By Maria Clark

The lure of the blue plush toy had Dexter, a precocious 1- year-old pit bull mix, literally on the edge of his seat.

He squirmed on the chair his owner, dog trainer Jorge Melara, had commanded him to sit on, staring longingly at the toy he had dropped on the floor. But Dexter knew that as long as Mr. Melara told him to sit, he couldn’t budge from the black leather chair.

Whether training an easy-going pup like Dexter or a dog that has suffered abuse, Mr. Melara says the key is to discipline with love, not anger.

“You can train without physical or intimidation techniques,” Mr. Melara said. “You can have fun with your dog.”

Mr. Melara and his wife Bobbi Bhambree have been training wayward and easily excitable dogs for at least eight years. They own seven dogs, most of whom suffered from behavioral issues until they landed in the trainers’ expert hands. The couple runs a behavioral training program called Divine K-9, which includes a basic behavioral class at the Riverdale- Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture on Thursday nights.

The couple recently graduated two more apt pupils from their behavioral training program, 6-year-old Yofi, a white- and caramel-colored Cavalier King Charles and a 1-year-old Maltipoo, Joxer.

The training has paid off. By their final class, Yofi learned how to properly walk on a leash, how to heel, sit and lay down when asked. And, although he is still prone to barking in the presence of strangers and other dogs, Joxer is slowly learning. As Mr. Melara explained to the owners how to handle their dogs on the leash, high-pitched yips slipped through Joxer’s fluffy white snout. His owner, Stephanie Moreira, 26, led him into a closet for necessary time out. Five seconds flew by and Joxer came back out, yelped again and took another trip to the closet. Little by little his barks and yips subsided.

“The closet gets him away from all the excitement,” said Ms. Moreira. “When he calms down he’s really goofy.”

Yofi is much calmer than her costudent. She stays by her owner, Tali Kest’s side, as she is led around the classroom by her leash. She stops when prompted to and is rewarded with delicious treats.

At home, she used to get into wrestling matches with her recently adopted younger brother, Teddy, a 5-monthold puppy.

Her owners, Tali, 32, and Stephen Kest, 34, started training Teddy but worried he might pick up the older dog’s bad habits.

“We weren’t going to invest in training only one dog,” said Tali. “She’s good off the leash … Well, until she sees a squirrel and goes off running.”