OBEDIENCE, TRAINING CLASS GIVES INSIGHTS INTO DOG'S LIFE

Sebastian, an 8-month-old St. Bernard puppy, is so rambunctious and energetic that he's almost too much to handle for owner Terri Cagle.

The first week Sebastian attended an obedience class at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, Cagle said she had to leave early. "He was just dragging me around and pulling me down. I had to leave early I was so exhausted," she said.

But with a few more weeks of training, "I can tell a big difference," Cagle said. The dog is much easier to handle on a leash, although he still likes to push against her legs as he walks.

Pet trainer Melanie Coy offers some reassuring advice: The dog will mellow with age -- his hyperactivity now is just par for the course with that breed, she tells Cagle.

Coy is leading an obedience and training class for new dog owners each Thursday on the lawn at the Humane Society. The classes are offered in part as a means of helping new pet owners understand their dogs.

"We want them to know how to handle their dog and make them the socialized pets that people like to be around," Coy said.

For some dogs, the transition is a little harder to make. There are dogs with aggression problems and some that like to be the dominant dog in the group. "We've got a lot of social problems," Coy said.

But those problems don't mean that the dogs can't make exceptional pets. The training and obedience classes are designed so that pet owners can understand how to make their dogs behave and how to deal with behavior problems as they arise.

The classes are intended to help pet owners and the Humane Society at the same time, said Requi Salter. Many pets come to the shelter because owners say they have "behavior problems and really it's not that just a lack of training," she said.

Salter, president of the Humane Society board, also has a dog in the obedience class. Boston, a 6-month-old Doberman pinscher, was adopted from the Humane Society, as were many of the pets in the class.

With training classes and proper skills, maybe the Humane Society can help make better pets and owners, Salter said. "We're hoping to."

About 30 pets and owners are enrolled in the class, which meets for six consecutive weeks. Other classes, including free sessions on puppy training, will be offered by the Humane Society.

Coy explains about the breeds of dog and tells people something about what to expect in their new pet. "Some people have dominant dogs or their just bigger dogs than what they expected them to be," she said.

Brigid and Brian Sample adopted both their pets from the Humane Society, and now both Jack and Gracie are enrolled in the obedience class. It turned out that Jack had a growth spurt that surprised his owners, and he badly needed a companion.

As a young pup, Jack was eating as much as 10 cups of food per day, Brigid Sample said. While she expected to feed her dog and watch him grow, she never expected it to be that quick. Jack also developed separation anxiety and disliked being away from his owners.

Since Gracie's adoption, Jack hasn't been quite so depressed and upset, Sample said.

It's a little more difficult having both enrolled at the same time, but it's also better since the lessons can be reinforced for both, she said. "They've been good, and Jack will do anything for food."

The commands and lessons taught during class are reinforced with treats some pet owners bring bags of store-bought dog treats, others bring cereals or hot dogs as rewards for good behavior. But every dog knows that treats follow.

Jack "likes to show off," Sample said. He's not keen on following orders like stay or heel. But Gracie, his companion, is much better at the routine orders of obedience lessons, her owners say.

Coy tries to teach a command and a trick during each hour-long session. Each dog gets a review of lessons past at the beginning of the session, and a treat or petting for good behavior.

With soft cooing and pat on the head, Coy is quick to tell the dogs just how well-behaved they are being. As she pulls a dog treat from the pocket of her denim shorts, most of the pets quickly follow her hand and perform the command she gives.

"This is just what you'd expect at three weeks," she said. Pet owners have plenty of questions about behavior and getting a dog to follow commands. Coy suggests alternative directions and reassures the owners that the dog will come round.

But sometimes the pets are a little more stubborn than their owners would like them to be. Coy teaches them a trick -- dead dog -- which helps as an "object lesson in submission," she said. The trick is to get the dog to lie down and then bare its belly, as if it were a "dead dog."

Coy usually teaches smaller classes, but said the Humane Society lessons have been fun.

Obedience training classes will begin again July 27. Pet owners who adopt from the Humane Society receive discounted tuition for the course. A free class on puppy training is scheduled for July 31. Both classes will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Humane Society front lawn.

Participants for either class must register by calling the Humane Society at 334-5837.