Valor K9 Academy

Another happy service dog client! 🤩

River Service Dog Training 🐕‍🦺 River is just ten days into his two weeks of training for part 1 of 2 for Phase 3. He’s barely a year old and already almost fully-trained! With the right dog and the right training, it doesn’t take two years! We will finish his training this summer and then he’s DONE! After that, just a little MT (maintenance training) here and there. Here we practice PAT (public access training) with his owner in the grocery store. There is a lot to learn for owners, but also not really because the dog is so well-trained! Donna is doing awesome. She was blown away by how much River has improved. “He has matured so much like such a short amount of time!” ☺️ #servicedogs #dogtraining #eagleidaho Pitter Patter Poodles

Meet Toby!

Welcome Toby! 👋 Toby is Valor K9 Academy’s newest five-week Behavior Rehabilitation Board & Train. He comes to us from Green Heart Rescue who saved him from euthanasia in a California shelter. Toby has barrier aggression, human aggression, and a long bite history. We think he’s about eight years old and I see Cattle Dog x English Bulldog in his looks and mannerisms. Here is a video from day one where we show some of Toby’s triggers. Toby doesn’t trust or respect people. A lot of what he’s doing is a learned behavior - someone has been unkind to him and he has learned to defend himself and his space. What I see though is a dog who WANTS to be good. A dog who WANTS to trust people. He bites, yes, but deep down he doesn’t want to. (There’s a big difference between dogs who WANT to fight and dogs who don’t.) He deserves a second chance and thanks to Shannon, he’s in the best place to get the help he needs. We’re going to build his confidence, teach him to trust and respect people, teach him to be tolerant, trust people in his space, obey commands, and work as a team WITH humans - not against them. We’re going to bring out the best in Toby! Amy

Theo Update! 💙

Theo Update! 💙 Theo is doing awesome finishing up his Puppy Head Start Board & Train. I am proud of the progress he has made! We knocked out a field trip to show off his training. He is very sweet, engaged, and happy to work. The funniest comment of the day was, “Is that a mini Australian Labradoodle?” It’s been so long since people have seen the OG dogs - STD Poodles! - that they don’t even know what they look like anymore. I, for one, am glad they’re making a comeback! They are solid dogs who excel in service work. Pitter Patter Poodles #servicepuppy #poodle #valork9 #since2014

Service puppy in-training

Freckles is learning the ropes of phase one service dog training. Here he is practicing his puppy board & train obedience inside a busy Home Depot. This boy is confident, very food-motivated, and super social. Staying focused around people is very hard for him. We’ll iron that out in phase two - super social at four months of age is a GOOD thing. Watch as I work him through some hesitation. As a trainer I can always find new ways to build confidence. Only doing easy things is never the goal - challenging dogs IS. It builds self-esteem and teaches resilience. Proud of this pup! Bred by Pitter Patter Poodles Loved by Freckles for Levi #servicepuppy #dogtraining #vk9

Dude Update! 💙

Dude Update! 💙 This little Poodle puppy is a rockstar in the making! At barely three months old, he has solid basic obedience and has been well-socialized. He has such a nice temperament and is confident and biddable. As a future service dog, it’s my job to highlight his strengths and also identify his weaknesses to make him stronger. You see us working as a team here and when he goes home to his Dad tomorrow, I’ll work on helping them move as a team to progress from phase one to phase two of Dude’s Service Dog training as he matures. Excellent puppy! Really like him! Dude was bred by and donated to our veteran client by Pitter Patter Poodles #puppy #servicedog #boardandtrain

Fun with Zoey

Having some fun with my Zoey girl who’s 13 1/2 years young! Funny to think that back in the day this is a dog that other trainers said “would never play fetch.” 🎾❤️ #dogtrainer #dogtraining #aussie #seniordogsrock

Calling all veterans! We thank you for your service. Get up to $199.50+ off our online courses now through Veterans Day. Discount applies to new customers only. Email us at [email protected] for code. Proof of service required.

To the dog trainer in Petco

“To the dog trainer in Petco” To the dog trainer in Petco who said that this dog’s good obedience and behavior was ONLY because he had a prong collar on at the time - here he is without one. Prong collars clean up obedience. They don’t make it happen in the first place. They provide clarity for training. TRAINING trains dogs. When you have a well-trained dog, you can take the prong collar off and do all the same things. The dog’s obedience is just cleaner with it on. To the dog trainer in Petco who says that positive-only training is the ONLY way to train - you’re wrong. Positive reinforcement is a great training tool. It’s the best way to lay a strong foundation for dogs, but it has its limitations. Rewarding good behavior is 80% of training. Correcting bad behavior is the other 20%. Without a training collar, most (not all) dogs will never reach their true potential and be as calm, obedient, and controlled in public as they can and should be. Dogs deserve clarity in training. To the dog trainer in Petco who argued that he achieved the same obedience with his Golden - you didn’t, really. I’ve lived here for five years and I’ve watched you trying to train your dog all those five years. I saw you begging, bribing, and failing. It took TIME for your dog to grow out of most of her behaviors. Kudos to you for never giving up, but I wish you knew that you could get results in six months not six years. Half of your dog’s working life doesn’t need to be OVER before you’re able to confidently use your dog to her full working potential. Dogs don’t live long enough - a strong training plan shouldn’t include “then wait five years for your dog to mature and you’ll be done!” To the dog trainer in Petco, I hope that someday you’ll see the beauty of balanced training. We love dogs. We love them enough to train them in a way that’s firm but fair. That’s leadership-love ❤️ This video was recorded while I wrote this post. I w

Bodhi Update! 🌟

Bodhi Update! 🌟 Bodhi graduated from our board & train this last summer, and I’m excited to share that he’s doing awesome! You may remember that Bodhi was adopted and returned to the shelter 3x that we know of (maybe 4x?!). Why? Because he kept escaping and running away! His recall was absolutely nonexistent and he had no obedience or manners either. I picked him up and embarked on a month-long transformation with him. His new owners found us because their neighbors recommended us, and I must say that both families are absolutely AWESOME! Bodhi did great in training (I shared several training videos of his progress), and I’m happy to say that he is THRIVING at home. His owners followed my instructions to a “T” and often send updates expressing their absolute joy at having Bodhi in their lives. He traveled to Wyoming this past summer to hike the mountains, he gets daily exercise, and training - he’s living the good life with great owners! Today his mama Krista shared this video. It made my day! ☀️ #dogtraining #husky #dutchshepherd #offleashfreedom #confidence #trust #valork9academy

Never a dull moment!

Today’s consultation mishap and how I handled it. I challenge you to advocate for your dog and have a plan so that you react the way that you want to when the situation calls for it. For anyone wondering, the owner was surprised, and I simply told her, “ I don’t want my dog getting bit.” And I left it at that then continued my consultation. Period. Your dog is counting on you to advocate for him or her!

Giving veterans a discount 🇺🇸

It is a disappointing day when people lie about having served in the military to get a discount on dog training, but I guess that is the reality these days!! We will continue to give a discount AS WE ARE ABLE TO for certain services. We will not require proof of service, but by golly I hope I do not have to ‘vet’ people. We are proud to give back to our communities and serve those who give so freely to protect our freedoms and safety.