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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 2015)
A2 Hood River News, Saturday, July 18, 2015 M ATT Continued from Page A1 page, have proven highly successful. F rom puppy training to dealing with ag- gressive dogs, Luchsinger states on NW Balanced Dog Training’s website: “There’s no dog that we can’t handle,” but reminds owners that, “…it’s up to you to make the change!” Luchsinger hasn’t been a full-time dog trainer for long, but he’s owned and been around since he was a kid growing up in the hilly re- gion of Central New York. His wife, Sarah Breeze, also works with animals as a cer- tified vet technician at the All Animal Care Clinic in Hood River and the Tanas- bourne Veterinary Emer- gency clinic in Beaverton. “I grew up on a large farm in Tully, (N.Y.) so we always had a dog, if not two, and horses and cows, so I kind of grew up with them,” he says. After graduating Tully High School in 2003, Luchsinger moved out to Hood River to ski, although he grew up playing lacrosse and passed up opportunities to play at the collegiate level. Lacrosse, he notes, is a lifestyle back east, where “kids are literally raised with a stick in their hand.” (Side note: while dog train- ing is his full-time job, Luchsinger also serves as the head coach for the Hood River Valley High School boys lacrosse team, who saw success this year with the team’s first-ever Cascade Cup championship win.) Luchsinger spent his time skiing and working at vari- ous board shops around town such as Second Wind and Big Winds. His path to dog training began, however, in 2010, when he went to the Hukari Animal Shelter and adopted Buck, a 7-month-old pit bull/American bulldog mix. “I started getting into training with him right away because I wanted him to be a good ambassador for the breed and I knew with that breed being so powerful that I had to train him,” he says. But Luchsinger needed help, as he says Buck “missed a prime age in his socialization,” and had is- sues with aggression and getting along with other do gs. Luchsing er went through multiple trainers and while their instruction helped some, Luchsinger felt L ILA Continued from Page A1 p.m. and running until 8 p.m. The Halls are planning a party that will be part birth- day, part prom, part Cin- derella ball, part wedding day People are encouraged to show up in ball gowns and formal wear. Lila wants this to be the best princess ball ever,” Lorenzen said. (Kids must be present with a par- ent.) Lila will arrive in a horse and carriage and walk down a red carpet. “It will be an event not to miss with food, games, real princesses, music, dancing, photo booths and more,” said family friend Jenny Loren- zen, who is organizing the party. Third Street (between he “never got the results I wanted,” and didn’t agree with their methods. Instead, Luchsinger did his own re- search, reviewing trainers from all different parts of the country, found trainers he liked, and took classes from them to help learn how to train Buck. For Luchsinger, he felt the problem was the improper focus on treats. “A lot of trainers, they want to use treats to get the dogs really excited and away from the situation, where I focus on a state of mind,” he explains. “Especially when a dog is aggressive or dog-reac- tive, we want to get that dog to get calmed down, we don’t want to get that dog jacked up. I felt like a lot of the training was, ‘Oh, we have to give them treats! Give them treats! Give them treats!’ And what I found was that every time we were doing that, we were rewarding a bad behavior, even if that dog turned away from that other dog, we’re still reward- ing that state of mind where they’re excited and adrenal- ized, where I wanted him to be calm and relaxed.” Luchsinger found success with Buck, able to resolve or ameliorate many of his is- sues, and began helping friends with their dogs as well. Eventually, he felt like he could train dogs full time and “took a leap” by deciding to open his own business, noting that he felt like “there were enough people who wanted help… and there were certainly enough dogs” in the Gorge. The business has grown by leaps and bounds, with clients coming from as far away as Eugene, he says. Luchsinger employs a va- riety of methods to train his animals — far too many to go into here — but notes that you “have to find what moti- vates the dog to be success- ful,” whether its toys or food or something else. He only has to teach a few styles of commands (down, sit, place, recall) and stresses the im- portance of leaving emotion out of training, noting that a “calm dog is a great dog.” When teaching a new com- mand, Luchsinger says he doesn’t use his voice at all, but rather body language or pressure, appealing to dogs’ natural communication methods. When a dog begins to lear n a command, Luchsinger will then gradu- ally add more and more dis- tractions, simulating real- world scenarios, and teach- ing the dog to stay calm F AIR Continued from Page A1 Photo by Ben Mitchell DOGPILE: Three of Matt Luchsinger’s