Playdate: Currie Lee, Dog Trainer and Designer

“Her nicknames are Diva, Spa Princess and Ditzy,” Currie Lee giggles, gazing adoringly at the stocky French bulldog before her.

Victoria – her real name – blinks her big droopy eyes in response before plopping haughtily to the floor, legs askew.

We are gathered at Currie’s 798 studio boutique D-SATA.DIVA for her weekly canine behavior training session with Dennis Schenk, a man she calls “Beijing’s dog whisperer.” Joining us for the afternoon are her mother and her pug Celli, as well as her best friend (and founder of locally based e-commerce site Luxbible.com) Miao Lu and her pug Qia.

It would be an understatement to say that the room is in an uproar, a blur of excitable and jumpy canines each vying for their owner’s affections. It quickly becomes clear, though, that Victoria is the dominant one.

I wait for Dennis to step in and correct her behavior, but instead he stares pointedly at Currie.

“Dogs follow a calm and relaxed leader, not a lovable or punishing one,” Dennis reminds her. He tells me: “My class is about managing the handler. It’s easy to train the dog. It’s not easy to train the human.”

Luckily, Currie has been taking classes with him for over two years, in between building up her eco-luxe bag brand. D-SATA, which had its humble beginnings in Nali Patio, now regularly lands spreads in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

She outlines the varying skills the two activities require of her: “When I’m designing, I don’t pay attention to anything anyone says to me. It’s all based on instinct.

“But when I’m training Victoria, I’m constantly following rules. My instinct is to cuddle her, but I have to remember that’s not the way she communicates.”

The lessons Currie has picked up in dog training are applicable to her work life as well.

“I’ve learned to be more patient, which makes me a better manager,” she says. “With dogs, when you get angry, they think you’re being unreasonable. When you’re being firm, rational and consistent, then they’ll listen.”

Suddenly, a sharp bark interrupts our conversation. The culprit, of course, is Victoria. Tongue lolling, she seems to be yapping her agreement.

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