As an eight-year-old boy in upstate N.Y. our family had a dog named Sunny Boy; a hound mix whom I dearly loved. Sunny Boy was a great dog. His one and only problem was that he was a chicken thief. He would steal chickens from a nearby farm. He never killed them; just brought them home. The farmer and my parents did not find this amusing. The day came that Sunny Boy was shipped out to a farm several towns away (that did not have any chickens). I was heartbroken and asked why we didn’t train Sunny Boy not to steal chickens. I was told it was his natural instinct and there was nothing that could be done about it; a chicken dog I guess. Since I was eight years old, I accepted this.

Just a few months later I was on an outing with a friend and his family and their dog Shep. When we got to our destination and opened the car door, Shep became excited and bolted out into oncoming traffic. I will never forget that scene and my friend’s anguish, not to mention mine. When we asked why this had to happen, we where told bad things happen some times. It was not a very satisfying answer.

Time went by and we moved to Tucson. When Lila, my wife, and I bought our first house we adopted a ten-week-old Lab mix puppy from the pound and we named him Brock. Determined not to let what happened to Sunny Boy and Shep happen to Brock, I bought a couple of dog-training books. After reading the books I realized that Sunny Boy's particular problem could have been fixed with some very basic dog training. And Shep could have lived a much longer life if only he had been taught street manners.

A few months later a Shepherd mix pup showed up in our yard in pretty bad shape. (ticks, worms and malnutrition) My wife and I did not think we wanted another dog, so we thought we would nurse her back to good health and then find a good home for her. But the bond we shared became strong and about two weeks later Lila informed me her name was Lona and she was a permanent member of our family and I didn't argue with that.

Shortly after deciding to keep Lona, we enrolled ourselves in a basic obedience class at a local dog club. We seemed to have a knack with working with the pups and I became interested in dog training as a hobby.

Life went on. I spent most of my time working as a retail manager. Then one day at the park, a man remarked how well mannered my dogs were and he asked who had trained my dogs. When I told him I had, he asked if I would help him with his three dogs. He said he could only bring one to the park at a time because he could not control them.

I helped him train his dogs which I enjoyed immensely and after we were done with the training he suggested that I could make a living helping people train their dogs, so just to keep myself out of trouble I started doing basic dog training part-time. (heel, sit, down, stay and come).

It did not take me very long to realize that working with dogs was much more rewarding and a natural thing for me to do. My wife Lila, who worked at a private animal rescue foundation then and now, said I should follow my heart and that she believed I was a natural with dogs and that I should really pursue it.

I thought seriously about it but I knew I needed a lot more knowledge of all the behavioral issues that a dog may have and the training techniques to help people solve these issues. I spent the next year reading, studying, observing and doing. When I became certified by Animal Behavior University in Northridge, CA I knew I was ready to take my wife’s advice (thank God for wives) and become a full time trainer.

The training I offer is geared towards companion dog training. I also use training to deal with all kinds of behavioral issues. I would like to help you with all of your best friend's training needs. There are no behavioral issues that can't be changed with training, patience and love if you are truly committed.

Al Rossomando The Dog Guy