Enlightened K9 Perspective

03/04/2025

There’s countless training books and video resources out there, but almost all are missing something absolutely critical to owners succeeding…

It’s not the step-by-step training, or the tools, or the course design that will determine whether success occurs or not — it’s the emotional state of the owners which will enable them to feel positive, healthy, and guilt-free about doing all the hands-on training work with a believable flavor; help them understand the human/canine dynamics in play; and encourage them to become the healthy leaders their dogs so desperately desire.

There’s a reason so many trainers hand my books out to owners for homework — because they address the aspect of the training dynamic that is almost always overlooked or misunderstood.

Periods it’s time to transform your training and your relationship with your dog… and the world?

The Good Dog Way: Love Them By Leading Them Volumes 1&2 are both available in deluxe paperback, kindle, or audiobook via Amazon and Audible.

03/04/2025

Exciting News!

We now have a new answering service to help with all your basic dog training questions! Whether you need info on our board-and-train programs, pricing, or what to expect—our assistant has you covered 24/7!

Got a question? Give us a call and get instant answers! 🐾

03/04/2025

🐶 Dog Owners 🤔

If you could only teach your dog ONE command for life… what would it be? 👇🐾

Would you pick:
🅰️ A perfect recall (always comes when called)
🅱️ Never jumping on guests
🅾️ No barking at every little sound
✏️ Or something else? Comment below!

❤️ Like if you love training your pup!
🔄 Share to see what your friends would choose!

03/04/2025

Training Dogs is Easy… Humans, Not So Much!

As a dog trainer, I can teach a dog obedience, structure, and good behavior—it’s what I do best! But the real challenge? Training the humans.

Dogs thrive with consistency, clear communication, and follow-through. But if the owners don’t change their habits, the dog’s training won’t stick. My job isn’t just to train your dog—it’s to teach YOU how to maintain the results.

Want lasting behavior change? Be ready to put in the work, set boundaries, and stay consistent. Your dog is waiting for your leadership! 🐾

03/03/2025

🚨 Follow-Up Success! Hank & Moose Update 🚨

Hank and Moose came to us for a board & train due to serious aggression toward each other. Now, they’re back home—peaceful, structured, and thriving together. But here’s the key: their owners are putting in the work!

Training doesn’t stop when your dog leaves our program. The real transformation happens at home with consistent leadership, clear boundaries, and daily reinforcement of everything they learned.

Hank and Moose didn’t get “fixed” at training—their owners stepped up and followed through. That’s why they’re now living safely and successfully under the same roof.

🔥 If you’re struggling with aggression or behavioral issues, we can help—but are you ready to do your part? 🔥

03/02/2025

The Hardest Part of Dog Training: The Middle Phase

Dogs with anxiety, fear, or nervousness don’t magically transform into calm, happy pups overnight. There’s a process—one that takes time, patience, and consistency.

The hardest part for owners is the middle phase—when the bad behaviors have stopped, but the dog still looks unsure or nervous. This phase can last longer for some dogs than others, and it’s where many people struggle. They expect their dog to immediately be confident and happy, but real change doesn’t work that way.

Your dog needs time to adjust, to build new habits, and to truly trust their new way of life. If you push too fast, you risk setbacks. If you embrace the process, you give your dog the best chance to reach their full potential.

Patience, structure, and consistency win in the long run. Trust the process!

03/01/2025

Our Dog Training Services

At Enlightened K9 Perspective, we offer comprehensive Board and Train programs designed to create lasting behavioral transformation for dogs of all ages and temperaments. Our structured programs provide immersive training in a controlled environment, ensuring clear communication, consistency, and real-world application.

Board and Train Programs

2-Week Puppy Board & Train (For puppies 4 to 6 months old)

Ideal for young puppies to build foundational obedience, proper socialization, and house manners.

Focuses on leash manners, basic commands, impulse control, and confidence-building.

3-Week Board & Train (For dogs over 6 months old with no serious behavior issues)

Designed for dogs needing general obedience and improved manners.

Covers essential commands such as sit, down, recall, loose-leash walking, and behavior reinforcement in real-world settings.

