Create a Happy Eager and Fun Relationship with your Dog!

Dee Ganley and Nancy Lyon have created a training manual that highlights their dog training philosophy.

The dedication, written by Nancy, appears in the front of the manual:

"Dedication

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

Dee and I are two of those "kind" of people who find joy and solace being with dogs. We are happiest in their company and proud to have earned their trust.  We have experienced the deeply civilized "conversations" that happen between well trained dogs and their handlers. We know that we are better people - more just, more open-minded, much kinder and certainly happier - because of the friendship of our dog partners. More...

 “Fear to Joy”  is a manual that helps you use techniques to help shy and or reactive dogs feel more comfortable in new situations.  Using socialization, desensitization techniques for nervous dogs to gain confidence with people and other animals.  Addressing the importance of being confident and calm.

Teaching Self-Control to Shelter Dogs
by staff and volunteers

Our use of reinforcement and time outs to teach self-control in every part of the shelter dog's life with us is central to our success.  To learn the dog must be able to think and to think requires self-control.

What is the opposite of self-control?  OUT-OF-CONTROL!!!  Being out-of-control is what sends almost all our shelter dogs to us.  Obedience behavior by itself doesn't teach self-control.  We start with the absolute basics.  We use what the dog wants and show him how to "manipulate" us to get it.