More often than not, dog owners feel overwhelmed by the confusing culture of dog training and behavior; we intend to relieve this confusion for you.
About Us
DOG BEHAVIORISTS - JULIE FORBES & DARCIE BOLTZ
Our holistic & tailored dog training and behavior services are illuminating and effective for dogs of all ages and their humans.
Our mind-body-spirit approach to dog training and behavior is soulful, intuitive, refreshing, and effective. Our working style is professional, passionate, respectful, and sensitive to each human/dog combination. Clear communication, stable leadership, rule-setting, and boundaries, built on a foundation of self-awareness, love, and trust, will help you and your dog thrive together.
The most fundamental aspects of your dog are their biology, environment, psychology, and spirit. We look at each client through a full-spectrum lens. Genetics, nutrition, stress, health, emotional life, family dynamics, relationships, learning differences, and motivational preferences can all impact your dog’s behavior and well-being – and we always look at them all.
Widely accepted perspectives on dog training suggest that we can do things with dogs to get them to behave in a certain way using reward- or punishment-based training methods. It is simply more complex than that, which is why so many dogs and people continue to struggle despite their efforts. We empower our clients through education. We teach dogs how to think and make choices through motivation based on their unique nature and needs.
The dog training industry is enormous and unregulated, with many choices for dog parents. Regardless of the methods you have tried on your journey to help your dog, we want you to feel empowered and clear that you should listen to your instincts. There is so much more to helping your dog through behavioral challenges than what is commonly presented in balanced training, e-collar training, compulsion training, purely positive training, and positive reinforcement training.
Sensitive Dog
Beacon Hill
Seattle, Washington
The Team
Darcie and Julie transformed their Seattle home into an Urban Farm, and are helping people and their dogs both locally, and nationally; through in-person dog training and behavior services, virtual sessions, videos, podcasts, and more! Be on the lookout for fresh audio and video resources, as Julie and Darcie continue to produce content to help dogs, and the people they live with.
In addition to their shared love of dogs, Darcie and Julie cherish their friends and family (both human and non-human animals), and enjoy traveling, documentaries, gardening, nature, cooking, and farm-to-table restaurants.
Julie Forbes is the founder of Sensitive Dog and has been working with dog behavior and training professionally for twenty years. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Julie earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Vermont and completed the Academy of Canine Behavior’s apprentice program in dog behavior and training, after she moved to Seattle, in 2001.
Julie’s gift of communication led her to develop The Dog Show with Julie Forbes, a live radio show, and iTunes podcast, that has welcomed some of the most well known names in the world of dogs. Her national reputation as a skilled interviewer has attracted guests including Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Patricia McConnell, Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, Dr. Michael Fox, Dr. Brian Hare, and many more!
In 2017, Julie was responsible for bringing Temple Grandin to the Vashon Sheepdog Classic, and has been involved in the annual event for over ten years. The Vashon Sheepdog Classic is the second largest herding trial in the country.
Julie has appeared in a national Subaru commercial, on Evening Magazine in Western Washington, and on Fox 13 as a dog behavior expert.
Julie specializes in evaluating dog behavior, coaching the human-dog dynamic, and teaching people how to communicate with, and understand, themselves and their dogs.
An avid dancer, Julie brings experience and awareness to our own bodies and how we can use them to communicate with our non-verbal four-legged family members. Julie is passionate about empowering people, connecting individuals to their authenticity, and bringing ease to the human-dog relationship. From grief around the death of a beloved dog, to dogs’ incredible sense of smell, to how dogs help us learn to be present; Julie has talked about it all.
“Humans and dogs have walked side-by-side for thousands of years, yet in some ways they remain a mystery to us. Learning how to help our dogs is an opportunity to bring consciousness and healing to ourselves – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Together we’ll explore this soul-stirring connection.“ – Julie Forbes
Darcie began her career in rescue and rehabilitation in 2004. She then worked as a private trainer and instructor for assistance dog teams nationwide, and as a consultant for assistance dog organizations and trainers, for nearly a decade. After retiring from the service dog industry in 2014, Darcie began working with Sensitive Dog full-time, and is now a co-owner of the company.
Darcie brings her education in Health Psychology from Bastyr University, to Sensitive Dog’s holistic approach. Her voracious appetite for information, paired with her studies of the Bio-Psycho-Social model and Family Systems, add a dynamic to our programs that enables us to not only work deeply with people and their dogs, but also with our clients’ veterinarians and care team for health-related concerns that could be impacting a dog’s behavior.
Darcie’s sensitivity to animals’ experiences, along with her passion for knowledge, helps us to work with some of the most difficult challenges that no one else has been able to address effectively. A powerful advocate, Darcie will focus with you and your existing pet care team to get to the bottom of even the most perplexing behaviors.
Darcie’s intuition, sensitivity, and passion, weaved together with her knowledge of psychology, psychophysiology, and psychopharmacology; powerfully connect her with you and your dog.
In addition to her work with dog behavior, Darcie is also a death doula for dogs, supporting dogs and their people through the transition from body to spirit. Navigating the end of life process with our dogs can be intense, confusing, and scary. Darcie brings her soulful connection with dogs and people, as well as her years of experience sitting with dogs as they cross over, to ease the difficulty and minimize conflict during this sacred time. The more present we can be to dogs and ourselves during this time, the more peaceful the process is for everyone.
When not working with dogs in Seattle, Darcie spends time working at an ayahuasca retreat center in Costa Rica where she assists in ceremonies and is a plant medicine integration counselor.
“My life is a tribute to dogs, for they have been my friends, my teachers, and my guides. Working with dogs is soul work. I will always follow dogs, no matter how dark or treacherous the terrain, because they have only ever taken me to the light.” – Darcie Boltz
