About Obedient Dogs and More

At Obedient Dogs and More nothing makes us happier than seeing clients enjoying their dogs to the fullest. I love dogs and have spent a lifetime gaining knowledge about dogs and their behaviors. I have studied many different methods of training dogs including National K-9 Master Trainer Course, workshops, raising dogs and now years of experience training dogs. I do not subscribe to just one particular method and will try many different or combined methods to accomplish the desired results. I look at obedience training as your dog's education and I see it as being just as important as elementary school is to your child. I believe dogs learn best with one-on-one instruction with an experienced instructor or combined training given by their owners with instructor support. They also learn best through consistency and repetition. Your relationship with your dog should always be based on fair and yet effective communications.

Successful training requires knowledge, patience and time. It is also important to have a good understanding of dog breeds, personalities, temperament, behaviors, and various training methods. Armed with that knowledge, we then decide how to best adjust your training techniques to fit with your dog.

Obedient Dogs and More is committed to you and your dog. We are dedicated to giving you the best instruction available. We stand behind our training -- we want our customers to know that they can call us anytime and we will assist them in anyway with their dog-related issues.

Bill Wittrock — Trainer/Instructor/Owner  CGC Evaluator 40128
After retiring from the US Army in 1991, I answered a newspaper ad "Raisers Needed" for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. My wife Jean and I were excited to become involved in the program and raised Harold 9 (see below) for their program. That experience made me realize my love for dogs of all sizes and breeds and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life training dogs. I attended the Master Trainers Course at the National K-9 Learning Center in Columbus, Ohio and opened Obedient Dogs and More in Berea.

Susan Clothier author of Bones Would Rain from the Sky says that the leading cause of death in dogs is their behavior... just unacceptable, uncontrollable, and inappropriate behavior. It is not being hit by a car, nor neglect or abuse. What she is saying is that behavior issues not being addressed results in dogs being abandoned or given to shelters and then eventually put to sleep. Sadly, I also believe too many great dogs end up in shelters. If they had been properly trained, not only could many of them have been saved, but they could be living happily with a family.

We are truly dedicated to you and your pet and making sure that your relationship is enjoyable, rewarding and most of all loving and problem free. I do this with the knowledge that God blessed me with this talent and presented a great opportunity to motivate, educate and encourage you and your dog to have a lifelong loving relationship through training and communication.

I achieved certifications in the following areas:

• Puppy Development
• Dog Behavior Modification
• Basic and Advanced Obedience
• Retrieval Training
• Utility Training
• Tracking and Scent Discrimination
• Service / Assistance Dog Training
• Graduate of International School of Dog Trainer- Electronic Collar Course 
  

Business Partners and Companions
Flint - Border Collie Mix
Flint was adopted from Buckeye Border Collie Rescue in April of 2007. He is three years old and loves attention. We sometimes call him "Mr. Happy" because he becomes so animated and excited when we go on our daily walks. Just as we are not perfect, most dogs are not as well. In Flint's case he is afraid of thunderstorms and sometimes gets motion sickness in the car. He is getting better with training and with proper socialization to address his fears. Flint's wonderful personality far outweighs any of his shortcomings. His job is to give obedience demonstration to our clients.  He also serves on distraction duty for other dogs in training. He is happiest when he is by my side working or playing with his canine friends. It would have been tragic had he to face the possible outcome for many shelter dogs not finding a home. Thanks to a great organization like Buckeye Border Collie Rescue he got another chance for a wonderful life. The minute I saw him there was no doubt he was going to join our family. I can not tell you how much better my life is because of Flint.

Harold - Black Lab
Harold is an outstanding representative of his breed. He is a great companion and he loves everyone, especially the last one that fed him. We raised Harold through the puppy raiser program for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. When he returned to Guiding Eyes for final training, he unfortunately developed allergies and was unable to continue training to have the job as a guide dog. We were disappointed that he could not be a guide dog, which is what he was bred and we raised him to do, but we were overjoyed when Guiding Eyes allowed us to adopt him as our family pet. Harold's only vise is he loves people and will probably lick you mercilessly if you let him. His job is that of distraction duty and serving as a calming effect for dogs and puppies in training that have a difficult time socializing with other dogs. Anyone who thinks dogs are not capable of love, have not met Harold.

Certified Trainer — Session with Cesar
Cesar Millan is a world-renowned dog behavior specialist. He became known as "El Perrero" — "The Dogman" in his homeland of Mexico. Cesar embraced this gift and came to America to pursue his dream of becoming the greatest dog trainer in the world. He has a television series on the National Geographic Channel, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. Obedient Dogs has added Session with Cesar: to provide the best education for you and your dog.