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Animal Behavior Programs
Report Animal Abuse or Neglect
Animal Behavior Programs
Behavior Consultations
A new offering, as of August 22, 2008. Now you can bring your dog and his or her issues to our shelter for a private, one-on-one behavior consultation. Starting mid-September you will also be able to bring in your cat for a private, one-on-one behavior consultation. Our experts can help you work through issues like housetraining, separation anxiety, shyness, fear, new dog/puppy problems, obedience, dog reactivity, and enjoy a better relationship with your pet. Because PHS/SPCA is a non-profit, our rates are significantly less expensive than other behavior consultation businesses. But, we're every bit as good! The initial 75-minute consultation is $70; 30-minute follow-ups are $40. To schedule an appointment, please call 650/340-7022, ext. 667
Obedience Classes
Whether you've just adopted a dog and want to get off on the right paw, or you want a refresher course for your longtime companion, PHS/SPCA companion dog training courses are ideal. We hold year-round Puppy Classes, Level I, and Intermediate obedience classes. In addition, we're offering dog training geared for children and dog training conducted in Spanish. Classes are 6 one-hour sessions and limited to 12 dogs. Discounts are available for dogs adopted from PHS/SPCA, and for seniors.
PHS/SPCA Dog Training Classes - Schedule
Saturday 12 noon
April 10th
Instructor: Tasha
Puppy Kindergarten (4-8 months)
Wednesday 6:15pm
February 10th
Instructor: Margaret
Sunday 10:00am – no class April 4th
February 28th
Instructor: Rachel
Monday 6:15pm
March 22nd
Instructor: Kelly
Saturday 1:15pm
April 10th
Instructor: Tasha
Intermediate
Thursday 7:45pm
March 11th
Instructor: Tasha
Companion Dog Level 1
Sunday 11:15am – no class April 4th
February 28th
Instructor: Rachel
Monday 7:30pm
March 22nd
Sharon & Jennifer
Wednesday 6:15pm – no class May 5th
April 14th
Instructor: Margaret
Companion Dog Level 1 – Dog Training for Kids see flyer
Saturday 1:15pm
February 6th
Instructor: Tasha
Companion Dog Level 1 for Small Dogs
(Dogs 6 months and older – under 25 lbs.)
Wednesday 7:30pm
February 10th
Instructor: Margaret
Wednesday 7:30pm – no class May 5th
April 14th
Instructor: Margaret
Training Bully Breeds
(Dogs 6 months and older)
(2nd & 4th Tuesday of every month)
TBD
- class 1: breed characteristics, attention, sit, jumping up
- class 2 : down, targeting, loose leash walks, stay, importance of exercise
- class 3 : arousal levels, approaching other dogs, crate training
- class 4 : leave it, distractions, approaching other dogs
Puppy Playgroup (2-6 months)
(1st & 3rd Tuesday of every month) 6:15pm
Instructor: Anika & Terri
Petite Pups Playgroup (dogs under 35lbs) NEW
Sundays 12:30pm
Next 5 week session begins:
Sunday 1:30pm
April 18th
Instructor: Terri
Bully Breeds Playgroup (dogs must be social)
Waitlist for the next upcoming session open. Appointments are being scheduled for evaluations prior to the new session beginning.
Sundays 11:00am
Next 5 week session begins:
Sunday 12:15pm
April 18th
Instructor: Terri
Dog Day Evenings
(Dogs 6 months and older – over 40 lbs.)
(1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month) 7:30pm
starting March 9th – no class March 30th
Instructor: Anika
Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
Thursday 6:30pm
March 11th
Instructor: Tasha
Tricks & Games for the Family Dog
TBD
Level 1 / Beginner Clicker Training – special exercises for Shy Dogs
TBD
Basic Agility
Sunday 11:00am
May 16th
Instructor: Rachel
This agility class is for any dog with a solid basic obedience (Sit, Down, Stay, Come) and reliable loose lead heeling. Over the weeks we will learn:
- how to navigate a basic obstacle course (tunnels, jumps, tire, A-frame, weave poles)
- safety considerations
- warm-ups and handling exercises
There are two easy ways to register!
- Call 650-340-7022 x667
- Download registration
form and return to
Behavior Department
12 Airport Blvd., San Mateo, CA 94401
Behavior Helpline
Residents of San Mateo County can call the Behavior Helpline and a trained staff member will return their call within 48 hours (Monday through Friday during normal business hours) to offer free advice related to domestic animal behavior.
