Published: October 20, 2007 01:33 am      

Q&A: Dog trainer Matt Duffy

Dogs are, as they say, man’s best friend, but without some proper training, dogs can also be man’s primary source of frustration.

When Fido won’t stop chewing up designer shoes, jumping up on guests or barking in the middle of the night, Matt Duffy can be a new dog owner’s saving grace. He’s been training dogs for more than 25 years and specializes in creating an ideal family pet.

As a part of its weekly Q&A series, The Evening News and Tribune sat down with Duffy to talk about the hectic, yet greatly rewarding, world of canine training.



Question: How long have you been training dogs? How did you get into it?

Duffy: “I’ve been doing this for 26 years. I started training professionally in 1980, and I’ve been doing it full-time ever since. I got into it as a hobby with my own dog, and decided I wanted to do it a little bit better. I took some instruction then elected to take a professional dog training course.

straight-forward approach to working with the abilities of the dog. For example, we don’t expect them to be people.

“We center our training on positive reinforcements, and that means we use incentives for dogs to cooperate. We use leash and collar as a deterrence to keep dogs from behaving inappropriately. Our goal is to bring out the best in each individual dog, keeping their uniqueness in mind. For instance, we would approach a Chihuahua different than we would a golden retriever — not that one is better than the other. Much of what we do is develop dogs into family companions.”

Q: What other kinds of training do you do?

Duffy: “Virtually anything that you can think of, except Seeing Eye dogs. We also don’t take dogs into the field under a gun, although we do field training. We do just about everything else from companions to therapy work. We have even trained dogs in termite detection.”

Q: Is there breed that you enjoy training more than others?

Duffy: “There are a number of breeds I enjoy working with. But I like high, energy, physical dogs. I like dogs that are driven, like German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers. I typically own German shepherds. They are happy, versatile, working dogs by design, not by coincidence. I really enjoy working with them.”

Q: Any breeds that give you a lot of trouble?

Duffy: “Oh yeah, like Jack Russell Terriers, and I speak from personal experience. My wife has two. As a breed, their tendency is to be very independent — they can be explosive with their aggression and single-minded when it comes to their drive.

“Another similar breed is the Chow Chow because they are so individually natured. They are almost resistant to any type of control. And again, they can be very explosive by nature. They are very confident dogs. Other breeds like the Lhasa apso, shih-tzu and Chihuahua are inherently resistant, inherently uncooperative.”

Q: What is the hardest thing to teach a dog?

Duffy: “The basic control recall or ‘come when you call’ command. When away from you, all dogs are aware of their independence, their autonomy. They appreciate the freedom they have.

“Typically, dogs are very easy to stimulate — they see butterflies or the kids in the neighborhood kicking around a soccer ball. When you tell the dog to come, you’re saying, ‘Give up your freedom, stimulation when you know I can’t catch you.’ They know they’re giving up that freedom for some kind of restriction or confinement.”

Q: Is it true that you’ve been approached by The Animal Planet about starring in your own show?

Duffy: Well, that’s a very complicated thing. We’ve been approached by a couple of agents in New York offering to manage book productions, a series or maybe a documentary production. My intent is to complete a book that is almost finished. It’s about general handling using our philosophy, and it teaches people how to develop a relationship with their dog.

“It’s as much about reading enjoyment as it a learning piece. That should be to the publisher by November. A couple of companies are interested in taking it further, but I’m a hometown boy. I have no desire to go elsewhere. But if they come here, terrific.”

Q: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Duffy: “Kayaking. My son and I go together at least every other weekend. I hike every week, cycle every week. And I do love to backpack. I do yoga twice a week. You name it, I probably do it.

“Working out has always been a passion for me. I do it for enjoyment, for self-discipline, but for fun, too. To me, it’s just as important as eating — it’s no different to me. I am truly addicted to that type of lifestyle.”

Q: What bad habit do you wish that you could get rid of?

Duffy: “I would probably say it’s my tendency to enjoy sweets at night, and sometimes I look forward to them too much. I could easily eat a half a package of cookies.”

Q: What’s your favorite junk food indulgence?

Duffy: (Laughing) “Probably one in the same. But what is absolutely irresistible to me is fruit pie. I don’t eat cakes of any kind, but I love fruit pies and cobblers. And pastries, I can’t be around them. I love pastries!”

Q: If you were trapped on a deserted island and could only take two things with you, what would they be?

Duffy: “My wife ... and my dog.”