Gillian's K9 Academy LLC

08/15/2024

Honey the bloodhound has now joined the GK9A alumni. Honey's mom reached out to GK9A because Honey was displaying aggression and reactivity to children and people who she associates with children. Her mom and I quickly jumped into a training program, and worked on building Honey's confidence around kids. We worked on creating positive associations with children and adults who are seen with children. We also worked on teaching Honey the appropriate behavior to have in these situations. Over the course of Honey's training with GK9A, Honey has learned to remain neutral around kids and any adult with kids. She still has a long way to go, and I will be there for her mom through every step. Honey can now go to pet friendly stores and on walks, and can participate in family activities that she didn't get the chance to before.

03/29/2024

Welcome Bear to Gillian's K9 Academy. Bear's mom came to GK9A because Bear was dragging her on a leash, barking at dogs and humans on walks, barking non-stop in the house, and refusing to recall from their yard if he saw something. So far with training, Bear is walking on a loose leash, getting better everyday at ignoring people and dogs, has learned the quiet command so his mom can stop his barking if it becomes to much, and his recall in from the yard is getting better everyday. On top of it all, Bear and his mom's relationship has grown each time I've saw them. She has learned how to handle him, and he is doing a phenomenal job at listening to her.

For all your dog training needs, contact Gillian’s K9 Academy. We have over 10 years experience training dogs. We specialize in obedience training, service dog training, and behavior modification including but not limited to dog reactivity, human reactivity, dog aggression, human aggression, resource guarding, seperation anixety, and extreme fearfulness. Any age, any breed, any issue. We are AKC certified CGC Evaluators, certified AKC FETCH judge, and we are a Coalition Member with Freedom K9 Project. You can learn more about us on our website: https://gilliansk9academy.wixsite.com/gilliansk9academy-1

Contact us at 260-301-8339

Or you can just fill out our form, and we will get back with you: https://form.jotform.com/231187494540055

03/18/2024

This weekend I had the privilege of going to a continuing education conference. The speakers were Mike Shikashio, Dr. Ballantyne, Trish McMillian, and Dr. Amy Cook. It was 2 days packed full of information and education.

Mike Shikashio, who is a dog trainer who focuses primarily on aggression, talked about emotions that influence dog aggression, what they look like, and why they matter. He showed us videos of dogs displaying emotions, and some of his most difficult cases. He gave us strategies to work through difficult scenarios. He discussed helping clients understand the potential outcomes of their situation, taught us why prognosis is an essential tool for setting realistic expectations, and how to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue in dog training.

Dr. Ballentine, who is a board certified veterinary behaviorist, talked about the 5 domains of animal welfare, the overlooked challenges and stresses related to pet ownership and how caregiver burden particularly affects owners of pets with behavioral challenges. She talked about how caregiver burden can impact clients, trainers, and the training plan. She also gave us resources to access for caregiver burden.

Trish McMillan, who is a professional trainer who specializes in behavioral issues and rescue work, talked about the importance of meeting dogs where they are, ways to help them with any issues they have, and to avoid stress and promote the behaviors we desire. She also discussed how to decide if a dog is a candidate for behavior euthanasia, issues that surround behavioral euthanasia, how and when to bring up this sensitive topic, and how to best support the human end of the leash throughout the process.

Dr. Amy Cook, who is an animal behaviorist, talked about how to read dog body language, preferences on how dogs like to be handled by us, and how to respect the dogs answers. We learned about consent with dogs, and how to not put to much pressure on them. She also talked about The Play Way, a method she developed and created, which is a method of helping shy and fearful dogs overcome issues to live a happier and less stressed life.

This weekend was an absolute blast, and I've learned so much. I am excited to implement some new things into my business. I also got to meet a lot of new people, and make connections. I can't wait to go to another dog training conference or seminar.

03/07/2024

Meet Jason! Jason’s mom came to Gillian's K9 Academy, because Jason is struggling with barrier reactivity. He gets extremely defensive and acts out aggressively. Over the past several weeks, we have worked on changing his emotional response to barriers, but also implementing management techniques. He has been learning to go and wait on a place mat while someone enters the home. Jason has made so much progress already, but we still have some to go.

For all your dog training needs, contact Gillian’s K9 Academy. We have over 10 years experience training dogs. Anything from basic and advanced obedience, all the way to behavior modification and service dog training, we can help. Any age, any breed, any issue. We are AKC certified CGC Evaluators, certified AKC FETCH judge, and we are a Coalition Member with Freedom K9 Project. You can learn more about us on our website: https://gilliansk9academy.wixsite.com/gilliansk9academy-1

Or contact us at 260-301-8339

02/08/2024

Meet Irwin! He is the brown spotted dog. He graduated recently from Gillian's K9 Academy. His mom reached out to me because Irwin was having trouble performing his commands reliabily, and was starting to struggle with reactivity to people and dogs. He also had a major jumping problem. Irwin has now learned to perform commands anytime and anywhere. He can walk calmly past people and dogs. He has made a ton of improvement with his greetings, and now can excitedly keep his four feet on the floor. He can even stay in one spot while the doorbell is rung and someone comes in. His mom is so happy with the progress he has made.

