Classes
The first session is
either on a Monday or a Tuesday evening from 7:00 p.m. to
approximately 10:00, without the dog. You may bring
family members, but children should be 13 years old or older.
This orientation is Pat's 40 years of experience of living and
working with and showing her own dogs and educating others through
classes, house calls and custom training. You will immediately
be given “quick fixes” for some of the more common problems such as
overbarking, mouthing, biting, crate training, etc. You will
also receive a booklet that will review Pat's suggestions, and it
will contain some pertinent articles from other sources. This
class is to familiarize you with the philosophies and methods that
will be used in the classes. You will be taught how to teach
your dog the basic exercises: to sit, to lie down, to
stand, and to stay in each of these positions; to heel, to “let's
go” without pulling ahead or lagging behind, not to jump and the
most important command of all, to COME when called. In
teaching the dog to do as told, he learns to please and ultimately,
he gets more privileges. It additionally gives you the ability
to communicate with him more effectively.
The next four sessions
are on the same night as the orientation, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30
p.m. Occasionally, there is a second class from 8:00 to 9:30
p.m. There are usually only 7 or 8 dogs and handlers in each
group. Pat personally does the instructing (no substitutes or
associates), and she will demonstrate using her own dogs so you can
see what the goal of each exercise is for that week. Each
week, the exercises are build upon; dogs learn the same way that
humans do: an explanation of what is desired, repetition of
the act and praise when the behavior is achieved. It is very
satisfying to see your dog do as he is bid wherever he is and no
matter what distractions there may be, for example, telling him to
“down and stay” while waiting his turn at the veterinary clinic
despite the fact that there may be many other dogs there, or to
“stand for examination” while the vet examines him. Or, to
ignore other dogs while walking in the park with you, or not
objecting to being brushed. There are so many benefits of
having a trained dog.
At the fifth and last
class, there's a review and a question and answer session, there is
no test. You will receive a Certificate of Attendance, and
each dog will be given a real “doggie bag,” with dog goodies in it,
as Pat acknowledges and congratulates each dog in her own
special way (a kiss, if possible). You are encouraged to
call her if your dog develops any undesirable behaviors in the
future-you can feel free to call her for any other dog information
since throughout the years with her dogs, she has faced many health
problems and other dog situations as well.
For additional
information, please telephone 302-731-8330 or 302-838-0388.
