High Expectations Dog Training expands, adds puppy day school

An 11-year-old Camas-based business has expanded to include puppy day school in a new location. Katie High, owner of High Expectations Dog Training, previously operated her company out of her home in Camas. She relocated in early January to continue providing manners and excellent manners classes, behavior modification, private training, agility sessions, scent detector and puppy classes at the new, larger location in the Sixth Avenue Commercial Center, near a roundabout and letters spelling, "City of Camas." When High, 42, was still working from her home, a few people asked for her help with their puppies' socialization and training during the day. "Puppies require a lot of attention and training when they are young," she said. The new puppy day school at High Expectations is about helping dog owners with the training they are doing at home. That includes helping puppies learn how to sit when there are distractions present, socializing them with other puppies on and off leash and positively associating people, things and objects that are important for puppies to be comfortable with. "We practice having the pups positively associate with a vacuum, hats, balloons, fans, objects to crawl over and through, statues and skateboards," High said. "If they learn that these objects and things are not scary as puppies, they will better be able to confidently manage the world as older dogs." Puppy Day School is offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., several days a week. Rob Michael, of Camas, takes Saxon, his three-month-old German Shepherd, to High Expectations Puppy Day School for extra training and socialization while he is at work. Eleven years ago, Michael and his wife rescued a one-year-old German Shepherd, Jake, that had spent his first year tied up outside. "This breed of dog needs to be exposed to all they can -- socialized with different dogs, people of all ages, sizes and colors, as well as different places, sounds and experiences," Michael said. "Without all of that exposure and socialization, he was a scared, untrained, 90-pound dog." Michael said, with two years of training, Jake became "an amazing companion that was well trained." "Katie worked with the trainer and animal behaviorist that we had found for Jake," he said. "It was because of that involvement that we became interested in working with her again, with Saxon." Jake died in June 2018. In addition to their German Shepherd puppy, Michael and his wife have an older dog that they want to enroll in a class at High Expectations so she can experience the fun and socialization that Saxon is having. Joe and Doni Phillips, of Vancouver, bring their one-year-old male German Pointer/Australian Shepherd "Maverick" to a manners class taught by Julie Mills, a certified professional dog trainer at High Expectations. Doni Phillips said they hope Maverick will gain better puppy manners and listening skills in the class. She said it is fun to watch him learn, but it can be challenging to keep him focused. Laurie Sassmann and Mark Parson, of Stevenson, take "Otto," their 14-month-old male Australian Shepherd to the manners class. They want to learn to communicate with Otto in a way that will create a strong bond between them, and they would like him to be absolutely solid in the basic commands of sit, down, stay and to walk gently when on a leash. Sassmann and Parson plan to take Otto to the excellent manners class after he completes the first manners class. "Our end goal is to have a dog so well behaved he will be welcome anywhere he goes with us," they said. High is a Certified Behavior Consultant Canine-Knowledge Assessed and Certified Behavior Consultant Canine-Knowledge Assessed by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She also belongs to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and is an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen evaluator. High said it has been nice letting her three dogs and daughter enjoy the loft space at home -- previously used for dog training -- whenever they want. "It does feel relaxing," she said, regarding her business relocation away from her home. "And it is nice to finally have one location for my clients to know and to go to."

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