Sandy Creek-based trainer has helped train dogs for celebrities including Brooke Shields, Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott and Beth Baldwin
Stefan Jablonski
After training over 6,000 people, Neil Matthews knows dogs inside and out.
Matthews, owner and trainer of Certified Dog Services in Sandy Creek, was 12 years old when he saw a television program about dog training. He began testing the technique on Misty, his family’s boxer. Since he was his 12th year old, “It was fun, but the results were limited.”
His interest in training continued. In 1997, Matthews graduated from the National K-12 Dog Trainer School in Columbus, Ohio. He completed the Master Trainer Course and became certified in Basic and Advanced Obedience, Puppy Development, Behavior Modification, Basic Police K-9 and other training methods.
“We know how to push your dog’s buttons and see if they have the qualities to be a service dog. Not every dog can be a service dog, and not every dog can be a service dog. They don’t make good hunting dogs either,” he warned.
He said he worked at Stickley Furniture for about 11 years.
“We came here [at 8166 state Route 3) since 2011. We are actually in the town of Sandy Creek. We built this ourselves. We were closed from the previous place, which was over on 62 just out of Pulaski [for about five years]. Before that, we stayed in Altmer for about 5 years of her life. When I became a certified dog service, when I started my business, that’s where we were. We were closed for a few months while we built this. We were in a hurry to open,” he explained.
“We basically do everything. The majority of us, the things that feed us, are just family pets. We’re getting more and more service dogs and therapy dogs for schools.” he added.
Matthews has worked with some big names. “We trained Brooke Shields’ two dogs for six weeks. We created a dog for Sean McDermott. [of the Buffalo Bills]” Matthews said. “And there were a few others.”
His wife Rachel has been surrounded by animals most of the time growing up. Her interest in training began when she was looking for a trainer for her dog, Brutus, a Rottweiler with “aggressive tendencies.” She graduated from the National K-12 Dog Trainer School in 2007.
“Neil and I met 14 years ago when we started working together. We currently have 10 therapy dogs in various schools and serve as service dogs in a program called Victory For Vets in Syracuse. ‘ said Rachel. “We also have several dogs for the Children’s Miracle Network.” [service dogs for children] We also receive quite a few calls from people looking for a therapy dog for their private practice. ”
“We actually have therapy dogs in New Jersey schools,” Matthews added. “And we are currently fostering Emmett, a therapy dog for a dentist in Wilmington, North Carolina. We are currently training dogs for the Oswego Police Department.”
Certified Canine Services’ staff includes trainers Brad Dawley, a 2017 graduate, and Desiree Haynes, a February 2023 graduate.
Brooke Whitaker is a trainer in the Puppy Development Program. “She’s loved puppies since she could walk.” She grew up watching her parents run a certified K-9, and from an early age she loved puppies and dogs. I have been involved with Her goal is to give your pup the best start possible for a smooth transition to their new home. The most difficult thing for her is returning the puppies after “falling in love with each one.”
Roberta Toussaint is a kennel attendant.
Are certain breeds difficult to train?
“No, it’s not the breed, it’s the personality. We have six people with different personalities. So whether it’s aggressive, separation anxiety, or fearfulness, a dog in distress is always a question of personality. It’s not a breed,” Matthews explained. “The different personalities you see in every breed. In fact, that’s what we train here. That’s what we see: aggressive, fearful, shy, hyper, basket case, and “…and good luck,” Rachel added.
“There are differences between them, but you’ll see many dogs, almost all dogs in fact, happy, lucky and hyper. They have a lot of energy. I think what we’re seeing more than anything is that the dogs that people think are aggressive are actually fearful dogs that don’t have an aggressive personality. They may be acting out, but they’re doing it out of fear. They’re scared and the environment they’re in is making them nervous, so they bark and lunge. and all these things,” Matthews said.
If you see a big Rottweiler and he barks or carries something around, you think first of all it’s a Rottweiler so they’re scary and mean and everything, he said as an example. Ta.
“I can say that about every breed we’ve ever trained, we’ve seen big teddy bears… pit bulls, they get a bad rap because they can do so much damage. But I We have seen that Pit Bulls are truly loveable beings, just sweet, loving, affectionate puppies, everything you could want in a dog.”
bad bite
“I’ve had some bites, some really bad bites. Probably the worst bite I’ve ever had was from a basset hound,” Matthews said. “That’s one example. It’s not because he was a basset hound. It’s because he had a really aggressive personality. When he bites, it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s our trainer’s fault. We have to be careful. I wasn’t paying.”
