HUNTER! WHO'S THE BIG DOG NOW?!



WHAT THE MEDIA SAYS ABOUT US...

Daily Press, Hampton Roads, Virginia
March 27, 2008

By the end of every day, Tanner and Pierce have sung to the tune of B-I-N-G-O, sat patiently through a short story and attended a puppet show.

They've also learned to sit, stay and roll over.

At Wagging Tails Academy & Inn in Hampton, the students never graduate to kindergarten. Instead, dogs — like the two Labs, Tanner and Pierce — come here to learn and play while their owners are at work.

Modeled after a school for children, there isn't one crate or cage on the site. For $25 a day, the pups spend most of their time in an enclosed classroom, decorated with colorful "Thought for the Day" signs and a daily schedule. There's also a kitchen where the dogs eat, an outdoor play area and a separate bedroom where overnight guests can sleep on beds on the floor.

"There's virtually no trauma to them being left here. It's exactly the same as leaving your dog at a friend's house," says day care co-owner Phyllis Flanders.

Flanders has two dogs and says she never felt comfortable leaving them at any existing boarding facilities. She spent years discussing her desire to open a dog care center with Montessori Teachers. As a result she developed the Muttessori Model designed from the Montessori School Model an education theory that allows children to learn at their own pace through exploration and community help.

In the Montessori Model, kids are not rewarded for their level of achievement or ability to compete with others, but for their willingness to help classmates. In the dog version of Montessori, grumpy pups are punished by supervised timeouts, and, in rare cases, by quick squirts of water in the face.

"There's no competition here, everybody gets the same belly rubs, number of treats and amount of playtime as everybody else. Dogs will teach each other, and it's all about building community," Flanders says.

And although the dogs are allowed to roam free throughout the day, Flanders and her teaching staff have them on a strict schedule. Morning howl-alongs to songs like "Who Let the Dogs Out" and "How Much Is That Doggy in the Window" are followed by supervised playtime, snack time, an outdoor break and story time.

"We read to them at least twice a day to help build their vocabulary. Dogs can learn vocabulary at the level of a 5-year-old child," says Flanders.

This includes reading books like "Run, Spot, Run," where Flanders has the dogs sit and listen to the story and then act out words such as "run" and "ball."

The dogs also attend two sessions of manners classes during the day, which include commands to sit, stay and refrain from jumping. Flanders says with a laugh that they're also working on hand shakes, instead of rear-end sniffs, but that's going to take some time.

Tanner and Pierce's owner, Gretchen King of Newport News, says the two Labs run right in the front door when she drops them off in the mornings.

"I just think it's so funny how, when I get here to pick them up, they just keep going with the other dogs. They don't even notice that I'm here," she says.

The special treatment continues for dogs who stay overnight. The dogs get after hours play time and then choose where they'd like to sleep. In the morning, they eat their breakfast in the kitchen and take as many bathroom breaks as they need.

"This is just like a child care center, but we have four-legged children," says Flanders.

* There is never an extra charge for dogs with medical needs, such as insulin shots or surgery recovery, and dog parents who take a tour of the center get a free half-day of care for their pup.

• What: Wagging Tails Academy & Inn, a dog daycare and boarding facility
• Where: 923 Aberdeen Road, Hampton, Virginia, 23666
• Cost: See "Fees & Specials" page for our specials and packages!
• Information: 757/896-2275 or waggingtailsclub@aol.com

From the Public School Montessorian Magazine - Fall 2008

The K-9 Classroom
Is This Virginia Company Being Too Dogmatic?

The class was the model of order.

The morning sing-along went well. New members were being nicely tutored by more experienced peers. Free time gave the director chances to observe individual differences and development. The circle for reading demonstrated deep concentration. The puppet show may have had a small distraction or two, but that was quickly corrected. Members of the class were free to move around.

And, of course, all knew that when it was time to pee, they had to go outside and do it on the grass.

Welcome to Muttessori at the Wagging Tails Academy & Inn in Hampton, VA.
Maria Montessori, meet the Dog Whisperer. Also meet Phyllis Flanders.
“Dogs need to be free to be out and doing things. We look at our work as socializing them and allowing them to be dogs.”  Flanders, who has worked as a dog trainer, a mental health professional and management consultant, developed the concept. “I’ve always been an admirer of Montessori,” she said. “She had a real impact on the therapeutic community, dealing with children so much affected by war.” Flanders was especially attracted to Montessori’s vision of an open learning community. After bandying about the idea since 2003, in February, of 2008 her dream center opened.

Flanders and her teaching staff have a schedule that begins at six in the morning. At eight AM the school day begins with “howl-alongs” to songs like “Bingo,” “Who Let the Dogs Out?” and “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” “If you were to hear the teachers and me sing, you would howl, too,” Flanders said. Then it’s on to playtime, snack time, an outdoor break, story time, instruction in manners such as “sit,” “take turns,” “stay” and “roll-over” and the daily puppet show. And, of course, naps and treats. She said by the third visit, new members are ready and waiting to be read to during story time. “The dogs have an internal clock,” Flanders said. “When it’s time for the reading circle, they gather in front of the reading chair. They love the sound of the human voice.” That circle, she said, is a good example of how dogs train each other.

According to their website, they are “following the Montessori model (as adapted by the academy owner for canines).”

The concept of Wagging Tails Academy & Inn begins with the philosophy of Maria Montessori who believed that all children functioned better and learned more in open communities working together not to be the first, or to win, but to help each other learn and to function in community with the freedom to move away from others or be a part of a group at will. The purpose of open community is to meet the needs of all the participants to encourage happy and secure interaction between all members of the recognized community.

Flanders talks about gearing their work to the developmental needs of dogs and a process that leads to a “balanced” dog. This is serious work. They interview parents, much like many private Montessori schools and have high expectations for their customers. “They can’t just come and drop off their dogs,” Flanders said. “They have to come for a one-hour interview and tour the facility. They have to make a commitment to have their dog here. “People who bring dogs here want to do the right thing for dogs,” Tormey said. “The average daycare is $10day and our price is double that.”

It is not an insignificant market she has identified. Americans will spend $43.4 billion on pets in 2008, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Assn. That is more than double what they spent a little more than a decade ago. Their business has taken off. Flanders says they average 17 to 25 dogs a day. Most older dog spend a couple days a week at the centers. Younger ones frequently come three or more times per week. Canines who sleepover attend dayschool every day while they are guests at the inn.

Flanders has registered the “Muttessori Model” trademark and are talking about expanding—even franchising. And they clearly appeal to a demographic familiar to Montessori educators. The website notes:
"There will never be a crate, cage, or kennel, on any Wagging Tails Academy & Inn property. Just as we don’t put children in cages we do not put canines in cages!”