students play to- gether at the conclusion of a training session. From bottom to top are Daisy, a 15-week-old bloodhound, Jack, a 15-week- old Australian shepherd, and Capone, a year-and-a-half-old Belgian Malinois. amidst chaos. Oftentimes, you can see Luchsinger around town, doing his train- ing right in public areas so that the dogs can get used to the distractions. Most of his classes are boot-camp style, where the live with animals Luchsinger 24/7 from any- where from two weeks to five weeks if it’s a special case. And when the dog is reunit- ed with its owner (after the owner gets some instruction from Luchsinger as well), and both animal and human are able to have a happy life to g ether… well, for Luchsinger, it doesn’t get much better than that. “Being able to transform their dog from wanting to take off and run away ner- vous, fearful, to walking great on a leash and improv- ing not just the dog’s life, but the human’s life — the re- ward out of that is just amaz- ing,” he says. “It’s an awe- some, awesome feeling.” Check out videos of Luchsinger’s training in ac- tion on NW Balanced Dog Training’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/nwdogtr aining. HOOD RIVER NEWS (ISSN 07465823) is published twice weekly, every Wednesday and Saturday. Subscription rates: $42 per year prepaid ($36 for senior citizens, 65 and over) in Hood River County and western Wasco County, Oregon; and Klickitat and Skamania counties,Washington. Elsewhere, $68 prepaid per year. Known office of pub- lication, 419 State Ave., Hood River, OR 97031-2031. Periodicals postage paid at Hood River, Oregon. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HOOD RIVER NEWS, P.O. Box 390, Hood River, OR 97031-0103. night the 2043th Army Band will perform. For full schedule details, the best resource is the Fair Book, available at businesses throughout the Gorge. Also new this year: not one but two golf carts to trans- port those who need mobility assistance. Griffith Motors and Les Schwab Tires donat- ed the vehicles to the Fair, and they will make the rounds between the fair of- fice and parking and animal barns and other far-flung areas of the fair. New to the fair is the first 50 Plus Expo on July 23.an opportunity to learn about a variety of services and pro- grams for older adults in the Gorge. Thursday is Senior Citizens’ Day – seniors pay $5 to get in. Expo vendors and partici- pants will include massage and acupuncture services, senior and assistand living centers, home care providers, health and reha- bilitation services, exercise and recreation outlets, real- tors, dentists, and more. Columbia Cascade Hous- ing Coproration is working with Mid-Columbia Se nior Cetner, Falstone Living, and Mid-Columbia Medical Cetner to put on the event. OregonState University Extension, Providence Hop- sice of the Gorge, Mid Co- lumbia Fire and Rescue and Hood River Fire Department, and the Veterans Services of- fices of Hood River and Wasco counties will be on hand. Learn about housing, life planning, weight control, services for disabled adults, health diagnoses, caregiver stress and other topics sur- rounding aging. ■ Regular general admis- sion prices to the fair are $7 per adult Wednesday, Thurs- day and Friday, and $10 on Saturday. Admission for chil- dren aged 6-12 is $2. Children under 6 admitted free. Sea- son tickets are available ($24 adults, $5 ages 6-12 inclu- sive). The fair opens each day at noon; carnival rides begin at 1 p.m. Check the schedule, as FFA and 4-H events begin earlier. Many favorite dis- plays have moved to the blue gym this year from the gold. Musical performances are free with paid admission. Friday evening, beginning at 4:30 p.m., is the 4-H/FFA Livestock Auction in the live- stock arena — the all-impor- tant culmination of a year’s work for the 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors. Check the schedule for all the 4-H and FFA competitions and activities. Country music star trio Gloriana performs Saturday evening, July 25. Hood River’s Ben Bonham will open. Musical entertainment be- gins Wednesday evening on the park stage at 8 p.m., with a Patsy Cline impersonator. On Thursday at 7:30 p.m., the 204th Army Band performs on the main stage. On Friday, it’s a full evening of Hispan- ic music on the main stage, with Oregon bands playing from 7-9 p.m., and Califor- nia’s Banda La Movida be- ginning at 9 p.m. Hood River Supply, Juanita’s Fine Foods, and Hood River Taqueria are sponsors. Gloriana debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Al- bums chart, becoming the best-selling debut country act of 2009. They performed as Taylor Swift’s opening act during her Fearless Tour, and have also opened for Jason Aldean, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, and the Zac Brown Band. Awards have continued to be come to the group, and in June 2015 they released their latest album — Gloriana THREE —which bolsters their signature har- monies with new musical styles. Brothers Tom and Mike Gossen and Rachel Reinert make up the trio. Also free with fair