A white board fence traces the outline of five sprawling acres in Lemont where a modern-day Dr. Doolittle resides with her appaloosa, Welsh pony, three dogs, two geese, three cats, a box turtle and a mouse named Holy Joseph.
Peggy Moran Pachl loves all kinds of animals but has a very special fondness for Fidos. Her keen canine observation and understanding have blossomed into a respected reputation and a full-time business as a canine behaviorist. On her acreage in Lemont, she teaches everything from responsible dog ownership and obedience to trouble-shooting when Lassie turns into
”Dogzilla.”
Pachl`s lengthy list of accomplishments includes writing award-winning magazine articles for Dog World, lecturing to veterinarians at conferences around the country, appearing on television, acting as an expert witness at trials, training staff at animal shelters and serving as a canine behavioral consultant with the American Dog Owners Association.
Her business, Peggy Moran Pachl and Associates, trains dogs not only at Pachl`s Lemont facility but at suburban park district programs. Dog training has provided Pachl, 32 (who is divorced with two children) with self-employment since she was 15, and over the years she has added to the scope of her programs by working with two associates, Penny Gilbert and Mary Ramsden, who assist with classes or teach their own using Pachl`s methods.
”I have lots of energy,” Pachl asserted. ”You could describe me as a 300-watt bulb plugged into a 100-watt socket. I`m wired but not hyper.”
Indeed Pachl, her crystal blue eyes sparkling with intensity, glows when talking about her favorite subject. Top on her list of concerns is the huge number of people regularly buying into what she terms ”the Lassie Lie.”
That lie, Pachl says, has been propagated throughout society by movies, books and television shows propelling many people into dog ownership. When the puppy refuses to become Rin-Tin-Tin, frustrated owners seek out Pachl`s expertise, wondering what went wrong.
”Owners have to learn to understand the species at its own level,” she stresses,” rather than projecting human characteristics onto their dog. ”So many people buy dogs thinking of Disney and dalmatians or that they`re getting a wonder dog who can do no wrong. These ideas are not based in reality and only foster misconceptions about what a dog can do for its owner.”
David Dinger, director of operations for the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago, echoed Pachl`s concerns.
”There are a lot of misperceptions about dog ownership,” he said. ”So many people come in here with idyllic recollections from childhood about their family dog, without really knowing what their parents went through at the time.”
Dr. Tom Eganhouse, a veterinarian at The Animal Hospital in Naperville, has referred patients to Pachl for dog training and counseling over the years. He notes, too, that families don`t always do their homework before purchasing a pet.
”Unfortunately,” he said, ”many families buy pets for the wrong reasons or take a hobbyist approach to their purchase. It is very critical that the prospective owner first understand the nature of the species.”
At work in her classes, Pachl uses a mix of charm with the owners and firmness with the dogs, infusing new confidence in both. Keeping up a lively banter throughout the class session, she repeatedly hammers home her important points.
”Who`s the leader here?” she asks the class as all watch a frustrated owner drag a recalcitrant dog around on the leash. ”You or your dog?” She punctuates each word, her eyebrows rising higher. More often than not, the owner looks at her sheepishly and Pachl chalks one up in the air on an invisible blackboard: Doggy 1; Owner zip.
As each owner and dog take turns performing their commands in front of the others, frustrations are shared and heads bob in commiseration around the room. In class, Pachl continually works on destroying the owner`s misunderstandings about canine behavior, replacing it with realistic canine psychology and sound, workable methods.
”You can`t train a dog not to be a dog,” she emphasizes. ”You redirect its energy so that you have a tired dog, not a wired dog.”
Pachl associate Mary Ramsden has known her for two years. ”Her reputation precedes her,” Ramsden said. ”She is known throughout the training community. Before meeting her I had been using traditional methods in my dog obedience classes and noticed that strict obedience just didn`t work and in some cases caused dogs to actually act worse.
”Pachl`s method is a combination of discipline and science. The first time I observed her classes, I was positively bowled over. At first, Pachl can seem arrogant, but she`s not. She`s just very, very confident.”
Ramsden added that Pachl`s method doesn`t rely on bribery with food, nor does it enslave the dog through force. She teaches the owner and the dog how to have such a positive relationship that the dog wants to please its owner.
Pachl`s fascination with animals extends back to her childhood in La Grange. Her first recollections, she said, are of being about 3 years old, sitting on the sidewalk, watching ants. She can even remember noting such peculiarities as how the flight patterns of houseflies were affected by electricity when her mother suddenly switched on the pewter chandelier in their dining room.
