Sit Means Sit, Phoenix Dog Training in Arizona
Call: 602-992-8743
E-mail: tdrugmand@gmail.com
Certified remote collar trainer specializing in problem behaviors, basic obedience and competition. Serving the following cities in Arizona: Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Glendale, Cave Creek and Carefree.
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 Lily at Vallecito Creek Name: Lily
Owner: Marilyn Stevens
City: Phoenix, Arizona
Breed: German Shepherd/Whippet Mix
Likes & Pet Peeves: Lily likes Snuggling & Swimming. Her pet peeve is when Charlie wants to play and she doesn’t
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: Lily’s favorite toy is anything Charlie has at the moment! She loves cheese and walking near streams, lakes, ponds
Best Tricks: Lily’s best trick is diving!
Arrival story/bio:Buddy, our Golden, was lonely now that both of his people were working out of the house all day. He’d been a rescue six years earlier and we knew that our new dog would be a rescue also. I started visiting the Humane Society regularly on my way home from work, but none of the dogs seemed Buddy-worthy.
We even drove way out to a shelter near the White Tanks but that didn’t work out — the very handsome setter and Buddy immediately took to separate corners of the meet-and-greet room, both growling quietly. Back to the drawing board.
The next morning, on my way to the local Humane Society once again, I stopped at Pet Smart to pick up some dog food. And there were puppies there!! One was already adopted, but the other, a frisky little girl with enormous ears, was available. I rushed home to get Buddy and Paul.
The puppy started jumping all over Buddy, and like an avuncular uncle, Buddy accommodated her joyful leaps. A few puppy supplies later, Lily was heading home with the three of us.
Lily brought new life into Buddy, who even lost a few pounds from all their romps together. He’d let her know when he was DONE with a gentle growl, stomping off to his favorite spot — wedged between the tub and toilet in the bathroom.
As Lily grew, her speed at chasing balls (as well as the white spotted blaze on her chest) led us to think she had to be part Whippet. But those ears were pure German Shepherd. Her energy was unbounded and she could dive for her pool toy for hours on end. One of her favorite games in the pool was racing Paul in laps. She absolutely hated to lose, and she’d keep her eye on him as they swam the length of the pool. If she thought that she might lose, she’d cut her lap short and turn early, so that she’d be heading toward the other end of the pool before Paul even reached the first turn, thus assuring her win.
We no longer have a pool, so she contents herself with playing ball in her kiddy pool. Now that she doesn’t get to cheat at laps, her new favorite game is “keep the balls away from Charlie.” No matter how many balls I throw in the pool, she blocks them from Charlie. Watching her try to gather all three balls in her mouth at once is quite amusing; she’ll never admit that it’s impossible.
When Buddy died last fall, Lily sunk into a deep depression. Adopting Charlie pulled her out of that. She took her mothering tasks to heart, raising Charlie just as Buddy had raised her.
Lily thought that Charlie needed some training, so she signed him up for Sit Means Sit. She was less than pleased when she found out the training was for her as well, but she’s adapted quite well and now looks forward to class — wagging her tail furiously when we get within a few blocks of the park.
 Duke Name: Duke
Owner: Teresa Young
City: Phoenix, Arizona
Breed: Great Dane Mix
Likes: Duke likes ground squirrels
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: Duke’s favorite toys and treats are stuffed animals, going on hikes and playing tug of war
Best Tricks: His “begging eyes”
Arrival Story/Bio:
Duke was rescued from the pound in Superior, AZ. We got him one year ago. We had been looking for a few months, and when we went to the foster home and saw those eyes happily staring at us and tail wagging his whole body, we knew he was ours. He’s been a wonderful addition to our family. And now with the Sit Means Sit training I can safely take him on runs on the mountain with me. Though he still has far to go, I have gotten compliments from fellow hikers saying what a well behaved dog he is 
 Charlie at Vallecito Creek Name: Charlie
Owner: Marilyn Stevens
City: Phoenix, Arizona
Breed: Pointer Mix
Likes: His pool & sliding in the grass/when Lily steals his stuff
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: formerly stuffed reindeer, bones are his favorite treat and his favorite walk is Castle Hot Springs Canyon
Best Tricks: Charlie’s best trick is being cute!
