Gary Overs K9 Academy

11/01/2024

11/01/2024

Congratulations to this evenings Adult graduating class , our first Adult Graduating Class of 2024.
It is important to train your dog, whether small or large, young or old. Besides helping it behave better, training your dog will improve its relationship with you.
Adult dog training can be a challenging but rewarding experience. Not only will the end results be a dog you enjoy at home but also one you are proud to take out in public.

10/01/2024

Struggling with your dog? Spend some time examining this concept and honestly evaluating where you stand.

Doing what feels good in the moment, even if it causes fallout later, is chosen by most humans, in most circumstances. When it comes to dogs, “most” is an understatement.

Do what’s hard now, so you can avoid disaster later. Your life, and your dog will thank you.

08/01/2024

03/01/2024

I’ve seen precisely no one who was truly prepared to embrace the necessary emotional changes, lifestyle changes, and to do the work using the tools and methods which align with reality… who’ve either not stopped their dog’s behavior issues completely, or not made monumental progress.

That’s because if you do all that is required for your dog to change, it would be unreasonable for them not to change as well.

When you align yourself with reality and sacrifice, and dis-align yourself from excuses, laziness, and fantasy, it’s fascinating what’s possible.

PS, if you’ve found yourself saying, “But I’ve tried everything”, yet haven’t embraced the above, try saying instead, “I’ve tried everything that feels good, and nothing that doesn’t”, which will at least be honest—and might just help you find your way when and if you do become ready. Denial will guarantee you and your dog stay right where you are. I know, I’ve done both. It was never my dogs, it was always me—until it wasn’t.

01/01/2024

Happy 2024 Everyone , we here at Gary Overs wish each of you health , happiness and prosperity in the year to come .
We are so very grateful for all of our customers that have supported us over the past years, and we look forward to welcoming new customers to our business in the year to come.
Helping your dogs become better family members and canine citizens is so very important me and sharing my knowledge is my way of assisting you .
Once again, Happy New Year to you and yours .

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas! As the year comes to a close, may you reflect on the blessings of the past year with gratitude and look forward to the new opportunities and adventures that the upcoming year will bring.

20/12/2023

Only 3 days !

Enter our Christmas Draw to win one of the following:

-Your choice of a bag Boreal Dog or Cat Food
-Your Choice of Horizon Dog or Cat Food Food
-Canadian Naturals Lamb , Chicken or Whitefish Dog Food
-1of 3 Kong Dog or Cat Toy Baskets
-Bocce Dog Treat Basket
-1 of 3 Bosco and Roxy Cookie Trays

All draws will be made December 22 .

12/12/2023

Our go to collar for Tuck , whether we are in the Obedience ring or just out for a walk , we absolutely love Rogz .

Rogz Control Collar offers a safe, durable, non-slip dog collar for those dogs who like to pull or try to get out of their dog collar. This no-buckle design fits by placing over your dogs head and can be adjusted with the adjustable point along the collar for a snug fit that prevents your best friend from trying to get out of this collar and run free. The collar also offers a no-pull design that when your dog pulls the collar will apply gentle pressure onto the dog's neck by the leash to provide better control during walks.

Alongside the collar, reflective yarn is stitched into the webbing to offer extra visibility in low light conditions. Available in a variety of sizes and collars.

Safe, non-slip dog collar
Offers better control when walking - applies gentle pressure onto the dog's neck
No-buckle design fits over the dog's head - prevents the dog from backing out of a collar

07/12/2023

22/11/2023

As an owner, first you have to be willing and truly desire to hear/learn the truth. If you’re letting your emotions lead your search for help, you’re in very big trouble. Once you truly get there, then you can start the journey of finding someone who can actually help you.

Even though this post is highly critical of dishonest, delusional, self-serving trainers, it’s you—the marketplace of dog owners—who are the ones able to change this. If consumers were to become intolerant of those unable or unwilling to tell the truth, we would find the dog training world changing quite rapidly.

As long as the marketplace incentivizes what feels good over what does good, the majority of the service providers will continue to provide precisely what you ask of, or allow of them.

This is a toxic dance that ends when the ones paying demand a better dance.

18/11/2023

All classes are now FULL
Call 306-692-6011 to be placed on our waitlist for the New Year .

