STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The dogs needn’t wear face masks.
But your pandemic pets will get a lesson in social distancing when Scotch Pines Dog Training offers a nine-week training program focusing on off-leash obedience.
“My primary goal is to give people hope that they really can have control of their dogs, even when they are off leash,” said Stephanie Lane. “Since the pandemic, we have all struggled with wanting to be together, and dogs really don’t understand social distancing. So, this class is a great opportunity for dogs to socialize outdoors, while building their bond with their people and learning to obey in any circumstance.”
Lane is offering two on-grass classes in Hailey and one Zoom class beginning the last week of March. Those who are skeptical about the effectiveness of a Zoom class may attend Week 1 for free.
The Zoom class will be held online from 6 to 8 p.m. beginning Thursday, March 25. There will be two in-person classes in Hailey beginning Friday, March 26—one from 3 to 5 p.m. and another from 6 to 8 p.m.
She also has classes at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. in Twin Falls beginning Saturday, March 27.
The classes use a combination of instruction, placement, leadership, distraction, praise, correction, repetition and testing that will build a closer dog-human bond. Dogs will learn to heel, sit down, stay, come, leave it and more in front of dozens of other people.
No shock collars, whistles, clickers or food treats are involved.
Graduates of previous programs are invited to drop in to refresh theirs and their dogs’ skills and just have some fun.
Lane became enthused about dog training while attending a class to learn how to train her own dog. She now has been training for 13 years. She had to cancel most of her classes this past year because of the pandemic. But when people clamored for help, she began holding classes virtually by Zoom.
“I am delighted to see these students are achieving the same results as students on the grass,” she said.
For more information, go to www.spdogtraining.com