Pachl`s mother, Jane Moran, bought her daughter her first dog (a collie)
for her 7th birthday. That was the beginning of a pet parade that would wend its way through the Moran household over the years. Nine dogs, four cats, numerous birds, 18 baby chicks, a pet goose, even a boa constrictor joined the Moran menagerie.
”I`ve always liked animals,” Jane Moran said, ”and encouraged interest in them, too. Peggy literally had her dogs jumping through hoops for her or sitting and begging. She`s always had a real empathy with dogs. They just love her and are eating out of her hand in minutes. She`s fearless with them.”
As Pachl grew older, she began dog-sitting or walking for neighbors. When others saw all the things she had trained her dog to do, they asked her to train their dogs, too. Soon she had a flourishing business, as her mother drove her around to work with various dogs. Veterinarians began referring clients to her, having no idea that Pachl was still a student at Lyons Township High School.
”I can look right at (dogs) and understand them,” Pachl explained. ”I appreciate their true nature without projecting human traits. It`s so unfair of owners to wrap their dogs in a package of expectations that denies the real animal to come through. In some ways I feel like a translator, clarifying and simplifying dog behavior for others.”
Years of reading, researching, studying and taking classes have added to Pachl`s instinctive understanding of canine behavior. Her formal education ended with her high school diploma.
”I`m the Diane Fossey or Jane Goodall of dogs,” she said, referring to the noted gorilla and chimp behaviorists, ”because I do field studies of dogs` behavior from an assessment perspective to get a better understanding of dogs. The most accurate information is not from dog books or looking for what I`m told to see. I go off the beaten path and observe my own things.”
She considers her biggest contribution in the study of dog behavior to be developing the motivational approach that she teaches in her classes.
”Dogs have intellectual capacity,” she said. ”They have thinking and reasoning ability that they aren`t given credit for. Most other training methods involve some form of bribery or force. We let the dog think for himself and our training helps shape his decisions.”
Elyse Bailey of Naperville recently enrolled in Pachl`s classes with her dog, Mandy.
”Peggy`s training appeals to the dog`s psyche,” she said, ”getting the dog to be responsible for itself. I always knew my dog had thinking ability, but I didn`t know how to tap into it.”
Dr. Ted Walters, a veterinarian at West Suburban Veterinary Associates, Westmont, refers owners and their pets to Pachl for counseling when behavior problems arise.
”I send the difficult cases to Peggy,” he said. ”This includes dogs who are too aggressive, overly protective or biting. She does
more than basic obedience, she handles these situations in one-on-one counseling sessions. The feedback I`ve gotten from families is good, even when her recommendation was that the dog should be put to sleep.”
When a vet refers a family and their dog to Pachl, she interviews them over the phone to determine the severity of the problem. Depending on the age of the dog, she`ll either recommend behavioral classes or a combination of private sessions and classes. She charges $120 for an obedience course that guarantees graduation.
This guarantee enticed Kathy Shannon of Downers Grove to enroll in obedience training with her dog Kelsey.
”I`d been having a lot of problems with my dog chewing things, like the box springs on my bed,” she said. ”I called my vet in desperation and he recommended Peggy. I`m taking this class as much for my benefit as Kelsey`s. Peggy reassured me that when we were done, I wouldn`t recognize my dog. I`m really happy with her class and her call-me-anytime approach. It`s very reassuring.”
Pachl wears a beeper and is available to anyone facing an emergency situation with a dog. The thrust of her classes, though, is prevention.
”When a dog is frustrated,” Pachl explained, ”he can`t just pop a Valium. He vents it orally, vocally or physically. When dogs defecate on slippers, they are not acting out of spitefulness. They`ll use something of yours that smells like you as a surrogate for you, seeking negative attention.”
Pachl notes that dogs live in the present tense and dragging a dog over to a wastebasket that he overturned hours ago and rubbing his face in it is a waste of time. The dog learns only to associate the punishment with the owner and not with the deed. Instead, Pachl recommends and teaches what she terms remote correction and redirection, giving the dog an aversion to his misbehavior rather than to his owner.
While spying on your dog and watching the misdeed occur, Pachl suggests spraying the dog with water from a squirt bottle or squirt gun, while remaining out of the dog`s sight. The dog is startled, rather than hurt, looks around, sees no one and begins to believe that the wastebasket, couch or slipper is somehow fighting back.
