Centro ABComportamento

I picked up my new Wire-haired Vizsla puppy at the Lisbon airport last Saturday and took advantage of an invitation to join the puppy class later that morning. What a wonderful surprise!I have held the trainer, Dra. Teresa Umbelino, in high regard since I first met her in Évora five years ago when I moved to Portugal. I have about 25 years of experience in training obedience and hunting with a number of breeds, and I have taken part in other trainers' puppy classes on numerous occasions in Germany and Portugal. Teresa impressed me from the start for her commitment to animal welfare and positive methods, and in many hours of working and walking our dogs together , I came to the private opinion that I only knew one better trainer in Germany, and that woman had a Ph.D. in animal psychology and over 30 years of training experience.I think I underestimated Dra. Umbelino. I was simply blown away by the relaxed, flexible approach I saw in a puppy class full of young dogs and children. We had not seen each other much in a few years, and I was not aware of the excellent concept she developed for such a class. It's kind of like Montessouri School for dogs... and children... and adults. What I saw last Saturday is the kind of teaching that develops thinking skills and relationships in animals and in the humans who love them. Her approach avoids the more rigid structure that I usually use with my dogs and that I have seen in every other class, but what seems like chaos superficially is actually one of the most effective, micro-structured, flexible learning experiences that I have seen yet. One participant in the class drives a few hundred kilometers up from the Algarve for classes each week, and I can understand why. I am looking forward very much to visiting again and learning from this creative, knowledgeable veterinary behavior specialist!