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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 1987)
SANDY O f« Trained dogs make enjoyable pets by S H E R Y L S P R IN G E R Staff writer DAMASCUS - Raising a dog is akin to bringing up children Some dogs, instead of bringing joy to their owners, are a worry But even inexperienced and first-tim e owners can train their dogs to a high standard of intelligence and obe dience, believes Mardee Rover, a D am ascus dog owner whose last nam e is often linked to jokes of the canine kind Rover loads up her dog, Sumeka, a 1 4 - y e a r o ld f e m a le G e r m a n shepherd, to attend weekly obedience classes at E lizares’ Kennels on Southeast Highway 212 There she has found a professional trainer in David Elizares, a 63-year-old live wire of a man whose specialty is training dogs of various breeds and tem peram ents, including dogs with severe behavior problems Not only does he teach individual owners to train their own dogs, he trains dogs for police work, guard work and film work as well With 45 years of ex perience, Elizares has raised and bred dogs for show and has passed along his knowledge to form er students who today are professional dog handlers themselves. Sumeka is the third dog Rover has taken to E lu a re s "I hardly knew the front end from the back end when I first took my dog to classes," she says. "1 felt fresh off the farm , but it w asn’t long before I realized he knew what he was talking about He has taught me to train my own dogs to be enjoyable pets and not to be nuisances to other dogs or other people." Rover believes training a dog re quires alm ost as much time and understanding as teaching a 6-year- old the three Its "Puppies, like children, are born with no bad habits,” she claim s. "If neglected, that cute puppy can grow up to be obnoxious and turn into a regular juvenile delinquent " Some dog owners soon tire of a pup py who has grown to be a full-grown pooch and move him to a lonesome life in the back yard. They put the food pan out in the morning and never see the dog again until night. Rover says. "If they took tune to pro perly train the dog, it wouldn't be a problem or burden to the family .' O u tsid e E l i z a r e s ’ k in g -siz e d storage shed turned training arena, rottw eilers, Norwegian elkhounds. schnauzers, and doberm ans line up with their m asters like shy school children anticipating their first day of school Rover and her dog, Sumeka. are among them The rottw eiler, more interested in unabashed freedom than in another d ay 's lesson, rares back on his leash in a fury as his female owner strug gles to gam control She tightens her grip on the dog's chokechain and ad m its. We go through this same thing every week " Soon the dog gives up his struggle and slinks to class behind the others July JO l«8 7 (S*C 2) 3 Post open on budget e( nnmittee The Horing School D istrict Budget Committee need* another m ember The school district budget com m it tee has an opening for a district resi dent interested in assisting the school district board and other com m ittee m em bers in developing the district's budget The new m em ber, who will be ap pointed by the board, would be ex pected to serve a three-year term . Candidates must be able to attend meetings The com m ittee s work generally begins in early IX'cember and c o n tin u e s for as long as necessary. le tte r s of application should be s e n t to S u p e r in te n d e n t M ike McDonough at 12240 S.E. School Ave., Boring. Ore 97009 For information, call McDonough at 663-3909 Tails wag and tongues hang out in breath-filled pants as owners and dogs line up in tight, military-style fashion Owners m aneuver their dogs to a designated m ark where each dog. on com m and, will perform obe dience routines on cue "All right, lead your dogs." Elizares shouLs like a drill sergeant putting his troops through their paces Some breeds are easier to train because of their inbred disposition, while others a re more difficult for the sam e reason, Elizares says. Dogs can be deprogram m ed” from bad behavior He tells of city-raised laborador retrievers who are turned loose out on the farm and instinctive ly kill chickens, or the pitbull terrier who has been truined to fight and kill ’ Iuibs a re natural bird dogs and pit bulls are natural fighters It's in their blood, ' he says. "T hat doesn't mean the behavior c a n 't be controlled " I Bolstiid ¡jets Clackamas ESI) position B arbara Bolstad has been ap- pointed director of special education for the Clackam as Education Service D istrnt As special education director, Bolstad will be responsible for ad ministering the ESD's special educa tion services, including instruction for mentally retarded students and testing of students who may have learning problems or disabilities Bolstad replaces David Eox. who decided not to return to his position after a leave of absence during the 1986-87 school year As with R over and her dog Sumeka. E lizares hopes to send each dog owner away from training with "a lot more know ledge on how to han dle and train their dog," he says When the use of choke chains and dog leashes can be abandoned. "You have a trained dog." Rover hopes to proof tram " or "distraction tra in " Sumeka so the presence and actions of other dogs and people, other than Rover herself, will not provoke the dog to deviate from the learned behavior. To ac complish this, she takes Sumeka to crowded parks or other public places where the dog is trained to be aw are of b u t ig n o re s k a te b o a r d e r s , bicyclists, pedestrians and children at play. "A well-trained dog gives me security to go anywhere in public, and a feeling of confidence to know I'm in full control," Rover says. My dogs look to me as Alpha Dog I’m the leader of the pack." POST Thur» 1 lik e . stock m America. Classmate Shari Rhodes, left, helps Mardee Rhodes practice with her dog Sumeka Invest in your community. VACATION TIME TIRE SPECIALS Kelly Tires » X NAVIGATOR 600 ALL S f A S O M S T t l l B I l T I D H A O l A l NELSENS EXTRAS: Pwickn» k«r any Nr*« • Frw Mr« loueori . 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