Marcia Welch, of Edgecomb, beams when she talks about dog training. It has been her passion for over 15 years. She owns Positively Best Friends! Dog Training LLC on Mill Road in Edgecomb, and like the name, she strives to provide a positive experience for both dog and owner.
Welch is also an accomplished showman and dog handler. The walls of her second story indoor training facility are lined with over 300 ribbons, won by her in different dog competitions around the country.
Welch will be moving her dog training classes from her home on Parson Creek, with the exception of herding classes, up the road to the former Improved Order of Red Men Hall on Rt. 27 in Edgecomb later this month. She closed on the property on April 11. The 4000-sq.ft. building will allow her to expand her programs, and conduct classes simultaneously.
Welch is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and has been training dogs and their owners for over 15 years. She is dedicated to helping people strengthen and maintain the bond they share with their dogs. She works with all kinds of breeds. “It is more than a full-time job. It’s a passion. I’m lucky, I get a great deal of joy out of my job,” Welch said.
She is the president of the Casco Bay Dog Training Club and serves as the organizations Training Coordinator. Three fellow members of the club, Donna Carleton, May Mitchell and Pam Parker serve as apprentices under her and offer classes at Positively Best Friends! on a part-time basis.
Welch and her husband Jack French own four dogs. Willie, a Gordon Setter, “is my husband’s dog. That’s how we met. I went to help him with Willie 10 years ago. He’s a natural dog. We don’t make a lot of demands” on him and he, “is always happy. The sun always shines on Willie,” Welch said.
Welch owns three Australian Shepherds, Hannah, Arrow and Ryot. In stark contrast to Willie, “they are working dogs. They are workaholics. They are a not for everyone breed. If you don’t find a job for them to do, they will create their own job that might not make you too happy. They are always asking what are we going to do now. If left to their own devices, they make their own choices. They are perfect for someone with an active life. Someone who does a lot of swimming and hiking,” Welch said.
Positively Best Friends! offers a variety of classes, starting with puppies eight to 20 weeks old. ‘Early socialization is critical to the development of puppies up to the age of 16 weeks,’ the company’s website states. The emphasis of the classes is ‘on having fun. It is something really cool to do with your dog.’
Good Pup classes supports both puppy and owner during this trying time period. It includes teaching basic behaviors of come, sit, down and stay and integrates games to build confidence in the young pup and enthusiasm for future learning.
Twenty-week-old puppies can attend Great Beginning classes focused on the same behavior as Good Pup, along with more complex behaviors as wait, leave it, settle and moving along. This class is ideal for a family dog, first time dog owners.
Positively Best Friends! offers four levels of Agility training, from intro, to Levels I, II and III.
Agility training is fun for both dogs and handlers. It directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for time and accuracy. “These classes are primarily for people to have fun with their dogs. Some people never want to compete, while others take the class with the goal of learning so they can go to competition. Everyone is welcome,” Welch said. The fun classes break everything down into smaller components. Dogs learn the individual skills so they can navigate the full course.
They also offer three levels of Find It! Fun K9 NoseWork, a program that is styled after police dog training. Although the program is similar, the goal of K9 NoseWork is to provide a fun game for owners and families to play with their dogs.
“It is a great sport, utilizing the nose. It is the most fun class I teach. I love it. It is all about the hunt,” Welch commented.
Dogs start out finding food in a box, then graduate to pairing a scent to food, in which they find an object scented with essential oils like birch, anise or cloves. The food is paired with the scent, and then the food is removed and dogs search for the scent associated with it. Scent work builds confidence in dogs.
The enrichment activity “taps into their natural instinctive behaviors and helps them release energy,” Welch said.
For the more serious dog owner, Competition Obedience classes are offered at the Novice, Open and Utility levels. This class is designed to prepare the handler and dog for competition in the obedience ring.
They also offer tracking, and herding workshops using ducks and sheep. The herding program is designed to encourage the hobbyist, as well as the serious competitor. Welch said it takes four or five years to develop a nice working, dependable dog. To keep the environment safe for animals, handlers and dogs, a lot of early training is on rope.
Positively Best Friends! will soon be starting a brand new and innovative program working with overweight dogs. “The curriculum is similar to “The Biggest Loser,”” Welch said.
It will run for four consecutive Saturdays. Dogs will get a medical clearance and weigh in each week at their vets, then engage in moderate to low impact exercise. The program will involve not just exercise, but owner and nutrition education on how to help their dog slim down.
They also offer AKC accreditation. When working toward an AKC title, there are three legs at each level that need to be met. A dog has to qualify three times in front of three different judges for that leg. The levels can be achieved in Obedience and Companion dog, where the dog masters elements such as heeling, recall, heeling off a leash, figure eight and standing for an exam; Companion Dog Excellent, where dogs master jumps, retrieving, drops and recalls; and Utility Dog, which Welch called the Ph.D. of dog training, in which the dog does directed retrieve, picking his handler’s scented glove out of three gloves, and directive jumping. Other categories include competition, agility training and herding.
Before beginning any classes at Positively Best Friends!, Welch conducts an initial evaluation, and owners then begin working with their dog at home for a week. They then sign up for the class of their choice. Students and instructors are all working toward goals. It is not so much attaining the goal but going through the process. “My job is to make the process fun and rewarding,” for both owner and dog, Welch said.
“I’m a relationship focused trainer. Quite often the dog feels the need to be in charge, because they do at home. Dogs shouldn’t initiate attentions, the leader should,” Welch said. “The biggest gift you can give your dog is to be a leader and keep your dog busy. I realize in the real world people don’t have the amount of time I do, but it only takes a half hour a day, or commercial time on TV. Dogs are always learning. It is important to teach them the right things,” Welch said.
For more information check Positively Best Friends online at www.positivelybestfriends.com. Marcia Welch can be reached at 522-6001, or at dogspeak@midcoast.com.
