Walk, about turn and halt

Everyone knows a dog is a man’s best friend, especially a well trained one, and spending a morning at the Forest Hills German Shepherd Dog Club in Townsend Park, is a true testimony to the saying.

Dog trainer, Anthony du Plessis has been training dogs of all shapes and sizes for the past 20 years and has been the Forest Hills dog whisperer since 2008.

“I believe in positive training using voice commands not treats and a lot of physical praise,” said Du Plessis.

He is the master of commands, be it the first sits and stays for a puppy or the serious attack training of a security dog.

“We have a puppy class as well as beginners, intermediate and advanced classes, with the ultimate goal being distance training which starts at 10 meters,” he said.

One of his students, Paulo da Rosa and his two Belgian Shepherd cross dogs, have recently started attack training, but instead of teaching the dogs to bite, they are taught to ‘speak’ or bark and therefore warn you of danger.

“I teach the dogs to warn by barking rather than physical attack, so when they see a snake for example, they bark. Attacking could be deadly, especially with snakes such as the black mamba,” he said

Watching Da Rosa control his dogs from a distance through his voice only is quite fascinating, as the dogs bark, attack and down only on commands.

“It is all in the voice,” said Du Plessis. The club dogs have a beach walk outing once a month, where they get to spend time on the sand with their owners, off their leads while getting great exercise. The club offers a social environment for dogs and their people to learn and play, while being out in the fresh air.

So if you and your four-legged friend want to join in the fun, contact the club’s chairperson, Gaby Lyle on 082 925 6481 and join them at Townsend Park on Saturday mornings.