4-Week Behavior Modification Board & Train (For dogs with behavior issues such as separation anxiety or aggression)

Intensive training for dogs struggling with anxiety, fear-based behaviors, resource guarding, or moderate aggression.

Includes desensitization, confidence-building, and structured exposure to triggers.

5-Week Intensive Rehabilitation Board & Train (For dogs with a bite history or multiple dogs that fight in the same household)

Designed for severe behavioral cases, including dogs with a history of biting or inter-dog aggression.

Focuses on safety protocols, impulse control, behavior rehabilitation, and reintroducing structured coexistence.

Each Board and Train program includes a personalized transition session to ensure owners understand and maintain their dog's progress. Our balanced training methods create reliable, well-behaved companions that thrive in any environment.

Ready to transform your dog’s behavior? Contact us today to get started!

02/25/2025

5 Signs Your Relationship with Your Dog is Unhealthy & How to Fix It

1️⃣ Your Dog Ignores You Unless You Have Food or a Toy

Fix It: Stop relying on bribes! Build engagement through structure and leadership. Reward good behavior with praise, not just treats.

2️⃣ Your Dog Controls Your Space (Pushes Past You, Jumps on Furniture Without Permission, Blocks Your Path, etc.)

Fix It: Establish spatial boundaries. Teach "Out," "Place," and structured movement through doorways to reinforce respect.

3️⃣ You Give More Affection Than Structure

Fix It: Shift the balance—prioritize training, calm leadership, and boundaries before showering your dog with love. Affection should reinforce good behavior, not replace leadership.

4️⃣ Your Dog Doesn’t Listen Until You Repeat Yourself or Raise Your Voice

Fix It: Be clear and consistent with commands. If your dog ignores you, calmly follow through to ensure they comply the first time. Reward prompt responses, not delayed obedience.

5️⃣ Your Dog Shows Anxiety, Reactivity, or Pushy Behavior When They Don’t Get Their Way

Fix It: Teach impulse control through structured activities like duration Place, threshold waiting, and calm leash walking. A confident leader helps create a calm dog.

Your relationship with your dog should be based on respect, trust, and leadership—not just love and freedom. When you provide structure first, your dog becomes more relaxed, obedient, and fulfilled!

02/24/2025

This Sunday, get ready for Part 3 of our highly anticipated ⭐️ 2025 Pet Food Review ⭐️! Our in-depth reviews are packed with the insights you need, to choose the best pet food brand🐾 of 2025, no matter your budget!💸

This time, our expert panel—including veterinary nutritionists, pet food formulators, and industry professionals—will be diving into the top-selling freeze-dried foods❄️, along with popular canned foods🥫 and toppers🥄 for dogs and cats from brands like Primal, Open Farm, Bixbi, Instinct, Acana, and more.

Whether you use freeze-dried food🧊 as a complete meal, topper, or training treat🦮, we’ll guide you through what to look for to make the best choice for your pet. Make informed decisions and choose the right freeze-dried products with confidence!

Did you know that freeze-dried pet food, toppers and treats can be prone to rancidity, especially once the fats are exposed to oxygen?

Chicken🐓, in particular, has more fragile fats that can spoil quickly. This is something to be aware of, especially if you live in hot or humid climates. Proper storage is key — be sure to keep freeze-dried products tightly sealed in a cool, dry place and consider buying smaller bags to use up chicken-based foods more quickly...before it goes bad.

Join us Live this Sunday at 12pm EST for the third episode of our 2025 Pet Food Review series!

Plus, there’s even more to come! We’ll be reviewing the most popular raw pet food brands in the upcoming weeks. And if you missed it, be sure to check out our previous episode where we reviewed dry food brands — it's all available for you to watch!

Comment SCOOPERS and we'll message you the link to join Inside Scoop, a Planet Paws monthly subscription group. All live podcasts are recorded and available to watch later. You’ll also be able to watch over 5 years of content including: past live podcasts, interviews, ebook downloads, and more!

02/24/2025

Dog trainers, let’s stop with all the “fixing” talk. We all know that whatever you accomplish with the dog — no matter how amazing — if the work isn’t kept up by the owner then whatever greatness of “fixing” you’ve accomplished will quickly fade.

