Exploring Life & Business with Chrissy Messick of The Nature of Animals

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chrissy Messick.

Hi Chrissy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up on a farm, on top of a mountain surrounded by nature and animals. I didn’t realize it at the time but the animals and nature were my safe space. Our blended family was quite dysfunctional (which my younger self didn’t quite understand). During that time I remember thinking, if I make it out of here I’m going to do something big with my life and make a difference. Fast forward 14 years and I find myself in the world of sports medicine, working with collegiate and elite level athletes for 20 years. Doing this gave me a thorough understanding of working with the physical (with some aspects of the mental and emotional) body. I knew making a difference, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else for me to do to make a bigger impact in the world. At this point in my life I met my future husband and we got married. Before we started having kids we wanted to bring two dogs into our lives to practice raising another being – I knew there had to be a better way than how I was raised. Boy oh boy, did these two dogs teach me a lot! Zoe and Bill are the ones that got me started on my journey into working with dogs. I believe they came into my life to guide me through this process – especially Zoe. She helped me to see that I needed to look past her behavior and look at the deeper issues, part of which included looking at myself too! I made a lot of mistakes along the way and in 2017 I started The Nature of Animals. My approach to working with dogs and humans has evolved over the years. It started out as only focusing on the dog, but through constantly working on myself and educating myself about the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational aspects of dogs and humans my approach looks very different than it did when I first started out. This approach goes beyond behavior and gets to the root of the issues which requires us to question the old standards of dog training. All animals (human and non-human) deserve to be understood. This shouldn’t be done through force, suppression, punishment, pain, and fear. This should be done through understanding the true nature of animals in all aspects – a holistic approach. We can use this approach in all aspects of our lives which has helped me become the best parent that I can be. I believe that this is what I’m supposed to be doing to make a difference in the world – one dog family at a time.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wonder if anyone has had a smooth road? The obstacles and challenges are what help us grow if we are open to the lessons. There have been struggles along the way for me:

1. A big one has been navigating my adaptive behaviors that stem from my childhood which was quite dysfunctional. I think this is a big driving force behind my approach to working with dogs and their families -looking beyond the behavior and addressing the whole dog – a holistic approach.

2. Another one has been my journey into dog training, with my own dogs, as well as my professional journey. I made mistakes in the beginning that made me question what was going on inside of me and if that was influencing how I was working with my dogs and other dogs. Being open and having curiosity is what has really helped me evolve in my approach to working with dogs and their humans – It’s about the deeper work, not just behaviors. The deeper stuff is what drives the behaviors. This work has really made me question who I am – showing up as my true self in the world of dog training. This profession is all over the place right now – it is not regulated so anyone can say they are a “professional dog trainer.” My approach is looking at the whole dog as well as the relational aspect of the human and dog – this is a very different approach than traditional dog training. This approach is humane, kind, effective, and creates growth on both ends of the leash. There doesn’t need to be pain, force, punishment, fear, suppression, or any kind of “controlling” in helping your dog learn how to navigate this world with their family.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My business is The Nature of Animals and I always ask myself, “what is the essence of the nature of animals?” What does that actually mean? How does that apply to the work I do? The answers to those questions is what lies at the heart of what I do and why I do it. The traditional ways of dog training are outdated. If we look at our animal companions’ behaviors from the perspective of “what do they need, how can I support them, and what are they teaching me?” instead of “how can I fix this problem?” the whole relationship changes. The key is to work with them and have a partnership instead of trying to control them. I mostly work with dogs that show reactive, aggressive, stress, and anxious related behaviors with a sprinkle of basic/advanced life skills for puppies, teens, adults, and seniors! I also do animal communication and healing for a variety of issues. I’m proud to be able to help humans and their animal companions understand each other better, communicate better, and create a relationship based on understanding, trust, and safety. When I work with clients we look deeper than the behavior – we look at the root cause. We do this through the 5 pillars:

1. Physical – Body systems, pain, discomfort, GI issues (nutrition) – this alone can cause significant behavior issues.
2. Mental – How trauma, environment, learning experiences, and conditioning shape how dogs perceive stimuli.
3. Emotional – The nervous system that drives all behavior; recognizing and safely expressing feelings – resilience.
4. Spiritual (Consciousness) – Energy, intuition, authentic nature, awareness, and seeing beyond behavior to who your dog truly is.
5. Relational – Your own growth as a guardian, the partnership dynamic, and how you evolve together – expectations.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
1. Do your research when bringing a dog into your family – does their personality and energy level match your lifestyle, get all info about the dog from the shelter, is it a reputable breeder?

2. Expectations – when bringing a new dog into your family, keep your expectations in check and don’t expect a new dog to be able to do “all” the things – give them time to decompress and figure out their new world – go slow and get to know them and work WITH them.

3. How you teach your dog matters – you can get results many different ways, but isn’t it the best feeling when the relationship is built on trust and safety instead of fear?

4. Be open to what your dog is here to teach you – what lessons are you learning from them?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theanimalnature.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenatureofanimals
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenatureofanimals/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissy-messick-5a788139
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmrhqXfZWpsfWni4ImS0Niw