Building canine-owner bonds at the RVC Rec Center

Wednesday evenings are reserved for dog obedience training at the Rockville Centre Recreation Center, as dog owners from around the South Shore came to practice techniques that would encourage the best behavior from their pets.

The ten-week paid course is led by trainer Rena Dershowitz, who has been training dogs since 1981 and runs Educated Paws, a West-Hempstead-based training facility. She has taught dog-training classes at the Recreation Center for about 20 years, she said, currently leading courses in the fall, winter and spring.

“Basically, I want people to have fun with their dogs and come out of there with a really good relationship,” she said. “That’s what dog training should be.”

Each Wednesday, the Recreation Center offers three one-hour classes for dogs of different obedience levels. The first two courses teach more basic commands and encourage developing a bond with one’s dog. As a Canine Good Citizen evaluator, Dershowitz can test more advanced dog owners, which can receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club that recognizes their well-mannered dogs.

“I love the relationship it creates between owner and dog,” she said. “I love watching a puppy go from no attention span to total adoration of the owner, and I love the fact that I’m helping families really enjoy their dogs.”