My name is Jax Skorpack and I work with a variety of different animal rescues where I provide my services in fostering, rehabilitating dogs, going to the reserves to feed, spay/neuter, and vaccinate animals that are in need. I am a natural born leader and nurturer, and I believe that comes from growing up being the eldest of five kids. My purpose is to bring balance between the human world and canine world using natural methods of correction and leadership.
I have been working with dogs for 17 years. I started my first little dog walking business at the ripe age of 8 years old! I’ll never forget the first dog I walked, his name was Furgus. When I brought him to my house, I remember my mom saying, “your Auntie Faye had an Old English Sheepdog when you were a toddler, do you remember her?” I responded with, “yes, I do. But Furgus is a Bearded Collie”. I could tell from my mom’s reaction, that she was floored that her 8 year old child knew of a rare dog breed. I continued to surprise people with my passion and understanding about canines throughout my childhood. By teaching, the dog’s parents who I would babysit their children for, tricks each time I would come over. To my teen years, being the only person who could get a group of dogs to get along, without any altercations at dog daycares, groom shops, and kennels. To now, a successful adult with a passion for learning, practicing, and teaching the canine language. This is all I’ve ever known, my calling, all I’ve ever wanted, and my true passion.
All my life, different animals have surrounded me. My grandparent’s have a farm with horses, cows, geese, chickens, dogs, cats, sheep, goats you name it! At a very young age, I went out to my grandparent’s farm every weekend. There, I helped feed and care for the animals, along with any other chores that were required on the farm. I was born into a life where animals were around me all the time. It was at a very young age that I started to observe how they interacted with different environments, animals, other dogs, humans, sights and sounds. That is when my passion began.
Creating the Human Training Sessions came from the observations I had experienced in the change of my clients dogs behavior, while my clients were not present. Such as: boarding “dog aggressive” dogs. While being able to introduce them into a pack of multiple dogs, and taking the time to let them learn how to appropriately interact with them. It was then that I realized, when working with a behavioral dog, or any animal for that matter; it is more about how you feel and the appropriate timing and energy that you go about communicating, than what you physically “do”. When creating these exercises and courses, it came clear to me that, “if I can teach humans how to read canines and teach them the appropriate timing and proper body positioning in which you communicate to your dog, as I do with my clients dogs when they are not present. Resulting in a dog who has the peace of mind that the situation is under control and the confidence in their human that they can handle anything that life throws their way. Therefore, the dog does not feel the need to patrol, protect, or react in a negative way.
My Background
Living on the edge of Calgary, near a cow field my friend and I started walking the neighbour’s dogs. We would go from one cow field to another and then another. We walked everyday for hours with a pack of dog’s ranging from two to six dogs at a time. Over the next 5 years we had many adventures with different breeds of dogs along the way. We ran into obstacles and dangers, such as vehicles, trains, bad weather, melting ice, coyotes, wild horses, charging cows, and of course dog fights. These experiences made us stronger and wiser; they also gave us the chance to analyze and observed how canines interact with different environments, animals, other dogs, humans, sights and sounds.
When I used to babysit from the ripe young age of 11 and through my teens, if the families had a dog I would teach their dogs new tricks while the parents were gone. The parents would come home and be amazed and blown away with how an 11 year old trained their dog that they had for years, in less than 5 hours.
Around the age of 16 I began to work at a small, family owned dog kennel. There, they boarded both dogs and cats, both of which I had the responsibility to care for, clean and feed both species. One of the dogs boarded at this kennel was an American Pitbull Terrier named Godie. I was told not to care for this animal, feed, water, touch or even look at him. The kennel owner informed me that he had some behavioural issues (human and canine aggression). So over the next couple of weeks I did as I was told, and watched from a safe distance as the kennel owner took are of Godie’s day-to-day needs. One day, I decided I was going to go into Godie’s kennel while the kennel owner wasn’t around. My instincts told me not to look him in the eye and to crouch low so that the dog didn’t perceive me as a threat. Godie came over to me, curiously sniffing me. He put his head on my lap, as he broke the physical barrier I decided it was safe to touch him. I gently stroked his chest and under his chin as he leaned into me. It was then that I decided I wanted to work with canines with behavioural issues.
Around the age of 17 I applied at a dog-grooming salon, I wanted to expand my horizons. It was there that I started to learn about different dog breeds/breed standards, personalities, how dogs react to enclosed environments, and how dogs interact differently when the owner’s aren’t around.
