Pine Shadows hosts dog training day for students – Brainerd Dispatch

BRAINERD — Forestview seventh Graders were hosted by Pine Shadows for a morning of fast learning at six different stations involving pets and their care.

The six learning stations included dog health and general first aid, dog obedience, puppy imprinting, dog obstacle course, hunting dog training and a tour of Pine Shadows Boarding and Grooming facility.

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Mark and Sophie Haglin, owners of Pine Shadows located east of Brainerd, offered these learning stations to the students to they could gain hands-on experience in dealing with pets in their families.

A core group of employees and volunteers manned each station to provide the instructions. Each student had the opportunity to direct a dog through the obstacle course, learn to walk a dog the correct way on a leash, teach obedience commands, get first-hand knowledge on what a small animal veterinarian does, learn about the puppy imprinting process and see how all the training comes together with the working dogs in the field.

The goal was to show students the difference between a well-trained dog and one where the training is in process. Students were able to see the value in teaching the pups commands to make the dogs better family members.

Also seeing the progression in learning from the early puppy imprinting to the finished product in the obstacle course or in the hunting field.

“When working with pets, we always state that we want to make the right thing easy for the pups to do and the wrong thing difficult for them to accomplish,” Mark Haglin said. “This theme was present in each of the learning stations and we wanted the student to catch on to this theme.”

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch