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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1995-04-19, Page 13Canine- classes Dog obedience school enriches relationships between dog owners and pets By Chris Skalkos T -A Staff • EXETER - With a clear and bold voice, Kate Fletcher gives the command "STAY!" and walks away from her dog. The dog doesn't move. Without saying a word, and at a distance, Fletcher raises her cupped hand upward, the dog sits immediately. Again Fletcher makes another hand gesture and the dog lies down. She then gives the silent command to come. The dog re- sponds and is rewarded with a treat and vocal praising. Fletcher then turns toward the group of students in her Inter- mediate obedience class and an- nounces: "This is what you will be able to do with your dog within ten weeks." Welcome to Kate Fletcher's Dog Obedience School. Enrolling your dog into canine classes seems to be gaining pop- ularity in Exeter. What started out as one basic dog obedience class, has turned into a three level pro- gram with a full fledged dog show scheduled on July 22. Working out of the Recreatiqn Centre in Exeter, Fletcher is the head instructor of the South Huron Dog Obedience School. With the help of assistant Fran Johnson, Fletcher conducts three classes a week offering beginner courses, in- termediate courses and an advanced confirmation handling course de- signed to prepare C.K.G. registered dogs for Canadian Championships. Fletcher has been conducting dog obedience classes in Seaforth, Goderich and Bayfield before com- Jing to Exeter and after teaching 350 dogs over the last two years Fletcher is still amazed by the re- lationships she sees building be- tween dog own- ers and their pets. "As people become more and more in- volved with the dog obedience 'sehoof they real- ly start to de- velop a love for their dogs." says Fletcher. After a few weeks into the school, Fletcher says that dog owners begin to change their at- titude towards their pet. When they first come for a lot of people it's just a dog. This is the dog that gets under their feet, this is the dog that likes chewing on the shoes and I'm coming because the dog around," Fletcher says. "To them it's about a person and the dog, but after the fifth week there's a bond that starts to develop and you start to see the owner walk in with a sense of pride. The pet stops being 'just the dog' and a real relationship starts to build between them; you can see it develop as the class progresses." Fletcher credits most of her suc- cess to the unique approach she adopts in her obedience schools. "A number of instructors tend to make their class very formal and it becomes uncomfortable for both the owners and the dogs. Some in- structors yell at the owners making them feel that their stupid; but I want to make it fun for the owner and I want to make it really fun for the dog," says Fletcher. Assistant Fran Johnson adds that the training, more than often, be- gins with the owners. "As much as we train the dog we also train the owners," says John- son. "There are a lot of little things that people do to make their dogs misbehave and they don't realize it," she says. According to class, Fletcher prefers to use positive re- inforcements such as food rewards and strong vocal praising. For Fletcher, the schooling doesn't end after class is over. she likes to foster a strong social at- mosphere by tak- ing the owners out for coffee af- terwards. "The dogs sit in the cars and wait for us and that's unusual because before obedience school you would never dream about leaving your dog alone in the car," she says. Although she offers advanced courses for those who wish to com- pete in dog shows, Fletcher says that most of the owners who enroll in her school simply want to enjoy their pets and stop them from being a nuisance. "I find that a number of people come to me and say 'I want my dogs to come to me when I call them.' When their dogs come when called they're not chasing after them yelling and screaming, the dog stops chewing things and all of a sudden the dog becomes a wel- come member of the family instead of being a nuisance." Fletcher recalls how one dog owner preferred to go to dog obedi- ence school rather than hanging out with his buddies. "He was really enjoying his dog as he developed a strong bond be- tween himself and his best friend," says Fletcher. According to Fletcher, the main goal behind the dog obedience school is to create responsible dog owners and give the owners a sense of satisfaction by allowing them to enjoy their dogs instead of con- stantly trying to control them. "It's really the simple things that make the concept of dog ownership a much more enjoyable experience and it can completely change your outlook towards dogs," says Fletch- er. "The relationship that builds be- tween the dogs and their owners is just incredible. "As much as we train the dog, we also train the owners" drags me to Fletcher, the as- sumption that mixed breeds are not as easy to work with as the purebreds is a mis- conception. Every different breed has its own way of thinking and its own way of learning so you have to train them in- dividually. Fletcher says that the command "NO!" is mis- used often confusing the dog. Kate Fletcher rewards her bull terrier Roz with a treat and vo- cal praising for completing a series of commands. 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