Arrival story/bio:For ten years, our gentle Golden, Buddy, was a central part of our family. A rescue himself, he welcomed Lily the Shepherd mix into our home with opened paws. Although Lily tormented him when she was a youngster, Buddy was always sweet and patient.
Last fall, we lost Buddy to an acute brain disorder shortly after he’d had surgery to remove his eye. All three of us, Lily, my husband Paul and I sank into a deep sadness. Lily curled up in a chair in the living room, totally disinterested in anything. I felt the same way.
So began a new obsession: cruising the online rescue websites for a new puppy. Not a replacement for Buddy; there could never be a replacement. More, I was looking for something positive and joyful to focus on. Charlie became that something. A 16-pound puddle of puppy pudding when we adopted him, Charlie amazingly melted Lily’s normally anti-dog heart. She quickly became Charlie’s adopted mom and we all focused on turning Charlie into a fine young adult.
That meant training. After interviewing several companies, Lily settled on Sit Means Sit, feeling it would give Charlie the structure he needed, while focusing on positive reinforcement.
Was she shocked when she found out that she, too, was going to the training!! She was so unhappy at first, she had to be muzzled because all her anti-other-dog behavior came out.
Charlie, meanwhile, could not bear having his mom ALL THE WAY ON THE OTHER SIDE of the training circle, and cried loudly through most of the first few classes.
Fortunately for both pups, they learned quite a lot in their first few months — enough that they could go on an extended camping and visiting trip with us this summer. Charlie,now 40 pounds, folded himself into the tiny floor space behind the passenger’s seat as his “spot” and traveled there for the whole trip.
Some highlights: chasing away a raccoon (or might it have been a bear?) the first night we were camping when we left the dog food out. Splashing in Vallecito Creek and gopher-digging on Middle Mountain. Finding out how cool it was to stay in a motel after all that tent stuff. Being outstanding house guests in Little Rock, Arkansas. And coming back home to the comfy king bed and fun splash pool.
Charlie brings joy to us daily. Whether he’s chin-sliding across the front lawn while we have our coffee, chasing the sprinkler, playing “Where’s Charlie?” every day when I make the bed (he hides under the covers), or whining pitifully because once again, Lily has hidden his toy.
We’re also proud of his progress in Sit Means Sit class. Just this week, he showed off his superb heeling skills to some of his newer classmates.
 Dudley Foss-Sutherland Name: Dudley
Owner: Patti Foss-Sutherland
City: Peoria, Arizona
Breed: Goldendale (Golden Retreiver/Airedale Terrier)
Likes: His “brother and sister”, Dakota and Shiloh
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: Loves to bring (large) rocks in the house. They all have names: Chris, Rocky, Enrol, Abye, Hudson, Ofages, Balboa, etc.
Best Tricks: Dudley’s best trick is bringing smiles to Hospice of the Valley patients on his visits as a therapy dog.
Arrival Story/Bio:
Dudley is a wags-to-riches story. He and his siblings were rescued from a locked trailer on the Indian reservation two summers ago. He has gone from a 10-week-old shy puppy, to a therapy dog, to a movie “star”. He is in the movie “Cowboys & Aliens” which comes to theaters on July 29, 2011, and stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde (to name a few!). He is also in a PetsMart commercial.
 Puppy nurses her adopted kittens!
Name: Puppy
Owner: Christine Bryant
City: Phoenix, Arizona
Breed: Pitbull / Mix
Likes: Favorite Game is Chase Me
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: Anything to Use for Tug of War
Best Trick: Shake
Arrival Story/Bio:
We found Puppy in Downtown Phoenix at 430 pm on 2/21/2010. She was about 2 months old. We tried to find her owners, posted posters and ads online, and we temporarily named her puppy. I thought her owners would come forward, but no one claimed her, so her name to this day is Puppy. I fell hard for her and we are the best of friends. I did try to breed her on her 2nd heat but i started to late and she did not take, but her body went through this phantom pregnancy. This has been ongoing now since April. Well 2 weeks ago a ferral cat had 7 babies here on the property, She took 3 to a new location and never returned to get the 4 other babies. So I started to bottle feed them. After about 4 days of going outside to feed them every 2 hours, i decided to put them in a small carrier and bring them inside. Puppy was very interested in these kittens who were just starting to open their eyes. On the 2nd day she stole them from me. She decided she wanted to think they were her kittens. The crazy part of the story is she even started to nurse them. She actually is lactating and cleaning them up as if they were hers. Its the funniest thing to see this big pittbull carrying these tiny kittys around everywhere she goes. Shes actually extremely protective of these kittens and lets it be known to my other inside pets to stay out of the room they are in. She’s a great pet and now a great Foster mom to these kittens.
