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| Lee Sun-yeong, a pet trainer at KARA, stresses dog owners use patience when training their pets, during a session at Seoul Pet Education Center in southwestern Seoul, April 25. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Lee Suh-yoon
Every Thursday afternoon, pet owners and their furry companions walk into a special classroom on the second floor of Seoul Pet Education Center in Guro-gu, southwestern Seoul.
Each group takes a seat in an assigned makeshift cubicle, set up to prevent sudden scuffles and barking matches between the main participants ― dogs.
"To better pacify your pet, spread a snack paste over a textured rubber dishmat like this. This way, it takes a longer time for the pet to lick it up," Lee Sun-yeong, a pet trainer from Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), told the watchful attendees during a class last month. "Peanut butter is effective but fatty, so only use it as your last resort."
Pet trainers from KARA run the classes in partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The classes focus on improving pets' behavior inside the home and in public.
A common woe among participating dog owners on the day was containing their dogs' excitement or aggressiveness in street encounters with strangers or other dogs.
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| Distracted with snacks, a furry participant learns how to be comfortable inside a transport crate. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
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| An owner and her dog at the entrance of the Seoul Pet Education Center / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
"Dogs like Koong-ee have yet to undergo the process of socialization," said Sohn So-young, a KARA team leader who was also present at the class, pointing at a barking white Pomeranian on her left. "This space and situation are difficult for him."
Lee Young-jo, a 31-year-old office worker and Koong-ee's owner, says taking the classes helped him better understand his pet's agitated behavior in public spaces.
"I know now in what situations my dog acts this way," he said. "The trainers watch him closely and provide one-on-one training. I'm planning to sign up for the next session as well."
Owners must upload videos of their pets practicing the training routines they learned that week on a class blog. The trainer evaluates the pets' and owners' behavior in the following class and hands out additional tips. Owners also record any other worrying behavior they see in their pets and seek one-on-one advice during class.
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| Daebak, a six-year-old poodle, peers out from behind a makeshift partition. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
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| Soso's owners train with the golden retriever under the KARA trainer's guidance. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
On the opposite side of the room, Soso, a two-year-old golden retriever with a much calmer demeanor than others, followed his owner's lead through a routine designed to make pets less distracted and more focused on their owner in public spaces.
"Pet training classes usually don't accommodate both owners and pets. I like how this class allows both to participate, allowing us to bond with our dogs," said Seo Jung-min, 38, Soso's owner and a bookstore keeper. "I want to know what I, as the pet owner, am doing wrong, and get the basic guidance for instilling better social manners in my dog."
Yang Hye-ji, 27, says she saw a noticeable difference in her six-year-old poodle Daebak after the first two classes on April 11 and 18. Each teaching season is comprised of five weekly classes.
"Daebak would bark and run after strangers or other dogs when we went for a walk," Yang said. "Now she barks less."
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| A participating owner and her pet take a walk by a nearby stream during a restroom break. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Instilling proper social etiquette in pets ― also known as "petiquette" ― is an increasingly pertinent issue for dog owners in a crowded city like Seoul. Nationwide, an average of six people are rushed to the hospital because of canine attacks every day, according to 119 emergency services. Just last month, a woman in her 60s died from excessive blood loss after being bitten by a Tosa dog in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province.
"We started the classes in light of the increasing number of neighborhood conflicts and complaints involving pets," Yoon So-ra, a city official in charge of the project, told The Korea Times. "For each course, lasting five weeks, we get twice as many applicants as there are spaces available."
Each weekly class accommodates six owner-pet teams. Two courses run throughout each five-week season, with one course held on Thursday and the other on Saturday afternoon. Participating pets must be vaccinated and at least six months old.
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