About Green Acres Kennel Boarding & Training

<h2>In Harmony Dog Training at Green Acres, Goreville</h2><p>On its own website this business trades as In Harmony Dog Training at Green Acres, at 55 Scottie Lane Drive, Goreville, IL 62939. The site describes it as "a small, family-owned business with a facility situated on 20 beautiful acres near Ferne Clyffe State Park and Goreville." The grounds are described as 8 acres of woods, a 3-acre private lake and a large chain-link fence enclosure, which the site says together "provide ample space for training opportunities."</p><h3>Training services</h3><p>The services listed are group classes, single-topic workshops, private lessons and in-home training.</p><h3>Method</h3><p>The site is unusually explicit about method. It says owner and trainer Lynn Damme "uses positive reinforcement, force-free methods of obedience training instead of methods that rely on equipment (choke, prong, or shock collars) or long-debunked 'theories' of dominance." It describes dogs learning to work for rewards &mdash; treats, toys, play time, attention &mdash; while handlers learn how dogs communicate and learn, on the stated reasoning that this knowledge helps handlers establish and build a lasting bond with their dog.</p><h3>Credentials and background</h3><p>The site states that Lynn Damme is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, has served as an AKC-certified evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen program and as a certified Pet Partners team member, and is certified by the American Red Cross in Pet First Aid. It credits her with "more than 25 years of experience working professionally with dogs," including an apprenticeship with Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Trainer Angie Neal at 4Paws University in Sacramento, California. After that apprenticeship, the page says, she taught Step One and Step Two group obedience classes at 4Paws and provided private in-home Puppy Head Start, Home Schooling and Feisty Fido training (described as designed to improve the behavior of aggressive dogs), plus advanced group classes in tricks and service dog skills. It also lists study with behavior experts including Trish King of the Marin Humane Society, Sue Sternberg, Ian Dunbar, Patricia McConnell and Myrna Milani, and says she continues her education through seminars and workshops.</p>