Who am I?

I  am Ingrid Van Overbeke, an Animal Behaviourist, Postgraduate companion animal behaviour and welfare, PhD and Belgian-educated veterinarian.  

I moved to Ottawa in the summer of 2017.  

My Mission

Work with you to establish desired behaviour of your dog, cat or horse using positive and force-free methods. Respect for your needs and the welfare of your pet is the starting point of every program. 

My work area is the Ottawa region. I only do home-visits or visits on sites where the problem behaviour is occuring to ensure personal and relevant guidance.  

My vision

Animals do have emotions just as humans do!  They can feel anger, fear or happiness...

I use positive training techniques.  

Dog-human interactions are not driven by social rank, but rather by reinforcement. Behaviours that are reinforced repeat and strengthen. If your dog repeats an inappropriate behaviour, it’s not because he’s trying to take over the world; it’s just because he’s been reinforced in that behaviour.  Reinforcing wanted behaviour will give you a relationship of mutual love, respect, communication, and communion with your dog. 

Unlike dogs, cats evolved as solitary hunters. Many cats feel affection for us and they can be wonderful companions. But cats have rich emotional lives that we need to respect and understand. Our world can be stressful and this can induce behavioural problems in the household.

Horses often experience negative training methods resulting in fear and stress.  Using positive training will help your horse to become more self-confident and will ensure its wellbeing.  

My education

• 2022: The aggression in dogs conference (3-days): Speakers: Jen Shryock BA, CDBC; Helen St. Pierre CPDT-KSA, CDBC, OSCT; Kim Brophey CDBC, CPDT-KA, FDM; Dr. Amber Batson; Rise VanFleet PhD, RPT-S, CDBC, CAEBI; Michael Shikashio CDBC; Aditi Czarnomski CPDT-KSA; Suzanne Clothier; Laura Monaco Torelli; Karishma Warr; Simone Mueller MA; Jessica Wheatcraft CDBC, CPDT-KA; Dr. Simon Gadbois

• 2022-2023-2024: The Behaviour Bible: 3 year course, The School of Canine Science: I’m working on it!!

• 2021: The aggression in dogs conference (3-days): Speakers: Allie Bender, Melanie Cerone, Victoria Cussen, Denise Fenzi, Trish McMillan, Christopher Pachel, Chirag Patel, Kathy Sdao, Michael Shikashio, Grisha Stewart, Emily Strong, Debbie Gross Torraca

• 2021: Separation anxiety course, Moira Hechenleitner

• 2021: School of Canine Science: 30 days of Canine Science

• 2020: The international dog trainers Winter Summit 2020 by Empowered Dog Community.

• 2020: Webinar: Reducing overarousal and reactivity via the circle method of leash walking. Denise Fenzi.

• 2020: The Puppy Lab, The School of Canine Science.

• 2020: The aggression in dogs conference (3-days). Speakers: Michael Shikashio, Dr. Amy Pike, Katenna Jones, Denise Fenzi, James Crosby, Kim Brophey, Leslie McDevitt, Trish McMillan, Dr. Laura Donaldson, Dr. Kathy Murphy.

• 2019: Treat-Retreat Webinar (Suzanne Clothier). Techniques to help socially shy dogs master the intricacies of feeling comfortable interacting with and being around people.

• 2019: Aggression in Dogs, A Master Course for Trainers and Behaviour Consultants (Mike Shikashio CDBD, Dr. Chris Pachel DVM, DACVB, CABC, Jessica Dolce CCFE and Kim Brophey CDBC)

• 2018: Hands-on dog trainer workshop, CATCH Canine Trainers Academy, USA (director David Muriello)

• 2016-2017: Clinical animal behaviourist. International Postgraduate course (2 year program) in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare (graduated cum laude), Odisee - University KU Leuven, Belgium

• 2016: Fear and aggression in dogs, Monique Bladder, Belgium

• 2015: Detection work in dogs, Frederik Desmet, Belgium

• 2015: Walking on a loose leash, Frederik Desmet, Belgium

• 2003: PhD in Veterinary Medical Sciences at University of Ghent, Belgium

• 1996: Veterinarian at University of Ghent, Belgium. Note: my diploma of Veterinarian is not recognized in Canada. If I suspect a medical problem, I will refer you to your own veterinarian.