 - Archer
Name: Archer
Owner: Jennifer Viel
City: Surprise, Arizona
Breed: Pitbull/ Lab
Likes/Dislikes: likes attention, treats, walks, dog parks and his brothers and sister
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: favorite toys are bones; treats are carrots and icecubes
Best Tricks: Hasn’t mastered any tricks yet but he’s really catching on to finding his “place”
Arrival Story/Bio:
BJ and I went to the humane society to look for a dog. BJ immediately fell in love with Archer (named Beethoven in the shelter) and asked to see him. After just a few minutes of seeing Archer out of his kennel and watching his floppy ears and goofy faces we knew we had to have him. We brought him home that day and introduced him to the dog we already have at home (his brother CJ). We were very please to see how well they got along. Archer now has 2 brothers (CJ who is a boston terrier and Ike who is another pitbul rescue) and 1 sister (Peanut who is also a boston terrier). We contacted Sit Means Sit to get help for our little guy because we knew he had so much potential but we were struggling with him. So far we have seen amazing results and he fits in much better now.
 Tyko
Name: Tyko
Owner: Doug Porter
City: Phoenix, Arizona
Breed: Pit bull/ Whipet
Likes/Dislikes: Loves her family/ strangers stress her
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: Belly rubs and going anywhere with Doug
Best Tricks: Beg, shake,roll over and bang
Arrival Story/Bio:
I lost my 15 y/o Shepard/Rottie mix (Logan) to old age about 5 years ago. Because of my busy schedule I went for the last 5 years without a man’s best friend. Last year I finally was able to adjust my life so I could give the proper time to a dog being in my life.
I was not actively looking for a dog. I was walking to target at Desert Ridge with my boys and my girlfriend when we walked past PetSmart. There was a rescue group there with pit bulls for adoption. I only looked at one. Tyko. She caught my eye right away. She was small, had such a shy face and just really looked pitiful. Her brothers and sisters were very active but she was very quiet. I could not help myself. The lady who was running the adoption told me that Tyko was potty trained but would not walk on a leash. They had tried with her many times but she would just not budge. I remember carrying Tyko across the parking lot to my truck and how heavy and compact she was. She was terrified.
Owning a dog is really about training us humans. I’ve learned she does not like to be alone or confined. My first night with her I brought her into my home and within 2 hours I locked her in the laundry room and went out for dinner. Oh boy! That was the dumbest thing I ever did. When we came home 2 hours later the door , door jamb and door handle in the laundry room were torn apart. She got out and ran from window to window chewing and scratching at the window blinds trying to get free from my strange home. At least 3 window blinds were destroyed. WHAT WAS I THINKING?! Needless to say I put in a dog door wit in the week.
Tyko goes with me to work every day. She rides beside me in my truck as I drive around town checking on my job sites and lays in my office when I’m back at the warehouse. Tyko is very loyal.
Tyko has some issues stemming from her first few months of life being abandoned in a back yard and not getting the chance to socialize with people. This is why I sought out Toni and Sit Means Sit. Tyko has come a long way and we have gained the tools needed to overcome her social insecurities. I firmly believe Tyko would not be alive today if it was not for me and the knowledge ‘Ive gained from Sit Means Sit to protect her from her defensive biting habits.
Name: Nika
Owner: Sue Sriver
City: Phoenix, Arizona
Breed: Dobie-mix
Likes/Pet-Peeves: Rolling in the grass, long walks and trainingg
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: Tennis balls, Nylabones, all treats
Best Tricks: Opening the patio screen door.
Arrival Story/Bio:
Nika is now 7 years young and was rescued from Maricopa Animal Care & Control at 4 months old. She is a dodie-mix, without any history since she was picked up as a stray. Nika is a typical happy and very energetic puppy dog, with a tail that never stops wagging, except maybe when she is asleep. We really enjoy our training, and both owner and dog, are much better behaved.
