Dogs of St Roch

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Dogs of St Roch

Because all dogs are good dogs; it’s up to us to be better humans. Hi, I'm Tiah Marie Beautement and I am a writer and dog trainer in Mossel Bay.

I obtained my Dog Trainer Diploma from Pet Sense College after spending many years living and working with dogs and horses. I am always in awe at the profound impact these animals can have on humans' mental and physical health, even if they are our "rescue."

01/11/2026

Authentic touch to prove we’re human…and two dogs …a horse…all managed by a cat.

23/10/2026

Renfri had a head start in jumping into the weekend.
Wishing all our followers a good one.

21/10/2026

When another predator joins the sniff games…

02/10/2026

Happy Friday, everyone!

26/09/2026

And the vet-to-be is back on the bus...

Wishing her the best as she heads off to complete the final 6-7ish weeks of her first year at university.

(Image courtesy of La-Petite Femme via Pixabay.)

23/09/2026

Today we had two dogs at The Point. We were walking and spotted an off leash dog.

Us: Our dogs are not friendly.*

Them: Neither is ours.

Now, never mind leash laws. If your dog really is not friendly, then why is it off lead in a populated place?

*Are our dogs "friendly"? That's beside the point. Because the easiest way to avoid drama when it comes to dogs is just not risk something going wrong even if it has always gone right every time before.

(Photo is a Pixabay free-for-use by OpenIcons.)

22/09/2026

Happy birthday to our vet-in-progress.
We are incredibly proud of you.

21/09/2026

Ms Renfri racing into her 9th birthday. Tomorrow is her person’s.

Happy birthday, Ms Renfri.

19/09/2026

Q: Why do you encourage us to sit in public with our dog and do…nothing?

A: It isn’t nothing. It’s exposure work.

Human companions are tasked with introducing their dogs to various environments in a manageable way, while encouraging focus with lots of praise and treats.

Think about it: babies watch, learn, and listen before they crawl and walk. And sure, puppies are not human babies, but there is something to be said about the watch-and-learn approach.

(Okay, okay, okay, we don’t expect the two-legged humans to carry their four-legged friend from the car to the bench…just limit the distance the puppy walks – pulls? – to get from point A to B.)

Once a client and their beloved canine get pretty good at “doing nothing” in public, we do move to more dynamic environments, such as visiting a local outdoor café.

We believe that this "do nothing" approach has many benefits. A few examples:

• Developing focus on the human companion.
• Strengthening the human-dog connection.
• Creating a smoother and less frustrating transition to teaching a dog to heal and walk loosely on a lead.

Yes, exposure work may seem boring and “doing nothing”, but in our experience, it produces more satisfactory results, with less stress for everyone involved.

Ideally, human companions do the bulk of this “nothing” work outside of class on a regular basis. However, not everyone is willing to do it in their free time. In the end, it is the human companion’s final decision on the matter. We can only advise, guide, and provide opportunities.

Not sure if you are doing it right? Look us up. We're always happy to help.

Address

Mossel Bay

Website

https://dogsroch.wordpress.com/

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