The 'Paw-some' woman

Shirin Merchant is a pioneer in the field of canine behavior and training in India. Since 1995, she has helped pet parents in England, India and Sri Lanka with behaviour and training problems ranging from dominance, housetraining, chewing, aggression, and destruction to boredom and compulsive behaviours.

She has been the first to tackle canine problems using the science of canine psychology. Shirin travels across the country and abroad hosting workshops for pet parents and train students to take up dog training. She also consults on cases where pet parents need help with their dog's behaviour.

Shirin is the only person in Asia to have gained accreditation from the Kennel Club of England's elite KCAI scheme for dog trainers and behaviorists in companion dog training and behavioral training. She is one of only 8 people in the world to have been awarded the prestigious accreditation in behavioral training.

Shirin Merchant was felicitated by the President of India and the Ministry of Women and Children at the First Ladies Awards– for women who have transcended barriers to achieve a milestone and are declared to be the 'first' in their respective fields.

Shirin reveals that the past two decades has seen an increase in the number of pet owners. More people today are keeping dogs than ever before and pet parents are more aware of dog training and behaviour than they were 20 years ago.

Speaking about her journey, Shirin says, "My journey into the world of dogs started since the day I was born. We always had dogs at home, and my love for dogs was there. In about 1995 I met my mentor John Rogerson, one of the world's leading dog trainers. I started my career in the field of dog behaviour and training, I spent over four years in England studying, competing in working trials and learning and decided to come back and start the work here in India."

My grandmother sneaking puppies into the house influenced me to come into this. Shirin says, "I have always loved animals and wanted to work with animals when this opportunity came along I took it. In fact, as a child, my grandmother used to be a strong influence and would help me sneak in puppies into the house."

Speaking about animal cruelity, She says, "When we see animal cruelty, I realise it's because of a lack of knowledge and awareness and I think education is the way to stop all of this, Platforms like TEDxHyderabad are great forums to create awareness and education to help people understand that animals are not bad."

Shirin also conducts off-site training camps for corporates where through interaction with dogs, participants learn, and develop a variety of life skills. Shirin believes in our harried, fast-paced lives we forget to be good communicators – a skill that can improve our relationships at home or at work. At the workshop, participants are taught how animals communicate effortlessly without saying a word and how we can imbibe those skills in our day to day life.

Speaking on gender biased, Shirin says, "The world said it couldn't be done – Indian women can't train dogs! I believed in it, worked towards it and then went on to show them how."

For over 24 years, Shirin has worked hard to change the way dogs are trained in India from methods of intimidation and pain to kinder, positive training methods.