Elevate Canine Academy - Fargo

11/14/2025

Meet Laura, one of our talented Bismarck trainers. She shares how her journey into dog training not only became her passion but also helped her build a loving family of dogs.

11/13/2025

🐾 Limited Offer: 1-Week Refresh Training Only $600 (Ends Nov 15)

Even the best-trained dogs need a reminder now and then!

Our 1-Week Refresh Day Training Program is designed exclusively for Elevate graduates who could use a tune-up on their obedience, manners, and confidence.
Whether your dog’s recall has slipped a bit or you just want to maintain that solid foundation, this program gives them the focused, professional structure they need to get back on track.

For a limited time, we’re offering the Refresh Program for just $600 (normally $900) — but hurry, this special offer ends November 15th.

✅ Daily hands-on training with our professional trainers
✅ Reinforcement of key obedience commands
✅ Social exposure and confidence building
✅ Personalized feedback for continued success at home

Don’t wait — refresh your dog’s skills and strengthen your bond today.

11/11/2025

Today we honor the brave men and women who have served our country. Your courage, sacrifice, and dedication inspire us every day.

From all of us at Elevate Canine Academy, thank you for your service — and for the many veterans who share their lives with loyal canine companions, we salute you both. ❤️🐾

11/11/2025

In this video Sydney shows you how to teach your dog the "side" command, this can be helpful when it comes to grooming, the vet, or even teaching fun commands like "play dead"!

11/09/2025

11/08/2025

We get a lot of questions about training service dogs, so let’s clear up some common confusion.

Service dogs are highly specialized animals trained to perform tasks that directly help someone with a disability—everything from alerting to medical conditions, providing mobility support, or assisting with PTSD. They require the right temperament, just like law enforcement K9s, and many dogs simply don’t make it through service dog training. In North Dakota, the only accredited facility we know of is Service Dogs for America in Judd, ND. They only train dogs bred specifically for this purpose, and the cost can be around $25,000. Your pet dog cannot be trained to become a service dog through their program.

This is very different from emotional support animals (ESAs), which provide comfort and companionship but aren’t trained to perform specific tasks. ESAs require a letter from a licensed mental health professional and have some protections under housing laws and certain air travel rules—but they don’t get the same public access rights as service dogs.

Therapy dogs are another category entirely. They are trained to provide comfort to groups of people in hospitals, schools, and care facilities. Their training focuses on obedience and calm behavior, but they do not have public access rights under the ADA.

A few things to remember about service dogs: they don’t need a vest or certification to be a service dog, and distracting them can actually harm the handler since the dog’s focus is critical. Unfortunately, some people try to pass off an ESA as a service dog, which makes things harder for individuals who truly rely on them.

Most people looking for a “service dog” may really need an ESA, but understanding the difference helps protect everyone and ensures service dogs can do their life-changing work without distraction.

11/07/2025

Take your dog’s skills to the next level!

Our Agility Class is the perfect mix of fun, challenge, and teamwork. Dogs learn to jump, weave, and climb through exciting obstacle courses designed to improve obedience, focus, and confidence.

This is a great way to burn energy, strengthen your bond, and keep training exciting.

Mondays at 6PM | $35 per class

Send us a message to reserve your spot — spaces go quickly!

11/07/2025

I can hardly believe it has been 2 years already!
In 2023, after months of planning, renovating and paperwork we finally opened the doors to our Fargo location on November 6th, 2023. In that time, we have met many wonderful clients and so many great dogs. Some cases were bigger challenges than others, but we loved working with them all and pride ourselves on taking on even the most challenging dogs.
Our trainers are always looking forward to helping every dog & owner team that walks through our doors. We understand the level of trust it takes to leave your dog under someone else’s care for any amount of time, especially when your dog is anxious or reactive. We are honored by the trust our clients have placed in us, and we love seeing the dog & owner bond improve before our eyes. It has been 2 years, and we look forward to continuing to help more dogs and their owners become the best team they can be in the coming years.

From the Elevate Team, we thank you for trusting us to help you and your furry best friend.

11/06/2025

What’s the difference between a dog that listens all the time and a dog that listens only sometimes? Half an inch. That’s it.

Let me explain.

When I first taught the place command, we used a dog bed on the floor. The dog understood it and did well—until I noticed the first tiny slip: one paw off the bed. Next time, both front paws were on the floor. Then half his body. Finally, only a back paw remained on the bed. That’s when I started correcting the behavior.

Over the years, I’ve learned that dogs will always test boundaries—especially if there are no meaningful consequences. Imagine if I had corrected that first paw off the bed properly. He likely would have decided testing the boundaries just wasn’t worth it.

I see this pattern everywhere—in my dogs, in my clients’ dogs, and in training sessions. The key is never giving even half an inch once a command is given. That tiny lapse is what separates consistent obedience from “sometimes listens.”

I bring this up for a couple of reasons:

I use a scoring system to rate a dog’s behavior before and after training. When I honestly rated my own dog, he was far lower than he should have been. A quick reminder and tightened boundaries brought him back in line.

I saw a post today from a friend taking care of a foster dog. She’s a trainer and immediately set strict boundaries. The dog relaxed in place with her, even though the foster family struggles with that same command. Why? Because she doesn’t give 1/2 inch.

This is exactly what I see in training: a dog can be perfectly compliant with me, but hand the leash to an owner and it’s a different story. The dog hasn’t learned to respect boundaries from the owner yet. Teaching owners not to give even half an inch is just as important as teaching the dog itself.

Want a dog that actually listens? Stop giving 1/2 inch.

11/06/2025

🐾 Limited Offer: 1-Week Refresh Training Only $600 (Ends Nov 15)

Even the best-trained dogs need a reminder now and then!

Our 1-Week Refresh Day Training Program is designed exclusively for Elevate graduates who could use a tune-up on their obedience, manners, and confidence.

Whether your dog’s recall has slipped a bit or you just want to maintain that solid foundation, this program gives them the focused, professional structure they need to get back on track.

For a limited time, we’re offering the Refresh Program for just $600 (normally $900) — but hurry, this special offer ends November 15th.

✅ Daily hands-on training with our professional trainers

✅ Reinforcement of key obedience commands

✅ Social exposure and confidence building

✅ Personalized feedback for continued success at home

Don’t wait — refresh your dog’s skills and strengthen your bond today.

11/05/2025

Improper play between dogs is one of the most common causes of fights. When one dog doesn’t recognize another dog’s signals that playtime is over, things can quickly escalate from fun to conflict. That’s why it’s so important for humans to step in and help set clear boundaries. Using an e-collar correctly can be a great tool to interrupt over-arousal and teach dogs when they’re getting too rough or too intense during play.

11/04/2025

🐾BUDGET FRIENDLY DOG TRAINING🐾

We have a brand new budget friendly class for you to work on those basics with your furry friend! This class will be a group class for dogs 17 weeks and older to work on things like walking on a leash, sit, down, place, stay, and leave it. This is a great way to get your dog out and do some training as well! This will be a 3 week class where you come once a week for an hour. Class cost will be $240 which includes your equipment costs.

We will be having class starting October 28th at 6pm, if you are interested in getting signed up for this give us a call at 701-929-4160 or send an email to [email protected]