Pet behaviorist helps owners train their furry friends

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) - During a recent summer afternoon rain shower, Lizzy - a rescued Maltese poodle - pranced around a covered porch at her Cape Girardeau home before relaxing at her favorite spot near the back door.

With red, white and blue ribbons in her curly hair, Lizzy later ran to her owner, Carol Berman, and curled up in her lap as the sun again began to shine, the Southeast Missourian (http://bit.ly/1SVnroI) reported.

Lizzy and Berman have been through many seasons and changes together - good and bad. Together, they watch parades or fireworks from the porch. Lizzy also visits nursing homes to cheer up residents. And when Berman was at home recovering from cancer treatments, Lizzy would stay by her side.

Lizzy is trained and usually well behaved, Berman said. But there was one behavioral issue that Berman wasn't sure how to solve.

While Berman was away for treatments, Lizzy would stay with Berman's sister, who lives nearby. But it later caused Lizzy to run to the sister's house when she was supposed to stay home. Berman, who uses a walker, couldn't chase her.

"I needed her to stop doing that," Berman said.

So, when Berman saw the advertisement of certified pet behaviorist Breezy Bowen of Jackson, she didn't hesitate to call. And after three weeks of training, Lizzy no longer runs away.

When a client hires Bowen, a pet behaviorist for 15 years, Bowen goes to the pet owner's home for one hour a week for three weeks.

Bowen first asks what the behavioral problem is before obtaining details of the client's daily routine to learn how it affects the pet.

She then begins working with the client to show how they can fix the behavioral issue.

"For example, with Lizzy, I said, 'Let's practice putting her on the leash and walking her beside you,'" Bowen said, which kept Lizzy from running out the door when it opened. "And the way that you actually get them to not pull on (the leash) is to just stop when they start pulling and ask for them to look at you. You have to get their attention before you can train them."

Bowen uses a treat to get a pet's attention, she said, and holds it near her face so the dog is looking at her.

She also recommended against Berman's trying to chase Lizzy.

"Once I stopped chasing her, she'd come right back," Berman said.

Berman used to put a rock in front of a screen door, preventing Lizzy from pushing it open.

"Lately, I've left the door open, and she doesn't run out," Berman said. "Before, she was gone."

The three-week training period is time consuming, Bowen said, and the pet owner must use the tools and advice she provides.

"If they don't do their homework, it won't work," she said, adding Berman worked with Lizzy daily, leading to the positive change in behavior.

Bowen has always had a passion for animals. At first, she started training pets and correcting behavioral issues as favors for family and friends.

Then, she began working for PetSmart, where she earned her certification and realized she wanted to train animals full time.

Bowen said she has worked with hundreds of dogs, and through her years of experience, she has learned to identify the causes of different behavioral issues.

The issues vary from barking and jumping on people to more aggressive behaviors, and some pets present more of a challenge than others.

But the work is always worth it, she said, because it may prevent a dog's being sent to a shelter.

Tracy Poston, manager of the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri shelter, said many dogs are brought there because their owners don't know how to work with them.

"A lot of times, I don't think it's dog behavior issues as much as lack of human knowledge about what to do about some really common things that might get out of control a little bit," Poston said. "Some dogs do have true behavioral issues that are difficult to deal with. But most of the pets we receive, it's very general things that time and patience and a little bit of education would've prevented the animal from being surrendered to us."

Poston said the shelter encourages people to do research before owning a pet, because they are making a lifetime commitment. After a pet is adopted, the shelter offers support and advice and, if needed, provides contact information for area trainers.

Bowen said convincing someone to keep a dog is the most rewarding part of her career.

"And seeing how happy the pet parent is once they actually understand the dog and the dog understands them," she said. "I love to see that camaraderie between the pet parent and the pet. That's priceless."

Berman said she enjoys Lizzy's company even more now that she doesn't run away.

"You can have a dog in the house and live with it, or you can have a dog in the house that's well trained and you'll enjoy their company more," Berman said. "I've enjoyed Lizzy's company since I've had her, and I've enjoyed it a lot more since I don't have to chase her to get it."