K9 Command

K9 Command K9 Command® located in Vale, North Carolina offers the most unique and advanced dog training programs in the area.

Our training comes with a lifetime support that is second to none. K9 Command® Dog Training Services offers the most unique and advanced training programs in the area. Our training comes with a lifetime guarantee that is second to none. Simply put, we offer a “one price for the life of the dog” package. We specialize in giving owners reliable control on or off the leash.

15/02/2025
12/02/2025

For years, fluoxetine (Prozac) has been pushed as the answer to behavioral problems in dogs. Veterinary behaviorists and force-free advocates love to cite “science-backed” studies to justify long-term medication use. But here’s a big problem, most of these studies are flawed, biased, and rely almost entirely on owner-reported data.
Take, for example, the 2009 study on fluoxetine for compulsive disorders in dogs (Irimajiri et al., J Am Vet Med Assoc). It claimed fluoxetine helped, yet the only improvement came from owners’ OPINIONS, not actual behavioral measurements. When researchers looked at objective data the dogs’ actual behavior logs they found NO SIGNIFICANT difference between the medicated and placebo groups. But guess which result gets cited?🤫
How about the 2007 study on fluoxetine for separation anxiety (Simpson et al., Veterinary Therapeutics). The conclusion? Fluoxetine was effective … but only when paired with a structured behavior modification plan. And yet, thousands of dogs are medicated without any meaningful training, as if a pill can replace actual learning.
Sad reality is that Dogs are being drugged, not rehabilitated.
Ask any serious trainer what happens when they get a dog that’s been on fluoxetine for years. They take the dog off the meds, implement a sound training plan, and SHOCKINGLY the dog improves.
Not because fluoxetine “worked,” but because the dog finally got what it needed: clarity and proper training.
Yet, the AVSAB keeps pushing these medications while dismissing legitimate training as “aversive” or “outdated.” They’d rather chemically suppress behavior than actually address it.
The real question isn’t whether fluoxetine has some effect but why so many dogs improve when you REMOVE the drug and train them properly?!!!
Behavioral change comes from learning, not sedation. It’s time to stop pretending otherwise.
I know I am not the only one noticing that dogs on fluoxetine don’t get better - they just get dull.
The dog isn’t learning or adapting, just becoming more passive.
This can actuallY DELAY proper rehabilitation, because the dog’s emotions and responses are chemically suppressed rather than modified through learning.
Thinking about making a solo podcast to talk about the dog I have in training right now, one of the many that end up euthanized after YEARS of being on SSRI’s and the pandemic of prescribing psychotropics like flea medication

05/02/2025

H***h and Red, two young Pit Bull sisters just graduated from our Board n Train program.

02/02/2025

A viral, online phenomenon claims to have further opened the door to human-canine communication. Buttons allow dogs to seemingly talk with their humans, but ...

20/01/2025

Just finished up this 6’x3/4” leather leash with the addition of the colored weave, stainless steel snap and floral fasteners.

13/01/2025

Y’all! This kiddo right here, I am so proud of her! She is the FIRST kid that I’ve EVER had to ask for DOG TRAINING as a Christmas present!!! She is 15 and begged to do this with her dog. She put in the work and has done a great job! She and Scarlett have become a great team. Way to go Alexis and Scarlett!

I haven’t posted much about these two sisters yet. They are sweet, submissive pups and they lack some confidence, but th...
11/01/2025

I haven’t posted much about these two sisters yet. They are sweet, submissive pups and they lack some confidence, but they really want to please. Working on their obedience while getting them to learn to trust me.

Even heroes need heroes! God placed this father and son in the right place at the right time and gave them amazing cour...
10/01/2025

Even heroes need heroes! God placed this father and son in the right place at the right time and gave them amazing courage!
This is a local deputy and K9.

“We were in the right place at the right time.”

H***h and Red (sisters) just arrived for their board n train program. Already finished with their first training session...
03/01/2025

H***h and Red (sisters) just arrived for their board n train program. Already finished with their first training session and now taking a moment for cuddles. These are sweet, easygoing girls but need a bit more structure and manners.

03/01/2025

Winnie graduated from our Gold program today.

Banjo graduated from our Gold program.
28/12/2024

Banjo graduated from our Gold program.

