Courteous Canine Helps Dogs Learn to Behave

On a recent Sunday afternoon in an empty hallway of an office building, a group of puppies are learning lessons in delayed gratification.

The first 15 minutes of the Courteous Canine dog training class at Groovy Cats and Dogs, 10213 Lake Carroll Way Suite B, is dedicated to socialization. Puppies of various colors and sizes rub noses, chase each other and play with their owners.

Courteous Canine’s Carrollwood trainer Amy Weeks said that socialization is even more important than having your dog sit on command.

“It’s important that they learn to relax around other dogs and humans,” Weeks said.

When class finally begins, you won’t hear angry shouts of “no” or “bad dog” when the dogs are learning new skills or getting off task. Instead, dogs are rewarded by hearing the sound of a click from a trainer's hand-held device, which implies that they have succeeded at their task, complimented by lots of praise and treats.

Owner of Courteous Canine and chief dog whisperer Angelica Steinker says that the key to behavior modification in animals is training them with positive reinforcement. Petting, walking and food can all be positively reinforcing she said.

At first, Steinker said that people were skeptical of training without force. However, practice makes converts.

“A lot of owners don’t comply with the intimidation and the unpleasant recommendations that the trainer makes,” Steinker said. “The vast majority of people want to be nice to their dogs.”

“All of our training is science-based,” Steinker said. “Science is very clear that positive reinforcement is the most powerful way to change behavior.”

Positive reinforcement rewards good behavior, Weeks said, and ignores the bad. The theory is simple: animals will repeat the behaviors that bring reward.

Steinker’s interest in dog training was prompted when she took her three male Jack Russell terriers for training - a breed that Steinker says is notoriously difficult to train. The forceful method of training that was prevalent at the time didn’t help, she said.

“They would get an attitude,” said Steinker. “I didn’t like what the trainer recommended, and it wasn’t working, so I figured there had to be another way.”

Steinker, who has a master’s degree in mental health counseling, put her research skills to work and started Courteous Canine 10 years ago. Courteous Canine now offers behavior modification and agility classes for dogs of all ages, as a well as a class that prepares dogs for pet therapy in nursing homes.

Cat owners have also been included with training classes now available for felines.

Satisfied clients like Jeanine Parrish, who attends the class with her daughter Maggie, attest to the benefits of positive reinforcement training.

“We would just like a well-behaved dog,” said Parrish. “If they know the rules, you can enjoy them.”

If you would like more information on Courteous Canine‘s classes, visit www.courteouscanine.com, or call 813-949-1465.