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Review content:
The Triangle is lucky enough to have some great dog trainers in the area, providing classes for all kinds of sports and fun. But one that I believe is at the top of the list is K9 Solutions, co-owned by Sylvie Pleasant and Donnie Hult, and staffed with excellent trainers and assistants. Where some trainers have a fixed training facility, K9 Solutions offers classes in different locations and at different times, making it easy to find a location and time that works for your schedule. I've taken dogs through the Basic Manners and Advanced Manners classes, and at the end of Advanced Manners I've gotten Canine Good Citizen certifications for one of our dogs and two of our foster dogs, I've taken Off-Leash Dependability, Feisty Fidos for our reactive boy, and the fun, fun, fun Search and Rescue class. I can't emphasize enough how much I learned during these classes and how much fun they were. Who knew that obedience classes weren't just about teaching your dog to 'sit' or 'down' but their also about teaching the owner how to be a good leader to their dog?
After you take the Basic and Advanced classes, there are several continuing education classes offered: Real Life Advanced Manners, which has you taking your dog out in different settings and working them there, even with all the distractions, Off-Leash Dependability, which does just what it says, maintaining control of your dog even when it's off leash (very important skill to have), Donnie's Feisty Fidos class teaches you how to handle your reactive dog when around other dogs, and Donnie's Search and Rescue class which I've taken and will take again because it's sooo much fun being outside with your dog while it finds human ""victims"". That just covers the group classes. In addition, K9 Solutions offers private school and boarding school.
In addition to great classes, Sylvie has stepped up to address the issue of being a great leader for your dog, by offering two different human-only seminars, ""Leadership/Behavior"" and ""Empowering Dog Owners"". I've attended both seminars and say, ""Don't walk, run to these seminars"". Sylvie is an engaging and entertaining speaker who wants to help the community to understand their dog. She explains how to be a leader and why it's important for you to be so. We hear and read about leadership but we aren't always given tools to implement that concept in our homes. These seminars will help you begin a new relationship with your dog.
But as good as the seminars are, Sylvie's help doesn't stop there. Every participant has Sylvie's contact information and she encourages you to use it if you have more questions. She also has great contacts around the Triangle and can steer you in the right direction for whatever dog needs you have. In addition, she sponsors the Yahoo site, K9 Connections, a list of dog-related activities in the Triangle and surrounding cities, and she sponsors the growing ""City of the Dogs"" website at, a resource for all things doggie that supports local rescue organizations. Speaking of rescue, I can't thank Sylvie, Donnie and all the other trainers and assistants enough for all their support of our rescue group, Doberman Rescue of North Carolina.
If your looking for great classes for dogs and humans, K9 Solutions ROCKS!!!
Leslie Nuccio
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