Rajani LaRocca watched her almost 2-year-old Havanese dog Boomer trot through the forest at the Old Rifle Range conservation land in Concord during a small group dog training session, smiling when Boomer came right to her when he was called.
“It’s an amazing thing having him trained,” LaRocca said as she rewarded him with a small piece of cheese. “It makes our relationship even better.”
LaRocca is just one of the many area dog owners who have had their pets trained by Judy Bernard of Proper Paws Dog Training in Concord.
With more than 15 years of training experience, Bernard is a certified personal dog trainer, a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, an approved evaluator for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program and AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program and a Therapy Dog International evaluator.
Through private and small-group training sessions, Bernard is able to train dogs in familiar surroundings, which for her is among the most important aspects of dog training.
“A lot of puppies learn better in their own environment,” Bernard said.
Bolton resident Liz Ruark, a veterinarian at VCA Lancaster Animal Hospital , encourages dog owners to train their pets.
“Every puppy needs training in basic commands, including sit, lie down, stay, and most importantly, coming when called,” she said.
Ruark recommends that new dog owners find a qualified dog trainer.
“It will help train you as much as the dog, which is critical,” she said.
Training dogs and their owners
Through training courses with each dog, Bernard is able to teach owners about the importance of socializing their dogs and also about commands that will transform a mischievous pup into a well-behaved family member.
“Once the dog learns how to sit down, stay and come in its own environment, we then take those skills out into the public,” Bernard said. “It’s one thing to learn it in their kitchen but it’s totally different teaching them in public.”
Ruark said dog owners should expect to spend a lot of time training their dogs.
“Don’t expect a trainer to train your dog for you – you’ll be the one spending most of the time with your pup, and your pup will need constant repetition of the commands you expect him/her to know in order to be well trained,” she said.
LaRocca said training Boomer when he was a puppy was the best thing she ever did. During the first couple of weeks LaRocca was training Boomer, she said it felt as though she was taking care of a baby because it took a lot of time and effort to get him to listen and obey her.
“But because of Judy’s amazing support we now have a well behaved dog in our family,” LaRocca said. “[Bernard] makes training fun not just for my dog but for me too. Training doesn’t have to be a chore.”
Bernard is also a skilled dog matchmaker. She strives to make play dates productive by socializing dogs in small groups instead of at dog parks where owners could find dozens of dogs, with all different behaviors and training levels, roaming around.
“Socialization is the most important thing you can do for your puppy,” Bernard said.
Ruark said the earlier a
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