Who I Am

Thirty years in the field.

After obtaining a high school diploma in economics, I pursued university studies in sports management and then in philosophy. During my student years, I welcomed my first dog, Ares, and the difficulties I encountered with him pushed me to want to understand his behavior. The more I learned, the more passionate I became, until it became my profession. Without those difficulties with Ares, I might not have pursued this career — so thank you, Ares! I put an end to my university studies to dedicate myself to studying dogs.

In parallel with my apprenticeship under a leader in the field of dog training in France, I studied everything I could find on canine ethology and behavior. I also studied every obedience technique available, with no preconceived idea of what I'd find — from methods built around food rewards to far harsher ones — and settled on the one that was, at once, the most respectful, the most effective, and the most consistent for real obedience: the one that delivers genuinely astonishing results.

Once I'd gathered everything available to me, I spent years testing it on the ground — living with up to 20 dogs at once. My own observations are what let me sort out, from everything I'd read, what actually held up. I then went on observing wild, semi-wild and free-roaming packs across several countries for more than two decades — daily in Indonesia for the past four years, and also in India and Sri Lanka. Those observations aren't there to confirm what I already believe to be true about dogs — they're there to check whether I've missed something, or whether there are new subtleties I haven't caught yet.

I also bred dogs at home for several years — not just out of passion for it, but because it let me observe a dog's behavior from birth: how the mother cares for her litter, the interactions between puppies, when hierarchical interactions between them start, how their character develops, and how they interact with adult dogs and what those adults teach them.

I have trained breeders on puppy socialization, taught future trainers and dog walkers, given conferences on aggression and animal welfare, run school workshops on bite prevention, trained staff for dog rescue associations in several countries, and taught and written for France's two leading correspondence training schools. I have also directed dog training films.

Mandated by the French Ministry of Justice, I ran pet-therapy programs for inmates in French prisons. I worked on explosive-detection dog training alongside a commander of the RAID, the French National Police's special forces unit. The French Ministry of Agriculture hired me to supervise state-school training for the national professional dog trainer diploma, and the media regularly invite me back to talk about dog behavior.

I've trained dogs and their owners across the United States, Canada, Mauritania, Lebanon, Italy, Belgium, Morocco, Luxembourg, Greece, Switzerland, Finland, India, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, and France. I've written training manuals, produced instructional DVDs, and authored the book "Dog, tell me who you are…". I now live in Bali, where I founded Helsinki Dog Training.

I keep on learning almost every day, watching packs and while training dogs. In every interaction and observation I have with dogs, I keep my eyes wide open to their behavior, with fresh eyes every day — can I discover something I didn't notice before? I don't see myself as someone who has "arrived" — I see myself as someone who still has to keep learning. Working with a species other than our own is a never-ending education.

Being surrounded by dogs both personally and professionally every day is incredibly fulfilling and exciting, and I am more than happy to have built this as my way of life. I'm one of those lucky people who never feel like they're working — even though I certainly do.

I'm passing on everything I've learned from 30 years of study and practice. — Stephan Mairesse

"If knowing better means living with it better, the document proposed by Stephan Mairesse deserves to be distributed in our schools and accessible to all veterinarians." — Dr. Michel Baron, veterinary surgeon, regarded as one of the world's leading canine surgeons

Career Timeline

Interventions in the United States, Canada, Mauritania, Lebanon, Italy, Belgium, Morocco, Luxembourg, Greece, Switzerland, Finland, India, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, and France.

- Workshop for children at "Growing in Kedungu School" Kedungu, Bali, Indonesia. Click here

- Release of the book "Dog, tell me who you are…" — you can order it here

- Opening of "Helsinki Dog Training" in Bali, Indonesia Instagram

- Workshop "Dog Behavior — Avoiding Street Dog Bites" for students at Prima Santhi School, Gianyar, Bali-Indonesia.

