About ana & PatXI, the owners of silver coast canine professional dog services
Patxi and I met at a local dog shelter where I was volunteering.
I noticed him immediately. I thought he was incredibly handsome — and, in a shelter full of barking dogs, he was the one who didn’t bark. He had been found in the forest with a female dog and their puppies. When they were discovered, the female ran away, while Patxi stayed behind with the puppies.
When I brought him home, I discovered just how frightened he was.
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The first days were extremely difficult. He was afraid of almost everything, spending most of his time hiding and shaking. I even put my hiking tent up in the middle of the living room to give him somewhere that felt safe. He seemed much more comfortable there — although for a while, he hardly wanted to come out.
Walks were another challenge. He would constantly pull on the lead and, when it was time to go home, he simply didn't want to go back inside. There were moments when I genuinely wondered whether things would ever change.
So we walked. A lot.
Kilometre after kilometre, we explored together. With time, patience and a great deal of work, things slowly began to change.
We started attending dog-training classes, but I felt Patxi needed something more. I didn't simply want a dog who behaved better. I wanted him to regain his confidence, his autonomy and his dignity as a dog.
That search changed the direction of my own life.
I decided to study dog training, initially with the goal of training Patxi as a service dog. The changes I began to see in him were remarkable — and much faster than I had expected.
I wanted to understand why.
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That eventually led me to train professionally in Cognitive-Emotional Dog Training.
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Today, the dog who once spent his days shaking and hiding is my adventure companion. Exploring the world together is still one of the things I enjoy most.
Patxi taught me that changing behaviour is only part of working with a dog. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is help a dog develop the confidence and skills to face the world again.
