We offer dog training, extreme behavioral modifications, dog boarding and daycare adventures.
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09/19/2025
Please welcome Otis to the pack family! Otis is an 8 year old beagle who has become a handful for his older owners. From refusing to come inside, singing beagle songs in the middle of the night, peeing when they try to put him in the crate, and some overall confidence issues that have him nervous of canes and just in general. We're hoping to give Otis the obedience commands he needs to make him easier to manage, and the confidence to handle life better in general.
09/18/2025
Daycare Adventure Day!
09/17/2025
Winnie and Ginger went to sit at Saxapahaw General Store for lunch today. They were quite pleasant companions!!
09/16/2025
The last few days of a board and train are always my favorite. These girls have learned all their obedience commands, they can hold place for over an hour, walk away from really exciting things when told, recall off leash, and are pleasant out on a walk. The last few days, we typically spend practice and proofing their new skills, so we really just hang out together in a structured way. Ginger and Winnie go home Friday, and we sure are going to miss them!
09/16/2025
Daycare Adventure!
09/10/2025
Biscuit has been taking her new skills into stores this week! She's doing a great job!! 👏👏👏
09/08/2025
Biscuit went for a walk in her own neighborhood today! She did a really good job maintaining her heel and auto sits. A dogs neighborhood can be the place they struggle with leash reactivity the most. It can bring out their territorial nature, making this great practice for Biscuit!
09/03/2025
We've got lots of training going on this week! Biscuit went on her first trip to the park. Then sisters Winnie and Ginger went on their first walk together during training. There has also been lots of confidence building and obedience work in between, we are seeing some big strides from all three! We'll done ladies!!
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At Phoenix K9’s, our philosophy is to continuously strive to understand the perspective of the dog itself and that has been the key factor in our success. We believe in putting their needs above our own preferences and honoring the nature of the dog by adapting our approach in training to one that is grounded in the science of animal learning and cognition.
In comparison to traditional training perspectives, we have taken up a more well rounded and complete approach to training and behavior modification that is highly based on structure and positive reinforcement, while utilizing tools and providing education on how and when to appropriately discipline or correct a dog. With the use of treats and training collars, we assist owners in having a greater understanding of how to communicate with their dog on an instinctual and natural level by using appropriate energy and body language.
Training with positive reinforcement is something that people are naturally comfortable with – it is all feel good stuff! That being said, correcting and disciplining a dog can sometimes make people uneasy, but it is a necessary and inescapable side of training if you want a healthy, well balanced relationship and a reliable dog in all areas of life. Although corrections are natural to a dog, many “old school trainers” rely heavily on force and physical corrections in order to reach compliance. At Phoenix K9’s, our philosophy is to build a relationship with the dog. We teach the dog what we want through reward based training while layering in corrections that are clear to the dog, using structure and routine to promote their success, always keeping the dogs well being and growth in mind. As balanced trainers, we are careful with the use of corrections. We rely on a systematic approach in order to maintain reliability, creating an environment for the extinction of inappropriate behaviors all while striving to avoid unnecessary stress or discomfort. We have experience in all forms of training equipment that is used, however, we do have preferences of tools based on their safety, the ease of use for owners, and the flexibility of the tool to be used in any environment or context. Prong collars and Remote Training Collars are the two tools we most commonly recommend.
Prong Collars
Due to the barbaric look of a prong collar, it is an extremely misunderstood tool that people often believe is meant to serve more severe corrections to a dog when that can’t be further from the truth. A prong collar, when used correctly, will motivate a dog with minimum force or physical discomfort and was developed with a dog’s safety as a necessity. These training tools were developed in order to evenly distribute pressure around the dog’s entire neck in order to alleviate excessive pressure to the trachea and larynx, unlike a regular flat collar. With relief to the trachea and pressure evenly distributed, the prong collar does not cause choking or gagging and cannot cut off air supply. It allows for pressure and release training to be much more comfortable and gentle because of the easy communication you can develop with your dog through the leash.
Furthermore, from a chiropractic point of view, the prong collar is the preferred equipment, even rated higher than body harness’s. Dr. Daniel Kamen state in his book The Well Adjusted Canine, “Most literature suggests that this is the most effective and least dangerous of restraining collars. The prong collar distributes pressure evenly around the neck, and requires only a small amount of force …. Incidence of canine upper cervical subluxations is far less with the prong collar.”
Remote Training Collar
The remote training collar (E-collar or Shock Collar) may be even more misunderstood than the prong collar and is used just as gently and gives an owner the ability to correct a dog as lightly or as firmly as necessary from up to a half mile away.
The original shock collar only had one, very severe correction level, whereas the equipment we are using today offers one hundred or more levels. When the dog is in the state of learning with the remote collar it is used at levels that cannot even be perceived by a human. When tested, the average human can’t even feel the stimulus until the setting is at high teens, twenties or more.
With a remote collar you can interrupt the dogs behavior and cause inappropriate behaviors to become uncomfortable, motivating a dog to make difference choices, ones that when molded can be heavily rewarded. The true value of a remote collar lies wherein you can replicate this over and over regardless of distance and gives an owner the ability to endlessly help guide the dog to build and repeat healthy and appropriate behaviors.
In regards to fearful or insecure dogs, the remote collar is one of the most valuable tools to use when the dog cannot be motivated in a healthy and confidence building manner considering the precise control of corrections with mild stimulation from a remote collar and the non-confrontational pressure that can be applied.
We do not recommend a specific tool until a dog has been evaluated and we have worked with them to understand their specific needs. Please message us to discuss your needs and schedule an evaluation.