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Fido giving you grief? Call Bark Busters |
Local trainer offers dog obedience and owner
training services through Australian company |
By David
Sale, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail David at
dsale@eaglenewspapers.com
|
Dogs are man’s best friend, but they can
also be an owner’s biggest headache. That’s where Dick Messenger
comes in.
Messenger is a local representative for Bark Busters, an
international obedience training school that works with dogs and
their owners in the client’s home. The system was developed by an
Australian dog shelter manager in 1989.
“(The home is) a familiar setting,” Messenger explained. “There’s
less stress and fewer distractions for the dog, so it’s more
susceptible to education and training.”
 Himself the
owner of two dogs — a yellow Lab and a Shi Tzu — Messenger serves
Yamhill County, Hillsboro and Clackamas as a Bark Busters franchise
owner, after training at the company’s U.S. headquarters in
Colorado.
“It’s been interesting learning about dog psychology — it’s mainly
body language,” he said. “Knowing the cues that dogs give and how to
respond is important to working with them. Dogs train us! Actively,
by pulling on the leash or running away, and passively, begging for
table scraps or standing by the door hoping to be let out. A lot of
what we do is heighten the owner’s awareness of when this happens.”
Bark Busters is based on helping the dog owner play the role of
“pack leader,” setting boundaries for their pet through signals and
positive reinforcement.
“Let’s say your dog runs to the door and starts barking when the
doorbell rings,” Messenger said. “We’ll practice making a ‘no-go’
zone around the door, and have the dog remain at bay while you
answer.”
The Bark Busters program begins with an initial lesson of two or
three hours, after which Messenger develops a set of training
exercises for the owner to practice, generally 15 minutes daily for
up to five weeks.
“It’s kind of a misnomer to call me a dog trainer — I’m a dog owner
trainer, providing tools to help owners manage their own pets,” he
added.
Messenger can be reached for appointments at 503-314-8916. For more
information, visit www.barkbusters.com. |
|
From
June 11,
2007, Newberg Graphic
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