Positive attitudes and teamwork are two necessary ingredients of a lesson taught by WPHS trainer Catherine Pusateri.
"In a fun and supportive atmosphere that encourages family participation, owners will discover amazing potential within themselves and their canine companions as they learn to communicate with their dogs and work together as a team," she says.
Pusateri, who holds degrees in biology, chemistry and medical technology, says that most of her dog training experience comes from owning and training her own shelter dogs with positive reinforcement.
She also studied with a certified dog trainer for a year and a half and has applied those lessons to her own dogs, who have both earned Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Therapy Dog International (TDI) certifications.
"Together, my older dog and I have worked successfully as a service dog team, have been nominees for the National Jefferson Award for our community service in the field of therapy dog work, and are currently eligible to receive Therapy Dogs International Exceptional Volunteer Award, their highest level of volunteer achievement," she says.
To keep up with the other classes at the WPHS, she routinely attends other trainers’ classes and stays up-to-date with the lessons that nationally recognized trainers are teaching.
At the WPHS, she is currently teaching Puppy Preschool, Advanced Puppy and Basic I for Small Dogs. Besides her work at the WPHS, she has also taught private lessons in her home for eight years.
Pusateri has a steady formula for each week’s lesson: socialization, practice session of last week’s lesson, a lecture and then a new lesson. When teaching something new, she says that she usually demonstrates the technique and then works with each individual dog.
Pusateri uses clicker training and other positive reinforcement methods for all of her classes, whether she is teaching basic or more complex lessons.
"My teaching philosophy is based on my belief that dogs need kind and responsible leadership, and with these constants we can foster canine potential beyond our wildest dreams," she says. "As dog owners and leaders of the household pack, it is our responsibility to provide our dogs with attention, creative opportunities to learn and lots of exercise and play."
She enjoys teaching basic commands, like sit, stand, come, leave it, walking on a loose leash and stay. In her more advanced classes, she ensures that the dogs have perfected those commands and moves forward to instruction about CGC and TDI certifications.
Pusateri especially loves seeing her students in "the essence of dog training," she says.
"That is seeing owner and dog effectively and lovingly connecting, communicating, and working together as a team," she says.
Most importantly, Pusateri says that in dog training, "Slow is fast. Do not try to teach your dog too many things too quickly," she says.
"As humans we are impatient and want results quickly. So go slow, and of course have fun, and provide plenty of exercise along the way."