Sit
Stay
Speak

Obedience school
brings out the best
in residents’ puppies

____________________
By: Kate Grusich
Daily Herald Staff Writer

Pogo scrambles up on the teeter-totter and pauses, looking anxiously over the edge.
After some encouragement, he races down the end on to the ground and is met with a giant hug.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the room, Daisy is coaxed into running through a neon tunnel. Upon finishing, she gets a treat for her efforts.
 Pogo, a feisty poodle, and his compatriot, Daisy a golden retriever, are just two of many dogs enrolled in an agility and obedience school in Island Lake.
 Run by Lakemoor residents Janet and Mike Wagner, the eight-week course helps pets master a series of obstacles, similar to those found in dog sports competitions.
“The course really helps people bond with their dogs,” said Janet Wagner, sporting a T-Shirt with the phrase “My dog walks all over me.”
The Wagners, who run their classes out of the Happy Tails Ranch, have spent their free time over the past seven years teaching people how to train their dogs.
 

What began as a hobby for the family quickly turned into another way to make a living, as more and more friends discovered their talent.
“It kind of started with friends saying, ‘Hey, how’d you get your dog to do that? How do you get them motivated?,’” Janet said. “Eventually, it got bigger and bigger, and next thing we knew, we began an agility program at a large obedience clinic in Wisconsin.”
The Wagners have honed their skills over the years, training and producing two national agility champ border collies and helping various area families with their pets.
Now, to stay well trained, they read books, attend workshops and seminars, and watch as may dog shows and competitions as possible.

“It’s like any field,” Mike said. “It’s constantly changing. They might do something one way in California and something different in Texas. So we try to constantly find out as much information we can about how to best train them.”
The Wagners have had a long history of working with animals. Janet initially started out with horses, competing and training them for many years.
Years ago, the family adopted and trained a group of wild mustangs they bought from out west. But when Mike, a systems engineer, got transferred to Wisconsin, they had less than a month to move, and no housing for the horses.
Lots of tears and heartache followed as they family packed up and sold the animals.
But shortly after, they found their calling when they began training their own pooches. Now, with five dogs in their charge, including four Border Collies and one Siberian Husky, they even create their own obstacle equipment out of lumber.
Since moving back to the area, the Wagners have found their Island Lake sessions expanding in number over the past year, with more and more “students” in attendance from around the Lake County area.
 

 “It’s all about positive reinforcement,” Mike said. “We train the owners, teaching them how to best work with their dog on the obstacle course. We only ask that the dog be somewhat behaved. If they’re too aggressive, we give them a private lesson.”
The Wagners work out of a mirrored room filled with obstacles ranging from an A-frame to a tunnel to a weave pole and various jumps.
“We love our dogs and we love what we do,” Janet said. “It’s fun and that’s the most important thing.”

To find out more about classes and scheduling, contact the Wagners at (815) 363-6903 or check their K-9 Athletes Web site at www.k9athletes.com.