- Zootherapy workshops for inmates in Jail (Villepinte - Paris, France) - since 2016 - as part of Respecto project. French Ministry of Justice. An overview of the work here

- Invited by "Black Lab Café" and "Boris & Horton" for an "Ask a trainer" event in New York City

- Workshop "Avoiding bites from street dogs" in DS8 primary school - Ubud, Bali, Indonesia - For children 6 to 9 years old

- Training for employees of the "Bali Bully Rescue" association and "Mission Paw'sible" - Bali, Indonesia

- Invited by "West Village D.O.G." in New York City for an "ask a trainer" evening.

- Pet therapy workshop for repeat offenders with addiction problems - Aurore association Paris, France

- Dog training in explosive detection alongside a commander of the RAID, the French National Police's special forces unit

- Conference on animal welfare for cattle breeders for the "Paris Livestock Institute" Paris-France

- Creation of an iOS / Android application on dog training and behavior for Canin Plus:

Content writing.

Direction and video production of the tutorial films.

- Writing teaching manuals for dog training and dog behavior students - Centre Européen de Formation (Atlas group). Facilitation of workshops for veterinary assistant students and dog trainers

Reference instructor for dog training, breeding and the Certificate of Ability at the Institut de Formation en Soins Animaliers (IFSA).

Creation of tutorial films.

Writing teaching manuals.

Weekly dog training permanence.

Workshops with students on behavior and dog training.

- Production of a DVD "Having an obedient and balanced dog".

"If knowing better means living with it better, the document proposed by Stephan Mairesse deserves to be distributed in our schools and accessible to all veterinarians." — Doctor Michel Baron, veterinarian

"Having a dog that behaves well in town and at home. Discover the rules of gentle dog education taught by Stephan Mairesse." — Doctor Régine Le Sann, veterinary behaviorist

- Documentary on dog aggressiveness, by Morgan Production.

- Creation of a quality label for breeding for the Cane Corso French Association (AFCC).

- i>Télé (now CNews), television show: "The Political Guest" with Laurent Bazin. Following the death of a young woman bitten by her dogs. Debate on solutions to deal with dog bites, in my presence, alongside Georges Sarre, deputy and adviser to the city of Paris for security, rapporteur for the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1999, and Mr. Petitdidier, vice-president of the French Canine Society (S.C.C.) — I took part as cynologist and aggression specialist.

- Classic Radio. Guest in the morning newspaper, on dangerous dogs.

- Invited by the city of Metz (France) for a conference on dog aggression.

- Member of the Jury for the Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for monitoring training in schools issuing a state diploma in dog training.

- Collaboration with the SPA (French dog rescue association) of Vaux-le-Pénil. Its mission was to help adopters solve behavioral problems with their new companion.

- TV show: Public Sénat: "Bouge la France" by Pierre Sled. Participation in the program on the provisions of laws concerning dogs known as "dangerous", with Georges Sarre, French deputy, and Madame Perrigueux, municipal councilor responsible for the integration of animals in the urban environment — I took part as cynologist.

French radio - France Inter: participation in the program "Le Téléphone sonne", by Alain Bédouet, with Georges Sarre, French deputy, and Vincent Capo Canellas, mayor of Le Bourget, General Councilor — I took part as cynologist. Program on dogs that became dangerous.

- Production of a first DVD: "Train your dog gently".

- French newspaper: Le Parisien: "specialist interview" following dog bites, writing articles on precautions to avoid bites.

- French newspaper: Version Femina, report "Stephan Mairesse's training methods" by following a family I trained the dog for.

- Specialized canine press: numerous articles on canine training in various journals: Dogs 2000, Dog Trump, Journal du Club Français du Cane Corso…

- Cane Corso breeder

- Lived with a pack of 10 to 20 free-ranging individuals at home.

Interventions for the cities of: Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, Chaville, Nogent-sur-Marne, Vincennes:

Intervention in leisure centers for children aged 6 to 8

Dog education awareness workshop

Certificate of ability n° 750108 for dog training and breeding

Vocational training establishment registered with the Regional Directorate of Labor, Employment and Vocational Training under number: 11 94 08 407 94