28/12/2024

Abbi proofing her dog, Winnie’s down-stay.

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Millie’s week 1 progress
Millie’s week 1 progress

Hooch and Red, two young Pit Bull sisters just graduated our Board N Train program
Hooch and Red, two young Pit Bull sisters just graduated our Board N Train program

Hooch and Red, two young Pit Bull sisters just graduated from our Board n Train program.

Y’all! This kiddo right here, I am so proud of her! She is the FIRST kid that I’ve EVER had to ask for DOG TRAINING as a Christmas present!!! She is 15 and begged to do this with her dog. She put in the work and has done a great job! She and Scarlett have become a great team. Way to go Alexis and Scarlett!

Winnie graduated from our Gold program today.

Abbi proofing her dog, Winnie’s down-stay.

Working on long distance recalls.

A Tale of Two Dogs: Gemini and Maggie Mae. A dog’s genetics has a major role in their ability to learn and retain knowledge. Here we have two different dogs. Gemini is a confident, young Malinois with lots of food drive. Maggie Mae is a young German Shepherd mix with a ton of anxiety and fear and ZERO food drive. She enjoys physical praise but sometimes that can even make her nervous. All dogs can learn obedience but not all dogs are gonna achieve the same level of obedience. No different than one running athlete barely finishing a race and another blowing the rest of the racers out of the water. Work the dog in front of you. Make them the best that THEY can be. Adding the owners in, is a whole other ballgame. Their ability to follow instructions and be COACHABLE will also affect the final outcome of each dog’s success.

Let’s try this again. Here is the full video of Gemini.

Gemini is a lot of fun to train. Took him to the park today. He reminds me a lot of my girl Tera and how much fun she was to train.

Gemini has begun the ecollar phase of his training stay.

Second session on heeling and sit molds with Maggie. Back on the slip collar and she learns to escape pressure much smoother.

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Who We Are

K9 Command was formed by Mark Connolly and Amy Henderson in 1994. The two met as students at West Virginia Canine College where they began their pursuit of a career as dog training professionals. The goals and aspirations of Mark and Amy were one in the same and thus began a relationship. Mark and Amy were married a year after their meeting at school.

AMY CONNOLLY With a love of all creatures for as long as she can remember, Amy began to pursue her dream of a career with dogs in 1992. Originally from Shelby, NC, she began her animal career in Charlotte. All of her life she was told that she needed to become a veterinarian. After several months of work at Mallard Creek Animal Hospital in Charlotte, she decided that her heart was too tender to work with sick animals. That is when she discovered the world of dog training. Through dog training, she is able to feel like the fictional Dr. Doolittle, one of her favorite children’s book characters. She has developed a way of communicating with dogs through her training. She sees dog training as learning a new language, one that the owner and dog learn together. While teaching herself Spanish, she has realized the importance of practicing a new language throughout daily life. If a new language(or activity) is brought into your everyday life, it becomes a routine, an integral part of your life, not just an activity you “used to do”.

MARK CONNOLLY A former Police K9 handler and K9 Training Director for multiple departments, Mark brings a lot of experience handling and training different types of dogs. During Mark’s law enforcement career he handled two dual-purpose German Shepherd dogs. K9 Janick and K9 Cliff have both passed over the “rainbow bridge”. Mark is active in the North American Police Working Dog Association and trained and had certified many dogs to the NAPWDA national standards. Mark has helped teach Police K9 officers how to handle and train their partners to certification levels and also turned suppressed K9 units into respected divisions of their departments. Mark has gained the respect of many veteran K9 trainers and handlers throughout the country. On April 11th, 2005 Mark and Amy’s life changed forever. Mark and K9 Cliff were involved in a vehicle pursuit of three gang members that came to an abrupt halt at a dead end road. The vehicle chase ended violently in a gunfight where Mark was shot three times by the armed and fleeing suspects. By the grace of God, the bullet that could have fatally wounded Mark was stopped by his bullet-resistant vest. Although his love for the job has never died, nor has his willingness to pursue injustice, Mark’s role as a Police Officer has changed slightly. Along with helping Law Enforcement agencies with their K9 teams, he also pursues each opportunity to make all dogs’ better members of their community through training and education of their owners.