On July 31st, I attended the “Bark-B-Q Bash” at the Angel K-9 facility in Ellicott City, Maryland. When I first received the invitation, I thought I was going to find another cookie-cutter training facility/doggie day camp. I thought wrong.
Doggie day camps are popping up everywhere by people who love dogs. Many times I’ve found them to be operated by folks who have worked in a different industry that made them money, but having grown bored, left to open up their own business before they retired. These individuals often have little or no experience in handling animals, but are decent spin-doctors and can make their facility sound like it’s Disneyland…insisting that your dog will love it just because you would love it if you were a dog. Thankfully, not this time!
The purpose of the Angel K-9 event was to celebrate the company’s first year in their new Ellicott City location. Both current clients and new faces came to observe the demonstrations in rally obedience, agility, and “K-9 nosework”. Most impressive to me was their relationship with All Shepherd Rescue, a local group with whom they work closely to foster and train rescued dogs in an effort to make them more adoptable. There were local artists showing and selling their works, a raw dog food table, music by “Rich and Famous with Congaman”, and of course…the thick burgers and fat hot dogs of the barbeque were a perfect accent on the day!
Tecla Walton, owner and head trainer with over a decade of training and (human) teaching experience, was available to answer questions and offer helpful advice to everyone. I was lucky enough to have a few minutes of her busy time. Here’s what she had to say:
Q: How would you describe your first year in business?
Tecla: Actually, this is our first year in this building. I have been training professionally for 5 years. I’ve had Angel K-9 open for 4 of those 5 years. The first year in this building…the whole journey has been amazing. I remember looking at things and saying “we’re going to have to grow by this much in order to cover our overhead” and now it probably looks like we’re ready to look for another location. We’ve really been blessed.
Q: Your doggie day camp program, what is the biggest benefit for the dogs?
Tecla: That we look at it through a behavioral lens. We are teaching them how to interact in social situations in an acceptable manner. We’ve taken dogs that were kicked out or denied from other daycares – told that they were aggressive, told that they weren’t acceptable, and we’ve managed to rehabilitate them into our situation.
Q: Why do you suppose those dogs have been successful here, but not with others?
Tecla: I can’t speak for what others do. I know I have spent a lot of time learning about canine behavior. Training is just one aspect of what I do; behavior is a whole other spectrum. In my mind, even in a home situation, there shouldn’t be a pack order between dogs. We teach that the person, or all the humans in the room are the leaders, and we are going to provide them with a safe haven. If they are acting out, it’s usually out of fear. If they are acting out in dominance, or exhibiting behaviors like mouthing, it’s usually because they don’t know any better, and maybe they haven’t been taught that it’s inappropriate. We go in and we alpha-block (a.k.a- body-block) them, we teach them that it’s safe here, and before long, when they feel their guide structuring them, they start to interact in proper play. It’s all about laying boundaries.
Q: As you get new dogs into your day camp system, do they “become a pack”?
Tecla: We don’t allow for that to happen. There is no pack order. We teach them that they are all socially equal. We head “posturing” off-at-the-pass. As soon as they start to posture, we’ll walk through the posturing individual to distract them. If a dog is continually posturing, we may need to verbalize something –“No…nah ah…don’t go there”. They may need a “time-out.” They learn that there are boundaries.
Q: Your other programs- Rally Obedience, Schutzhund, Agility, K-9 Nosework. What would you say to someone who says “My dog is a good dog. I don’t need that. Why would I do that stuff?”
Tecla: K-9 Nosework, which we are offering for the first time this fall, and particularly Rally-O, the number one reason is it deepens the bond. I would first ask how old their dog is. You may have a good dog at 8 months, but may be different 14 or 16 or 18 months.
Me: Ya’ gotta’ love teenagers!
Tecla: Yeah (smiling). The second reason is getting involved and staying involved in a dog sport does 3 things- it keeps the dog mentally engaged, it gives them a mental workout, and from that workout they get tired. My Belgian Malinios, who is over-the-top active, I did my K-9 Nosework camp with her, and after 3 search sessions, she was passed out in her crate. Especially for young dogs, it takes that unused energy and it utilizes it so they aren’t looking for other things that may be destructive. But, again, that deeper bond- it keeps a dog owner intentional about what they are doing with their dog. To me, obedience…I compare it to working out at the gym. We go to a gym, we build our muscles, but if I stop, my muscles will atrophy. I can take a 10 week obedience course and feel like I have great results, but if I don’t stay intentional about that work, it slowly drifts away. It keeps you and your dog sharp. For dogs that are behaviorally challenged, they’re getting out every week, working around other people and other dogs, it actually helps them deal with their problem. We have dogs here, today, running the rally course that, two years ago, would’ve barked at anyone in the room. They would’ve shut down and not done any work at all, now they’re here finding a better use for that energy, and confidently!
Q: Any future plans or new programs you’re considering?
Tecla: We may be looking into adding a Mondio Ring sport program in maybe 2 years once I get my next Malinios. We’re looking at doing a summer camp for kids and their dogs. We’ll be looking at employing people with education backgrounds. I’m also starting to lay the groundwork to start a school for dog trainers.
After saying “thanks for your time”, she was beckoned from three different directions. I nearly shed a tear when she talked about keeping dog owners “intentional with their dogs”. It was clear that the techniques used here were based on communicating ideas that related to a dog’s abilities to learn. Teaching was at the forefront of the programs, not commands. The pet field, in general, is one that needs to be reformed and professionalized. It is establishments like this that prove it is possible.
It was a great event and I thank everyone at Angel K-9, Tecla Walton, and all the dogs that worked on that 95 degree day without a hesitation. I hope to see them again at future events.
For more information:
Angel K-9:
Website: www.angelk-9.com
Email: info@angelk-9.com
Phone: 410-461-DOGS (3647)
All Shepherd Rescue:
Website: www.allshepherdrescue.com
Email: info@allshepherdrescue.com
Phone: 410-775-6GSD (6473)
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