We can help with barking and chewing problems, separation anxiety, and housetraining in dogs; and with spraying, clawing, and nocturnal activity in cats (among other issues for dogs, cats and other animals). Please call 650/340-7022, ext. 783 (ext. 786 for Spanish).
You can read about some behavior issues by going to the Animal Behavior Advice section in the Resource Library. Also in the Resource Library, check out the Behavior Q&A.
E-Mail our Behavior Experts
We are also happy to offer advice for your pet’s behavior issues via e-mail! Just fill out and submit the Online Behavior Help Application and our Behavior Staff will reply to you within one week with helpful tips and suggestions.
Instructors Biography
Tasha
Tasha Suda has grown up with dogs her whole life and has been active in training and behavior since 2000, when she started volunteering as a dog training assistant at PHS. In late 2001 she started teaching classes at PHS. She also has a background in grooming; working as a groomer in Half Moon Bay for 6 years. Tasha is a graduate of the Marin Humane Society’s Canine Behavior Academy taught by Trish King. She has attended numerous seminars that focus on animal behavior, learning and training by many of the top leaders in the dog training community. Trish King, Ian Dunbar, Pia Silvani, Jean Donaldson, John Rogerson, Patricia McConnell, Nicole Wilde and Sue Sternberg to name a few. She continues to attend seminars and read books to keep up on the latest information available. Tasha currently teaches the following classes at PHS; companion dog level 1 for small dogs, puppy pre-school, puppy kindergarten, companion dog level 1, and the canine good citizen class. She also does behavior consultations and works with some of the shelter dogs.
Tasha currently resides with a deaf border collie mix named Grayson, a cat named Ember and a border collie named Phoebe that came to her home as a PHS foster.
Her passion is dogs and she has a soft spot for the special needs dog whether it is physical or mental and likes to take on the challenge that comes with these dogs. She feels the true reward of teaching is being able to see the change that takes place.
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Rachel
Rachel began her profession as a dancer and K-12 educator, has been teaching workshops for children and adults since 1995. She has enjoyed bringing her experience in dance, psychology, and education to dog training, and she joined the Peninsula Humane Society's training team in 2008. Helping her students to develop an awareness of themselves and their canine companions through movement and clear communication has been a wonderful part of her work, and Rachel credits the success of her own dogs in agility, Canine Good Citizen, and pet assisted therapy to the strong sense of teamwork she has developed with them through ongoing training.
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Kelly
Kelly McCarthy has been active in behavior and training since 2003. Always an animal lover and pet owner, Kelly's focused interest in canine behavior only began after she adopted her current dog, Molly, from the San Francisco SPCA. Molly had a mild form of separation anxiety and a number of cautious tendencies which generally made her nervous around new people and new situations. Molly had been abandoned in a park by her previous owners and her nervousness was largely the result of a lack of trust between Molly and the people in her life. Having worked as an assistant to the trainers at PHS for a year, Kelly is now a lead instructor and teaches classes at PHS in clicker training, puppy kindergarten, and intermediate companion dog. In addition to teaching classes she works with PHS' shelter dogs on a variety of behavior issues and conducts behavior evaluations for newly surrendered or stray dogs who find their way to the shelter. Kelly is a graduate of the Marin Humane Society's Canine Behavior Academy taught by Trish King. Kelly also recently attended a seminar entitled "New Perspectives on Canid Behavior" taught by Suzanne Clothier at Wolf Park in Indiana.
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Margaret
Margaret Daul, M.A., CTC, has been a dog lover and owner all her life. She began her more serious dog involvement by raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2004. She raises the GDB puppies from two months till they return to Guide Dogs for formal training. She socializes the pups and teaches them house manners and obedience. They return them to Guide Dogs at about 15 months old.
Margaret has raised 4 pups for Guide Dogs. The first was a little afraid of loud traffic and lives with her as a mentor dog and has helped her raise the next three puppies. One of whom is a working guide, another is a Dog for Diabetics, and one has just finished formal training at Guide Dogs and is awaiting placement with a blind partner. Margaret is currently a leader for a local Guide Dogs for the Blind Puppy-Raising group on the Peninsula. Margaret began her formal dog training by completing the Certificate in Training and Counseling program for dog trainers at the SFSPCA. The class was taught by Jean Donaldson, Janis Bradley and John Buginas. Margaret is currently completing her internship at the SFSPCA. Margaret took Master the Growlies taught by Veronica Boutelle, MA, CTC, of dog TEC and Kim Moeller, CTC. Margaret has traveled to North Carolina for a 10-day dog training class with John Rogerson and plans to take his Canine Welfare and Rehabilitation Course, Puppy Development Course and Dog Training and Behavior Problem Solving course this fall to further her training.
