I’m pleased to announce that the International Interspecies Studies community is officially in early access!

The project began as a case-study series, then grew into something much broader.

Around the same time, I went to an event, spoke with many trainers, and saw firsthand how far the real conversations and the virtual ones have drifted apart. I heard how people in the dog world are feeling right now, and I came close to stepping back completely, staying here quietly, and leaving social media and public appearance. Many of us in this field, myself included, pass through three stages when things become too much. First, getting upset; then sad and low about almost everything around us; and finally,  simply tired. Those conversations showed me how many people had reached that third stage, exhausted by the noise surrounding the work that no longer is professional or about dogs. If you scroll this personal social feed, you’ll realize that I wrote too much about it, repeating myself sometimes, something I don’t like, and I reached my limit, closing that stage with the last book of my Anthrozoology & Animal Training series.

Most of that noise starts with the question of which side you are on, and once someone is placed in a camp, everything they say afterward gets read through it, so a question about a dog turns into a test of loyalty before anyone has looked at the dog. Sometimes, people ask me where I stand, and my answer is nowhere. Some find that frustrating, since a camp would tell them what I think without the trouble of reading what I actually wrote or understanding my approach in the field, as I already had to write about some false claims, and the answer has nothing to do with a lack of principles. I don’t need labels to dictate and limit my work. I am committed to animal welfare and to evidence. I know my ethical and technical limits, and I take responsibility for the consequences of every decision I make with the other species. I refuse, therefore, to declare an obedience first and examine the question afterward.

Another thing I heard again and again among trainers was confusion about the word “science” and how it applies to dog training. Many people picture it as distant and complicated, and in one sense it is, because it is a process with more questions than answers and it offers none of the certainty that circulates so freely in this field. I believe in and respect the work of scientists who decline activism and the spotlight, and I believe everyone on the scientific side of this field should clarify and guide professionals on some subjects, making complex issues simple enough for any practitioner to understand, because what we are all attempting is communication with another species.

I enjoy taking a principle, testing it in practice, changing what needs changing, questioning how things have always been done when there is reason to, and then presenting it for discussion. On a real case, that means examining the category before “prescribing” anything, so I want to know what the dog is actually doing, what is driving it, which part of the behavior an intervention is meant to change, and how we would recognize that it had failed. I also want to know what kind of life a dog has once its behavior has been managed, because preventing a behavior and improving a dog’s life are separate achievements. 

Working with a dog involves many solitary decisions, and when a case goes badly, the current demanding and judgmental climate we work in puts so much pressure on practitioners that it leaves no room for error, and this is also the reason why this community exists. We are keeping it small on purpose, a private space where anyone can bring a difficult question or one of the mistakes we all make without fear of judgment, and where “I don’t know yet” is accepted as an answer, often the most useful one available. I make those mistakes every day, because I am always trying new things.

We’ll bring courses, webinars, live sessions, and much other material and information to share with you. To complement it, much of what will happen there will also come from the members themselves, from their cases, their questions, their discussions, suggestions, and requests. We will not dictate what anyone should know, and I have no wish to change people or tell them who they ought to be. We will show how we reason through a case, the science behind it according to the literature, and what we actually do in practice, saying openly where we are still unsure, and leave the decision with the person who has to make it, since each of us owns our choices and the consequences that follow. If the culture of this field changes, I want it to change by example, with people reasoning from different perspectives, seeing another way of working for themselves without losing their essence, with nothing imposed on anyone, since knowledge should strengthen a person’s judgment and responsibility, and never stand in for it.

The people joining now, during early access, are the founding members, and the community will carry their mark long after the official launch. A small community takes its character from its first members, from the cases they are willing to bring, the questions they dare to ask, the self-moderation, and the way they treat each other when someone gets something wrong, and everyone who arrives later inherits that. Founding members come in while decisions about what gets built are still open, so their requests and their work will decide much of what this place becomes. Their membership year only starts counting from the official launch, and they keep the introductory rate for as long as they stay. A founding member mark will remain beside their names as a record of having been here at the start.

I find it amusing that what started as a case study has become a universe of possibilities, and it has also given a home to projects of mine that had been on stand-by. The encyclopedia is the first of them, with entries written one at a time from the published literature, and members can discuss each one. Other projects are waiting their turn to join the platform because everything is self-funded, including personal investment and sacrifices, and I want to keep it that independent.

And I cannot forget that none of this would be possible without the rest of the team. Tilde taught me everything I know about horses, and so much of what we have shared about dogs and their communication with people came from our work together here in Denmark. I am glad she now has the chance to show the world her heart and her art. And Jessica, who has an inner intuition for this work, something I told her the first time I saw her communicating with other species, and nobody learns that from a book or a slide. You either have it, or you do not. 

My part is also the research, academic literature, and bringing concepts I apply in practice with the other species and their caregivers, testing them and transforming words into action, and action into samples to refine what is needed, together with a habit of testing and questioning whatever everyone assumes. 

You’ll witness that when a case passes through the three of us, we examine it from angles none of us would reach alone, and I am very grateful to have both of them with me at this stage of my career and my life, where each of us complements the others’ work, and I’m proud of it.

If you feel this could be a place for you to join, or someone you know, feel free to share or contact me. 

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