That was the recipe for some scrumptious dog treats for those in attendance at the Dog-A-Bone baking event that took place recently at the Wild Oats store in Sugar House.

Johanna Teresi, a dog trainer and the owner of the Four-Legged Scholars dog-obedience school, led the event. She is living her dream by teaching pets and their owners some helpful tips on good behavior.

Agnes Robl of Salt Lake City was there and eager to glean as much information as she could.

"I just got a puppy, a dachshund, and came to gain some useful information," she said.

Ditto for Jamie Tanaka of Sugar House: "I just want to give my dog some healthy treats," she said.

While the treats were in the oven, Teresi took time to share some helpful tips about the "clicker" method of training Ð that is, the use of a clicker followed by a treat to reinforce a dog's good behavior.

"I used the clicker with my dog on a hiking trail [and] . . . taught him to stop and wait at every turn in the path so I could keep an eye on him during the hike," Teresi told pet owners at the event. "It can prevent the dog from getting into trouble or injured."

Teresi's calm and soft approach to dog training is catching on with pet owners. One such owner, Terri Holbrooke of the Foothill area, heard about Teresi before leaving town for a weekend. Leaving Ginger, her sick cocker spaniel puppy, in a kennel wasn't an option. Fortunately, Teresi volunteered to care for the pup and simultaneously start obedience training during Holbrooke's absence.

"Rewarding the good behavior, setting Ginger up to succeed and becoming vigilant about consistency in my own patterns with Ginger - these are the keystones about which Joanna has . . . coached me," Holbrooke said.

Teresi now offers group-obedience classes for puppies and adult dogs at the iPaw Pet Store in Sugar House. Her prowess at animal training extends back years . She spent many summers while attending college in Ohio training animals at the Cleveland Metroparks and Columbus zoos - everything from ferrets to hawks to a rooster she taught to "play dead."

In between classes at Ohio Wesleyan University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology focusing on animal learning, she trained her circus rat to play basketball.

"I could see myself working alongside Siegfried and Roy in Las Vegas," Teresi recalled.

While that hasn't happened, Teresi has worked with with the most difficult of canines. She is currently working with Amos, a neglected and severely abused Chihuahua that has some behavior issues.

"Our goal right now is just to be able to take [Amos] to the vet without him showing aggression . . . We're making progress," added Jan Milner, owner of the 4-year-old Chihuahua.

Teresi's methods - using soft and positive commands and reinforcement instead of choke collars - seem to be paying off for Amos.

Teresi is "quiet and has the right demeanor and doesn't scare him." Milner said.

Obedience training

For more information about Four-Legged Scholars, call 801-463-1668, e-mail info@fourleggedscholars.com, or visit www.fourleggedscholars.com.