A few months after my 18th birthday I started to work for a large scale animal kennel. This kennel held 400 dogs at a time, accepted cats, pigs, and small critters as well! It was our responsibility, as kennel attendants, to organize the dog playgroups according to size, age, and activity level. I learned very quickly which energies clash (which dogs not to have together), how to prevent a fight before it happens, and got a lot of experience breaking up dogfights when they arise. Other responsibilities we had were caring for the cats, the small critters, administering medications for all animals (pills, liquids, and IV fluids), and walking the dogs that could not be in playgroups. This kennel is veterinarian owned and operated, we had many opportunities to learn about prevention of bloat, how to properly administer medication (including insulin injections), heat stroke warning signs and what to do if it happens, along with monthly educational meetings about animal behaviour and health.
Creating WildFree
At age 21 I opened WildFree, starting as a volunteer base organization. I wanted to help save dogs lives, I didn’t want humans to give up on their pets, and I wanted to make a difference! As my clientele base got larger and word of mouth got bigger, Wild Free started to take off.
At age 23, I got a job at a holistic pet food store. I was raised on organic food, and our parents were always educating us about nutrition, I have always had a passion for nutrition. The training process took 6 months, to learn all about the different meat proteins, chemicals (good and scary ones), carbohydrates, the sourcing and the importance of where the ingredients come from, vitamins, minerals, and their benefits on the cat and dogs bodies. Aside from the food itself we also carried a wide range of natural supplements and learned about curing and maintaining the body with holistic remedies such as: aloe vera, coconut oil, Algae, Flax seed, Glucosamine, MSM, Chondroitin, Colostrum…etc. Along with the benefits of each natural supplement I also learned how to break each one down, from treatment, to diagnosis, to cure.
I never stop learning; I am constantly expanding my horizons and always open to new ideas. I watch nature documentaries about wild dogs and other creatures. Every month I attend clinics, each one offering something unique. For example: Jin Shin Jyutsu, energy healing for your animal, and animal communication classes through meditation. I foster for many different rescues and do quite a bit of volunteer work. My friend and I go out to Morley reserve to feed the stray animals, spay, neuter, vaccinate, rescue and re-home them. I help rehabilitate feral dogs and to re-home them.
At the reserve I notice something interesting; the dogs are all balanced. You don’t see dogs chasing shadows, barking excessively, and reacting to loud noises, separation anxiety, or human aggression. I observe the stray dogs out there and analyze, it is we humans who make the dogs unstable. We make them live in unnatural environments and to live with a species they never would in the wild, on top of that, we do not give them boundaries or leadership. Pack animals need a hierarchy, routine and rules to bond as a balanced group.
That brings us to today, years later with many successful behavioural cases; this is all where my philosophy of rehabilitating canine behaviour comes from. I have learned that in order to communicate with these creatures, we must speak their language of energy and body language. It is my mission to achieve balance between human and dog, an understanding of how to create the most natural environment for canines living in the human world.
My Method
My method is something I have come up with over the years, from my own life experience working with canines. Along with bits and pieces I’ve educated myself on canine psychology from books and documentaries.
I teach dogs to walk patiently and attentively behind you with zero tension on the leash in under 20 minutes. The difference between taking puppy classes or obedience classes is I focus on where the problem arises. If your dog is having dominance issues at your home, the best place to practice a calm state of mind is in the home. Same if there is aggression/insecurity at the park or on the walk, anxiety in the car, or over excitement/obsessive barking when people pass by your home or come to visit. I do not use preventative training (physical barriers) I use energy, redirection and interrupting inappropriate state of mind. I teach in a way that makes sense to your dog, through body language and energy. When it is unclear to your dog of what you’re asking, how can you expect him to obey? Through repetitions of introducing and practicing a scenario with a calm state of mind, using natural methods of correction and leadership, I teach you to teach your dogs to accept, avoid, and to be attentive through all situations.
I go off instinct. Through watching dogs constantly on a daily basis since I could walk, working at dog kennels, working at dog grooming shops, working under a veterinarian and over the years with each behaviour session I provide, I have learned how to communicate to the dog appropriately so that it is clear to the dog how I would like him to behave or react. I have learned, over the years, through all my separate canine behaviour cases, coming from a natural angle is the best way to bring canines back to balance. It only makes sense right? How can we expect to help a different species that doesn’t speak our language or communicate in any of the same ways, using our own human psychology? I am always learning, and canines always have something new to teach me.