Fred Hassen's Sit Means Sit - Revolutionizing the World of Dog Training - www.SitMeansSit.com

Nothing is more aggravating or anxiety-producing as having a dog who won’t listen and obey. To learn that there is a quick method to change bad doggy behavior is a relief to pet owners throughout the metro area.

Sit Means Sit—which I think is just a great name—helps owners and dogs learn how to get along better. Dogs that were destined for the shelter because of bad behavior are now beloved (and well behaved) family darlings.

One of the great benefits for our community of this dog training service is that the collars are waterproof and cover a range up to ½ mile. Tom Mancuso, who along with his wife Carrie owns the metro business, describes the training method as “remote collar specialists like a wireless leash.” The collar is the key. If you are thinking “shoc

k collar,” well that is not it. “It doesn’t hurt, harm, or punish the dog. It is a communication tool.” Tom advises each prospective client to hold the collar in their hand while he works the remote.

And in our “way too much to do, how can I add one more thing?” world, the fact that you can go from having Mr. or Ms. Misbehaving dog to three weeks later having a well-trained pet is as good as it gets. For most pets and pet owners, three sessions over three weeks does the trick.

Oh, and did I mention, the Mancuso's come to your home? They offer free home demonstrations. “We go out to potential clients homes and evaluate the dog. Then we bring a dog with us that we have already trained. That way people can see the level of obedience they can expect from their own dog. At that time we go over all our programs and pricing.” Training is done in home. An indoor group training is available in Raymore. They offer unlimited group classes for the life of your dog.

As far as the question of trainability and the breed or size of dog, Tom comments, “There are no untrainable dogs. We have trained every pet from a 3-pound Yorkie to a 130-pound St. Bernard and everything in between.”

Public demonstrations get the attention of pet owners. “We do training in public so we are always taking videos and putting them online. People enjoy watching them and when they see the level of obedience, they want their dog to be like that.” Sit Means Sit holds seminars to help others associated with pets from groomers’ associations to humane society staff to police K-9 training. Sit Means Sit is so effective that it has been featured on both Fox 4 News and NBC Kansas City Live and many other TV stations across the nation. When you see the actual demonstrations, you will find yourself amazed. So amazing is this concept that police departments throughout the country use Sit Means Sit to train their dogs.

For the Mancusos, it is a family affair. They sometimes include their children in the training which is a real bonus for families who are having issues with dogs jumping on kids. Both Tom and Carrie as well as Sit Means Sit trainer retired policeman J.B. Henderson have gone through remote collar training. Tom has been training dogs “all my life”. The Sit Means Sit Collar won a 2007 Best Pet Product Award. It was designed by the Sit Means Sit founder, Fred Hassen, in 1998 and is manufactured in Knoxville, Tennessee. Hassen is still very involved in the company he started which has locations across the country. He does dog training internationally—Australia, Israel, Mexico, and Canada. Tough job, huh?!

The Hassen collar is adjustable as is the intensity. Tom compares it to “chiropractic tens unit. It is very gentle training. We don’t yell at dogs or jerk them around. More than anything, I find myself asking clients to lower their voices. It brings a lot of peace into the house. Dogs can hear better than we can anyway.”

When asked what he most enjoyed about his work, Tom said, “Making a big impact for a family. The phrase I hear most is ‘You’ve given us the dog of our dreams.” His biggest challenge is the hours that he is currently putting in working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week “finding the time to save the world one dog at a time.”

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