VERO BEACH — Sit, stay, down, and come sound like simple enough commands, but unfortunately they are not always easy for either dogs or their human companions to master.
As a result, far too many dogs are surrendered to shelters because their owners haven’t taken the time to invest in a little training.
Dogs are social and loving, and want nothing more than to please, but the training process takes patience and the understanding that animals and humans have differing thought processes.
“With dogs it’s all about routines; it’s all about constants,” said Sean Verne, co-owner with wife, Kim Conti, of Pawprints of Vero Beach, who has earned a well-deserved reputation for his skills as a dog trainer with a growing number of residents.
When Moorings residents Sheila and George Marshall adopted a full-grown German shepherd dog, they were on the brink of giving him back after just a few days.
The Marshalls are steadfast supporters of the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County and their pets have all been rescues.
“We got him through a rescue place in Miami; his human got very sick and had to give him up,” said Sheila Marshall.
“We had a German shepherd for five years through the Humane Society, and George was intent on having another. We drove to Miami and picked him up and tried on our own for three days. He’s very strong and basically he was dragging these two old people around the Anchor. It was not OK.”
A sweet, handsome boy of approximately 3 years, Duke’s previous owner had been in and out of the hospital, unable to give him the supervision and training he needed.
Sheila Marshall phoned Cornelia Perez, a fellow Humane Society supporter and passionate dog lover, who referred her to Verne.
“Sean could hear the hysteria in my voice and said I’ll be there tomorrow,” she said. “There was leaping, and barking any time anyone came in the house. And then Sean came in. He talked to us and kept his eyes on us; just doing people interaction,” she said. “He let the dog do some sniffing, but it was calm; it was instant calm. He’s like the dog whisperer!”
Verne explained to the Marshalls that while having the dog react to a doorbell is a good thing, they want him to be controlled, adding, “What he’s lacking right now is direction. He’s going to get acknowledged for the behavior we want him to have. We want to teach him to be polite.”
Practice makes perfect, but the process is often frustrating, especially with a dog like Duke, who by then had his own ideas regarding acceptable behavior.
“Dogs are great at learning things for a specific location, but generalizing the tasks takes a lot of time,” said Verne. “For example, he knows to sit when he wants to get the tennis ball. But when there are people around, he may not know sit. By generalizing it, he will know that sit means sit wherever we are and whatever we are doing.”
And as with children, he said breaks are important because a dog’s attention span is limited.
“If you’re not being consistent it’s not going to last. If you don’t have your dog’s attention, you can’t get them to work,” he says, adding that the overall strategy is – attention, behavior, consequence. “So the dog knows, I’m supposed to pay attention, do the command, and then I’ll get praised. It’s about proving to them that you mean what you say. Duke is a smart dog; you have to try to stay ahead of him.”
Several days each week, Duke now joins between 100 and 120 other dogs at Pawprints where he can get a little extra one-on-one training and can also romp with other dogs, because Verne said with a smile, “A tired dog is a good dog.”
He said training should ideally begin when the dog is four or five months old to create a strong bond and a foundation for advanced training and communication.
“I hear people saying they want to wait until their dog is a year old. But you would never say – I don’t want my child to begin learning until 9th grade. You’re basically losing elementary and junior high. At 2, dogs are essentially adults.”
Pointing out an influx of dogs surrendered to shelters in May or June – just about the time puppies given as presents in December are reaching their teenage years, he said, “Now, they’re stronger, bigger and not obedient to instructions; they’re untrained and end up in shelters.”
But if dog and human can master the five basics– sit, stay, down, come and loose leash walking – chances are the dog will remain in the home.
Two other Moorings residents, Sandra McCaffrey and Kim Wicknertz, have formed a friendship over their dogs being trained by Verne, and now often combine classes.
A Pittsburgh transplant, McCaffrey’s 4-year-old standard poodle Remy began having behavior issues as a result of several major lifestyle changes.
“My problem is that when he’s on a leash he pulls, tugs and gets overexcited. He practically does flips when he sees another dog. A couple of times he’s pulled me down into the street,” said McCaffrey.
“He is wonderful; no doubt about it,” she said of Verne. “He’s very capable and he does run a wonderful operation. Another friend from Pittsburgh is also taking her two standard poodles. All the dogs seem to have a wonderful time and get along out there.
“I don’t know how this dog knows it, but at about 8:30 he starts pacing back and forth; Sean comes at 9:00 and Remy just seems to know. It’s amazing.”
Kim Wicknertz’s 7-year-old daughter Samantha wanted to learn how to teach an old dog – as in their 10-year old golden retriever Truman – new tricks.
“We had him before we had her,” said Wicknertz. “It has resulted in a really good bonding between them. We actually learned things like how to play hide and seek, which I never thought you could do with a dog.”
Truman and Remy are learning to interact appropriately on walks.
“They do great together,” Wicknertz said.
Instruction can be given in individual homes or at the sprawling Pawprints facility near Pointe West, where dogs can frolic in day care, stay for overnight boarding, receive one-on- one training, and go home smelling like a rose after on-site grooming.
“If you come to class for an hour, well that’s great, but it’s the other 23 hours that I am concerned about,” said Verne. “With day-care training, we get those five skills really strong, and then we work on getting them more reliable off leash and other commands.”
