Krasnoyarsk Dog Trainer Overcomes Struggles to Raise Canine Actor

Krasnoyarsk resident Viktor Petrov studied to be a metallurgist at Siberian Federal University (SFU) and even worked in his field, but his fate changed dramatically—he has been a dog trainer for 12 years. How he came to this, managed to raise a tailed actor, and what dog owners are actually ashamed to admit—in the material by NGS24.RU correspondent Tatiana Zarva.

From Metallurgist to Dog Trainer

For Viktor, it wasn«t a case where interest in dogs appeared in childhood. It all really decided by chance and one small desire. Viktor grew up in a village, saw dogs since childhood. But they were chained and just guarded the house. Viktor didn»t form any emotional attachment to those dogs, but after university, he decided he needed to get his own dog.

— By education, I am a metallurgical engineer, I studied at SFU. But then circumstances turned out favorably, and I was fortunate not to go to the factory in Norilsk, I worked on a computer and had the opportunity to buy a dog. And that changed my life,— says Viktor.

Viktor«s first dog was a Doberman, which he named «Roy». Here, our hero admits that he became interested in raising and training dogs. And he finds two explanations for such a hobby:

— In short—I just bought a dog once, and it all captivated me. A more profound answer—everything led to this. I can say that this is, to some extent, my calling. This is what I«m good at, what benefits this world, that is, I see how I help people through working with dogs, I work with people through their dogs,— he says.

At the very beginning of his dog trainer career, he worked with other pets for free, went, as they say, «for the experience,» to gain experience, but doesn«t regret it at all.

— I think many people have it this way—you start doing something, and then it pulls you in. In my case, it gave a sense of satisfaction and self-realization. Further, I saw that it really works and can be monetized—everything aligned. Like that Japanese word «ikigai» (a Japanese concept meaning the sense of purpose in life—Author«s note), when all these «little moments» align,— says the dog trainer.

First, he started training his dog, taught it more than 60 commands, and that«s only those with their own names. He was preparing Roy for competitions.

Besides, the dog often participated in family photo shoots, he was even taken for a photo on the cover of a rap album by a local performer.

With the second dog Yermak, this didn«t happen, Viktor diametrically changed the vector of training and, as he says, slowed down.

«You Start to Feel Sorry for the Dog»

Viktor calls his second dog Yermak «the dog of my personal change.» Initially, Viktor bought him for his girlfriend, but during the breakup with her, he couldn«t leave him and took him with him. Later, he thought Yermak would be a dog for big sports, but again, it didn»t align.

— I myself dreamed of big sports with a dog, and at some point, I realized that I«m not interested in it. Initially, my motivation there in some sports competitions wasn»t very honest. I imagined that here I am participating in competitions, winning, the price for my classes increases, roughly speaking. Then I understood that it«s not related at all and I don»t get so much pleasure there, plus I start to feel sorry for the dog,— explained the Krasnoyarsk resident.

Now, according to the man, he simply loves his dog. And doesn«t project any of his personal desires onto him. At the same time, his approach to training other people»s pets changed, where he even deals with the client«s personal problems through their dog.

— One of the client«s phrases that lives inside him but is ashamed or scary to say out loud is that he is tired of his dog, to the point that he already hates her. This, first, is a mismatch of expectations with reality for him, and second, it»s fundamentally uncomfortable with the dog.

I once lived through all this with my dog, few believe that I literally wanted to return Yermak, because I couldn«t handle him. You could say that life was going downhill. It»s not only related to the dog, rather, my perception of the world, but the dog participated in it too. And this my personal experience allows me to understand them [clients] more from their side.

But this crisis, both Viktor and Yermak survived. Not without the help of a psychologist. Now Viktor runs a blog on dog training, works with other people«s pets, and creates courses for other dog owners. And, by the way, Yermak is also a well-known personality.

The dog acted in the series «Ronin,» two seasons of which aired on the TV channel «TV-3,» he is taken for photo shoots, also Viktor and Yermak had their own children«s project on «Channel One.»

— We had a children«s project, it was called «Weekend Dog,» based at a children»s center we held classes, this story went on for about six months. Sometimes other dogs were brought, and we gave children such proper contact with dogs: showed how to interact, how not to be afraid, and in general taught the basics of interacting with dogs. First, we were shown on «Prime,» and on the same day «Channel One» saw us and filmed a story with us,— recalls Viktor.

Moreover, changes in behavior with dogs for Viktor are noticeable even during separation. With the previous dog, he couldn«t part at all, only once managed to leave him (Roy died in 2021—Ed. note). With Yermak, it»s all different.

— I am an anxious person, probably, I always worry about something one way or another, that is, does an anxious person need a reason to worry about something? And rather even the opposite, on him I trained myself to some extent. I have an understanding that in this situation he will behave in a certain way, precisely this knowledge, confidence,— says Viktor.

Therefore, he has already left Yermak for boarding several times—that«s regarding separation. Besides, he taught Yermak to behave correctly with small children, so he is not afraid to leave them alone with his nephew.

— He is big, and the nephew is small, and this didn«t allow in the moment to calmly enjoy this [time]. But there was an understanding in my head that he is an adequate dog, and my worries are my worries, they allowed me to let go of the situation,— says Viktor.

For him, Yermak is a partner and friend who helps him solve many problems.

— I recently recorded a podcast, there at the end I told the truth that dogs made me human. Saved me as a person.

Earlier, NGS24.RU correspondent Alexei Taiganaut spoke with a Krasnoyarsk woman who knows dogs better than people. Elena Domnina told which breeds are now considered fashionable and why she herself cannot keep dogs.