We joined dog obedience because we knew Raph was going to be a fairly large dog and we wanted to be in control, not the other way around.
We wanted to to enjoy being with him.

Why Four Paws? Positive Re-inforcement! As a puppy, he was cute and cuddly, a ball of energy, a fast learner and so food orientated. So we used food to teach him what to do at Puppy Kinder and he loved it!

Now that he is bigger, he's still cute and all those other things, especially a ball of energy - thank God he's had training!

He doesn't seem to be so food orientated anymore, now squeaky toys seem to be the go. At Four Paws K9 Training, they always talk about motivating your dog and rewarding with what he wants most, and of course keeping it fun. They also tell us to experiment and change when the motivator is no longer effective - which is good advice.

Mind you, he's not perfect, far from it, especially now he is going through his teenage years, but we know if we stick with it and be consistent (one of the hardest things in the world to do), in the end he will be. He's currently in Intermediate level and Trish tells me it won't be long before he's graded for Advanced.

Then of course, there is the social side of things, not only does Raph get to meet and greet a whole range of other dogs, we as owners, get to meet and socialise with other dog owners, thus giving us common ground.

The trainers are all friendly, helpful and there when you need them. I would recommend them to anyone wanting a friendly, helpful environment in which to train their dog in a positive way.

Raph loves going and so do we!

K & H Keller