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Monday 9am - 8pm Tuesday 9am - 8pm Wednesday 9am - 8pm Thursday 9am - 8pm Friday 9am - 8pm Saturday 9am - 8pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

The Distinguished Dog

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Norristown, PA
The Distinguished Dog

Fun and effective training for your dog. Visit www.thedistinguisheddog.com for more information abou
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The Distinguished Dog was founded by Kelly Heskett, KPA-CTP, in 2016. The Distinguished Dog utilizes a unique when training dogs using positive reinforcement methods, Kelly's approach gets in front of the behavior/issue where she is able to teach the dog how to behave appropriately, rather then correcting inappropriate behaviors when they occur. Kelly graduated with excellence from the Karen Pryo

r Training Academy in 2015. Kelly earned her Better Vet Visits certification through Karen Prior in 2016 and became Fear Free certified in 2019. Kelly and her husband are adovates in the animal welfare community. In addition to their 3 rescued dogs, they foster and volunteer with a local non-profite animal rescue, Finding Shelter Animal Rescue. In addition, Kelly provides training assistance the dogs within this rescue.

12/11/2023

Huge round of congratulations are in order for some of the newest distinguished dogs closing out the 2023 calendar year!!

10/02/2023

This is the exact analogy I use for training and rewards.

Dogs (all animals) have natural motivations just as people do!

10/01/2023

New Basic manners and puppy graduates (Dudley not pictured)! Look at these smart pups!

Next session starts in just a few weeks! Message me for details!

09/07/2023

The summer has flown by and the pups at the Distinguished Dog have been busy!

Huge congratulations to some of our newest basic manner and intermediate class graduates!

05/04/2023

Callie takes squirrel 🐿️ patrol a little to seriously at home. If something moves, her mission is to ensure her mom and dad are made aware.

Callie is working on her redirection skills as well as simply not reacting to her triggers.

04/25/2023

This great group of pups have worked hard since the beginning of the year to join the elite group of Distinguished Dogs!

They all deserve a huge round of congratulations!!

03/11/2023

Training doesn’t always have to be around teaching manners or working through troubles, sometimes it can be for party tricks!

Poppy has mastered so many basic cues and today it was all about having fun, while her siblings took notes from the kitchen!

12/21/2022

Great post! We work with so many dogs throughout the year who are fearful. It’s not cute, it’s heartbreaking.

12/04/2022

Did you know that you can buy all of the trees at PHestivaL of Trees? The Distinguished Dog tree is up for auction as well 100 others!

Buy a tree: https://app.galabid.com/holidaytreeauction/items/57523256-6c48-4168-87eb-1737783d1b7d?backPath=%2Fholidaytreeauction%2Fitems

10/19/2022

Pablo the beagle is very defensive when he walks back into the house and his two bigger brothers excitedly greet him. During our private session we taught Gibson and Zeppelin to go to the rug and stay so that Pablo can now walk into his home in peace.

Great job boys!

05/23/2022

Lots of new basic manners grauates to celebrate!

Stay tuned as some of these cuties are currently in the intermediate class!

02/27/2022

What in the world are we doing here? Teaching leave it? Nope.

Sage lives in a townhome community with lots of doggie neighbors. She’s reactive on walks and overall anxious. We’ve done a good bit of counter conditioning already and while it’s working, her automatic default gut instinct behavior when she sees another dog is to bark.

What we are doing here is allowing her make a cognitive decision NOT to pull towards the treats on the ground. Her decision to turn back to her dad and disengage from what she wants to do is what earns her reward!

We will be using this out on her walks and when she’s sees other dogs as another tool to help her walks more enjoyable for her and her dad.

Stay tuned for more updates on her progress!

02/21/2022

The pups have been busy!! Lots of new basic manners graduates 🎓 over the last few weeks.

If you or someone you know is looking to join a class, our next one starts Sunday Mar 6th at the Ruff House!

01/06/2022

Huge congratulations are in order for Ivy, Atlas and Sandy Paws for completing their basic manners class!

