NOTICE - No classes are scheduled at this time. If you have any questions contact Anita Schrodt.

You can develop a better, more positive relationship with your pup or dog if your dog has a job to do – pleasing you – and has fun doing it. Training can build a bond between you and your dog, and you don’t need to jerk and pull, or use choke chains.

Interested? Then you’ll want to visit with Shirley. She lives and works less than an hour east of Des Moines, Iowa.

Originally from Iowa City, Shirley has been training dogs since 1982 and started using clicker training in 1992. Clicker training is based on the principles of operant conditioning and uses positive reinforcement to help the dog learn behaviors.

Shirley also specializes in analyzing dog behavior and correcting problem behaviors, using customized approaches based on the specific dog. She has owned German Shepherds, Belgian Tervuren, Belgian Sheepdogs and Borzoi. She has rescued and re-homed over 60 dogs of many breeds.

Click, Click!

The clicker – or any other distinctive sound, even a word – is used to precisely mark when a dog does something right. It’s followed by a reward, which may be food, a favorite toy, or lots of hugs and pets. The clicker is a TRAINING tool. Once the dog has learned the behavior (e.g., sit), the clicker is not needed.

Training with a clicker doesn't mean that the owner can't expect the dog to abide by the house rules. It means you teach most of the rules with positive reinforcement (rewards) before using some type of punishment. And if you do a good job of training, you rarely will have to resort to punishment. Dogs trained by any method can be well behaved and a joy to have around!

The clicker makes it easy to catch all the things that dogs do right--including all the really cute things that are so appealing!

Dogs have fun with clicker training – because they know exactly when they’re doing something right, and they know something VERY good (or yummy) comes after that click.

Classes focus on training with positive reinforcement, and are limited to 8 dogs allow for ample individual attention.

Group classes are offered for:

• Puppy Kindergarten
• Household Manners (basic obedience)
• Beginning Agility

To get more information or register for a class e-mail Anita Schrodt, Event Coordinator.