Reliable, effective and FUN.

4 Paws K9 Training

About Me

My Philosophy:

             The three most important aspects of dog training are timing, motivation, and consistency. When pairing all three aspects together, training a dog becomes easy and highly effective.  Good timing with rewards or corrections is the easiest way to communicate with your dog what is acceptable behavior and what is unacceptable behavior. Research has shown that you have 1.3 seconds to tie cause and effect together in order for the dog to learn what you are teaching. Motivation goes hand in hand with timing. Motivation can either be positive or negative. A positive motivator would be using food or a toy to teach a dog what they are doing is correct. Think of it as you giving your dog a paycheck for a job well done. A negative motivator would be some sort of correction, such as a pop on a pinch collar. When using a negative motivator, it is helpful to think about yourself getting a speeding ticket. Say you get pulled over for speeding and you receive a $5 ticket. Not a big deal right? Well then the next time you are running late for work, you won’t think twice about speeding because the negative motivator was not enough to deter you from speeding again. However, if in the same scenario you receive a speeding ticket for $500, I bet you are definitely going to think twice before speeding again. The same thing goes for training dogs. Your corrections and rewards need to be clear cut in order not to confuse your dog. The most important aspect of training a dog is consistency. Consistency is where most people fail at training their dog. Being inconsistent is truly the worst thing you can do in the training process. Your dog doesn’t understand why you yell at it one minute and then ignore the same behavior ten minutes later. This causes a lot of confusion which severely stunts learning. If everyone in your household knows what the rules are and sticks to them consistently, and even if you pay no attention to timing or motivation, your dog will eventually learn what you are trying to teach them.

 

             Every single dog is different from one another. What works for one dog may not work for another. That is why adapting a training program that caters to each individual dog is something I think is very important. Sometimes a pinch collar is too much for a dog to handle, and sometimes a pinch collar is not enough! Whatever type of collar you feel most comfortable using with your dog on a daily basis is the collar I would use for training. Whether that be a regular flat collar, a pinch collar, a Halti (gentle leader), or an electric remote collar, I can help you to communicate with your dog what is expected of them.

 

 Head Trainer- Amy Pawlik

 

             I have always had an interest in working with dogs, and knew I couldn’t handle working at a desk all day long.  My career working with dogs started at the age of 14 when I volunteered at Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge, IL. I continued to volunteer throughout high school until I started working for a doggie daycare and boarding facility. After dealing with so many misbehaved dogs day after day, I just wanted to help them be better dogs.  I spent most of my time watching and observing the dogs’ body language, behaviors, and interactions with one another.  My daycare pen quickly became the pen that other workers threw their “problem” dogs into because I didn’t let them get away with bullying the other dogs around.  I was able to stop fights before they were initiated and the dogs seemed to respect me.  This is when I realized that I wanted to be a trainer.

             After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, I made the best choice in enrolling in the Tom Rose School for Professional Dog Trainers (link to www.tomrose.com). Here is where I learned how to be a trainer in the competitive working dog world. Whether you are interested in having a well behaved pet for your home, or you are looking to compete in AKC obedience, AKC agility, or Schutzhund, I cater to each individual dog so that training is effective, reliable, and fun.

             Attending Tom Rose School was a challenging experience but has proven to be a very rewarding experience. While attending TRS, I spent six months learning all different aspects of canine training, including basic through advanced competition level obedience, Schutzhund, AKC agility, narcotics detection, tracking, personal protection, and puppy imprinting.  As students at TRS we conducted group obedience classes on a weekly basis, as well as held private lessons with clients and their canines to address more specific behavioral issues.

 

Contact: Amy Pawlik

Phone: 708-308-9567

E-mail: Amy@4pawsk9training.com