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.
Bodhi update
Finally posting a Bodhi update! This boy is in his fourth and final week of board & train, and I am happy to report he is doing ✨ AMAZING! ✨
If you remember, Bodhi was adopted from AND RETURNED TO the shelter FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES by four different families in April for escaping and running away.
Then he was adopted by my clients who got him in for training right away - thankfully! I spent two weeks laying a strong foundation with Bodhi. Then I spent another two weeks layering in a prong collar and an e-collar to proof his training and obedience both on and OFF leash.
I spent twice the amount of time I normally do making sure that Bodhi had a solid understanding of the e-collar and ensuring he would not BOLT. I could sense he wanted to and worked him through it.
I am happy to report that Bodhi 2.0 is now a well-behaved dog who can be safely trusted off leash.
I did a lesson with his family last week and they could not believe it. “He’s so calm.”
This dog’s true self is not a wild, vocal husky like he presented on day one of training. He is intelligent, eager to please, willing to obey, and respectful with the right leadership.
He is an old soul - that I am sure of. The way he thinks, walks, and moves - it all says Old Soul to me.
Bodhi is content and happy with his life, possibly for the first time ever. And his owners have the tools needed to set him up for success at home. We do our final lesson on Monday and then Bodhi heads home with his new family.
I am so proud of this dog. It is not often that Justin and I BOTH love the same dog, and we are both absolutely in love with this big, sweet boy. He leans into you for affection, has such a playful side, is easy to live with, and shows us every day how grateful he is to finally be in a home where he is understood and his needs are met.
I cannot wait to see him thrive with his new family. They are ONE THOUSAND percent on board with doing anything they can for him - including biking him (la
Meet Maximo! 🐾
Meet Maximo!
A wonderful person named Casey Clubb purchased a service dog 🐕🦺 German Shepherd from us eighteen months ago. Six months ago she reached out wanting to add a second dog to her pack.
Through our Puppy Selection Service, we helped Casey decide on a mini Australian Shepherd from Flocks Mini Aussies and evaluated her pick puppy for temperament. He passed with flying colors 🌈
Casey signed up for our online Puppy Head Start course before Maximo came home and has diligently been making her way through the course. She has graciously agreed to share her training experience with us each week.
Additionally, she is bringing Maximo to us on weekends while she works 12-hour shifts as a nurse so we can take good care of him.
Stay tuned for Casey’s week 1 update!
Our Puppy Head Start course is a complete guide to raising and training puppies. It starts with an eight-week-old puppy named Stella and takes you start to finish through the training process. Topics include owner education, crate training, potty training, obedience, socialization, confidence building, body language, health, wellness, problem solving, and more!
It is the most comprehensive puppy raising and training program available to purchase online. The content is clear, the videos are short and to the point, and no topic is skipped or rushed.
We have a lot of PHS students out there now and cannot wait to showcase little Maximo’s journey with thoughts straight from the owner!
Bodhi update
It has been 36 hours now, and Bodhi and I have accomplished so much!
I am working on his state of mind first - helping him to be calm and at peace instead of anxious.
I did this primarily through exercise. He ran next to the four wheeler for a total of 7 miles between yesterday and today. After the third workout, he was tired and happy.
I’ve also done some leash and crate work with him. He is a husky, so he thinks that he is in charge and can do what he wants when he wants. I am teaching him otherwise.
I also groomed him, which was a good leadership exercise for him. I did this after exercise to set them up for success, but he still had an attitude anytime I had to try to get a matt out. I put a gentle leader on him so he could not bite me. We will work on this.
He is now walking much better on the leash and is starting to pay attention to me now as the handler on the other end of the leash.
I did discover that, although he is great with people, he does resource guard against other dogs, especially males, so this is something we will be working on and addressing right away.
Overall, a great first day. He is looking and feeling better than I l bet he has in a long time!
One day down, 27 days to go. #teambodhi
Pity has no place!
Pity is a topic that does not get enough attention in the dog training community. It is important to know what your dog history and background are, but that information should not shape or affect the relationship that you have with your dog. If it drives your behavior, then it is not helping anything! Use your dog’s background information to create a training plan to bring out the best in your dog - and nothing else! After you have a training plan, forget about it and move on. Dogs live in the moment and want strong leaders. Holding onto pity will destroy your relationship with your dog. #dogtraining #tips #rescuedogs #abuse #neglect #moveon!
For service dog handlers - a video on why I think people notice our dogs in public, what to do about it, and how to avoid unwanted attention.
Well guys, here it is! Our passion project for the past 16 months! I’m proud to introduce Valor K9 Academy Online!
Valor K9 Academy Online provides comprehensive training courses to raise and train your dog The Valor Way! It mimics our training programs that have been so successful for the past almost ten years!
The Puppy Head Start program is the first available course. It’s ready for you to buy now! Next, we’ll have The Good Dog program and then Service Dog Select. We’ll also be building out mini courses like K9 First Aid & CPR to give you all the information you need to take the best care of your dog. And, of course, we’re offering private coaching as a catch-all service for everything in between.
On the website, I give you my best equipment and nutrition recommendations and share a wealth of knowledge on my blog, which I’ll be adding to often! It’s a one-stop-shop.
