Turning Clients into Better Pet Owners

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Just Dogs Academy has a goal of making all of its clients into better pet owners, by showing them how to interact with their dog and teaching their dogs skills for obedience and bonding.

Director of Training, June Guido bases much of her training philosophy on the fact that dogs are essentially pack animals. People and dogs have lived and worked together since early civilization. One of the reasons this has worked so well is because in the family unit dogs look to the pack leader (owner) for direction and companionship. By teaching owners how to be pack leaders and dogs how to be pack members, dogs can become well-adjusted members of the owner’s family unit – and well-behaved in the presence of other dogs.

June’s approach, perfected over her forty years working with dogs and owners, relies on behavior modification through operant conditioning. These principles she incorporates in her training show owners how to replace undesirable behaviors with more desirable ones through positive or negative reinforcement. Owners will learn the various techniques to use and get the opportunity to practice them both in class and at home in between classes.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Through the five or six-week courses, owners will be taught how to establish and reinforce good habits. Consistency and repetition are key, and if owners practice what they’ve learned with their dogs, they will see positive results. Some of the specific skills participants will learn include:

  • Walking on a leash

  • Sit, stay and lay down commands

  • How to keep your dog off of the furniture and you

  • Stand, wait and come commands

  • More effective ways to correct behaviors and praise your dog

  • Handling your dog’s reactions to strangers and other dogs

  • The best options for engaging your dog in play

You’ll get handout material to keep for future reference, and we will be available to provide feedback and answer questions as you progress through the classes. If you have two dogs in your home that both take the course, you’ll get a 10% discount off the cost for the second dog.

New five-week courses and additional seminars on specific topics such as housebreaking, becoming a companion dog and others may be added based on interest and demand.