“Sometimes we take the approach of raising small dogs,” Rachel said. “People do a lot of things with small dogs that they wouldn’t do with large dogs. With large dogs, people tend to be quick to set rules. But with small dogs, people tend to put them in the bag. It confuses the dog because you carry it around and dress it up and give it privileges. So it makes the dog fearful and anxious, and it treats it like a child rather than a dog, and it confuses the dog.”
Training people is part of the program for all dogs, Matthews said.
“Dogs are here. It’s a camp program. So if you have a dog and you want it to be trained, you can bring it here and depending on the dog’s age, what kind of training it is, We leave them for anywhere from two weeks to six or eight weeks. We haven’t seen the dog during that time.”
“We have some video lessons that owners do while their dogs are here,” Rachel said. “Then, when we pick up the dog, we do an hour to hour-and-a-half session about what the dog has learned and how it has behaved.”
The first few weeks are spent “installing the language”.
“In other words, there are ways to communicate with your dog: sit, heel, come, and say the word ‘no,’ and that’s the most important thing,” Matthews said. Ta. “When we look at a dog and say ‘no,’ it’s in a disappointed tone rather than an angry tone. There’s a big difference. You should always sound disappointed, not angry.”
“When the dog does something and we say ‘no,’ the dog thinks, ‘Okay, what I’m doing right now is wrong,'” he says. “Work on this for the first few weeks, and once the language is installed, start setting them up. Put them in situations (cats passing by, other dogs) that they probably don’t want to listen to.” For example, per).
“If they do well with that and still get a response, we’ll start going into town with them, taking them to stores, doing things together. We’ll even go to Lowe’s in Oswego. . We will load several vans with dogs and go there,” he added.
favorite
They have several “favorite varieties”.
“Rachel and I have a German Shepherd, which is one of my favorite breeds,” Matthews said.
“You can have things that are perfect. But unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, there are some that are just ruins,” Rachel added. “Our dog’s name is Ramji. We really like the sound of his name.”
Doodles make great therapy and service dogs — and they’re perfect for that, she added.
“We see a lot of dogs, and sometimes they’re just mutts, but you’re drawn to them and think, ‘I want to get this dog for myself!’ .’ It just depends on the dog’s personality,” Matthews said. “I guarantee that with any dog, you’ll find a strong-willed dog within its breed. That’s the way it is.”
“It’s like having a brother. You might have four sisters, but they’re all different,” Rachel said.
green room = fun
The green room has an artificial carpet. The excrement flows quickly and there are stones under it, so the dog can come out of here and go potty wherever he wants, and we just take out the hose and spray. That makes it feel like you’re outside, Matthews explained.
“We test them first to make sure they’re safe to keep with other dogs,” he says. “Every morning when we open up, people come out here and run around and get some exercise. We call it social.”
That’s when I was cleaning the doghouse. Then the dogs come in and have breakfast.
Another meet-up will take place right after lunch, around 12:30pm or 1pm.
“The dogs all come back and run around and play and have a good time. So they understand that it’s not just about training. You’re learning about obedience and what we teach them. You’re not just here to have fun, either. Socialization is an important part of training. Being here can be stressful, so it helps to reduce stress. They They’re in a boarding school environment, their owners have left, and they’re undergoing very rigorous training beyond what they’re used to in their day-to-day lives,” Matthews said.
“This gives them a chance to reduce stress and just run around and play. We find that it only makes the stay better for them,” he added. “Since it is fully air-conditioned and heated, it can be used all year round regardless of the weather outside.We also use it for training purposes.We take the dogs out for obedience training.”
Beth Baldwin: Certified dogs are ‘worth the drive’
Camillus resident Beth Baldwin got a new puppy about a year and a half ago.
“My daughter also brings her dogs here and she said they’re wonderfully trained. So we’re going to drive an hour and 15 minutes to get here,” she said. . “While the dogs are here, they get lodging and additional training, which I think is great.”
Baldwin joked that her pup “needs a little boot camp while it’s here.”
“I don’t always do boot camp at home. We pamper her more,” she said. “I think we all do that. It’s like kids, we let them escape somehow, and then when I bring her back here, knowing that they’re going to take care of her.” I am.”
Baldwin — sister of actors Alec, Daniel, and Stephen Baldwin — She had this breed for a while. We lost two dogs six months apart. They lived to be 14 years old, but died on the same day, exactly one year apart. Her mother ordered this puppy behind my back,” she said.
“my mom [Carol] He was 92 years old. she passed away. So her mother found this puppy online, but she passed away. So it was her wake and funeral and the next day we went to pick up her puppy. My 16 grandchildren named the puppy. To them, my mother was Gram and she was a baker, so the puppy’s name is Gram Cracker Baldwin. My mother was a breast cancer activist. We thought it would be cute to name our puppy “GRAHM” with a cracker on it. ”