NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you have a puppy then you know training is a full-time job. Now, there's a doggy boot camp, sure to get your best friend on their best behavior.
Sully is not even a year old -- but this Maltipoo sits and stays with the best of them. Sully wasn't always such a good boy -- but that was before he went away to camp.
"We train family dogs, we also train service and therapy dogs," said Karen Duet.
Duet is the co-founder of K-9 Companions in Mount Juliet.
"I started training dogs when I was 12 but that was as a hobby," said Duet.
She says a few weeks here can make a world of difference for you and your dog.
"People give their dogs too much freedom to soon. They start misbehaving and then think the dog somehow should know what it’s doing is wrong and they don’t," she said, "[Dogs] love structure because they're are pack-oriented creatures. They’re literally born wanting to know who is the Alpha."
The training starts in a room free from distractions. Owners can even sit behind tinted glass to watch their progress.
"Once they’re good we actually bring cats into the training room to train around the cats," she said.
Duet says they only work with about ten dogs at a time. That's only half of the equation -- the other half -- training their owners like Patrick Custer.
Custer says breaking Sully from his bad habits was important before growing their family.
"My husband and I are in the beginning stages of the adoption process," he said.
Custer says K-9 Companions even stopped by their home -- to ease the transition. Now, Sully is sitting pretty and Patrick is a proud pet parent.
"He’s definitely been a much happier dog in the house. And he acts like he knows his place and has a lot more confidence," he said.
