Sit Stay

We graduated...again! Mitch and I have gone through about 5 training classes with Barb Clish and Mary Keeffe through the Community Park District of La Grange Park.

It's not that he doesn't get it - he gets it perfectly and loves to go to class - it is the dog owner, the human, who needs refreshing. Plus it is fun.

I got Mitch from the Lakeshore Humane Society in Manitowoc WI about 5 years ago. When I saw his photo posted on their website, I knew he was the dog for me. He is an English Shepherd. While my kids were growing up, I had an English Shepherd puppy who lived to be 12 years old, so since I had a history with the breed, the shelter was only too happy to let me adopt him. At the time, we had another dog - Sara Alice aka Weenie - who was a loveable, squirrley little white dog. My daughter and I drove up to Wisconsin with Weenie to meet our new addition.

We soon discovered that Mitch did not know how to behave on a leash, in fact, we were doubtful that he had ever walked at all - the pads of his feet were like a baby's skin they were so soft. Since I walk through the neighborhood, and love to have a dog companion, it was paramount that my dog would be able to walk with me - sensibly and with some decorum.

Upon observing totally uncouth behavior, like lunging at kids on bikes, yanking me along (who was walking whom?), one of my fellow dog owners gently recommended dog training through the park district.

Of course, having been a dog owner almost my whole life, I figured I could do this myself. I was wrong.

We enrolled - Mitch and I. At the first class, Barb brought her partner, Millie, a beautiful Golden Retriever. Barb is a sergeant on the Brookfield Zoo police force and a training expert. Mary also has extensive training and experience with dogs. She told us that by the end of the class, each of our dogs would in fact sit and stay even though a chicken would walk in front of them.

We chortled, we gasped - there was a chicken sitting on Millie's back! Wow, I thought - if only......

The eight week session starts with the basics: having your dog sit and stay while you back away and eventually all of the owners go out of the room and the dogs all stay at their spots. We are continually amazed - how - and WHY - do they do it? The actually obey and it is a sight to see.

After going through a basic class, you and your dog can go onto Advanced Training. In the Advanced class, we do rallies, obstacle courses, and have an array of animals introduced to our dogs. In the class that recently ended, there were 8 teams - two Portuguese Water Dogs, a Shztzu, two Goldens, a Border Collie mix, a black Lab and Mitch and their humans.

Dog training is offered through our park district in fall and spring with the possibility of a summer class coming up. The cost is $100 for residents. Each class is an hour long and is jam-packed with activities for you and your dog to continue in your everyday life - as Barb is fond of saying, "It is human training, not dog training." The dogs love to work in this environment, are excited to see their friends and are ecstatic that they are being praised. The dogs love Barb and Mary - both women have to greet each dog individually as they come in.

Just last week, Mitch and I walked across the street to meet a new puppy. Mitch was pulling at his leash, wanting to play with the puppy. I told him to 'sit stay' - he did - and I went to greet the puppy and Mitch sat there till I told him he could come. It works - !