Thus, the dog was never “fixed”

Dog owners, let’s stop with all the dog trainer should “fix” my dog talk. As stated above, whatever your trainer accomplishes with your dog, if you don’t apply the same degree of work, skill, and diligence your trainer did, all that “fixing” will disappear, along with all your money.

Thus, the dog was never “fixed”.

The reality is simple. A dog’s behavior will always revert back to whatever their environment allows — which means it’s always up for grabs, and hence why I hate the term “fixed”, because that implies something permanent has occurred, when it hasn’t.

Typically this conversation will bring up arguments about the differing value of board & trains vs one-on-ones vs day training vs… blah, blah, blah. The reality is, they all work — and they all don’t work. They each have their pros and cons, but that’s a conversation for another day.

What makes any training model work or not is the skill and insight of the trainer and their ability to actually create positive changes in the dogs they work with; the skill and ability of the trainer to then transfer these skills and insights to the owners so they can replicate the work; and finally the commitment/determination/drive of the owners to create an environment that leverages all of these newly learned skills and insights (including all personal changes that need to occur) and applies them longterm to bring out the very best in their dogs and themselves… and thus make these changes in both species permanent.

That’s the closest anyone will ever get to “fixing” a dog… but it’s more than close enough. Promise.

02/24/2025

"This isn't excitement—it's anxiety! 🐶💨"

Many people mistake frantic energy, panting, and wide eyes for a “happy” dog, but these are actually signs of stress. A truly happy dog is loose, relaxed, and confident—not jittery and restless.

If your dog looks like this often, they may need better structure, clear guidance, and a calmer environment to feel safe. Remember: excitement and anxiety can look similar, but they’re not the same!

02/23/2025

02/23/2025

Meet Titan & Eros:

Titan and Eros are two powerful brothers who love their family—but not each other. Their aggression toward one another has escalated to the point where their owners knew they needed serious help. That’s why they are here for a board-and-train program focused on rebuilding their relationship, setting boundaries, and restoring peace in their home.

Aggression between sibling dogs can be one of the toughest challenges to tackle, but with the right structure, leadership, and training, they will learn to coexist—and even thrive—together. Over the next few weeks, we will be working on:

✅ Establishing clear pack structure
✅ Addressing and correcting aggressive behavior
✅ Building impulse control and obedience
✅ Creating neutral, calm coexistence

Their journey won’t be easy, but with time, consistency, and the right training, we are confident these boys can learn to live together in peace. Stay tuned for updates on their progress!

02/23/2025

Banks’ 1-Week Progress Update! 🐶🔥

One week down, one to go—and Banks is already crushing it! 💪 When he first arrived, he was full of puppy energy but had no boundaries. Now, just 7 days in, he’s showing incredible improvement:

✅ Walking nicely on a leash—no more pulling!
✅ Learning to stay calm instead of jumping on people
✅ Responding to commands with focus and confidence
✅ Building impulse control and good manners

There’s still work to do, but Banks is well on his way to being a well-behaved pup his owners can enjoy anywhere. Stay tuned for his full transformation next week!

Drop a 🐾 in the comments if you love seeing dogs succeed!

02/23/2025

Choosing the Right Dog Trainer: Don’t Settle for Less!

Not all dog trainers are created equal! If you're looking for someone to help you and your dog, make sure they check these boxes:

✅ Clear Communication – A great trainer explains the why behind their methods and keeps you involved in the process.
✅ Proven Experience – Look for real-world experience working with a variety of dogs and behavioral issues.
✅ Balanced Approach – Avoid extremes. A good trainer uses tools and techniques that are fair, effective, and tailored to the dog.
✅ Results, Not Just Theory – Ask for client testimonials, before-and-after videos, or proof of success.
✅ Focus on Owner Education – Training isn’t just for your dog—it’s for you too! A great trainer teaches you how to maintain results.
✅ Comfortable Using Corrections – If a trainer refuses to stop unwanted behavior and only focuses on rewards, they may not be setting you up for real-world success.

A great trainer helps you build a well-behaved dog and a stronger bond. Choose wisely!

