With his bushy tail and brown and tan coloring, Apollo the dog looks a bit like a coyote. Part Japanese Akita and part German shepherd, Apollo’s actually quite friendly, as seen on a recent trip to Alston Park, where he happily licked visitors and rolled on the ground.

After adopting the 2-year-old dog from a shelter, “we loved him instantly,” said his owner Forrest Phillips. “We want Apollo to be part of the family.”

But it wasn’t until Apollo met the cats Sally and Monty, that Phillips and his wife, Jody, realized they might have a problem.

“Apollo was very interested in the cats,” he said. And not in a friendly way. Concerned about his predatory instincts toward their cats, the couple was referred to Dan Cartwright.

Cartwright, a local dog trainer, has his own animal instincts.

During the past 35 years, he’s trained exotic and marine animals all over the world, including killer whales, dolphins, bears, elephants and man’s best friend. For more than four years, he worked at Marine World in Vallejo as their head dolphin trainer.

Recently, Cartwright opened his own dog training business, Good Dog! Dog Training.

The trainer said that many of the issues dog owners face are fairly common, such as barking, jumping, pulling and chewing on furniture.

“Most cases are problem solving, and basic obedience training,” he said.

“I show owners how to communicate with the dog,” such as setting borders, boundaries and limitations, he said.

“Affectionate praise and positive reinforcement is the basic ingredient of my training,” said Cartwright.

Working with Apollo, Cartwright used a combination of approaches, including trips to Alston Park, board training him at Cartwright’s own home overnight and gradual exposure to cats in a controlled setting. 

His dog training sessions don’t follow preconceived plans, said Cartwright. “I prefer to meet the dog and owner and get a feel for a situation to formulate a plan. It’s different in every case.”

The dog trainer starts his work with an evaluation of the animal, which costs between $35 to $45. From there, a one hour training session is $75. In certain cases, Cartwright can board and train a dog at his Napa home. His wife Beulah is also an animal trainer and helps with the business.

Cartwright said he is familiar with dog training celebrities such as Cesar Milan of “The Dog Whisperer.” “His message is the same as mine,” said Cartwright. “You have to have the respect of the animal. Rehabilitate the dog but train the owners,” he said. 

“I can train a dog to mind me, but in the end it’s the owners who have to get the respect of the dog,” he said.

“He’s a real blessing,” said Forrest Phillips, of Cartwright. Training Apollo means he and his wife “know we are doing everything possible to break him of potentially dangerous instincts. There’s no guarantee, but it’s about protecting our family members,” he said.

After five sessions with Apollo, Cartwright has successfully trained the dog in basic obedience, but the jury’s still out on whether or not Apollo can learn to resist the cats. 

“Apollo’s a great dog and we have made improvements. We’re not through yet,” he said.

His ultimate goal? “I just want people to be happy with their dogs,” he said.

Cartwright may miss his years working with marine mammals “but I love dogs.” After working all day with dolphins, you go home and the dolphin stays behind, said Cartwright. With a dog, you are never alone.

Good Dog! Dog Training

Dan Cartwright

255-3451

www.napagooddog.com