Building better behavior in dogs

Dogs significantly enrich people's lives, but sometimes undesired behavior may also cause disruptions and difficulties, which is where CoDA Canine Obedience hopes to make a difference.

Madison Davis and Brooke Coffman, who are members of the CoDa team, talked about the importance of dog training and the positive impact it plays on people's relationships with their pets during a presentation to the Gatesville Exchange Club.

"We want to teach dog owners to work effectively with their pets so they can have a more enjoyable relationship," Madison said. "People sometimes struggle with getting their dog to walk beside them on a leash, and that's one of the things we can help them with."

Madison said CoDa offers a free consultation so that dog owners can determine the type of training and services which best fit their needs.

"Dogs are not one size fits all," she said. "One thing I've learned is that just as all dogs are different, you have to be able to work effectively to reach people. We help them to be able to effectively communicate with their dogs in a way the dog understands."

Madison graduated from high school in 2018 and started working as a kennel tech for a dog trainer, which she quickly became involved in helping teach both group classes and private lessons. She said she saw the difference that was made, and she was hooked.

Brooke said she started working with dogs as a client. She was having difficulty with a German Shepherd that barked, and sought help.

"I'd always been interested in dog training," she said. She was able to work with a trainer in North Carolina who trained police canines, and while she still enjoys doing that kind of specialized training, "my goal is to be able to help people. We get so many people who say they need help and they're in tears. They want to be able to take their dog places, but the dog is not well behaved so they want to change that."

Madison said there's not another job that compares to what she is able to do.

"I've got the best job in the world - I get to work with dogs all day," she said. "Gatesville has been very kind to us. People here are very sweet, and it's a nice homey place - great country living."

CoDa opened in Gatesville earlier this year, and in addition to general dog obedience, specialized services are also available.

Madison said she does diabetic dog training, and she takes about eight dogs a year "because the process is so long."

That involves talking to breeders and getting to know puppies early on, giving them an aptitude test and determining their ability, willingness to learn and to do the job. Those dogs receive scent training to detect when blood pressure is very low or very high.

"It's a year and a half to two year process and it can be pretty tedious," Madison said.

Asked how young a dog can be to receive training, Madison said it's important that a dog get the right socialization before they begin training.

"That's where it gets nitty gritty," she said. "People have high expectations for young puppies. We take in dogs starting at three months but we aren't focusing on obedience at that point. We are laying the foundation. It's so important to socialize a puppy and expose them to different things. She said early training includes crates, potty training, giving the dogs confidence and desensitizing them.

"You don't want to treat your dog like a kid - dogs are dogs," Madison said. "Genetics are extremely important (to a dog's behavior). The dogs were bred to do certain things, and you have to work on that behavior."

Asked about the most common concerns, Madison said, "Jumping and pulling on the leash are what pays my bills. They are the two most common issues."

Part of the problem is that puppies jump and the behavior is considered cute, but that's not a desirable behavior in a full grown dog. Often, the improper behavior is reinforced when a dog is younger.

Two ways to respond to jumping is for a person to put out one's leg, which puts the dog off balance, and to simply stop giving affection when the dog jumps.

Although people are told "you can't teach an old dog new tricks, Madison said older dogs are still able to learn new behaviors.

"The oldest dog I ever trained was a rat terrier that was about 10 years old," she said. "I also had great success with an eight-year0old German Shepherd. It had some severe hyper fixation issues.

"Do I believe you can teach an old dog new tricks? I have to say yes."

The best time to train a dog is when it is about seven to eight months old, but training can be effective at other ages as well, Madison said.

For more information on services available, visit www.codacanineobedience.com or call 254-294-7906.