Thank Dog! Bootcamp makes woman’s best friend her best workout partner.

by Jamie Wetherbe

There is an old saying that goes, “If your dog is overweight, then you’re not getting enough exercise.” Making a business out of that motto, renowned dog obedience experts (and twins) Jill and Jamie Bowers and personal trainer Torri Shack launched Thank Dog! Bootcamp, the nation’s first fitness program specifically designed for people and their pups.

Thank Dog! started classes this month and has already received an “amazing” response. “People come up to us and say we have a brilliant, million-dollar idea,” says Shack. “I haven’t had one person not be excited about it.”

“I feel like this is going to be something huge,” adds Jamie. “People are loving it.”

In fact, the three owners, who are also openly gay, are already exploring opening other locations and franchises. “We want to make this bigger than just Los Angeles,” says Shack.

Not wanting to miss out on what could be the latest fitness trend, my small mutt, Butch, and I decided to take a class.

Each bootcamp program begins with a free mandatory consultation and a pet evaluation about a week prior to taking the first class to determine the owner’s weight-loss goals and the pet’s obedience level (I tend to be more obedient; Butch is in much better shape). Owners are also given a lesson plan to practice with their pets at home.

In addition, prior to each session, bootcamp trainers offer 30 minutes of free pet obedience instruction to improve bootcampers’ communications with their dogs.

After a short training refresher with Jill where Butch demonstrated the basic commands—sit, down and heel—we were ready to start the hour-long class. The bootcamp-style workouts, which are taught by Shack and supervised by Jamie and Jill, consist of cardiovascular exercise, basic obedience training and strength training for both owner and pup.

I consider myself to be fairly active, so I wasn’t sure if I was really going to get a workout, especially with Butch in tow (he’s know to be a little unruly). The training was, in a word, intense, and on more than one occasion I thought I might end up puking in public. Of course, Butch kept pace just fine, and the watchful trainers also kept him in line.

During mat and weight-training portions of the workout, Butch had the benefit of resting up, then it was time for me to jog while he heeled. If your dog misbehaves during the class you risk doing 25 push-ups. But even with the threat of added exercise, I loved having Butch along for my workout—I often feel pangs of guilt when I leave to exercise while he stays home alone.

“I used to do that and I hated it,” says Jamie. “If you go to the gym, you have to leave your dog at home.” And this was part of the logic behind the company.

“Some of my clients’ dogs don’t get any exercise,” explains Jill, “and they won’t take their dogs to exercise because they’re not obedient.”

After seeing too many overweight dogs and people in their training and exercise classes, the three fitness and dog enthusiasts came up with the Thank Dog! concept.

“Most people do it for their dogs rather than themselves,” says Shack, who also teaches at Barry’s Bootcamp in West Hollywood. “People who would’ve never worked out in a group setting will do it for their dogs.”

Plus, according to the trainers, the combination of exercise and obedience training means your dog will behave better at home. And the combination of personal training and obedience training can be easier on a dog owner’s wallet.

The payoff from my class was easy to see: Butch and I slept well that night—happy human, happy pet. And once I fully recover, we’ll be back for more.

Classes are offered Monday-Friday and Sunday mornings at either Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles or Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills. A single class costs $45, with discounts available for Beverly Hills residents and package purchases. For more information, call

(888) 364-4256 or visit thankdogbootcamp.com.