admis- sion are many other great at- tractions — many found in Entry schedule for Adult baked goods, clothing food preservation, fruits and vegetables, textiles and youth baked goods (in Community Building) — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and 8 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. For Commercial exhibits, art, hobbies and handicrafts, photography and ceramics (Blue Gym) — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and 8 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Open Class exhibits judging will be Tuesday from 1-7 p.m. and for Flowers, Wednesday noon to 4:30 p.m. the park area, or around the fairgrounds. Kidz Dental is sponsoring many of the park activities. In the park, the “Walk on the Wild Side” exotic animal show displays a wide range of exotic animals and rep- tiles in a jungle atmosphere, and Godfrey the Magician serves up award-winning comedy and levitation tricks. Professor Bamboozle’s Road Show brings laughs and fun — and balloons — to the park and fairgrounds. And look for Dr. Solar’s Good Time, Traveling Medicine Show’s unique magical and educa- tional family-friendly enter- tainment. “Wool Busting!” is back. Kids up to 55 pounds and younger than 12 can try their hand at riding sheep. It’s a start for the next generation of rodeo stars. Shows daily! There’s fun for bigger kids, too, including the Buck-A- Ewe mechanical sheep, and “Just for Fun” Roping Clin- ics. Kids can also enjoy more sedate pony rides in the park. $ONT GET 4!+%. Moe Dixon RETURNS! #ALL *EFF FOR HIS VERY PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS July 8 th , 15 th , 22 nd , 29 th 6:00 pm (OME 0URCHASES s 2ElNANCES s %QUITY ,INES JEFF SACRE 3R -ORTGAGE 3PECIALIST NMLS-140302, MLO-140302 /FFICE (541) #ELL $25 Buffet & Concert on the Patio 541-386-3940 Stonehedge Gardens State and Oak) will be closed off for food, games, and more. People are welcome to bring gifts, although gift cards are a highly recom- mended idea. A donation jar will be available as well. Blake Hall, Lila’s stepfa- ther, said his friends and fel- low Marines made her an honorary Marine. “She’s so proud of that,” he said in a segment aired on KOIN-TV this week. “We want to make number 5 her wedding, her prom, her Prince Char ming, every- thing she won’t get,” Heidi told KOIN. SCHEDULE DETAILS For additional information about the Hood River County Fair, call the fair office at 541/354-2865, or check the website at hoodriverfair.org. This is not a committment to lend. Information deemed reliable but subject to change without notice. Consumer Loan License NMLS-3240, CL-3240 Wild Columbia Salmon FRESH SALMON CAUGHT DAILY King Salmon Whole Steelhead or Blue Black Fillet Sockeye NEW CEDAR SMOKER “FREE” Alder Samples Smoked ■ If you cannot make the party you may send cards: Lila May, PO Box 125, Hood River, OR 97031 Parking will be available at Hood River News, located three blocks away at 6th and State streets. 108 Hwy 35, Hood River Next to Lampoei’s in Windance parking lot. Spring Hours Daily 9am-7pm 509-961-3260 We accept VISA & MC APPLE VALLEY BBQ HOOD RIVER RESTAURANT RIVERSIDE AT THE HOOD RIVER INN Cherry wood smoked pulled pork, meatloaf, pork ribs, chick- en, burgers, awesome salads & vegetarian options. Smoked Prime Rib on Friday & Saturday night! Local draft beers, wine and hard cider. Full service catering available! Full menu online! Open Wed-Sun: 11-8 4956 Baseline Dr, Parkdale 541-352-3554 • AppleValleyBBQ.com Chinese and American dishes. Golden Rose Lounge with our Famous Scorpion! Try our lunch specials and great dinner combinations! Banquet facilities available. Open Every Day: 11:30 am to 10 pm 108 Second St., Hood River; 541-386-3966 • VISA, MasterCard Enjoy panoramic river views and casual dining from Chef Mark DeResta’s menus featuring fresh, all-natural ingredi- ents for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Live weekend enter- tainment and happiest hours in town, Mon. - Fri., 4-6pm at Cebu Lounge. BEST WESTERN PLUS Hood River Inn 1108 E. Marina Way, Hood River 541-386-4410 Open every day 6 am to 9 pm GRACE SU’S CHINA GORGE RESTAURANT HOOD RIVER TAQUERIA MEXICAN RESTAURANT VINTAGE GRILLE Serving the best Szechuan and Hunan Chinese food in the Gorge. Healthy dining. All food prepared fresh, no MSG added. Lunch and dinner. Dine in or take out. Beautiful view & convenient parking. 2680 Old Columbia River Dr, Hood River 541-386-5331 Featuring fine authentic Mexican food and cocktails. Spacious outdoor seating. Open seven days a week: Sun. - Thurs. 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. - Sat. 9:30 am to 11 pm 1210 13th St., on the Heights, Hood River 541-387-3300 Combining Southern soul food and Northwest cuisine. Whether it is craw-fish etouffee or fresh local salmon, it will not disappoint. With a great martini bar and some of the best bread pudding in Hood River, we are quickly becoming ‘the place to go in the gorge.’ Open 11:30-9 pm Sun. & Tue.- Thurs 11:30-10 pm Fri. & Sat. 102 Oak St., Hood River, inside the Hood River Hotel 541-288-8264
