Sonia Fetherling has always loved dogs. When she was a child, she wasn’t allowed to have a dog of her own, so she improvised: She said she would go door to door in her Chichester, West Suffolk, England, neighborhood asking people if she could just walk their dogs — for free. Sonia’s love for dogs, cats, and animals of all kinds grew and stayed with her when she later took a job with a cruise line, met her husband Charlie, settled in Florida, and then moved to Chicago.
About 12 years ago, the Fetherlings moved from the city to their current residence in Homewood which has expanded to include the couple’s two sons, Callum, 13, and Bowen, 9, and 2.5 dogs (one dog is a long-term guest) and two cats.
of the tools used in puppy class. (Karen Torme Olson)
Sonia, who has been modifying dog and cat behavior for 21 years, said her evolution from dog walker to dog trainer started when she adopted her first dog, Ellie-Mae in Florida.
“Ellie-Mae had terrible separation anxiety,” Sonia said. “She was 8 months old and a shelter dog, and we had just moved into a new house. I took her for 5-mile-long walks and she peed a little during them, but when we got back in the house, she would immediately leave a lake in the middle of the floor.”
Sonia said she knew Ellie-Mae was just frightened and insecure, but she was also ruining the floors in the Fetherlings’ house. Sonia knew she couldn’t bear to take Ellie-Mae back to the shelter because it was a kill shelter and because she already loved her, so she took it upon herself to find a way to change her dog’s behavior.
“I was the one who could read, so it was up to me,” she recalled. Within a few weeks, Ellie-Mae became a model canine citizen and flourished with the Fetherlings until she died at 12.5 years old.
(Provided photo)
Sonia said Ellie-Mae taught her that positive cues were a far better training tool to use with dogs than shock collars and physical punishment and that compassionate training brings about better outcomes. It was then that she took the first steps to her new career: teaching dogs the ins and outs of living with humans.
Eventually Sonia took a job as a PetSmart trainer, which grew into the founding of Best of Behavior LLC, her animal consulting and training business that specializes in one-on-one training sessions, in-home training, behavior consults, puppy classes and more.
Dan Bartley of Blue Island has been bringing his foster puppy, Darla, to Sonia’s most recent puppy class, which meets at the Homewood Veterinary Clinic. Darla is a rescue who was rescued from the streets in Manhattan, Illinois. She was found by workers from Determined to Rise (DTR), a non-profit animal foundation based in Mokena devoted to the rescue and rehabilitation of abandoned animals. Darla had been living outdoors alone, hungry, was covered with severe mange, and hairless except for a little tuft on her tail.
puppy lesson in Homewood. (Karen Torme Olson)
“They say the dog always chooses you,” said Bartley, who was captivated by Darla and who is training to be a Fear-Free trainer himself. He said that “Darla was 39 pounds a few weeks ago and weighs 53 pounds now. Her mange is mostly gone and most of her hair has grown back.”
at Homewood Veterinary Care where Fear-Free
principles are used. (Karen Torme Olson)
On this day, Sonia’s puppy lesson for Darla and her classmate Lola, another rescue, was based on discouraging food aggression. Food-guarding can be a problem for dogs who have experienced prolonged hunger.
After spending time playing and sniffing, Darla and Lola got down to business. When Sonia offered a treat, she used her clicker to signal that a piece of food was available and again as a “marker” when the pups took the food calmly to signal they had done something good. After a few tries, the change in the two animals’ behavior was stunning. Within 10 minutes, the puppies went from lunging for the morsels Sonia took from her food pouch to calmly waiting for the clicker sound that signaled food availability.
Chris Matusek and her dog Desiree, aka Desi, are also Sonia’s clients and beneficiaries of the power of Fear-Free training. Matusek, who lives in Blue Island and teaches graphic design at Moraine Valley Community College, said Desi was rescued from a kill-shelter in Texas and brought to Illinois with other rescues to meet Matusek, who had agreed to adopt her sight unseen.
“She had been found living under a house and had been in rescue for 3-4 months after that,” Matusek said. “She was transported to PetSmart and they handed her to me from the truck. At first, she didn’t like people and didn’t like to go in the car.
“I later took her to a PetSmart class for socializing and when Sonia came into PetSmart, I just loved her style of training.”
She said Sonia helped her to communicate with Desi, who is now trained to be part of a Love on a Leash crew that visits elder care clinics. These days, Matusek said, Desi’s mere presence brings peace to dementia and wheelchair-bound patients who delight in petting her.
For more information on Best of Behavior LLC and its Fear-Free training classes and consulting, visit the bestofbehavior.com website or email Sonia Fetherling at [email protected].
For more information on the Determined to Rise Foundation, go to www.dtranimalfoundation.com.