Bonnie Reding

Whether you have a Pomeranian that is convinced she's a sled dog or a Great Dane that thinks he is a lapdog, almost any dog could benefit from a little training. Shannon Mayfield of Sit Means Sit dog training is passionate about giving dog owners the tools they need to make Fido a member of the family.

"My main goal is to make your dog more a part of your lifestyle," Mayfield said. "Nobody gets a dog to kennel it up during Thanksgiving dinner or every time company comes over. People get dogs because they want them to be a companion-they want them to be a part of their family."

Mayfield was first introduced to the Sit Means Sit method of training as a client. She adopted a beautiful Husky-Akita mix and named him Tikaani. Tikaani means wolf in Eskimo.

"He was really aggressive," Mayfield said. "I went through different training methods and nothing worked for this dog. I went to the Sit Means Sit trainer in St. Louis and saw such good results."

If you were to see Tikaani now, you would never know he was once aggressive. During a visit with Mayfield and her dogs, Tikaani calmly loped around the park never straying far from his owner. He watched as Mayfield's two other dogs Shakira and T.J. played with a Frisbee. Mayfield said the results she got with Tikaani inspired her to become a certified trainer herself. She traveled to Denver and trained 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week for about a month to become a certified Sit Means Sit Trainer.

Sit Means Sit has nearly 100 franchise locations in the United States, Canada and Australia. Mayfield is the only Sit Means Sit certified trainer in the Metro East, and one of only a dozen or so female trainers. Mayfield said the support from other trainers is amazing.

"It is like a big family. We have regional seminars, where 20-25 trainers share ideas and experiences and we have [online] groups we all post on and support each other," she said. "It is nice because it is not like I am just one trainer out here. I've got a support system of 90 plus other trainers. Some of these trainers have been doing this for 30 years."

Mayfield trains dogs both young and old, and all breeds. She said some clients come to her looking to solve a specific problem, but other owners are just looking for a higher level of obedience. When choosing to bring a dog into your family, she said to be sure to research dog breeds. Even if you are getting a rescue dog, which Mayfield always suggests, try to find out the dog's breed (or mix of breeds), and research the temperament and traits of those breeds.

"Find out what kind of dog realistically fits into your lifestyle," she said. "You shouldn't have a dog that needs to be walked twice a day and have all of this energy expended, if you live in a house where it never gets out. If you have a more laid back dog that enjoys that kind of lifestyle, it would be a better fit for both of you."

Breed guidelines are just that though, guidelines. Regardless of breed, each dog has its own personality and while Mayfield said some breeds are typically easier to train, like Labs, Border Collies and Australian Shepherds, she hasn't run into any dogs that she can't train. The dog that was the most difficult for her to train happened to be a Bull Terrier.

"It was just because he was so stubborn. It wasn't because he wasn't smart, he was," Mayfield said. "He was just stubborn as all get out. He wanted to be in charge. Finally, he was like 'fine I get it, YOU'RE the boss...'"

In that case, it was persistence that was crucial to the bull terrier's training. Each dog's results, Mayfield said, are going to vary a bit depending on the individual dog.

"Dogs are only capable of what they are capable of," she said. "We want the dog to be polite and well maintained, which means he still gets to hang out and be in the same room but not be jumping all over, licking people and barking, things like that."

Mayfield offers a variety of different types of training packages including group classes, private training (where she takes the dog and trains it in a kind of doggie bootcamp) and one-on-one sessions in the client's home or at a local park.

"I like getting out and about and working at the client's house or at the park, because that is real life. That is where your dog is going to be," she said.

Shannon Mayfield lives in the Granite City area, but travels all over the Metro East. She can be reached at 618.971.8167 or at shannonmayfield@sitmeanssit.com .