Merit Puppy Training and its
founder, Dawn Sylvia Stasiewicz, have a long list of credentials that
make her one of the premier dog trainers in the Northern Virginia /
metropolitan DC area. Stasiewicz has:
- Been in the business of loving and training dogs for over 20 years
- Been voted one of DC's best dog trainers by Washingtonian magazine
- Been a featured writer for area publications including the Hill Rag, Washington Post, Dog Fancy, and NewsWest 9.com - The Daily Dog Interview
- Read more about Dawn's qualifications here.
But what really distinguishes her from the competition is her passion and success in
training dogs in families with children.
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| Voted one of DC's Best Dog Trainers by Washingtonian Magazine |
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Next Session will begin Wednesday, July 1st, at our Georgetown location.
Junior Puppy Basic @ 7pm & Senior Basic @ 8pm.
Click here to REGISTER NOW Online.
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| Even though her own children are now grown, Dawn's passion remains in training with a focus on raising children and dogs together. In fact, she encourages dog owners to bring their children to her group puppy obedience classes. |
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| Before she was a dog trainer,
she was a mom. And although her children are now grown, her "niche"
remains in her focus on integrating the raising of children and dogs
together. Out of this passion and real life experience raising kids and dogs, Stasiewicz developed an obedience training program around
household manners for the pet dog owner rather than on AKC competition obedience.
Merit Puppy exclusively uses the Positive Reinforcement training method, a philosophy based on early learning theory as well as 25
years of research into canine behavior conducted by Dr. Ian Dunbar.
Shaping and luring techniques combined with behavior modification allow your dog to learn basic manners in a structured environment that believes in using only humane methods.
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Treats and toys are used in place of a correction collar to lure your dog into the desired positions, to teach your dog attention, hand signals, and to motivate him into wanting to work for you. Combining these ingredients with a flat buckle collar, your dog will learn in a safe, structured environment, at his own pace.
Puppies as young as 10 weeks can learn to greet friends and neighbors politely rather than jumping up for attention. This gentle & effective approach not only helps to eliminate the power-struggle, it's also fun for the whole family. Lure and reward training is dog-friendly and people-friendly, especially for children.
Teaching a dog to sit and stay on command is easy; actually applying the obedience to real-life situations is where most pet owners have difficulty. Dogs are dogs, and if not trained they will act like dogs, totally unacceptable and uncontrollable, especially in the family home with young children.
It is far easier to train them now rather than try to cure behavior problems later on!
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