Meet Cat “Your Dog Trainer” Harbord | ImPAWSible Possible
Chief Behaviour Nerd & Founder
Hey, I’m Cat your dog trainer!
Since 2009, I’ve been on a mission to better understand dogs and to help others do the same. My work is a continuous dialogue between theory and practice, carved out by nearly two decades of experience and research and a deep respect for the human-canine relationship.
My journey started in 2007 with what I can only describe as a “gravitational pull” towards working with dogs. If I am honest, I had no idea what exactly I was being pulled towards or where it would all lead. I just knew I had to do it. So I did. I started a dog running company in SW Calgary. Now that was a learning experience! Many of the dogs I was running had fairly significant behavioural challenges and I was increasingly finding myself over my head in terms of how to safely navigate the day to day with these dogs (squirrels, ice, passing other dogs etc.). So, I started to study dog training and behaviour and obsessively applied what I was learning to my clients dogs. I thought I was their teacher, but in retrospect, I was their student. With time, I was increasingly pulled towards behaviour and training, and in 2009, I started ImPAWSible Possible.
One of my greatest teachers to date, was Mouse (see photo), my late rescue dog who came to me in 2011 with separation anxiety, reactivity, and aggression. My goal was to “fix” Mouse with all my scientific tools and protocols, but Mouse had a bigger lesson for me. Mouse taught me to truly see him and the interconnected web connecting both of us.
Mouse showed me that behaviour is part of an unfolding story between dog and human. I came to understand that my world and Mouse’s were inherently different.
The most profound lesson I learned from Mouse was about identity. Who we are , and who our dogs are, is made real in relationship. This is illuminated in the Zulu greeting Sawubona (“I see you”) and the response Ngikhona (“I am here”). Until we are truly seen, we don’t fully exist.
Mouse passed away in August 2024. His legacy of love lives on in all of my work.
How I Work
My work draws from:
Systems Theories
Ethology
Conflict & Peace Studies
Behavioural Sciences
Developmental Psychology
Attachment Theory
My work is a living conversation between theory and practice, creating an adaptive, real-time, relational, and intuitive approach to working with dogs and their people.
Credentials
Diploma in Canine Behaviour Science & Technology
Certified Dog Behaviour Consultant (IAABC)
Certified Family Dog Mediator
Certified Trail Hunt International FOUNDATIONS Instructor
Certificate in Systems Thinking & Leadership – Cornell
Member, International Association for Perceptual Control Theory
Mentor to professionals everywhere
Speaking & Events
APDT Conference (2024)
Interested in collaborating or booking a talk? Get in touch.
Beyond the Bio
I was born on Vancouver Island, and raised in Victoria, BC. I came to Calgary in 1999 for a mountain bike race and never left!
When I’m not working, you can find me walking, likely with my headphones on listening to research papers, audiobooks, my favorite podcasts or music. Oh, and did I mention, I love coffee?
My work is my purpose. I am grateful every day for the opportunity to do this work and to help people deepen their relationships with their dogs through curiosity, trust, and mutual understanding.
Whether you’re overwhelmed by a reactive dog, navigating the mayhem of puppyhood or adolescence, or simply wondering “Why does my dog do that?” I’m here.
With Science.
With Heart.
With Purpose.
