Five questions for Whole Dog Sports Center owner and animal behaviorist Lyssa Noble-Dennis.
Carlsbad Patch: What do you offer at Whole Dog Sports Center?
At WDSC we offer all Levels of Agility training, Puppy and Basic obedience classes, Canine Good Citizen & Therapy dog courses, Trick training and seminars form behavior problem solving to Dancing with your dog!
Carlsbad Patch: Why did you choose Carlsbad as your location?
I chose Carlsbad because I live here and my kids go to school here. I use to teach out of my house for seven years and have had great clients and I wanted to stay close to be able to keep my current clients.
Carlsbad Patch: How did you get into dog training?
I started training dogs in 1987 at the San Francisco SPCA when I was in College doing undergraduate work. I worked on the “Animal Behavior Hot Line” run by a very top behaviorist Gwen Bohenkemp who mentored me for many years. I also helped train Hearing dogs and evaluated dogs for placement in the shelter.
Later, I worked at UCLA studying primate behavior for 3 years while developing my dog training business, “Correct-A-Pet” in Marina del Rey California. I taught in Los Angeles for from 1989 to 2003, when I moved to Carlsbad.
Carlsbad Patch: You specialize in dog behavior, is there one tip you wish all dog owners knew?
There are two tips I wish owners knew. #1- Find a dog that really fits your current lifestyle. I find many people get a breed that they may have had when they were younger but is too much energy for their current life style. #2- People need to try to develop a real relationship and embrace their dogs for who they are and not try to fit a round peg in a square hole. This why I created WDSC to let people enjoy their dogs in a constructive outlet, so people are playing and training their dogs at the same time!
Carlsbad Patch: What is your favorite part about working with dogs?
My favorite part about working with dogs is seeing how much joy they can give someone. I tell my clients all the time, I am so happy when I see them out with their dogs having coffee, walking on the boardwalk. I know that that they have created a special bond that is more then just a pet.
