WE DID IT!!!!

Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron is your 2012 Fox 8 Hot List Winner for BEST DOG TRAINING!  We couldn’t have won without your votes!  Thank you for your continued support!!!

We still need your help! There are only 10 days left to vote for Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron as the Best in Dog Training on the Fox 8 Hot List! Please show your support and vote today by clicking the badge below! Thank you for your support!!

We had a BLAST last weekend at the 4130 BMX PARK in Canton, OH! We are a proud sponsor of the 4130 BMX Park Race Team which is a regional bicycle motorcross team consisting of 30 Riders who are also involved in civic activities, parades, bike safety inspections and more!  The riders are age 5 to 40 and most are in the rookie to novice class!  We couldn’t be happier to be a sponsor and help children stay active in sports and spend less time playing video games! Check out some of our pictures from last week’s race!

We are proud to announce that Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron has won the highest honor from our corporation:

We are the 2011 #1 Franchise of all the Sit Means Sit Franchises!

We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of our staff members and wonderful clients! Without your hard work and support, this would not be possible!

We Need Your Help!

Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron
is competing for #1 on the FOX 8 Akron-Canton HOT LIST for BEST DOG TRAINING.  Click the badge above to cast your vote!
Every vote counts!  Thank you for your continued support!

We did it! THANKS TO YOU, OHIO NO LONGER DISCRIMINATES BASED ON BREED Today, I had the pleasure of being at the bill-signing ceremony where Governor Kasich signed HB 14 into law. This historic legislation repeals Ohio’s breed-discriminatory law targeting pit bulls and replaces it with a comprehensive reckless owner/dangerous dog law. Ohio was the only state to codify canine profiling. In the past, all “pit bulls,” as defined by their appearance, were included in the definition of “vicious dogs.” Pet pit bulls and short-haired muscular mutts were often wrongfully taken from loving families and killed because the law unfairly classified all pit bulls as vicious dogs. The new law rectifies this wrong by taking pit bulls out of the definition of vicious dogs and establishing nuisance, dangerous, and vicious dog categories solely based on a dog’s behavior, regardless of breed or appearance. It also prevents convicted felons from owning an unsterilized dog for three years after release from prison. Thank you for joining Best Friends in spearheading this groundbreaking accomplishment. In the Buckeye state, many dogs are wagging their tail in thanks. Remember, politics is not a spectator sport! YOU ARE WONDERFUL! Sincerely, Ledy VanKavage, Esq.Sr. Legislative Attorney If you have a question or concern about animal welfare please email Community Animal Assistance at animalhelp@bestfriends.org.

The poster below features one of Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron’s exceptional clients, Yago! This poster is to help further the good nature of the Doberman breed. He is on the top row in the center! Awesome job, Yago!

Hosted by Leslie Ungar, Forum 360 with Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron owner and trainer, Paul Pollock, and his dog Simba will air the week of March 5 and can also be seen on Local on Demand.

Paul Pollock, owner and trainer for Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron will appear on the Time Warner TV show, Forum 360!  Hosted by Leslie Ungar, the show will air throughout the week on Time Warner Cable Channel 23.  The show airs on Mondays at 12:30PM, Tuesdays at 10:30AM & 3:30PM, Wednesdays at 2:30PM & 7:30PM, Thursdays at 10:30AM, Fridays at 2:30PM, Saturdays at 4PM, and Sundays at 3:30PM.  You can also catch the show on TV Air DIGITAL tw1111: Local on Demand even before it airs!  The show will be available on the radio on WONE 97.5 on Sunday at 6AM and on WAKR AM 1590 on Sunday at 8:30AM.

The show airs in Northeastern Ohio in the Greater Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Mansfield, and Youngstown areas to over one million viewers.

“Almost live” for 30 minutes, Leslie hosts the show with local, regional, and national guests that bring light to topics of special interest. Forum 360 is presented by Time-Warner and the Shaw Jewish Center to bring the TV and radio audiences’ awareness of issues, events, or people “happening” in the area.

Please visit Leslie’s website for more information!  CLICK HERE

And the winner for the best caption comes to us from

Sabrina Valenta out of Lyndhurst, Ohio!

“Imitating Steven Tyler singing the National Anthem”

Do you have a funny picture of your dog to enter in our “Caption of the Month” contest?  Email pictures and captions to Clevleland.Akron@SitMeansSit.com and we’ll post your picture on our facebook page!  The winning picture will be featured in our next newsletter!

Clear communication is the corner stone for the longevity of any healthy relationship, including the relationship we have with our dogs.

While it can be argued that English is the common language used throughout the world among humans, such is not the case with our dogs. Not only does your dog not speak English, it does not speak any other verbal language either. Therefore, when we bring a new member into our family, the responsibility is on our shoulders to lay the foundation for healthy communication.

The purpose of this short article is to create a paradigm shift of our understanding in how we can best communicate with, and teach our dogs to produce desired results.

To make it simple, consider that our dogs have the capacity to be multi-lingual. The following, but not limited to, can all be considered languages of communication, Body, Verbal, Food, Toy, Collar, Whistle and Leash. To attempt teaching, using all these languages at the same time, sets up confusion not only for the dog, but more importantly, the owner.

At Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron, we initiate teaching communication without using any verbal commands. We use our body, integrating our SMS collar and then the leash as needed, to guide and create a desired physical movement. For most, this approach is counter intuitive, since generally folks assume that dogs speaks English, and then they start throwing out commands louder and faster, sending the dog into confusion all while yanking on the leash.

The classic, “yell at the dog until he figures it out,” is the shortest route to confusion and the direct route to inconsistent compliance. This scenario is no different than someone yelling at you in a foreign language. Confusion and frustration show up quickly, followed by fear. This does not set a healthy stage for learning to take place for either you or your dog.

Teaching your dog a skill starts with gaining your dog’s attention. With our Sit Means Sit program there is no yelling, screaming or otherwise “hissy fits” involved to get your dog to learn. We build a line of communication in a planned progressive protocol. The progression is based on each dog’s capacity to demonstrate a level of comprehension to pay attention to the owner. Once the dog understands what is expected to pay attention, then we begin with teaching a defined skill, followed by verbal marking. The initial skill set includes the commands “come” “sit” “place” and “free.” We can teach all these skills without a single word being spoken. Our deaf dog clients are the easiest to grasp this approach.

By refreshing the importance of clear communication, it is our intention to shift your paradigm to the language of mutual understanding, so you can continue to teach your dog new skills. We would like to encourage all of you to check your communication style, and if need be, refresh your approach down to a whisper and go back to Sit Means Sit basics. Go ahead and dust off the place board, pull out the long leash and challenge yourself and your dog, to go through the corner stone drill of Come-Place-Free drill. Then progressively, add duration, distance and distractions, do all this to enhance your relationship and level of communication with your best four legged pal.

by Scott Sanchez, Sit Means Sit Hawaii

Akron Home & Flower Show – February 24-26, 2012 - John S. Knight Center

Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron is excited to be a part of the 18th annual Akron Home & Flower Show!  This show is filled with educational seminars, home improvement exhibits, feature gardens and flowers, and more! SIT MEANS SIT CLEVELAND-AKRON will hit the stage to demonstrate Fun & Flashy Obedience Skills throughout the weekend!

Demonstrations will be held on:

Friday, February 24 at 7PM

Saturday, February 25 at 7PM

We would like to extend a big THANK YOU to Leslie Ungar for giving Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron owner Paul Pollock the opportunity to be the guest speaker at her happy hour!  Please visit Leslie’s website to learn about her company, Electric Impulse Communications.