Keep calm and roll over

FAIRFIELD - Will Steingreaber knows a good boy or a good girl when he sees one, and he rewards them with a treat. And if they're really lucky, he'll let them chase squirrels in the park.

These are dogs we're talking about after all, an animal that Steingreaber has come to know well over the years and one that he is skilled in teaching. Steingreaber leads a dog obedience class in Fairfield through his company Easy Dingo, and is going into his sixth year as a professional trainer.

The class meets at various parks throughout Fairfield, such as at Chautauqua Park, where The Union caught up with the canines and their handlers on Aug. 13. Steingreaber's interest in dogs began when he was young when his dad always had them around for hunting.

Fixable problems

In 2008, Steingreaber began volunteering at Noah's Ark Animal Foundation in Fairfield, and a couple of years later he started working there.

He was disheartened to see so many people adopt a dog only to return it to the shelter because of a behavioral problem - a problem that to Steingreaber had an easy solution. This prompted him to learn more about training dogs and ultimately to start teaching his own classes.

'A lot of dogs' negative reactions are rooted in fear and insecurity,” he said. 'We need to figure out a way to fulfill a dog's desires, and we do that through two-way communication. We teach the dog how it can get what it wants. We teach it patience, impulse control and the ability to delay gratification.”

Some people take their dogs to the class because the dog has developed bad behavior that their humans hope to correct. Some of them, like Fred Hucke's dog Sammy, are training to be service dogs. Other owners simply wanted their dogs to socialize with members of their own species.

Anila Cunningham began working with Steingreaber even before she got her puppy Miso, an Australian shepherd, to ensure she would start her dog on the right foot. Cunningham got Miso when she was 8 weeks old, and Miso is now 2 years old.

'I come to these classes because I want to expose her to new experiences and to other dogs,” Cunningham said. 'The biggest thing that I work on is keeping her in a calm state of mind.”

Socialization

Krystal and David Owen own a Chihuahua named Spot and a Chihuahua mix named Loki. They take their dogs to class for socialization.

'Our dogs are little, so I didn't want to take them to the dog park with a bunch of other dogs just to see how it goes,” said Krystal. 'Little dogs tend to be little Napoleons. They think they're big dogs.”

Krystal said she's learned how to properly walk dogs, not letting them get too far ahead of her and making them pay attention to her commands. Steingreaber takes the class to the Fairfield Farmers Market, which meets at Howard Park Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. His goal is to acculturate the dogs to crowds. Krystal said the experience has benefited Loki and Spot, who now behave much better in large groups of people.

April Leahy echoed Krystal's sentiments, saying the class has taught her dogs to react less violently to external stimuli.

'The biggest benefit is having a dog I that doesn't yank my arm off and that I can have around other people safely,” she said.

Leahy has had her dog Zena, a Jack Russell Terrier, since she was a puppy, and she is now 1-year-old. On her first day of class, Zena was uncomfortable around the other dogs, pulling on Leahy's leash in the hopes of breaking free and attacking them.

'In just one class, Will was able to work with her so that she doesn't react anymore, and can go near any dog,” Leahy said. 'She used to be very reactive to unfamiliar dogs and unfamiliar people.”

Leahy's 9-year-old daughter Makayla Allen, who just entered fourth-grade at Lincoln Elementary School in Washington, can attest to Zena's radical change in behavior.

'Zena was so rambunctious that whenever someone would come inside the house, she jumped on them and scratched their legs. I would tell her, ‘No! Down!' Now she hardly jumps at all,” Allen said.

Before Zena began attending class, she was not well behaved enough to go to work with Leahy. Now Leahy takes her to work all the time.

Allen remarked, 'Every time you say ‘work,' she comes up and runs to the gate until we open it and let her in the car. She loves seeing the people at work and the people love seeing her. She usually lies down at the office right under [April's] desk.”

Adopting a rescue dog

Anne Lindyberg is raising a dog she hopes will someday become a therapy dog. She adopted her dog Lila from the Heartland Humane Society about 18 months ago when Lila was a year old. Lila was discovered living on the streets of Ottumwa where she was in rough shape. All her feet were broken, and they still have yet to heal completely.

Lindyberg learned through DNA testing that Lila is a purebred Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, meaning she was likely bred for something such as hunting or show. Lindyberg doubts that her previous owner broke Lila's feet on purpose. She thinks Lila might have damaged them by jumping from the back of a pickup or something like that.

'At first I thought maybe she was born on the streets, but because she's purebred, that's not possible,” Lindyberg said. 'More than likely, she was bought to be someone's pet, and the family lost track of her.”

Lindyberg said Steingreaber has taught her how to be a pack leader, something she was totally unfamiliar with because she had never owned a dog before.

'I wanted a dog, but I was a single mom and I didn't have any money,” she said.

Since starting classes, Lila has been quicker to respond when Lindyberg says her name or snaps her fingers. She's still a bit jumpy, and can be triggered by the sight of dogs, people, bicycles and skateboards. 'And she doesn't like crowds,” Lindyberg added. 'I want to take her to Chicago to see my son, but she can't even stand to be on the square during Fairfield First Fridays.”

That said, Lindyberg wouldn't trade Lila for the world.

'She is the best snuggler,” Lindyberg said. 'I'm a psychotherapist, and I've used her in my practice. She has this emotional connective ability when she's sitting with people.”