On a Sunday afternoon in early November, a strange gathering took place in the backyard of Fred Hassen's Henderson area home. More than 15 dog owners congregated, each with at least one dog at his or her side at all times, and though there wasn't a leash in sight, not one of the dogs wandered away from its owner.
Or growled, sniffed, or even acknowledged any of the other dogs. Or even came within three feet of another dog or a person without permission from its owner to "go say hello."
"All of these dogs are so well under control that they don't have to be on a leash, even with all these people and other dogs around," said Alfredo Rivera, gesturing around the backyard. "Each dog is completely focused on its owner and only its owner. The training system is that effective."
The training system Rivera refers to is Hassen's No Limitations remote dog training program.
Hassen, who has owned and worked with dogs for as long as he can remember, founded the No Limitations system in 1998. Soon after, Rivera, a lifelong friend, joined the program as both a trainer and Hassen's business partner.
On that November afternoon, Hassen was hosting an annual alumni gathering for No Limitations graduates, where trainers and dogs demonstrated pet tricks, training techniques, and even taught a couple of water-shy dogs to swim.
Hassen's program teaches participants how to train dogs, as well as how to establish their own successful business as trainers.
Hassen also established the Sit Means Sit dog training program, which teaches day-to-day pet obedience and also uses the remote collar training method. Rivera said remote collars give dogs a painless "nudge" to remind them to pay attention to their owners.
"The remote collar system is like an invisible leash," Rivera said. "It's a communications system, and it's nonconfrontational and gentle. We only want happy dogs."
Because there are many types of remote collars, trainers at No Limitations and Sit Means Sit seminars will help participants figure out which type of collar is right for their dog.
Rivera said the program works for dogs of any size or breed, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes, and the system has become so popular that Hassen spends most of his time traveling around the world teaching. The program also has been so effective that Sit Means Sit provides lifetime training assistance for dogs that go through the program.
"This is the most successful program of its kind," Rivera said. "We're so confident of it that we stick around for as long as people need us to in order to get their dog under as much control as they want."
But the Sit Means Sit program isn't meant to turn pets into robots.
"Control has no purpose if the dog has no spirit and isn't happy," Rivera said. "We still want dogs to be able to enjoy doing dog things."
In addition to teaching everyday doggie manners, Lianne Shinton, a No Limitations trainer from Toronto, Canada, said dogs that go through the Sit Means Sit program can be taught advanced search and rescue training and swimming safety. She said Hassen's own dogs, Nero and Vegas, are even trained to pick up trash in parks and throw the trash away in the appropriate receptacle.
"It sounds gross to you and me, but for dogs, trash is food or a toy," she said. "So it's very hard to get them to gently pick it up and throw it away without playing with it or eating it."
Trainers from No Limitations also can teach dogs to swim and to keep their focus on their owners while in the water.
"You want to have control of your dog at all times so they don't injure another person or dog, or scare people who might be afraid of dogs, or injure themselves by doing something like running out in traffic," Rivera said. "For the same reasons, you want to have control of your dog in the water, so you can tell them when to get out of the water, or when to move away from another person or dog."
For Hassen, teaching dogs to swim and teaching them to respond to their owners even while in the water has been particularly important in desert areas like Las Vegas.
"Swimming is good for the dogs, especially in the summer, when it cools them down and when it may be too hot to walk them," he said. "Swimming is also not as hard on their joints."
Sit Means Sit trainers often will come to the client, at their home or a park, and do a free consultation with the dog and owner. Trainers also schedule free demonstrations and various seminars year-round.
"Thousands of dogs have gone through No Limitations training, and we've had more than 80 trainers come though the program," Hassen said. "The best thing about the system is that it gives dogs a lot more freedom, and also allows people to enjoy their dogs a lot more."
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