12/25/2021

Merry Christmas to all the Distinguished Dog pups and their families!

I hope your having a warm, safe and happy day 💜

12/23/2021

Baloney, Louie, and Starlight (not pictured) have proven they are extra well behaved after completing their basic manner class. I bet they will have lots of extra goodies under the tree this year!

11/19/2021

We are late posting the newest distinguished dogs. We are slackers, but they are not!!

Pleas join us in congratulating Copper, Honey, Hoagie, Lilly and Tucker!

All unique and special pups!

11/15/2021

We spent a good portion of our weekend supporting the PHestivaL of Trees event and Finding Shelter Animal Rescue. I will be returning all calls and emails today.

The Distinguished Dog donated a decorated tree for the event and it’s still available. Tons of toys and tennis balls for the pups to play with if you make it yours! Today is the last day to purchase.

All proceeds will benefit local rescues!

https://www.phestivaloftrees.com/product-page/pf-willow-grove

We LOVE our local supporters who sponsored Finding Shelter at this year’s PHestivaL of Trees! Look at this beauty by The Distinguished Dog! It is still for sale and covered with fun dog toys!!!

Did you know that Kelly provides free training support to all of our foster families and adopters? Thank you, Kelly, for all that you do for Finding Shelter. We appreciate you so much!

To purchase: https://www.phestivaloftrees.com/product-page/pf-willow-grove

10/31/2021

The most frightful time of year has come!

We have a few helpful tips to get you and your pet through the evening happy and safe.
1. Most dogs do not like to wear costumes. Opt for a "scary" sweater instead.
2. Some kids are afraid of dogs, and some dogs will be fearful of children in costumes. Keep dogs leashed or behind a gate for safety.
3. Dogs react to door bells. Sit outside in front of your door to great trick or treaters!

10/24/2021

Today is the day to highlight some positive Pit Bull imagery?! We want to hear your Pit Bull hero, rescue, or love-filled stories!

Pictured is Remi! Remi mastered her place cue for when visitors arrive for a visit.

10/22/2021

Champ and Ruby graduated from basic manners class yesterday at Valley Veterinary Hospital. They are both very excited to continue with the intermediate class later this fall! Congratulations!

Champ is currently up for adoption through Finding Shelter Animal Rescue

10/16/2021

We have 4 new pups who graduated from our basic manners class. Huge congratulations are in order for Gizmo, Mochi, Norman and Wally. These four boys are our new distinguished dogs!

Norman is also currently up for adoption through Finding Shelter Animal Rescue.

10/11/2021

For millions of dogs, there’s something special about the month of October. No, it’s not the Halloween costumes or holiday treats – it’s the promise of a better life. October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

Pippa is our special lady that we adopted at 12 yrs old. She's now 14

10/09/2021

Riley squared completed the newly designed intermediate manners class last weekend. These two were rockstars and we had so much fun working around natural distractions with the park.

The next intermediate class begins Oct 31st for anyone interested! Prerequisite is the completion of Basic Manners!

🐾 Riley the Sheltie is up for adoption through Finding Shelter Animal Rescue

10/08/2021

Last month the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior updated their stance on training dogs, which should also be applied for all animals.

The Distinguished Dog fully agrees and aligns with the updated statement below. We have never and will never use aversive techniques when training.

If you are not local to us and need training help, we can always help you find an appropriate trainer in your area.

We know better and we WILL do better.

We know better, so we do better.

(This can be a polarizing topic and we welcome kind debate on this page. Name calling, derogatory, and sarcastic statements will be deleted.)

10/03/2021

Daisy, Bowie and Bella completed their basic manners class last week! They were all A+ students and graduated with flying colors.

If you or someone you know would like to join our next class starting next Sunday Oct 10th @ the Ruff House, email [email protected].

08/31/2021

Up to 10 inches of rain is expected for tomorrow in the Philadelphia area. Tornado warnings have also already been issued.

