Maryam Kamali is a Bay Area dog trainer who has dedicated her life to the rescue, welfare and training of dogs. She specializes in Pet Dog Obedience Training, and Canine Behavior Evaluation and Modification. Through her company Pawsitive Manners, Kamali uses positive reinforcement techniques that can help turn a naughty dog into a well behaved family member. Kamali is well versed in the current methods of dog training, attending workshops and seminars led by top behaviorists and educators of the dog training world.
Because February is Dog Training Month, San Francisco Dogs Examiner interviewed Kamali recently about her experiences and advice to dog guardians:
SF Dogs Examiner: As a dog trainer, what are some tips you can give dog owners about things to be aware of when taking their dogs on fun outings such as hikes?
Kamali: Hiking with your dogs is a great activity especially if it can be off-leash. Here are some tips to ensure you have a fun experience:
• Take high value treats with you. You can feed your dog his breakfast while training him on your morning hikes/walks. Don’t take boring kibbles with you. Take your dog’s most favorite treats. Be creative and have fun with this!
• Work on recall/come and leave-it commands prior to going on off-leash walks.
• If your dog doesn’t have a reliable recall, then it is probably best to walk him on leash to ensure his safety.
• Not all dogs or people are friendly. Your high value treats can be of tremendous help in increasing his recall rate of reliability in situations like this
• If you see a dog being walked on leash in an off-leash area, call your dog back to you immediately. There is a chance that the dog is reactive and may hurt your dog if he gets too close!
SF Dogs Examiner: What is your advice to dog guardians looking for good dog obedience classes?
Kamali: There are different methods of training dogs. Some trainers use fear and pain as their motivators, and some use different forms of rewards. I use and recommend the latter. It is not only pleasant and fun for both the owner and the dog, but it is also most effective and builds a strong bond between the dog and his human pack members. Always take soft, tasty treats to training sessions…would you work hard to become employee of the month for a dry piece of bread? Your dog wouldn’t either. I use Natural balance treat rolls, roast beef and cheese just to name a few.
SF Dogs Examiner: To purchase good training equipment where would you recommend dog owners go on the Peninsula?
Kamali: I like Dolly’s Treasures on 6th Ave in Belmont for pet accessories and foods, and I go to Pet Food Express for training tools such as Easy-Walk harnesses, Head Halters, treat pouches and wonderful puzzle toys. Pet Food Express never sells animals; which is great, and donates to animal shelters and rescues as well.
SF Dogs Examiner: If a dog guardian has limited time to train their dog, what in your opinion are the top three commands a dog should know.
Kamali: Sit – It is easy to teach it, and dogs should sit before they get what they want. This is how they get to say “please”. For example your dog should sit before going out the front door, must sit before jumping out of the car, sit before he gets served his food and sit in many more other situations.
Come – A dog that comes when called, has more fun in the great outdoors and is more fun to be around. But most importantly, the dog’s life won’t be in danger when the owner accidentally lets go of the leash and the dog doesn’t come back, or the dog decides to run across a busy street to chase after a squirrel, and completely ignores his owner’s desperate call.
Leave it – This command will most likely save your dog’s life at some point.
Examples of desperate situations such as accidentally dropping a pill on the floor or having a pleasant walk on the beach and running into a rotted dead bird or seal in the sand, which your dog is about to taste or roll in. Or when you are enjoying a nice hike and suddenly notice your dog has spotted a rattlesnake and is thinking about checking it out up close!
SF Dogs Examiner: What is the most common complaint you hear from people and how do you help them solve it.
Kamali: My dog purposely ignores me when we go out.
Luckily the solution is simple. Dogs don’t have this grand scheme to embarrass us or make us upset. If they don’t respond, it is only because they truly don’t know what we are asking of them. This happens a lot because we train our dogs in a simple room during formal dog training sessions or in our living rooms. We forget to practice in other environments such as parks, streets, front yard, back yard, our friend’s houses, etc. We also don’t think about different levels of distractions in each environment. Dogs don’t generalize, so if they understand sit, down and come in a training room, it doesn’t mean that they will understand the meaning of those commands when they are outside with all sorts of distractions around them, unless we train our dogs in many different environments in presence of distractions. Practice makes perfect. So practice, practice, practice but never repeat, repeat, repeat cues.
If you say sit, sit, sit you are guaranteed to become some background noise that your dog ignores! Say each command once, use tasty, soft treats and always use your happy voice when talking to your dog.
To learn more about Maryam Kamali's dog training services visit her website at Pawsitive Manners.
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