Dogwood Dog Training

Dogwood Dog Training

By Molly Ryan Friday, 19 March 2010

NORTHWEST HOUSTON — Any dog owner knows that whoever coined the term “man’s best friend” must have had a well-trained dog.

However, training a canine is not always an easy task. Luckily, Dogwood Dog Training and Sports Center in northwest Houston has a staff of dog training and competition experts to help any novice or champion dog and its owner perfect their obedience, agility and companionship skills.

Dogwood first opened its doors in 1999 when Debby Quigley, a dog trainer and competitor for more than two decades, decided to turn her hobby into a business. Since then, Quigley has trained hundreds of dogs in her classes, which range from “Basic Dog Obedience” to “Beginning Competition” and “Agility.”

In basic obedience classes, dogs and owners learn to communicate effectively with one another. In addition, students learn traditional dog training skills such as how to heel, come and recognize commands. More advanced classes teach dogs and owners skills for competitions and how to run through obstacle courses.

Many of Quigley’s students go on to compete in dog competitions throughout Texas and the United States, but Quigley said the most rewarding part of teaching at Dogwood is “working with all the individual owners and helping them obtain their goals.”

Quigley also takes pride in helping owners who are having trouble training and living with their dogs keep them at home.

“To me, that’s the biggest help [to the community]—helping to keep dogs out of shelters,” Quigley said.

Besides dog training classes, Dogwood offers private lessons and has a dog massage therapist, a dog chiropractor and a dog behavioral specialist on staff. In the future, Quigley plans to have video training and consultations to help dog owners around the country.

Students like Jodie Broussard travel three hours with her golden retriever, Flip, from Lake Charles, LA. once a week for a beginning competition class.

“They are the best,” Broussard said.

Another student, Lesley Young, is a professional dog trainer who teaches classes in The Woodlands. Young said she comes with her border collie, Paddy, or “The Padinator,” because “you still need teaching even if you instruct.”

Dogwood Dog Training and Sports Center separates itself from the pack with highly skilled instructors and quality facilities.

“One thing that makes [Dogwood] special is we have a good program for any endeavor,” said Dogwood instructor Judy Ramsey, who has trained dogs for around 30 years. “There are common threads through all of our classes in concept and philosophy. Also, there are not a lot of facilities in Houston that have the caliber of instructors we do.”