with leash work. Apart from her amazing ability with dogs, she is authentic and caring, and has impeccable social skills with her clients. Few trainers excel in all these areas at the same time. She is a rock star! /
Erin Norleen. There aren't enough wonderful things I can say about this remarkable lady. Erin has a very special gift, and one that can't be taught. She's blessed with an awareness and level of sensitivity that most struggle to realize, and uses this in her impactful work with dogs...and the people who love them.
I had the opportunity to welcome Erin into my Shadow and Mentorship program recently, and was impressed with what I heard, felt, and saw from her. She seems to understand, on a deeper level, exactly what's needed, and is able to seamlessly blend intuition with theory and practical. She really gets it, and this is something most trainers do not. Anyone who's lucky enough to work with Erin absolutely should, as it'll impact the life of both you and your dog in the ' most positive way. I'm really looking forward to the mark this fine lady will surely make in the dog training world, and am honored to have played a part in her becoming and unfolding.
Dog Behaviorist, Author, Inspirational Speaker & Life Coach |