02/23/2025

Fear in dogs can manifest in many different behaviors, often mistaken for aggression, stubbornness, or disobedience. Here are some of the most common fear-based issues:

1. Reactivity & Aggression

Fear-based aggression: Growling, barking, or even biting when approached or in new situations.

Leash reactivity: Lunging and barking at people, dogs, or objects while on a leash.

Territorial behavior: Acting aggressively toward visitors or strangers in their space.

2. Avoidance & Shutdown

Refusing to move: A scared dog may freeze in place and refuse to walk or respond.

Hiding: Retreating under furniture or to another room when faced with an unfamiliar situation.

Avoiding eye contact: Keeping their head down or looking away when approached.

3. Excessive Barking & Whining

Vocalizing out of fear: Some dogs bark, whine, or howl when faced with an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation.

Separation anxiety: Barking and crying when left alone due to fear of abandonment.

4. Destructive Behavior

Chewing and digging: Some dogs chew furniture, walls, or doors due to anxiety and stress.

Scratching or trying to escape: A fearful dog may claw at doors or windows in an attempt to flee a situation.

5. Potty Training Issues

Fear urination: Some dogs p*e submissively when they feel threatened or scared.

Refusing to go outside: Fearful dogs may avoid open spaces or certain surfaces due to anxiety.

6. Hypervigilance & Overstimulation

Constant scanning: Always looking around, unable to relax.

Jumping at sudden noises: Startling easily and reacting negatively to loud sounds.

Refusing food or treats: Fearful dogs may not eat when stressed.

7. Compulsive or Neurotic Behaviors

Tail chasing or obsessive licking: Stress-induced behaviors that become habits.

Pacing and circling: Signs of a dog that doesn’t know how to settle in their environment.

How Enlightened K9 Perspective Helps

Instead of coddling fear, we build confidence through:
✅ Clear structure – Teaching the dog what’s expected.
✅ Accountability – Encouraging them to face challenges in a controlled way.
✅ Calm leadership – Giving them a stable figure to follow.

If you’re struggling with a fearful dog, we can help. DM us to start transforming your dog’s mindset today.

02/23/2025

Why Harnesses Make Pulling Worse on Walks

Many dog owners choose harnesses thinking they’ll provide better control and comfort, but in reality, harnesses often encourage pulling rather than preventing it. Here’s why:

1️⃣ Harnesses Give Dogs More Leverage
A harness distributes force across a dog's strongest muscles—the chest and shoulders—giving them the power to pull even harder. This is why sled dogs wear harnesses—it's designed to help them pull efficiently.

2️⃣ Encourages Opposition Reflex
Dogs naturally resist pressure (opposition reflex). When they feel tension on the harness, their instinct is to push forward, making it harder to teach loose-leash walking.

3️⃣ Less Direct Communication
A harness removes clear communication from the handler, especially with reactive or strong-willed dogs. Unlike a properly fitted collar or training tool, a harness doesn’t provide precise guidance.

4️⃣ More Work for the Handler
With a pulling dog on a harness, you’re left fighting against their strength instead of teaching them to follow your lead. This can make walks frustrating and even dangerous if the dog is large or reactive.

What’s a Better Option?

For strong pullers, tools like a prong collar, or slip lead (when used correctly) provide better communication and control. Pairing the right tool with proper training helps your dog walk calmly by your side instead of dragging you down the street.

At Enlightened K9 Perspective, we specialize in training difficult dogs and transforming their behaviors.
Message us today to get started!

02/23/2025

Who’s Training Who?

Ever notice how dogs seem to have an easier time training their owners than the other way around? They figure out exactly what works—cute head tilts for extra treats, whining at the door for attention (even when they don’t need to go out), or refusing to eat until you add something “better” to their food.

Dogs are masters of shaping our behavior. Meanwhile, many owners struggle to get their dogs to sit reliably, walk nicely, or stop jumping.

The truth? Dogs do what works. If a behavior gets them what they want, they’ll keep doing it. If we’re not consistent, and clear in our training, we end up reinforcing the wrong behaviors without even realizing it.

So, who’s really in charge at your house? If your dog has you well-trained, don’t worry—it’s never too late to flip the script!