Trumbull Trainer Engineers Good Dog Behavior, Offers a Free Hour of Training

A family and their dog is a classic photo of Americana, but how many of us are truly ready to own a dog?

Boris Katzenberg of Behave Dog Training, LLC of Trumbull wants to make sure, with his help, that the number of people that are ready is on the increase.

Katzenberg is working with local shelters in Connecticut to donate his time to them and to offer one free hour of help to people who adopt a dog from a shelter.

Katzenberg has been working with dogs for 20 years, but he is only in his second year being a professional trainer.

“Most of that have been my dogs, my friends’ dogs, friends of friends, etc.,” Katzenberg said. “But I never charged for it until a few years ago.”

Dogs were merely a sideline for Katzenberg as most of his time was spent as a vice president of engineering for a high-tech company.   Then, 2 1/2 years ago, he was laid off from that job and was left wondering what he would do next.

The answer came quickly and easily as he felt it was the right time to turn his sideline passion into a business. The first thing he wanted to do was give back to Trumbull, the town that he and his wife called home.

“I decided to pursue what I really enjoyed, which was working with the dogs,” Katzenberg said. “When I started working with dogs, I looked around where I could participate and help dogs, since I had the time now, and the very first place we looked was the Trumbull Shelter.”

It was not long before Katzenberg realized why so many dogs were coming back to the shelters.

“I very quickly realized that, at least half the time, regardless of what I, or anyone else, do at the shelter, the minute the dog leaves the shelter and goes home with the new people, the dog starts from scratch,” he said.

Katzenberg knew that “from scratch” would not be what people would be expecting.

“Many people who adopt are not experienced dog owners and think that the dogs should come with all the education intact from birth and the dog should be housebroken because it’s older. They think the dog should not be aggressive and that it knows how to behave instinctively," the trainer said.

"When they take these dogs from the shelter, the first few weeks, everything is fine. Then the dog becomes used to it and then becomes his or herself,” he added.

Katzenberg found that this was time that the families would either do what was needed to train and keep the dog or return it to the shelter having no idea what to do.

He thought that if he could help the dog and the people get to know each other and help the people realize what they were in for with the dog and help them with trouble spots right away, more dogs would stay with their new families.

Katzenberg knew that if he could help them then, he could give continuity to the dog, and peace of mind to the owners.

Katzenberg has his own experience in owning a dog from a shelter.  Finn, his noble pet poodle, sporting his goatee and Mohawk, was a shelter dog.

“He came to us three years ago with severe anxiety issues. He had a problem where he could not be let off the leash and would bolt the minute he got scared. He was so bad that it took me eight months to get him to the point that he gave clear eye contact.

"Today I trust him completely. I can put him with a 1-year-old and have zero worries about the dog,” Katzenberg said.

Katzenberg shared a final thought:

“Bringing a dog into the home is a big decision, it’s an important decision. We are taking a thinking, feeling sentient being into our home. The dogs are not toys, and they are not unfeeling animals.

"They have emotions and feelings, and making the decision to bring them into our home has to be a serious one. There should be more thought into the decision than asking our kid what he wants for the holidays.

"We should think of the needs of our family and decide whether or not that having a dog will bring more chaos into the family or not. We should also know that there will be stumbling points along the way, and that this is part of the process.

"If they need help, there are resources out there and the can find help and are not alone. I am only one source, but there are others.  If they make the right decision, an informed decision, they will a long and wonderful life with their pet.”

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