Kitty Clark Fritz/Special to the Tribune

Charm school for shelter dogs: "No, Sadie," says Shawna Cermento as her spunky red heeler-retriever mix levitates for a little attention during an "Ask the Trainer" class at Mesa Verde Community Center. The City of Albuquerque offers the classes to people who adopt dogs from city shelters in an effort to keep pets from being returned because of behavioral problems. "We found at the shelter that a lot of people that adopt animals need behavior or training classes," said Denise Wilcox, who manages the program. "We thought, `What can we offer to the public to make adoption successful?' "

Kitty Clark Fritz/Special to the Tribune

Neeta Verma tends to an accident produced by her excited Labrador retriever cross, Mr. Toquito, during an Ask the Trainer class at Mesa Verde Community Center, 7900 Marquette Ave. N.E. The classes are intended to help people who adopt animals from city shelters with issues that might lead them not to keep their dogs. "Puppy and dog class is of primary importance because well over 75 percent of dogs in the shelter are there because of lack of training," said trainer Diane Sullivan.

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Tinker Bell was an adorable black-and-brown Chihuahua, with big, brown eyes and a wagging tail when Madge Hughes got her as a gift from the animal shelter.

For Tinker Bell, life was happily ever after. Not so for Hughes, who only discovered post-adoption that Tinker Bell likes to chew. A lot. On socks. On shoes. On arms.

Ready to throw in the (well-chewed) towel, Hughes instead decided to turn to Ask the Trainer to provide assistance in dealing with Tinker Bell's restless and fearless nature.

The free service of the city of Albuquerque provides training for people who are having problems with puppies and adult dogs they adopted at local shelters.

Ask the Trainer is part of the city's effort to encourage people who adopt pets from shelters to keep them.

In Tinker Bell's case, the program was her saving grace. With some tips from Sullivan, such as using bitter apple spray every time Tinker Bell nips at something, Tinker Bell's biting habit is under control and she doesn't have to go back to the shelter.

Denise Wilcox, director of Ask the Trainer, said the city offers a solution to people who might not know how to deal with their pet's habits by offering consultation through its hot line and training sessions.

"We found at the shelter that a lot of people that adopt animals need behavior or training classes," she said. "We thought, `What can we offer to the public to make adoption successful?' As an outcome of that, we hired a consultant and implemented these programs."

With the proper training, people will know how to deal with their pets' problems on their own.

"We've had a good success rate. I've had one-on-one consultations with people that were considering surrendering their pet," said Diane Sullivan, pet trainer and consultant for Ask the Trainer.

Owners who adopt puppies at local shelters are given a letter about the city's animal training program and the hot line. Sullivan, who owns Good Dog Training Center, handles the hot-line questions and teaches the classes or occasionally has an assistant teach.

"I am seeing what an incredible need there is for the education of the public. Any kind of help they need with the animal can make their relationship a lasting one. It's going to make a difference in permanent adoptions," Sullivan said.

The word is just now getting out about the training service since its inception in January 2006.

"We've had approximately 48 students. Consultations with people scheduling one-on-one time with me, we've had a little over 20," she said.

She added she's also received more than 200 calls and more than 150 e-mails.

Sullivan offers two types of training classes. Puppy classes like the one Tinker Bell attends and dog obedience classes for adult dogs.

"The puppy classes primarily focus on socialization skills, being around other people and other dogs. We try to do basic walking on a leash. Anything `puppy' is what I call it. Anything goes in a puppy class," she said.

In the dog obedience class, Sullivan said she focuses on the five basic commands - "walk on a leash, stay, sit, down and come."

The focus of today's class with trainer Becky Hatlestad is the settle command. It's a problem that puppy owners in the class say is major.

"This is definitely a rowdy bunch," she said.

Hatlestad, who works at Good Dog Training, sits pretzel style on the floor with the dog between her legs, petting Tinker Bell with firm strokes.

The other two dog owners attempt to do the same thing as they try to contain their excited dogs.

"In the settle command, you have to have a nice, calm attitude. Tell the dog to relax," she said.

After 20 minutes on the floor, the once restless puppies are sitting down, calm and collected, as their owners talk with the trainers about issues such as house training, walking on a leash and bothering others.

Hazel Barclay said the training classes saved her relationship with her dog.

She was seriously thinking of giving up Penny, her Norwegian elkhound, after she adopted her from Albuquerque Animal Services.

"When we first got her, she was running around everywhere. She was a crazy dog," Barclay said.

"We were almost going to return the dog because she was knocking everything off the counter, chewed the toothpaste, chewed the lotion," she said.

Barclay said she couldn't even take a shower without her dog tearing up things in the house.

Sullivan worked on the "leave it" command with her - training her dog to leave certain things alone.

Sullivan also provided Barclay with various tips she could do to deal with her dog's problems.

"She told me to stuff a (toy) fire hydrant with treats. She can be busy with that while I need a minute alone," she said.

Training classes have changed Barclay's mind about Penny.

"We're definitely keeping the dog," she said.