The Canine Center readies for class - KVUE

by AMY JOHNSTON/KVUE News

kvue.com

Posted on January 22, 2011 at 1:09 PM

Updated Saturday, Jan 22 at 6:24 PM

Looking to set your pup straight? A new full-service dog training facility celebrated its grand opening this weekend. The Canine Center in Southwest Austin hopes to fill a void left behind when acclaimed trainer Lee Mannix died this summer.

We visited the new expanded facility to check out their first class of puppies Saturday.

“I would say the methods they use here are a lot more in line with what I feel is not cruel,” clients Devon and Jessica Donald said. “And frankly, it works. It’s not force feeding them treats.”

The Donalds’ dog is the family’s second to train at the Canine Center. The couple said they want to feel safe taking their dogs around the city –which is exactly what the center’s owners want clients to figure out.

“Austin is so dog friendly that the more social skills your pet has, the more take them out,” Co-Owner Shari Elkins said. “The happier they are, the less problems you have at home.”

Elkins and Jane Del Ray regrouped after the previous owner, Lee Mannix, died last summer. They started the new business and expanded its services.

For instance, if the dog happens to hit a plateau during training, the center also offers a tutoring program where owners can drop off their pets when they go to work, and the dog will be trained during the day.

The center’s services range from basic puppy classes to competitive-level agility and scent training. The owners can even help you pick out a pet.

“If people would just invest a little bit of time in the basics, people would have the pet they want to take everywhere,” Del Ray said.

The center has 18 acres, with eight kilometers of specially prepared trails and several training sites.

View the original article here