Our first training course and this entire website platform has been a labor of love. From beginning the writing process for Puppy Head Start back in September 2022 to filming from April to June 2023, editing video and recording audiobook over the fall, and now figuring out Kajabi for the past seven weeks…it’s been a huge undertaking!
I’m proud of what we’ve produced. We didn’t take any shortcuts – Our Standard is Excellence!
Welcome to Valor K9 Academy Online. We’re bringing quality dog training to owners everywhere! Take a look around and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter. I’m here if you need anything!
www.valork9academyonline.com
Please share if you can.
Happy Training!
-Amy
Baths before go-homes
Sadly, in this industry, many dogs are not well cared for when they’re sent somewhere for boarding or training. That’s not the case with us! This video brings up an interesting discussion regarding baths before go homes. As the client, what are your thoughts? Do you appreciate the complementary bath and nail trim we give your dog at the end of the board & train?#dogtrainers #dogtraining
Let’s talk about Dog Parks! I’ve been at the dog park for all of 20 minutes, and let me tell you what I’ve seen.
I’ll go from least to worst…
10. At least 10 dogs have taken a dump with no owner in sight to pick it up.
9. Male dogs are peeing on/marking everything in sight. From park benches to Dog Walks.
8. And people. Yes, people. I watched an Aussie pee on a man’s leg.
7. I’ve watched nice dogs get bullied over…and over…and over. Everything in their body language screams, “I’m not having fun!” Yet their owners do nothing.
6. I’ve watched puppies get bullied over and over. This is hugely impactful on their social development. And not in a good way.
5. I’ve watched dogs show avoidance over and over. They don’t want to be here. This isn’t their happy place.
4. I’ve watched small dogs in the big dog area chase off big dogs over and over and over…while the owners laugh. The small dogs are not having fun. They’re stressed to the max. But it’s funny?
3. I’ve seen scuffle after scuffle. Entire pack fights with owners screaming and flailing to break it up. Then resuming business as usual as if nothing happened.
2. I’ve seen parents with CHILDREN walking around in the dog park and pushing babies in strollers. My God.
1. And I’ve seen dominant males picking fights with literally every other confident male dog in the park. They square off, a squabble ensues, and the top dog wins.
(This is normal pack behavior, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary! Or good)
Right now the King of the Hill is the German Shepherd strutting through the park in my video.
Before him, it was a Malamute. Fortunately the Malamute left before the shepherd got here or it would’ve been ugly.
And the owner of that lovely shepherd? Is a teenager sitting at a picnic table glued to a screen. Cute.
Dog parks are great. 🙄
If you want to socialize your dog badly.
And stress your dog out.
And teach your dog terrible play skill
I do love matching dogs. And even as a seasoned dog trainer, I always appreciate the constant compliments on their behavior from passersby. 😌 #dogs #gsds #dogtraining #boise
Emma and I got to volunteer at the nursing home again today. It’s such a wholesome experience. 🤍 Fun for everyone! 😃
Being off-leash is a privilege that, quite frankly, most dogs haven’t earned. If you’re going to let your dog off-leash in a public place that isn’t your property, then your dog damn well better have a solid recall. The first time. Saying “he’s friendly” is a pathetic excuse for disobedience. 💯
My daughter Emma and our dog Zoey visited a nursing home for the first time today in downtown Boise. It was a great experience and brought the residents so much joy. ❤️
This program is coming right along. We can't wait to announce a release date! ♡
This is it!! The big reveal!! I am so excited about our new online training platform and can't wait to bring quality training to dog owners everywhere!!
Parents, it’s O.K. to say no! You can and should advocate for your children. My rule is that we ignore dogs in public. The only exception is puppies. Imagine if I had said yes - that dog could have bit her!
“Doggie Box Jumps”
You don’t have to have agility equipment to exercise your dog.
Lots of people say, ”Yeah but I don’t have that!” when it comes to having equipment like a treadmill, FitPAWS and other workout stuff for their dogs.
Haven’t you seen people get in shape by tossing old tires and running up and down stairs?
Same for dogs.
You don’t need equipment. You just need to be creative.
Here, I exercise a medium energy/medium drive young adult German Shepherd by having him jump in and out of the back of my truck.
This *anaerobic* workout tires dogs out quickly. Use a truck, a retaining wall, a platform at the park, anything!
The key is lots of repetition. He jumps in from my left side, comes out on my right side, circles around me, and then does it all over again. I use a slip lead to guide him. Not a training collar! It’s important that you NEVER have a prong collar on for this sort of activity. I say “hup” when I want him to jump in, and “free” to come out.
This is a great workout and a great leadership activity.
Total time elapsed: about 2 minutes.
We will do 3 sets of this, each set lasting for around 2 minutes, with a 3 minute break between sets.
He is done when I say he’s done. When his state of mind is good (calm-submissive) and he’s doing it because I say so not because he necessarily wants to do it.
Dogs might enjoy doing this 10x but not 100x or more. Doesn’t matter. I’m in charge.
So if you’re looking for a quick workout for your dog, here you go! This one’s especially good for potty breaks during road trips! 🙌🏻
