It's been about one year since
Jenn Gavin started her dog training business, and she says she's amazed at the overwhelming response she's had already.
"Business has been going so well," says Gavin, who just hired a second dog trainer to help accommodate her growing client base and plans for a third hire and the addition of sport and agility classes later this spring. “I could work from sun up to sun down, seven days a week.”
Gavin's training services are designed for urban pet owners living with the specific kinds of challenges unique to life in the city, such as limited yard space, higher density foot and automobile traffic, and a generally more distracting environment.
With the addition of her latest trainer, Rick Wiersum, she says she'll be able to expand her services as a whole, but especially to accommodate reactive and aggressive dogs.
A Pleasant Dog has always offered training solutions for owners with reactive dogs – a personal passion and area of focus for Gavin since the start. She says Wiersum's experience of 40 years working with reactive dogs and those struggling with inter-dog aggression is the perfect addition to her portfolio of services already tailored to city dwellers.
“It takes more than one trainer to run a group class for dogs who struggle with reactivity, and I am pleased to have Rick join me in offering these classes.”
A Pleasant Dog will also now be offering classes geared specifically toward pitbulls, and other bully breed dogs.
"Rick is really good with bully breeds" she says, adding that bully breeds actually make up the majority of dogs in the city. "They're wonderful dogs, but they have a lot of drive that needs to be channeled to keep them happy."
Whether it's private in-home (or in-neighborhood) training lessons, small group training sessions, puppy classes, or more specialized courses, Gavin operates A Pleasant Dog with a training philosophy that champions reward and positive reinforcement over dominance and force to help owners and pets thrive in their particular context and get the most of city life.
"I think a lot of people don’t realize that there is help for reactive dogs," Gavin says. "If you have a dog that doesn't like other dogs or who is shy and anxious around other people, there are options for you. We have training protocols that can help."
For a full list of services and pricing, or to learn more about the new sporting and agility classes Gavin plans to debut this spring, visit A Pleasant Dog online at www.apleasantdog.com.
Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Jenn Gavin/A Pleasant Dog
Related Articles:
New Grand Rapids start-up is for the dogs
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.