Dog Solve obedience classes, taught by K-9 experts, start tonight

Dog Solve LLC, the civilian dog obedience instructional program is new to the Annandale area, but the company has been successfully training dogs for many years.

Classes start tonight, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., at the Forest Hollow Swim Club, 4330 Old Columbia Pike, Annandale. The first class is discussion only; do not bring your dog.

Classes will run Sunday and Monday evenings for four weeks. There are separate classes for puppies, adult dogs, and advanced obedience.

Unlike many other dog obedience courses taught in the area, Dog Solve only hires seasoned and experienced police and military K-9 experts as instructors.

Dog Solve was informally started by Kevin Healy in Ocean City, Md., more than 30 years ago. At the time, Healy was the only police state-certified K-9 instructor on the Eastern Shore.

When the Ocean City Recreation Department asked him to teach group dog classes to the community, he took on the challenge. During his off-duty hours, Healy taught beginner and advanced obedience classes continuously for 15 years. While on duty, he trained K-9 teams for more than 30 law enforcement and corrections departments.

After retiring from law enforcement and moving to Northern Virginia, Healy founded Dog Solve LLC. and offered classes in Arlington, Alexandria, Vienna, and McLean.

The company was put on hold for two years when Healy was deployed to Iraq, where he oversaw the training and missions of 100 contracted explosive-detection dogs with U.S. Army and Special Forces teams.

After returning home, Healy resumed dog obedience classes with the Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation. In January, Dog Solve added other police and military K-9 experts to its teaching roster, expanded to Annandale, and will soon start offering classes in Franconia.

Unlike most other dog obedience programs, Dog Solve’s policy is to allow each student to choose his or her training style and type of humane training equipment.

At Dog Solve, “We believe it’s your dog. Choose the style and equipment you feel best improves your dog’s behavior,” Healy says.

All Dog Solve classes teach “street situational” training drills that carry over the basic commands into real-life situational use and practicality.

This spring, the company plans to offer one of the few classes available in the area specially designed for aggressive dogs.

To learn more, and register for a class, visit www.dogsolve.com or contact Kevin Healy, 703-951-6375, [email protected].