Name: Cosmo
Owner: Sheila
City: Mesa, Arizona
Breed: Boxer/Pit Mix
Likes/Pet-Peeves: Likes to play with little Min Pin Emmi!
Arrival Story/Bio:
Cosmo is a Board N’ Train that came to Toni for issues with aggression toward other dogs. After working with Toni and the Sit Means Sit staff, Cosmo is now super friendly and able to be in situations with lots of distraction.
Name: Maggie
Owner: Penny Decker
City: Surprise, Arizona
Breed: JRT/Poodle “All American”
Likes/Pet-Peeves: loves TV and golf carts
Favorite Toy/Treat/Walk: BALLS and Swimming
Best Tricks: answers the phone
Arrival Story/Bio:
Maggie was a birthday present 5 yrs ago. Before she was “Maggie” her name was Angel. And that she surely has been in my life. Because of her mix as JRT and poodle, Maggie can be a tom boy athlete but also likes being a girlie girl. She has been an inspiration for me and has helped me through a couple of major illnesses. Her spirit is “larger than life.”
My friends have called her mashuggina or crazy. She was never destructive but very mischevious as a puppy. She house trained really easy but needed to run all the time. She does not sit still easily and is not a laid back dog. She is very aware of everything.
She is sweet, mischievous, loving, fun, very polite, has her own sense of humor
and loves people.
With the Sit Means Sit collar and training, she is learning better behavior in the humans world. Although she has always been a very good dog, her wild-eyed craziness led her to quick escape from me. She has ran into grocery stores, gyms, even Target. She was on the security cameras lurking through the store. She was also kicked out of two doggie day cares because she hurdled the fences/barriers separating the dogs.
When a puppy she teased bigger puppies to chase her. She hurdled a picnic table, a bench, even over the head of a child, then hid underneath the table so the bigger dogs could not reach her.
Now slightly older she is a great companion dog, well known in some of the local pet friendly stores and the Surprise dog park. Her nickname locally is ”shortstop” because of her athletic feats catching her favorite ball. So she has a high prey drive for balls and toys.
Because of high prey drive, I have taught her to bring me my phone, and a small purse, even her leash.She knows the difference of her toys or objects.
She loves diving in a pool after her ball and loves swimming.
Thanks to the Sit Means Sit collar and training, now we can play ball in a large field and Maggie will come back to me even if she sees a rabbit or a bird. That is a major accomplishment!
Because of odd circumstances we lived in a few different places. Maggie is well traveled, all over the country, coast to coast. She is very versatile. She loves the beach, has been on a boogie board in the Pacific, a skate board, playing soccer (she is a great goalie) loves hiking in the Tennessee mountains, or sunning herself on the patio. But now we are situated in my house and she loves it too. She is now an Arizona dog.
Every time she sees her ball or the park, it is like the first time she ever went there. Her enthusiasm and love of life makes her a joy and inspiration. but she is also very strong willed and can dash off like a white bullet.
When Maggie sleeps and has doggie dreams, her tail wags. That is what I love the most of my canine companion.
Because of her athleticism Maggie is a natural with agility but it is taking a lot of extra work and patience, and cooperative education for us both to work together off leash as a team. Her Sit Means Sit collar is helping us work together. She wags her tail when she sees her collar because she knows she will be doing something or going somewhere! The reward of her training is beautiful, poetry in motion. When she jumps, she soars. She is learning weaves and loves her agility training.
She pouts in obedience sometimes because she is not in agility, but she loves to be out and about and is learning that the obedience work helps me take her more places more often.
In her twilight years I would like Maggie to be with me as a service animal because she does small tasks for me at my home and can bring me things when I ask her. She is my photography assistant, carrying things in her saddle bags. She does so very lovingly and is happy to know her jobs.
Until then, the sky is the limit for what she can learn and do. She loves entertaining the crowds and is very gentle around her little puppy cousins.
She has tremendous persistence and will – she is a You Can do it dog. she problem solves in her little mind and can come up with solutions on how to do something or get something. That can give her too much ability, but all of the extra training is taking what for many would be negative and intolerable behaviors into something very constructive and beautiful. Everyone should have a “maggie.” If you are reading this, we hope you have a very Maggie good dog day!
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