Tomorrow, I highly recommend watching the weather and taking the pups out when you can find small breaks in the rain. Double check that all collars are not to loose before taking dogs out on leash. We will be leash walking our more sensitive dogs within our fenced yard to ensure if they are spooked they remain safe with us.

Stay dry and have more patience if accidents happen in the house.

08/17/2021

We have one spot available for our basic manners class starting this Sunday at the Ruff House in Wynnewood and one spot still available for our Advanced class starting this Sunday.

If your interested in either class sending us a message!

Moxie is a huge advocate for training. Look at the smile with her treat hanging out on her tongue 👅 🐶

08/10/2021

Special treats? ✔️
New bed? ✔️
Plans for a fun outing? ✔️

It’s SPOIL YOUR DOG DAY!

How are you going to spoil your pup?

My kids are getting puppy cupcakes! 🐶 🧁

Feel free to add photos in the comments!

Address

Norristown, PA
19403

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 8pm
Tuesday	9am - 8pm
Wednesday	9am - 8pm
Thursday	9am - 8pm
Friday	9am - 8pm
Saturday	9am - 8pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+14844024454

Website

http://www.thedistinguisheddog.com/

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Videos

Training doesn’t always have to be around teaching manners or working through troubles, sometimes it can be for party tricks! Poppy has mastered so many basic cues and today it was all about having fun, while her siblings took notes from the kitchen!

Did you know that you can buy all of the trees at PHestivaL of Trees? The Distinguished Dog tree is up for auction as well 100 others! Buy a tree: https://app.galabid.com/holidaytreeauction/items/57523256-6c48-4168-87eb-1737783d1b7d?backPath=%2Fholidaytreeauction%2Fitems

Disengage exercise

What in the world are we doing here? Teaching leave it? Nope. Sage lives in a townhome community with lots of doggie neighbors. She’s reactive on walks and overall anxious. We’ve done a good bit of counter conditioning already and while it’s working, her automatic default gut instinct behavior when she sees another dog is to bark. What we are doing here is allowing her make a cognitive decision NOT to pull towards the treats on the ground. Her decision to turn back to her dad and disengage from what she wants to do is what earns her reward! We will be using this out on her walks and when she’s sees other dogs as another tool to help her walks more enjoyable for her and her dad. Stay tuned for more updates on her progress!

Look at Atlas! From the puppy who would would run around the house to avoid being picked up to standing patiently for mom to pick him up. What a smart puppy! #thedistinguisheddog #barkpouch #chipuppy #positivereinforcementtraining

Miss Sophie likes to scratch the screen door to go outside. Awesome that she’s communicating she needs to go, but not so great for the screen that keeps ripping. Sophie is mastering that pushing the button gets her to go outside now not scratching the screen. #thedistinguisheddog #positivereinforcementtraining #PushTheButton

Reggie is excelling in his settle cue. From the pup who used to eat towels to the pup who now goes and lays on them on cue! What a smarty!!!

A little blurry, but look at Freddy in class! He’s mastered his stay!

Maisey used to greet her family and friends by jumping on them. Here she is learning to sit when people approach vs jump. What a smart girl! Is your pup overly excited when greeting you and others? We’d love to help! www.thedistinguisheddog.com

We are so proud of Deuce and his family. He was having some trouble with self control near opening doors but with positive reinforcement training and good management he has made tremendous progress. Giving his family the tools they needed to work through his habit and see a positive change is what I love to do! Need some help with your door running dog? Please reach out to me! www.thedistinguisheddog.com

Look at Randall!! He can sit and lie down like a champ!!

Drew and I are visiting family in Florida this week. Yesterday we went to SeeWinter at the Clearwater aquarium. They specialize in rehabbing and releasing turtles, dolphins and other sea life back into the water. Unfortunately, some members, like Walle the sea otter, are not able to be released back into the wild. Those that become permanent residents are trained to do various tasks to help make their life easier at the aquarium. Guess what, they use clicker training too! Walle's click is actually the whistle. So cool!