Elevate Canine Academy

05/09/2024

This is Barkley, he is a 4 year old doodle mix, his main issue was his reactivity towards other dogs. His mom wants to be able to foster dogs again as he was once a foster that stole her heart! So with Barkley we worked on some dog meetings. When it comes to having a reactive dog meet other dogs you want to make sure you go very slow. Never do face to face interactions at first and always go at the dogs pace and don't push them too hard too fast. If you take the time these interactions need you will find you have so much more success!

05/08/2024

This is Archie, he is a 3 year old English Bulldog that learned that if he tries to bite then he gets what he wants, he would even go as far a guarding his own vomit. We really worked on showing him that even if he tried to scare us off we were not going to back off. At the end of his training he was doing so much better and started to realize that he wasn't the boss after all

05/08/2024

Are your walks full of stress and chaos? Here are a few tips on how to achieve a relaxing walk with your dog.

05/07/2024

Prong collars are aversive, abusive tools. Some better non-aversive tools are no pull harnesses, a head halter, or flat buckle collar. Have you ever heard this before? We put all of these tools to the test. After watching the video, do you agree with the statement above, or is it possible that those statements are nonsense?

05/05/2024

This is a great post. This is the reality that so many of us trainers figured out. We tried a bunch of ways that didn't work before we figured out what worked.

Balanced Dog Trainer vs Force Free Dog Talker

05/04/2024

The Bismarck crew.

05/03/2024

This is Roman, he is a 4 month old Doberman, he came to us for Day Training because his parents needed help with putting in the time and repetition in for training he needed. He was such a smart boy and a quick learner!

05/02/2024

Did you recently get a puppy? Well lucky for you we have a puppy class coming up May 15th at 7pm, if you are interested in getting signed up or learning more message us here or send an email to [email protected]

05/02/2024

This is Gibbs, he is a a 6 month old Cavapoo, he came to us for normal puppy behaviors like barking and not listening. He showed us his stubborn side but he was so good for his training and is such a sweet boy!

05/01/2024

Who knew muzzle training could be so cute! 💕

04/30/2024

Tip Tuesday topic, what does it take to get a dog to listen to us?

04/30/2024

This is Sully, he is a 1 year old German Shepherd, he is a sweet boy but struggled with his anxiety and not knowing his size. Like most big dogs he uses his weight to his advantage and tries to push past commands given to him but once he realized we were gunna hold him to the rules he did awesome. He is such a loving boy once he gets to know you so we also worked on him meeting strangers and that he doesn't have to protect mom from anyone who comes near.

04/29/2024

Mr. Sully on a trip to Scheels being a very good boy!

04/26/2024

What do you think is going through Gibbs' mind in this photo? 🧐 Share your best responses!

04/25/2024

The most important part when socializing a puppy is teaching them how to be neutral! When people think of socialization they think of letting them go greet and play with every dog they see, that actually can create reactivity (even if it is just out of excitement!) because they will expect to go see that dog every time they see one and in turn start amping themselves up with excitement a frustration. Our main goal for our dogs should be to be in a room with other dogs and not care. Play time is great but in a structured environment with proper greetings.

04/24/2024

This is Goldie, she is a 1 year old Aussie Doodle, she came to us because her parents struggled with her barking and reactivity, she was a very shy and nervous girl which played into why she would bark and lunge at things. We showed Goldie that she didn't have to worry about everything around her and that her parents have it under control, she was such a sweet girl and so much fun to have around!

04/24/2024

Tip Tuesday topic this week is the importance of foundational work when using an e-collar.

04/23/2024

This is Gabe, he is a 1 year old Pit Mix, he came to us because he is a rescue and his family just wanted to get him off on the right foot with his commands from the beginning. He is a very sweet boy and super intelligent! His main problem is he loves everyone too much and gets very excited when he sees people and other dogs on his walk so we really worked on being neutral with the things around him!

04/21/2024

🐾Contest Time!🐾

Share this post and correctly guess the amount of tennis balls in this bucket and win a FREE one-on-one one hour training session!

04/20/2024

This is Tucker. He is the reason Elevate Canine Academy exists.

He was a great dog. He is the dog I learned how to dog train with. Except one problem, he was reactive aggressive. He had several human bites, and he ended up getting into several dog fights.

That was a very difficult time because we didn't dare take him for walks, we didn't have people to our home, and we didn't travel because we were afraid to let anyone come to the house to watch him. Ultimately, I put him down.

It was a difficult 3 years. There were no resources or trainers that dealt with reactive/aggressive dogs in ND. I was on my own to figure it out.

Elevate Canine Academy was started because I wanted to be the resource, the hope for others that are a prisoner of their dogs' behavior, just like my family was. Although we can't fix every dog, we have saved countless dogs from being euthanized or rehomed.

Now, with locations in Bismarck, Fargo, and our sister location in Olathe Kansas, we are able to give people their lives back. They no longer have to remain a prisoner of their dog's behavior. If you feel like a prisoner of your dog's behavior, reach out. There is hope.

04/19/2024

On Monday, one of our trainers Laura and her puppy RJ went to a local school to teach the kids on how to properly interact with a dog and how to be safe around them. The kids loved it and had so much fun giving RJ treats!

04/19/2024

Best Friends!

04/19/2024

Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade 🤣🤣

04/18/2024

Admission from a dog trainer; we can't fix problems by ourselves.

04/18/2024

Zeus taking a trip to Petco! Did you know if you sign your dog up for our Day Training Punch Card we take them to dog friendly stores to help get them accustomed to that environment? It's super fun for the dogs as well!

04/17/2024

I know this should go in the “obvious” category, but I’m amazed by how often both sides can miss this simple truth.

Trainers, be crystal clear with clients BEFORE you begin a training relationship which tools and methods you’ll be using, as well as the work that will be required using said tools and methods AFTER training.

Owners, if your trainer obtained results that you enjoy and would like to make permanent, I highly suggest you do precisely what the trainer recommends, and also use precisely which tools they recommend.

As I always tell clients if they ask about deviating from the program or the recommended tools post-training: “You can absolutely change whatever you desire. Just know that every deviation creates the possibility of behavioral deviation as well.”

Trainers, allow owners to be responsible adults, and let them make their own decisions—with full knowledge of what those decisions might create. If you’re trying to convince or coerce your clients, you’ve made several mistakes, and are still making them.

Owners, hold your trainers accountable for ensuring that you clearly understand and know how to properly utilize the tools and methods they used. Once that’s achieved, any deviations are on you. But you knew that already. 😉

04/17/2024

This is Rusty, he is a 1 year old Red Heeler mix, he is a very intelligent dog but needed a little bit of work on his barking and learning how to settle down and not constantly be doing something. We did this through teaching him implied stay and general impulse control. He caught on quickly and was very eager to learn always!

04/17/2024

Tip Tuesday - An important thing to do with a puppy that is 10 weeks to 8 month old.

04/16/2024

Mabel enjoying some shopping at Scheels!

04/15/2024

This is Macy, she is a 4 year old Golden Retriever, fun fact she was one of Elevate's first clients. She came back in for a refresher to revamp some of her skills and get back on the right track! She remembered everything very quickly and is such a sweet girl and just needed to remember that there are rules and we have to contain our energy sometimes