Training
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Group Training Courses
Kim Fuquay teaches our group Basic and Puppy Kindergarten classes. Kim has been working for PCOS for 10+ years. She has a wonderful mixed breed dog named Brinlee that she adopted as a rescue. Kim trained Brinlee using the PCOS system and Brinlee is a registered Therapy Dog! Together, Kim and Brinlee visit nursing homes and hospitals. She is very knowledgeable and loves to help people build a better relationship with their dog.
The Puppy Kindergarten class is for dogs that are 10 weeks to 5 months of age. Our Basic Obedience Class is for dogs/pups 6 months of age and up. Tiny toy breeds can go into the Puppy class at any age if their owner chooses.
Our group classes are fun for you and your dog. We purposely keep each class small (no more then 10-12 dogs/owners per class) so the instructor can give each person individual help as needed. The classes meet for 1 hour a week for five consecutive weeks.
Anyone interested in our classes is welcome to come sit in on a class and observe before they sign up. If you would like to do this please give us a call. To find out more about how we train and teach please go to the page on our site titled “Training Philosophy”.
It’s a great place. Park Cities makes my life so much easier – Greg H. owner of Liza and Kiri
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Private Lessons
We offer an amazing trainers for our private lessons, Kim Fuquay. Kim has decades of dog training experience. Kim’s dog Brinlee is Certified Therapy Dog and they regularly visit nursing homes and hospitals.
Kim is available virtually anytime, 7 days a week. You can work your dog in a variety of locations; our building, your home, or the local park – the choice is yours!
Private lessons are especially helpful for dogs that have specific problems behaviors. Kim uses her years of experience and natural ability to “read” dogs and help owners find simple, effective and practical solutions to their dogs’ behavioral problems.
Lessons last approximately 1 hour.
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Board and Train
Park Cities Obedience School operates with the philosophy that there is virtually no dog that can’t be helped. Our intensive two-week in-kennel stay/train/play Board & Train program has achieved tremendous results in reclaiming dogs with severe behavioral problems, including aggression, separation anxiety, barking dogs, dogs that bite, extreme shyness or lack of socialization.
This in-kennel Board & Train program was created for those owners who do not have the time, energy, or desire to train their own dog in a group dog training class or private dog training lessons.
In this program, dogs are brought to our convenient location close to Highland Park, University Park, Downtown, Uptown, North Dallas and Lakewood. Here they undergo an intensive two-week in-kennel “boot camp” Board & Train program.
Dogs who are enrolled in our Board & Train program stay overnight with us. During the day they participate in a training regimen administered by our resident animal behavior expert, Karen Stark, and all training is supervised by Phil Marr.
Our training emphasizes quiet commands, showing the dog what is expected and then quickly rewarding a correct response. We use repetition and consistency to shape the dog’s behavior until it becomes a habit.
Can YOUR dog STAY while another dog runs around it playing with a toy?
Our animal training methods use toys and play (NOT food) to make learning fun for the dogs. Our goal is to produce a dog that looks forward to the training sessions and enjoys the learning process. We teach dogs to want to work for you and seek rewards of verbal praise, pats and hugs, not the food in your hand.
Initially, we work with your dog one-on-one, with very little distraction, until he understands the exercise being taught. As the dog progresses, he is worked with another dog nearby, then another, until he is able to execute all the commands in the presence of multiple distractions such as: dogs, toys, food and people.
Our in-kennel Board & Train program focuses on all of the basic obedience commands with special attention given to those commands that make your life more enjoyable: attention to name, sit, down, stay, come when called, and walk on a loose leash. We also correct jumping, barking, biting, stealing food and any other behavior problems your dog may have.
NOTE: Some behaviors need to be addressed AT HOME. Issues such as house training, jumping on furniture, aggression to strangers who enter your home, chewing on inappropriate items, etc are best worked on in the environment in which they occur. We recommend private lessons for these problems.
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More About Board and Train
Your dog will be taught the following obedience commands :
- SIT
- DOWN
- STAY
- COME WHEN CALLED (on a 20′ long line)
- NOT TO JUMP ON PEOPLE
- NOT TO RUN OUT OPEN DOORS
- ATTENTION TO NAME
- WALKING ON A LOOSE LEASH
NOTE: All commands will be done ON LEASH.
We also work on problems such as barking, aggression towards dogs/people, shyness around other dogs/people, puppy play biting, etc.
Training is done Monday through Friday, we do NOT train on the weekends. Ideally your dog will come in on a Monday and go home the second Friday.
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Our Training Philosophy
At Park Cities Obedience School & Dog Day Care, we do not use food in our dog training and we disrourage owners from using food as a bribe to get their dogs to behave. This philosophy stems from our three plus decades of experience in animal training and our keen understanding of animal behavior.
As is the case with people, dog training is most effective when it is built upon a foundation of mutual love, praise, affection, friendship and respect. Therefore, our dog training methods are gentle with no screaming or intimidation, and NO SHOCK OR ELECTRONIC COLLARS. We do believe in a correction and reward system of learning.
We use quiet commands, showing the dog what is expected and then quickly rewarding a correct response. Through repition and consistency, we help owners to ‘shape’ the dog’s behavior while communicating with their dogs through their voice, eyes and body.
Why don’t we use food? We don’t want a dog to obey because he wants a treat. We want obedience that is based on his overwhelming desire to please you because he loves you.
However, just because we don’t believe in using food for bribes doesn’t mean dog training can’t be fun! Our goal is to produce a dog that looks forward to the training sessions and enjoys the learning process. We use toys and play to make learning fun for the dogs and for you.
In reality, a great dog trainer is someone who teaches you effective dog training techniques. After all, you will be the trainer for your dog long after the training sessions are over. Dog obedience training is really about you having a relationship with your dog and the dog responding to you. It isn’t important weather the dog trainer can get your dog to stop jumping, sit, stay and come when called. What matters is that the dog responds to you.
To reinforce your special bond with your pet, our dog training techniques emphasize touch for praise and reward. Lots of smiles, hugs, scratches and pats for your dog when he does the right thing. We focus on establishing order and making dogs calm and obedient through mutual respect without force. Through these dog training methods, you get a pleasant family companion who obeys you out of love and respect for you as a leader, not because you bribe him with food.
If your dog can be pushy, aggressive, dominant, rowdy or hyper, you don’t have a bad dog. Your good dog is just waiting to come out and our proven dog training methods can help.