Attention from the owner must be for good things only, Pachl emphasizes, which helps the dog associate positive feelings with his owner.
Pachl explained that in years past, dogs were bred for distinct jobs, such as retrieving the kill or herding the livestock.
”The average American dog is unemployed,” she said. ”Although they have been selectively bred and domesticated, they have energy to work-hunting or herding. They were bred to have both ability and energy for a distinct job. Dogs were allowed to share the home, fire and food in exchange for function. They are a working domestic animal.”
Pachl noted that the work of dogs today can be found in behavioral/
obedienc e classes and at home feeling needed, loved and useful.
Dr. Eganhouse at The Animal Hospital has relied on Pachl`s expertise in dog training for many years.
”She`s absolutely brilliant,” he said. ”Her therapies are so correct. Owners need to realize that their dog should be raised to cope with the lifestyle of the owner. We see a lot of separation anxiety in dogs today. Because couples are both working, they overcompensate with their dogs when they return home. Dogs need to accept that they can`t always be with their owner.”
As a result of Pachl`s high profile, she was asked to be the behavioral consultant to the American Dog Owners Association (ADOA), a national organization promoting responsible dog ownership. The ADOA has a membership of more than 3,000 individuals and 750 kennel clubs or related dog groups across the country. Pachl`s ADOA position includes making training videos and acting as an expert witness in trials concerning biting dogs or related problems.
Laurence T. Schwartz is a retired human psychologist and secretary to the ADOA. He first heard Pachl speak at an ADOA annual meeting about five years ago, where he recalled being impressed with her knowledge of dog behavior, especially aberrant traits and personalities.
”The association,” he explained, ”is very concerned with dog temperament. We believe that the family dog is an integral part of the household and needs to be compatible. Pachl`s philosophy is to make the dog a viable member of the household.”
In its commitment to helping dogs and families establish and maintain compatibility, the ADOA asked Pachl to make a series of videos to be used in elementary schools. One, titled ”Does He Bite?,” sensitizes children to signs that a dog may be about to bite and offers strategies for safely dealing with the situation.
Citing statistics from a Harvard Medical School Health Letter, Schwartz noted that dogs are responsible for 44,000 facial bite injuries each year, 16,000 of which are rated as severe. Ninety percent of bites happen while the dog is at home and one half of these are to children age 4 or under, bitten by the family dog.
”Unfortunately,” Schwartz continued, ”owners rationalize bad behavior in their dogs. By the time it becomes really serious, it has become ingrained and is too late to change.”
Pachl added: ”Children receive no education about safety around companion animals. I`d like to see this information be a mandatory part of early education, 3rd grade or under.”
Enid Bergstrom, editor of the international magazine Dog World, met Pachl several years ago through their mutual ADOA involvement. Pachl has subsequently written several articles for the magazine that have placed high or won honorable mention from the American Dog Writers` Association.
”Pachl has a national reputation,” said Bergstrom. ”Her articles for us have generated numerous requests for reprints from veterinarians or others. There are a lot of dog behaviorists around and many of them don`t know what they`re doing. Peggy`s technique works.
Not all of Pachl`s work is strictly serious. Last year she was called in to be part of the Sun-Times ”Make Over Rover” contest, open to readers with ugly, misbehaving dogs. Winners received a counseling session with Pachl and a doggy makeover from groomers. She also appeared on a now-canceled local television show.
”It was fun but a little frustrating, too,” Pachl noted. ”Some of those dogs had serious problems and the newspaper reporter just wanted such an upbeat approach for the story. There was no way that I could really make a difference with their behavior in just one counseling session other than to offer some suggestions and stress the seriousness of the behavior problems to the owners.”
When it comes to contests and parades, Pachl is a worthy and winning opponent. Last year, she and her two daughters, ages 4 and 6, took the top trophy in the Dog Division of the La Grange Pet Parade. Their winning entry, The Red Hot Doggy Diner, did a reprise in June for Lockport`s Old Canal Days. Although Pachl and dogs seem synonymous, she stressed that they aren`t the be-all and end-all of her existence. In her few spare moments, she enjoys time with her children and her horses.
”My motto is `Seize the Day,”` she said. ”I`m always struggling for balance in all the demands made on my time between children, job and self. Most of all, I don`t want to leave the world with a debt but want to give something back.”
