AREA DOGS GO TO SCHOOL

Every Tuesday night Mike Pind's neighbors are treated to a dog show.

That's when Pind teaches an advanced obedience class in the cul-de-sac in front of his home at 11 Rivercrest Drive.

The neighbors gather around to watch the dogs do "figure eights" around each other and perform "heel drills" around a circle.

"We usually get quite an audience around here," Pind said.

During his 21 years of training dogs, Pind has developed a theory about them: They are a lot like people and they need to be taught in order to behave.

"Dogs are not magical, mystical beasts that will be good automatically," Pind said. "They really have to be trained to behave."

Pind believes a dog is no different than a 2-year-old child. "My opinion is that dogs are creatures of habit and they need attention and guiding just like children."

Pind began training dogs professionally in Texas in 1973. Up until six years ago he had his own kennel in Houston, but he returned to his family in Cape Girardeau when his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Although he works full time at Chrisman Art Gallery, he still trains dogs in his spare time. Nearly every night you can find Pind working with at least one dog in his front yard.

Pind begins by teaching the basics -- to sit, stay, come, heel and lay. He considers these to be the foundation of all dog training. From there you can move on to teach drug dogs, guard dogs or show dogs. He specializes in training retrievers, dogs used by hunters.

It usually takes four to six weeks to train a dog, but older dogs might take longer because they are set in their ways. Pind recommends sending the dogs to obedience school when they are puppies, usually 5 to 8 months old.

"The biggest reason people get rid of dogs is because they are not well behaved, said Pind. "But all dogs can be trained; it just takes patience and time. The Lord made these dogs for one reason: to have fun with."

Years ago trainers took the dogs, trained them, and sent them back to their owners. After a while the owners would return and complain that the dogs wouldn't listen to them. So now, most trainers instruct both the dog and its owner.

"I teach the people along with the dogs," Pind said. "It's up to them to work with them on their own. All it takes is 15 minutes a day. Training dogs is all about dominance, subordination and repetition. It requires petting and praising and also getting on to them."

Because some dogs, like people, are a little more advanced than others, Pind offers both basic and advanced training for the canines. In these classes he teaches the animals to do tricks like jumping through hoops and crawling through tunnels.

Pind started training dogs with Joe Schomer of Texas, a man Pind calls, "the top of professional field training." The two used to travel from Canada to Florida performing with 25 dogs. He finished in the Grand National competition of the Hunting Retriever Club, and he has even trained celebrity dogs.

When he moved to Cape Girardeau, friends and family members recommended Pind as a first-rate dog trainer. Eventually, through these word-of-mouth recommendations, he established a little business in his front yard.

The most popular breeds that people bring to him are labradors, golden retrievers and poodles. Most of them are family pets, but he still trains a few hunting dogs and even one dog, Beta, who competes in Frisbee disk competitions.

Beta's owner, Melinda Dodd, tells everyone that Beta is in graduate school for dogs. "Mike has really been great for her," Dodd said. "He's great with all these dogs."

Pind contributes his success with the animals to his love for them.

"I love dogs. I have a healthy respect for them," Pind said. "I don't prefer any one particular breed over another; there are good dogs and bad dogs in all breeds."

Oddly enough, Pind has no dogs of his own. But he does have two cats. "You can't train cats; they do what they want to do."

In the future Pind would like to work with dogs for people with disabilities. "Because my wife, Jan, has multiple sclerosis, I've really become interested in this aspect of dog training," he said. "I know of dogs that help people get up out of bed and then go fetch them things."

Some of his love for dogs has rubbed off on his 9-year-old daughter, Carly. She helps him train the dogs, and she eventually wants to be a veterinarian.

Pind also teaches twice a year at Skyview Animal Clinic, 855 S. Kingshighway.

A-1 Dog Grooming & Boarding Kennels, 1830 Bloomfield Road, also offers obedience classes. The next class, called "AKC Novice," begins Aug. 1. The training sessions also involve both pet and owner and will be held at 6 p.m. Mondays for eight weeks.