11/11/2023

In Flanders Fields
BY JOHN MCCRAE

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

10/11/2023

Due to unfortunate messaging over the years, coupled with a lack of knowledge, and compounded by the human tendency for denial/delusion, what should be obvious and commonly accepted is anything but.

A few of the messages:
-There are no bad dogs, only bad owners. Wrong.
-Any dog can be “fixed” if you’ll get your energy right. Wrong.
-Every dog should be saved. Wrong.

The knowledge gap:
-We have a chaotic house, with lots of kids running all over, and we adopted a highly nervous but “sweet” herding breed. Bad.
-My dog challenges everyone in our family, and has bitten us all, but is great with my trainer. Bad.
-We got a guarding/working breed so it can protect the family, even though we’ve never had a dog before. Bad.

A bit of denial:
-He only bites us when we kiss/dance/move too fast/leave the house/vacuum because he had a traumatic early life. Delusion.
-She’s guards her spot on the couch, her toys, and her food, and will bite us if we get too close, but it’s only because she never had things of her own before. Delusion.
-He always growls at or bites my husband, but I’m sure he was abused by a man before I adopted him. Delusion.

Can people improve? Absolutely. Can dogs improve? Almost always. Does that mean that all fits can be made healthy and happy, or are wise? Nope. People and dogs come in many flavors, and many of these flavors work wonderfully well together, some work with certain other flavors, and some (human and dog) don’t work well at all. It’s a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless. We should be choosing the dogs we share our lives with based on an honest and informed assessment of who we are, what our lives look like, and what dog—both breed and individual personality—fits that reality best.

Ignore the silly messages, do your homework, and lose the denial.

Fairytales in dog land often end up as nightmares.

31/10/2023

Dogs are creatures of their environment.

Let’s take the standard highly aroused, no manners dog who is friendly as can be, but doesn’t listen and “rules the roost”.

Chances are, this dog would do great with some proper training, structure and leadership. We work with these dogs all the time.

The thing is- these dogs behave this way because they’re allowed to. It’s as simple as that.

Dogs are selfish by nature, and they will do things that are self rewarding. Jumping on people, chewing furniture, barking at stuff outside—it’s fun and games. And all easy to stop or change.

The issue often lies within the dog/human relationship. The owners might feel “bad” for disciplining their dogs, or have been told every lie in the book about how wrong it is to do so. So instead they all struggle for possibly the lifetime of the dog.

Humans are also creatures of habits, and if our own habits are encouraging bad behaviors, then it becomes a vicious cycle.

The dog misbehaves, the owner feels bad, the owner gives MORE freedom, more exercise, more fun, more love because that’s what they’re told to do. Instead of just enforcing rules and correcting all the nonsense, the dog just does it more.

The cycle of self rewarding behavior continues until a breaking point is typically reached.

Then the owners might seek help, and the right trainer can get results that seem like “magic” when all we do is use an approach that makes sense to the dog.

We are fair, clear and consistent with our messaging. We don’t allow bad behaviors, we stop them. We reward what we want. OUR attitude and relationship with the dog is built on mutual respect, not one sided as many dog/owner relationships are.

We get the results we do because we, the humans, know that our behavior contributes to the dog’s long-term success.

We educate our clients on these concepts and then eventually, they’re successful too

The changes in your dog always always always begin with YOU.

PS: last call for presale pricing on our Socialization with Safety course! Price DOUBLES tomorrow

We can guarantee you’ll never look at socialization the same after this one.

Grab the course at solidk9academy.com

31/10/2023

Happy Halloween Everyone.
Remember to keep your pets safe tonight .
Did you know that more pets get loose on Halloween than any other night of the year .

29/10/2023

It's Time To Find Out How To Play With A Puppy. Playing with your puppy may seem instinctive to you. And it actually is! But are there specific ways you should be playing with your pooch to ensure their health and safety? In this article, we’ll provide some great ideas for how to play with your ne...

26/10/2023

Hearing from our obedience, clients past and present always warms our hearts. Especially when it is a message like the one we just received. 

“Hello! Thanks to your excellent training program - Greta (GSD, now 2 years old) has been a dream at her vet/grooming appointments. We just moved from Regina to Ottawa. Our new vet was stunned with Greta's calm and tolerant behavior throughout the appt. When we told her that Greta's puppy training included desensitization for vet visits, she said "please thank them!!!" We really appreciate having had the opportunity to take Greta to your classes, and thought you'd like to hear the vets feedback too! 👏”