| It's All about the Dogs
Park Cities Obedience School has a staff with over 75 years of combined experience. They take aggressive dogs and calm them down; they take shy, frightened dogs and socialize them. Problem behaviors are curbed and then eliminated, and good dogs behave even better after training at the school.
And it all started completely by accident, because one man didn't like the way someone else treated his dog.
Phil Marr, the owner of Park Cities Obedience School, got involved with training in the early 1960's because he wanted to train his Doberman, and didn't like the harsh classes he attended. Using his education in psychology and behavior modification, he began training dogs, and decided that doing so would help him pay his way through college. He liked it so much, he never stopped and he founded his own training school in 1969.
I didn't think I'd be doing this for all these years, says Phil.
He received a B.A. in Psychology/Behavior Modification from the University of Houston, where he studied Animal Behavior. He took classes, clinics and seminars on dog training and animal behavior and read everything he could. The result was the development of a positive, even-handed approach to dog training that works, whether he's training a well-behaved dog or a problem pet.
It is an approach all the trainers at Park Cities Obedience School, including Phil, Nancy Pantusa, Deirdre Samples-Marr, and Trevor Endtrict use with great results. They also all look out, first and foremost, for the best interests of the dogs in their care.
Dogs are special because they have a natural love for us, they bond so easily with people, Phil says. They depend on you for so much, but they give you so much back. They make great companions, and they love you with no strings attached. Even dogs that are half-afraid of their owners still love them. They love people no matter what situation they're in.
That unconditional love is all the more reason to make sure that your dog is well-trained, and gets lots of attention, exercise and praise. If that's not possible, it may be appropriate to reconsider dog ownership.
Some people have such busy lifestyles that they never, ever have time for the dog, Phil says. They probably shouldn't own one and we wouldn't hesitate to tell them that. Other people are just too permissive, they let their dogs do anything and get away with it. When we see a bad match between an owner and a dog, for whatever reason, we don't see that as an opportunity to make more money. We talk to the client and let them know that maybe this isn't the pet for them. Maybe they should get a cat!
All the people who train at Park Cities Obedience School have the same attitude toward dogs, and many years of experience working with them. And like Phil, they all believe that dogs are exceptional animals.
To enroll your dog in training classes, or to board your dog or arrange for day care, call Park Cities Obedience School at 214-369-7267 or email pcoschool@sbcglobal.net.
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