For all your dog training needs, contact Gillian’s K9 Academy. We have over 10 years experience training dogs. Anything from basic and advanced obedience, all the way to behavior modification and service dog training, we can help. Any age, any breed, any issue. We are AKC certified CGC Evaluators, certified AKC FETCH judge, and we are a Coalition Member with Freedom K9 Project. You can learn more about us on our website: https://gilliansk9academy.wixsite.com/gilliansk9academy-1

Or contact us at 260-301-8339

01/26/2024

Meet Bear! Bear's mom reached out to Gillian's K9 Academy because Bear was displaying signs of seperation anxiety. They also have a baby on the way and want to make sure Bear has training for a smooth transition. Bear had his second lesson with us yesterday, and has already learned sit, down, and loose leash walking. Bear is beginning to learn place, leave it, quiet, and some threshold manners so he doesn't dart through the door.

For all your dog training needs, contact Gillian’s K9 Academy. We have over 10 years experience training dogs. Anything from basic and advanced obedience, all the way to behavior modification and service dog training, we can help. Any age, any breed, any issue. We are AKC certified CGC Evaluators, and we are a Coalition Member with Freedom K9 Project. You can learn more about us on our website: https://gilliansk9academy.wixsite.com/gilliansk9academy-1

Or contact us at 260-301-8339

01/11/2024

Meet Irwin! Irwin’s mom reached out to Gillian's K9 Academy, because Irwin had trouble loose leash walking, jumping on people when greeting them, barking at dogs and people on walks, and wouldn't let his mom touch his nails. We have been working on loose leash walking, and Irwin can now walk on his leash without pulling. He can also heel calmly by his mom's side. He follows basic obedience commands, and will stay on his place cot while people come in. He can greet them without jumping. He has let his mom clip one nail a few times, but he is making progress with that. We still have some things to work on, but Irwin has come a long way in his training.

For all your dog training needs, contact Gillian’s K9 Academy. We have over 10 years experience training dogs. Anything from basic and advanced obedience, all the way to behavior modification and service dog training, we can help. Any age, any breed, any issue. We are AKC certified CGC Evaluators, and we are a Coalition Member with Freedom K9 Project. You can learn more about us on our website: https://gilliansk9academy.wixsite.com/gilliansk9academy-1

Or contact us at 260-301-8339

12/09/2023

Update on Honey! Her mom is already seeing improvements with only 5 lessons. Honey has been calmer and less reactive in the house and outside. Her mom stated "my family is mentioning how much calmer she is." Honey still has a long way to go, but these are steps in the right direction.

-Also her new completely bite proof muzzle has arrived. Honey and her mom are learning how to navigate rewards with this new contraption.

12/08/2023

Welcome Jason to GK9A. He is dealing with barrier reactivity, and struggles with having people walk through the door and remaining level headed. We will be changing some things in the environment, like blocking a window that starts the issues, and teaching place for when people come through the door. We are also going to work on management techniques to see if we can get him to the point of someone being able to come in without his owner home.

12/05/2023

I did an evaluation on this handsome boy yesterday to determine if he was adoptable. I won't bore you with the details. He has been through so much, but he has an amazing team of humans supporting him and making decisions that are right for him. And his foster left me an AMAZING review. If you guys would like to support dogs like Duke, please donate to Second Chances Pet Rehab & Sanctuary . They could always use donations to help with vet bills.

12/04/2023

I'm sure everyone has heard about the new Canine Respiratory Illness that has been making it's way around. There have now been confirmed cases in Fort Wayne. Because of this, I will not be scheduling lessons back to back that do not allow me time to get home and change into new clothes and wash my hands. Your dog's safety is my number one concern. Here are things I am doing to prevent spreading the virus from household to household:
-My personal dogs are quarantined from going to high traffic dog areas, such as dog parks and petstores
-I am changing clothes between lessons and washing my hands thoroughly
-I am switching and washing equipment regularly that may be used with dogs during lessons
-For my behavior modification clients who have a training program that involves visits to stores, I am sticking to stores with low dog traffic or parking lots for right now
-If any client dog shows any signs of being sick, or if my dogs were to show signs, I would cancel all lessons until everyone has been quarantined for the set amount of time
-Any clients who qualify can do zoom training so that you can continue towards your goals in a safe environment. Zoom lessons are just as effective as in person training, and I highly encourage them until we have more answers.

