Lynnfield Trainer Barks About Dog Services
Date of Article October 29, 2009
Lynnfield News
by Alix Roy
Joe Ferraro & Winston in the middle with two clients on either side.
LYNNFIELD – If your dog resembles Marley from the recent motion picture, perhaps you should consider a visit to local expert Joe Ferraro.
Ferraro, a Lynnfield resident, has made a career out of his love for canines and claims a higher understanding of their behavior. He runs an obedience school called K9 Academy at Pet Supplies Plus in Medford, where he focuses on obedience, behavior modification, anxiety and decision-making. With 25 years of experience, Ferraro says he knows a thing or two about man’s best friend.
“Dogs need to be taught to make better choices and to respond out of mutual understanding, not fear or pain,” the long-time trainer said. Most of the time, dog owners need just as much training as their pets, Ferraro said, which is reflected in K9’s slogan, “We train dogs…and people.” Owners without a routine training schedule are doing their dogs, and themselves, a disservice, Ferraro said. “The biggest mistake people make is they’re not consistent,” he said. “It’s like weightlifting. If you don’t move those weights you’re not going to change.”
According to Ferraro, all methods of training should be repetitive and calmly administered. “We live in a fast world, I find that people are jumping ahead,” he said. “Dogs are not people. They don’t absorb everything at once.”
Dogs that have been confined to familiar places will also act out when introduced to new people and dogs, Ferraro said, which is why all dogs should be socialized within their first year.
To properly socialize your dog, Ferraro recommends using 70 as the magic number. “Your dog should see 70 different places, 70 different people and 70 different dogs in their first year,” he said.
Gaining an understanding of your dog is paramount to achieving good behavior, Ferraro said, but it is also something his clients struggle with the most. While many dog owners think their pet can understand words, the truth is that hand signals are a much better way to convey orders.
To demonstrate this, Ferraro tells his dog Winston to sit, and simultaneously motions with his hand. A moment later, he uses the same hand signal, but says “chocolate chip.” The result is always the same and usually gets a laugh or two from his clients.
Working with dogs and their owners was something Ferraro never planned on doing, but enjoys a great deal. “I like working with people,” he said, adding that the owners are often much more complex than their canine counterparts. “The dogs will do anything you want them to do,” he said with a laugh.
Ferraro owned and trained his first dog at the age of 10. He began training dogs for other people in high school and college and surrounded himself with animals from birds to rabbits. When he was 29, Ferraro accepted a job as a canine specialist for the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and ended up becoming the head of the department. As part of his job, Ferraro trained police search and rescue dogs, including a black Labrador named Jake who proved invaluable to police during the investigation of a missing child in 1998.
Ferraro eventually opened K9 Academy in its original location in Revere. Assisting him for many years was his longhaired German Shepherd Rubus, who demonstrated tricks and training tips for clients for 11-1/2 years. When Rubus passed away last November, a three-year-old
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Wheaten Terrier named Winston joined the team, delighting classes with his silent bark trick and spins. “He’s pretty much a character,” Ferraro said.
Ferraro and his wife, Linda, are currently in the process of adding to their family with the help of Rowley breeder Cathy Seale. The main topic at the dinner table these days is what to name the East-German Shepherd puppy that will soon be chewing on the rugs at their Thomas Road home. The two favorites so far are Natanz and Zoro and you can bet the chewing won’t last for long.
To learn more about K9 Academy visit www.k9academynewengland.com.