Board And Train -- Academy Of Canine Behavior Teaches The Abcs Of Respect

"Ten years ago something like this would have been a bust," says Colleen McDaniel of Academy of Canine Behavior in Bothell, where a board-and-train program has become its premier staple.

McDaniel, who along with her husband, Jack, owns and operates the facility, believes this is simply a sign of the times.

"Many people don't have time to train their dogs. They love 'em and want 'em, but they quickly realize they must take control or else the dog will be running the house."

The academy, which attracts clients primarily from this state, receives some from far and wide. One finished dog recently was returned by Colleen McDaniel to its Beverly Hills residence. Another went to Japan.

Fear, shyness, digging, barking, aggressiveness, and household destruction are just a few of the problems for which owners seek out the academy's help.

"Obedience classes are OK," says Jack McDaniel, "but in today's busy world, many people don't have the time to commit themselves to one night a week, plus the follow-up reinforcement exercises 15 to 30 minutes daily. Sometimes there's a lack of consistency once you get outside the training room."

Obedience classes tend to be "too rigid," he adds. "Too many obedience instructors teach obedience as an end product. Our objective is to produce a dog that will be well-mannered in all confrontational or challenging situations from the time it gets up each morning until it retires at night."

Jack McDaniel painted an analogy. "When your car breaks down, you don't have to be a mechanic to fix it. Most of us take it to someone qualified to repair it. You don't have to be a a dog trainer to own a dog, but you need to take it to someone who knows and understands dogs and someone whose training techniques you feel comfortable with."

The academy, Colleen McDaniel emphasizes, does not train by method but by philosophy. Right now it is averaging 60 dogs monthly in the board-and-train program, which costs $620 monthly.

"We can usually complete a dog's training within a month," adds Jack McDaniel. "Less than 1 percent take longer."

For those with problem dogs, the academy offers a free evaluation, which produces a complete profile within an hour. Fifty percent of those go home with some training advice from an academy instructor, while others end up in board and train. Half have previously been enrolled in an obedience class elsewhere.

In the board-and-train regimen, several trainers work each animal. "This is an important part of our success," says Colleen McDaniel. "The dog learns to respect several individuals, not just one. It's asked to do the same in most households." (The facility has eight trainers and four kennel employees.) You are involved, too. One-hour visits on the second and third weekends are designed for you to work with your dog in the presence of a trainer and to learn more about canine behavior. The entire family is encouraged to attend these lessons, making the transfer back to your home easier and ensuring a command consistency.

"We do not treat symptoms," says Jack. "Ninety percent of all the problems we see simply is a lack of respect of authority. Authority is something you earn by gaining the dog's respect."

Occasionally, the academy will take a puppy for board-and-train but most of the four-legged students are in the canine world's terrible teens - animals aged 6 months to 1 year old.

Midlife crisis affects dogs, too. Suddenly 5- to 7-year-olds will begin exhibiting erratic or destructive behavior, leaving the owner frantic.

The training accent is on positive reinforcement rather than punishment. "We communicate with your dog in a way it can understand and in a way you can easily learn yourself. Training it to control its own energy and exhibit satisfactory house manners is the key," says Colleen McDaniel.

Board-and-train begins in a relaxed mode for the dog. Keep in mind, it's in a foreign environment and doesn't know why it's here. Early socialization includes taking the dog to the office area, where there is a constant flow of traffic, to the trainers' room, or walking it about the grounds.

Basic commands include no pull, heel, sit, down stay, wait, off, leave it, quiet, no. As Fido progresses through training and commands are reinforced, its memory shifts from short to long term, says Jack McDaniel. "Here we're putting the responsibility on the dog, rather than the owner," he explains.

And, oh, yes, the board-and-train program has a documented 99.5 percent success ratio. Free pamphlets

Ferrets can catch the flu. Open-mouth breathing in snakes can signal certain illnesses. Is your pet bird sick if it suffers a loss of appetite? These are just a few of the practical issues addressed in a new series of free pamphlets available from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University.

Erik Stauber, a professor in the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, and his staff have written the series which covers the care of ferrets, birds, snakes and lizards. Soon to come are guides for turtles, guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters.

"Small exotic pets often receive some of the most inadequate care of all the animals man keeps," says Stauber. "They are literally loved or neglected to death, especially the furry ones."

The free pamphlets can be obtained by mailing a self-addressed, stamped business envelope to Exotic Pet Pamphlets, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7010.

-- Mail information regarding dog events to Classified Division, attn. Marilyn Fairbanks, Dog Events, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. Include a public phone-contact number.