Dog Obedience Classes to be offered this Fall

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, September 17, 2012 (Press-News.org) This fall, dog owners will be able to train their dogs with a professional trainer in Basic Dog Obedience classes hosted by Village Pets and Supplies.

The classes will start the first week of October and students will have a choice between a Wednesday evening class or a Saturday morning class. Classes will run for 6 consecutive weeks and students can make up missed classes for up to 6 months into the future.

Matt Miller, a certified dog trainer and owner of Wet Nose Pet Care, will lead the classes. His father was an avid sportsman and trained many of his own dogs and Miller is a graduate of the Animal Behavior College with a lifetime of pet ownership experience.

"I have always loved working (with dogs) and trying to learn new and different techniques, " Miller said. "There are no two dogs alike and every training approach is different for every dog. A big part is to have patience. You might have to show a dog 50 times what you want them to do and as soon as they understand it's an instant bond."

With Basic Obedience class, for dogs 5 months or older, Miller is teaching the essentials. He said he will teach commands such as "sit", "down", "stay", "heel, "come", "leave-it" and will explain to owners how to understand canine behavior and stop bad habits. The best piece of advice he gives the owners is to be consistent and repetitious.

"There are unlimited possibilities," Miller said. "Once learned, the commands are incredible."

Village Pets store owner Mona Dada said this is the first time the store has offered the classes. She said Miller brought the idea to her attention earlier this year and thought it was a good idea to offer the classes for residents who were looking for training. She said Miller is the right trainer for the job because he ran dog programs in New York City and had good results with them.

"He's so nice and well organized," Mona said.

Classes will be held Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and Nov. 6 for Wednesday evenings and Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27, Nov. 3 and 10 for Saturday mornings at Village Pets and Supplies, 1036 Hyde St. All dogs must have up-to-date vaccinations to participate. For more information or to register for a class, stop by Village Pets or call Matt Miller at (415) 746-9672.

Matt Miller is the owner and trainer at Wet Nose Pet Care. He has been professionally involved in the world of dog training for over 5 years and has a dog and cat of his own. His program centers around positive reinforcement, marker signal training and/or hand signals. He does not use choke chains, physical contact or coercive methods. Matt says his goal is to build better relationships from both ends of the leash so that dogs and owners learn quickly and enjoy the training process. For more information, contact Matt at matt@wetnosepetcare.com or (415) 746-9672.