Where do dog owners of Cleveland turn when their troublesome pups won’t listen? Who do they run to when their obstinate dogs refuse to sit or stay? To Marie-Josée Gatian, that’s who. Cleveland’s resident dog whisperer, Gatian has been training the dogs of Cleveland since 2004. She runs “The Dog Class,” providing both group obedience classes as well as private training sessions; owners can bring their dog to her or she’ll bring her training directly to your dog in the comfort of your own home.
Gatian describes her philosophy as training dogs “one human at a time,” saying, “I’m not really a dog trainer, I’m a dog owner trainer.” She explains that her work is extremely individualized to each dog’s specific needs: She sizes up each and every situation with great attention to detail, both the ways in which a dog may act as well as how the dog’s owner responds to those actions. From there, she strategizes her plan of attack, both with and for the owner.
It’s clear that Gatian is extremely proud of her work, but never more so than with her own dogs: three healthy, well-behaved and exceptionally cute Labrador Retrievers, she brags, ages 5, 12 and 15. She attributes all of this to”good exercise, good leadership and good nutrition.” As a dog owner and a dog lover, she knows from personal experience what does and does not work with dog training, day in and day out. It’s a full-time commitment, she says.
Dog training is about so much more than teaching commands and tricks, according to the trainer. It’s the task of reinforcing power roles within the relationship. The dog has to recognize, respect and defer to the leader of this domesticated “pack.” If the dog owner hasn’t been able to establish themselves as the leader in the eyes of their dog, the dog sees no reason to obey. This motivation to obey can have a drastic effect on everyday life, including the most minuscule details of begging for food to tugging the leash while on a walk or barking at the mailman.
Gatian detailed how she’s handled all these scenarios before, and many more. Her most interesting case was a rescue dog from an Amish home that was terrified by the sounds of household appliances in his new environment. Every time the microwave would ring out or the toaster would pop, it would send the dog into a panic; he was a wreck. It may seem cruel to suggest that the best thing to do in this situation would be to resist coddling the small, scared pet, but Gatian suggested another option.
Instead of reinforcing the idea that the dog’s fear was justified by comforting him endlessly, Gatian recommended a form of exposure therapy, allowing the dog to be exposed to the sounds without being able to avoid them in fear. Keeping the dog on a leash near the TV or radio eventually desensitized him to the noise. This allowed him to learn that there’s nothing to be afraid of because these things weren’t going to hurt him.
The Dog Class has group sessions available regularly in Rocky River and North Ridgeville, perfect for pups that need socialization with doggy pals as well as individual training. On top of that, Gatian offers personalized classes, one on one, at your home upon appointment. It’s the best of both worlds!
You can reach Marie-Josée Gatian at TheDogClass@att.net and TheDogClass.com.
This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2016.
Sorry, but her “training” methods sound pretty terrible to me. Take a terrified dog from an abusive, neglectful situation and expose it repeatedly to what terrifies it? First of all, that’s just cruel and second, the point of training is to build trust with the animal so that it understands the behavior you want and trusts you that you’re making the right decisions for it. I’m not a trainer (neither, apparently, is Marie-Josee Gatian) but I rehabilitated a dog from a fighting situation and he was terrified of many things: groups of people, being handled below the neck, cars, loud noises, towels, the vet or anything resembling medical treatment… We got him through all of that not by forcing him to face his fears, but by teaching him to trust me and to know that I wouldn’t do anything to hurt or scare him. One by one, his “fears” disappeared, until he was a happy dog who enjoyed life and who trusted me.
This “trainer” does not seem to have any familiarity with current scientifically proven actual training, or the fact that “dominance theory” has been disproven. To call her a “dog whisperer” is somewhat accurate though. Caesar Milan promotes innapropriate and unsafe “training” methods as well, instead of applying trust-based training methods that are recommended by veterinarians,veterinary behaviorists, educated trainers, and actual animal professionals.
Whatever this woman is “whispering” I’m praying dogs can’t hear. Sounds to me as though she just watched a lot of Caesar Milan on TV. I’m shocked that she hasn’t been bitten by those fearful dogs she forces to “face” their fears. These “methods” a simply abusive. Ultimate dog trainer? I’ll give a list…she won’t be on it.
Another so-called trainer with no credentials and who spouts the same nonsense as everyone else who got their knowledge from a television set. If your trainer has the same level of knowledge as the guy throwing the ball for his dog at the dog park, you’re paying too much. Science has long ago disproven these ridiculous pack theories, as well as the concept that you can “reinforce fear.”
What happened to journalism? Does no one fact check anymore, or is the need for content so great that papers will print just about anything these days?