Dog training center has new home; care now available – Salisbury Post

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Theresa Pitner and Bessie pose in front of one of the cutouts in downtown Salisbury. – Karen Kistler

A distraction class was recently held in Bell Tower Green. Theresa Pitner, trainer, center right, led the class. — Submitted photo, Sue McHugh – Public Relations

Trained dog walker Wendy Long goes for a walk with Bruno. – Submitted photo

Pictured with owner and dog trainer Theresa Pitner, far right, are groomers Angelina Araujo, left, Nicole Casper, in the back, and Charlie. – Submitted photo

Nellie Mae, left, and Gus greet each other during puppy class. — Submitted by Sue McHugh – public relations with Understanding Your Dog, LLC

The distraction class walks in a pack through Bell Tower Green. — Submitted photo, Sue McHugh – Public Relations

Theresa Pitner and Bessie stand at the sign at the training center on S. Fulton St., — Karen Kistler

Chloe looks up and poses for the camera during puppy class. – Submitted photo

SALISBURY – Finding her talent and being naturally good at what she does is what Theresa Pitner said started her career as a certified dog trainer.

Training dogs for fun for the people she worked with is something Pitner says she has done since the 1990s. It was also during this time that she did a lot of fostering and volunteer work for rescues and shelters, helping people select their dogs, home visits, walking, rehabilitating and adopting.

After years of doing what she loved on a volunteer basis, Pitner started training dogs professionally in 2017. In November 2019, she left the hospice and “was just full-on dog training,” she said, with a training center at East Council. Street.

Over the past year, Pitner, owner of Understanding Your Dog, LLC and certified dog trainer, has experienced several new things in her career, one of which is moving to a new location in October 2023 and the second of which is starting her own grooming business within the facility. .

The dog training center is located at 1325 S. Fulton St., Salisbury, which, before it was completely renovated, was the home of the late Vanda Crowell, who was well known in the neighborhood, Pitner said, having taught children the violin and piano. lessons.

Pitner said her landlords bought it and completely changed it from a four-bedroom house to what it is today.

Several customers stopped by and said they had been to that house before as one of Crowell’s music students.

Opening her own care facility is something she always wanted to do, Pitner said, and in February it became a reality. She employs two part-time groomers, Nicole Casper and Angelina Araujo, and what she likes about it is, “It’s different from all the other groomers because it’s a gentle groomer.”

As for what this type of care looks like, Pitner said it’s a quiet atmosphere, without crates and with only one dog per appointment. The dogs are stress-free when groomed, as she said the “groomers take their time and pay attention to any stress the dogs may exhibit and make the grooming experience a positive one.”

Referrals come in to Pitner and she passes them on to the groomers, who make the calls, talk to the clients and make the appointments.

In the house there is a main training room, which is large enough to hold her large lessons. And if there are any dogs that become stressed, she said, there are additional rooms they can go to and still be trained but kept separated.

Pitner’s dog, Bessie, an eight-year-old beagle-chow mix rescue she got last year, helps with lessons.

“If we have a dog that’s a little iffy around other dogs, she’s a very neutral dog,” Pitner said, and “so she kind of hangs out here.”

In the main training area and the adjoining room, the walls are decorated with cutouts of various buildings in the center of Salisbury, which local artist Clyde had created for a play at the Meroney Theater and was able to obtain. She had them at her previous Council Street centre, took them with her and placed them on the walls of her new location. So the dogs they train can, in a sense, “walk around town.”

At Understanding Your Dog, LLC, Pitner offers a variety of services, but emphasized that her motto is “I train you how to train your dog,” which is why it is one-on-one training and not people dropping off their dogs .

“Probably 96 percent of the training is people,” Pitner said. “In most cases it is not the dog, but the person.”

And while she said dogs get stressed, it’s a response to the leash, not being aggressive, but being stressed.

That’s why she teaches one-on-one dog training and group socialization classes, which she offers monthly.

She also offers professional dog walking services as she has a trained dog walker, Wendy Long, who can come and walk people’s dogs whether they are at work or at other times,” Pitner said.

They don’t do dog sitting or dog daycare unless it’s puppy school; However, they cannot offer the puppy school at this time because the trainer cannot be there at this time, she noted.

Workshops are offered for specific matters, such as a trick workshop. During this time, Tracy Crotts, an AKC trick trainer, will teach a Trick & Treat workshop at the S. Fulton Street location on November 9 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The costs are €85 and interested parties can register via www.TheresaDogNC.com.

Pitner said Crotts has worked with her since day one.

Additional services include off-leash dog time, teaching puppy boundaries, house manners and anything else Pitner said she thinks people need.

There are also seminars, which are free, and cover different topics such as older dogs or puppies, which she noted are now popular with people getting puppies for Christmas or other dog issues that people want to know about. Seminars are for people only without the dogs.

Distraction classes are also offered, where they walk in a pack and visit different places, including parks or the nearby cemetery, which Pitner said is an area with a lot of distractions due to the squirrel scents, but the number of cars and people is fewer.

The dogs are taken to different areas where the distractions are different, but there is no agenda for this lesson and there could be more ‘reorientation’ such as avoiding jumping and biting. It really depends on the dogs,” she said.

Although Pitner said she doesn’t train dogs to become service dogs, she does prepare them to be trained to become one.

For example, she said that if someone has a disability and their dog needs to be trained to help, she will first get to know the dog to see if he or she needs help with manners and assistance with that aspect, and that he or she will prepare for that.

The training Pitner does is through the AKC Canine Good Citizen Class, a six-week class through the American Kennel Society, she said.

“They come and I prepare them for a therapy dog ​​test,” she said. “I don’t test, but I send them to Concord to get tested.

However, she did add that she is taking online classes to become a service dog trainer and would like to use her knowledge to “take it a step further” and train the dog to walk with a wheelchair rather than actually teaching the dog to pick up things. , she said.

When selecting a dog, Pitner noted several important factors, including not buying a puppy for Christmas Day because it is very stressful for a dog to have all that excitement. She said it’s better to do it before or after.

It is also important that everyone in the household attends a training course at least once to learn how to work with the dog.

Having the dog spayed or neutered is another factor she passed on.

Selecting the right breed is another crucial factor. She said: “One of the biggest mistakes people make is buying a dog and not understanding its needs.”

She explained that some want a puppy because it’s cute, or they want to be rescued to save it from its environment, and end up going for the emotion instead of choosing the right breed for their specific situation.

“I can train any dog,” Pitner said, “it just depends on where the person wants to start,” which is huge, she added.

Although people who are not certified can call themselves dog trainers, Pitner said what makes her different is that she has gone through the Animal Behavior College Dog Trainer Certification Program, where she is certified. In addition, she attended the Council of Professional Dog Training – Knowledge Accessed, an actual school, she said.

Both require continuing education, something she emphasizes is important and how she stays on top of how to do things.

“I probably do in-services every three to four months,” she said. “You need to take continuing education to stay up to date with the latest training techniques.”

With the letters ABCDT after her name, she said you’re guaranteed to be registered that way and that you “don’t use aversive typing training.” I do not use electric collars. I don’t use prong collars. I don’t force a dog to do anything. We use positive reinforcement. I wait and then I reward, and that’s how I train.”

For more information about Understanding Your Dog, LLC, visit www.TheresaDogNC.com or to sign up for dog walking, grooming or other services, call 704-754-2536