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Anika
Anika Liljenwall grew up loving animals and throughout her life has owned dogs, cats, rabbits, fish, hermit crabs, guinea pigs, tortoises, and even a hedgehog. Anika lived in New Mexico for many years, but she moved to California in 2003 to attend UC Davis where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Biology, with a specialization in Animal Behavior. Soon after graduating Anika became a Behavior Assistant here at PHS in September 2007. Anika strives to merge her scientific background with shelter work and dog training. She works one-on-one with shelter dogs and cats with behavior issues, trains volunteers, and counsels members of the public who are experiencing behavior issues with their pets. Anika also thoroughly enjoys teaching both the Puppy Playgroup and Dog Day Evenings. She currently resides in San Mateo, with her cat Maeby and the occasional foster cat.
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Sharon & Jennifer
Sharon Hall has been an active volunteer in all aspects of the dog training program since the Humane Society took over training courses for the public three years ago. In addition to Puppy class, Level 1 and Intermediate class she has taken part in specialized classes for Bully Breeds, shy dogs, children with dogs and Clicker training.
Jennifer Page has helped support training classes at PHS for just over two years, focusing primarily on beginning, intermediate and puppy level instruction. She has also worked closely with the behavior team in evaluating and training shelter dogs prior to adoption, and assists with one-on-one behavior consultations.
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Terri
Terri Wong has loved animals all her life. She has cared for dogs, cats, guinea pigs, bunnies, hamsters, fish, turtles, salamanders, crickets, grasshoppers, and even a praying mantis. In 2004 she attended UC Davis, California earning her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, emphasis in Animal Behavior. Terri has participated in undergraduate research on bison sexual selection, sage grouse ecology, lovebird mate pairing, and cockatiel affiliative and agnostic behaviors. She found her passion for applied behavior training when working at the California National Primate Center, Davis as a behaviorist studying laboratory enrichment and abnormal behaviors in Japanese and Chinese Rhesus macaques. She then worked at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Davis, assisting veterinarians in diagnosing and training companion pets with behavior problems. After moving back home, Terri became a Behavior Assistant here at PHS in October 2008. Every day she goes to work excited to train the shelter animals and counsel owners on pet behavior issues. Terri currently reside in Daly City with her PHS adopted dogs Skye (Australian Shepherd) and Rusty (Shiba Inu), BunBun a 13 year old Californian bunny, Franklin a Red-eared Slider turtle, and numerous species of goldfish (they are a symbol of good fortune and wealth in the Chinese culture).
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Second Chance Class
This class, held twice weekly, is for dogs in our shelter. Our Animal Behaviorist guides a team of volunteers who help teach the dogs to walk on a leash, learn the "sit," "down," and "stay" commands, and socialize with other dogs and people. Information about the dogs who have taken these classes is available for potential adopters.
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Getting to Know You Class
This two-hour class is for new dog owners. Learn why dogs do the
things they do. Topics will include the pack dynamic through housetraining.
Suggested $10 donation at the door.
The class is held twice a year. This is a people only class. No pets please.
To sign up call 650/340-7022, ext. 306 or training@PHS-SCPA.org.
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Dog Day Mornings
Do you have a dog who's a social butterfly? Or maybe a dog who's a little shy or nervous? Do you like dog parks but sometimes feel uncomfortable being there? Then have we got a program for you and your canine companion!
At Dog Day Mornings dogs romp and play off-leash in a supervised atmosphere every Saturday morning, rain or shine. There are two sessions -- 9:30 am to 10:30 am for dogs all shapes and sizes and a 10:30 am to 11:30 am class reserved for just small dogs. All dogs must be current on their vaccinations, have attended a basic obedience class and all dogs 6 months and older must be altered. The fee is $5.00 per class or save with a 6-session card for $25! For more information and to enroll call 650/340-7022 ext. 784. Come join us. . . It's a barking good time!
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Animal Behavior Advice Articles
Books on Animal Behavior
About Dogs
- The Dog Who Loved Too Much by Nicholas Dodman
- The Good Little Dog Book by Ian Dunbar
- How to Teach an Old Dog New Tricksby Ian Dunbar
- The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson
- Leader of the Packby Patricia McConnell
About Cats
- Claws and Purrs by Peter Neville
- Twisted Whiskers--Solving Your Cat's Behavior Problems by Pam Johnson
- Cat Watching by Desmond Morris
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