If you have any questions, please ask your veterinarian. Please avoid taking your dogs to doggy daycare, cageless grooming, dog parks, or high traffic pet stores while they are undergoing training with Gillian's K9 Academy to keep my dogs and everyone elses dogs safe.

12/03/2023

I got to meet this beautiful boy Thursday. We had a lesson to see if he would be a good fit for a case study. Unfortunately he wasn't, but maybe his owners will pursue paid training with me in the future. Isn't he absolutely handsome?

08/21/2023

Door manners with Daisy, Gatsby, and Rio

08/21/2023

Please nominate us for best pet training.

Official 2023 Community Voting Awards Platform for Fort Wayne, IN. Where the community votes for their favorites every year.

08/01/2023

Sasha passed her CGC through us, and is now moving onto service dog training!

06/29/2023

Welcome LeiLani to Gillian's K9 Academy LLC. This boys family needs help with getting Lani an outlet for his energy so he can become more relaxed in the home.

06/29/2023

Welcome Niko to Gillian's K9 Academy LLC. This boy is so fearful of humans. His owner wants to work on being able to take him places and have him be neutral to humans. Him and his mom have been a blast to work with so far and I can't wait to see the progress they make.

05/27/2023

Welcome Nash to GK9A! Nash's mom reached out to us because she was wanting to perfect Nash's obedience. Her goal is to be able to take Nash anywhere wither that is pet friendly. They are pursuing their CGC with us as well.

05/21/2023

Welcome Sasha to GK9A! She is a 13m old Golden Retriever. Her mom reached out about training to get Sasha her CGC, CGCA, and CGCU. She is also wanting to train Sasha to become an autism service dog for her child. Sasha and her mom handled the first lesson like a champ today. We have work to do, but they are both dedicated to learning.

05/06/2023

For more information please send us a message. For more information about us:
Website- https://gilliansk9academy.wixsite.com/gilliansk9academy-1

03/05/2023

Meet Molly(Pug mix), Maya(Shepherd mix), and Lola(mutt). Lola is being fostered, and her foster mom needed help introducing Lola to her existing dogs. Molly and Lola immediately hit it off. Maya was more reserved. After some training lessons, we got to the point where they could be introduced. Unfortunately Lola was set off by Maya's lack of engagement and the two didn't get along. This sometimes happens with dogs who don't have similar play styles or dogs who get easily frustrated. Remember, not all dogs are going to get along and that is okay! Just like you don't get along with everyone you meet.

01/12/2023

12/25/2022

12/25/2022

12/23/2022

Mochi's mom wanted him to pass the Canine Good Citizen test. The only problem was he pulled on a flat collar and was a little overzealous when it came to greeting strangers. We only had three weeks to work on her training goals. We both jumped right in and they took the test. THEY PASSED. I am beyond proud of Mochi and his mom for their hardwork. I also really appreciate the review they left on my Google. If you have ever been a client of mine in the past and have not yet left a review, please do so. It really helps me.
~Mochi is an ethically responsibly bred Golden Retriever. How handsome is he???

12/16/2022

Apollo's mom reached out to me because her huge mastiff/shepherd mix was pulling her to the ground around his triggers. Triggers being dogs/people/bikes and pretty much anything else that moved. In two sessions we had him walking on a loose leash and his mom felt more in control of him around his triggers. The last 14 weeks of intense training has paid off. He is no longer lunging and barking at people, and his dog reactivity is much better. She is able to control him and has knowledge of how to read, control, manage, and train Apollo now. He is now able to go into pet friendly stores like Rural King. He enjoys these outings with his mom and is doing great with training. 2 more weeks and they will graduate from training.

11/10/2022

Meet Arya the Goldendoodle! She recently had hip surgery. Her owner contacted me to help teach Arya how to use a ramp to get in and out of the car. Within one lesson, Arya was going up and down the ramp perfectly!

09/26/2022

Huge congratulations to Marley for graduating our Behavior Modification program. Marley is able to enjoy going outside without intense fear of people. He learned to be neutral to dogs and humans and peacefully exist in public. I'm so proud of the progress he made with us and the work his foster mom put in to make it happen.

09/17/2022

Welcome Apollo to Gillian's K9 Academy LLC! He is struggling with some reactivity issues. His owner reached out to me because he has been dragging her to the ground. He is just a baby, but he is unaware of how big he is. I look forward to getting him to behave on a leash and help him overcome his reactivity.

07/25/2022

Pine is growing up so fast. She is learning so many skills that she will utilize as a service dog. I love working with her and her handler.