The Capable K9

06/16/2023

Cobalt is boarding with us while his family goes on vaycay. Look how cute he is! 💙

In-Home Boarding is a more personal, less stressful way to have your dog cared for when you’re away. They aren’t kept in a kennel, surrounded by other dogs who are just as stressed out as they are. Instead, your dog is part of the family when they stay!

04/28/2023

Now offering dog training services to Huntington, IN and surrounding areas! Get help training your dog from a certified, professional dog trainer with 7+ years of experience.

⚫️ Private Training — Meet individually with me to tackle any issue you are having with your dog. Each lesson is 1 hour long and takes place in your home or a dog-friendly location. Receive a digital library on how to train basic commands.

⚫️ Play & Train — Daycare without the bad side effects! Your dog gets to come to my house for the day to play with my pack, go on a walk, and train. You’ll get notes at pick-up on how to transfer your dog’s skills to your house, as well as digital library access.

⚫️ Stay & Train — If you’re looking for a jumpstart on training, this is it. Your dog will stay at my home for daily training, play, socialization, and more! This program is 3-4 weeks long and includes all training equipment and materials.

🌟 To schedule your dog’s initial evaluation, go to: www.thecapablek9.com 🌟

03/08/2023

Our family is moving back to our home state of Indiana, after years of being away. We will miss all of our clients and friends that we've made in Louisiana these past few years! Thank you for trusting me to help you with your dogs.

The Capable K9 is now offering training services in Huntington, IN and the surrounding areas!

03/06/2023

Please do not attempt “testing” your dog by touching or petting him/her while they are eating. I just don’t understand this philosophy.

There is ZERO to prove in this situation. If you are trying to teach your dog you are the dominant one, your information is incorrect.

Client: “But Ian, we have small kids in the house, we do this just in case the kids touch the dog while he/she is eating”.

Ian: “What are you going to do if your dog bites your hand while you are testing him/her”.

Client: “We will tell her no and scold her for it”

Ian: “So then your dog will have a bad association with eating and will probably start to eat faster. Your dog is disciplining you for reaching into its food. You are creating resource guarding”.

Client: “What can we do then”?

Ian: “Feed your dog in the crate”

Client: “But our dog isn’t crate trained”

Ian: “Then crate train your dog. Crate training your dog provides structure, boundaries, and safety while eating for the dog and kids. And it’s the cheapest babysitter you will ever pay for. The crate should be the bedroom for your dog.

Never have I seen a show about animals where the parents “test” their young by reaching into their food.

Let a sleeping dog lie.

Let an eating dog eat.

02/28/2023

* Bringing this post out of the vault, because it’s so important * 👇🏻

I think it’s common to think that when our dog is unruly, there is something wrong with them. 

Especially when we look around us and see perfectly behaved pups strolling happily down the street with their owners. 

But the truth is…

Everything your dog does is NORMAL. 

Chewing…

Digging…

Barking…

Pulling on the lead…

Lunging at other dogs or joggers…

Growling…

It’s all NORMAL. 

This is  a normal response for a predator (because that’s what dogs once were) that got plucked out of their natural environment and dropped onto your sofa. 

What’s not normal? 

Walking on a leash at a mind numbingly slow pace as you stare at your phone…

NOT chewing things, or mouthing you…

Holding a sit stay or a down stay as you chat to a friend…

NOT losing their mind around another dog. 

Sure selective breeding has curbed some of the more natural responses our dogs have…

But the truth is…

Your dog’s behavior is a NORMAL response to them trying to adapt to an environment that truthfully is NOT normal for them. 

So tell me…

What does that shift for you? 

Because your dog isn’t “Bad”. There’s nothing wrong with them. Everything they are doing is completely normal.

02/26/2023

Miss Ruby is getting the whole “walk slowly” thing down! She’s became insensitive to any collar or slip leash pressure on her neck because of her habit of pulling. With the help of the prong, I’ve been able to teach her where I’d like her to be & without force on my end. Our next step will be to fade out the prong & walk on her flat collar.

02/21/2023

Khaleesi is on week 3 of her Board & Train, which means it’s time to introduce the e-collar in a positive way. This is her first session — can you even tell when the collar is being used? Nope! And that’s how it should be!

Training with e-collars gets a bad reputation due to irresponsible people using the tool. Many owners view e-collar training as a last resort to fix problematic behaviors but the opposite should be true. With a gentle introduction to the stimulation from the collar, using reinforcement, dogs stay happy and there’s no need for harsh corrections!

02/20/2023

The face of a happy dog after an awesome private lesson! Phin is making improvements each week as we teach him other dogs aren’t anything to worry about.

02/15/2023

Oreo has improved so much since his first day. Before, he was nervous, lacked any engagement, and pulled HARD on the leash. Today he was showing off his new skills by offering me a perfect, focused heel. 🤩

02/15/2023

Good dog training always involves play. I struggled for days to get Khaleesi to relax enough to engage in play with me. Yesterday I got her to crack! Some dogs love to fetch, some dogs love to tug; Khaleesi loves to be chased! 🤣

02/14/2023

Ruby is here for a board and train. She’s your typical active, silly puppy and she learns quick! 🐾

02/13/2023

Damon loves his Out’n About days! Running free at the park is a privilege all dogs should get to experience. ☀️

02/07/2023

Welcome, Khaleesi! This girl is here for a Board & Train to learn on & off leash obedience, as well as tackle some reactivity issues.

02/06/2023

Damon & Pierre — two male dogs who are reactive and selective about other people/dogs. With clear communication, rules about acceptable behavior, & corrections for incorrect behaviors, these ‘difficult’ dogs are able to coexist in public with zero displays of aggression. 👏🏼

02/05/2023

It was a perfect morning for tracking with Hex. She’s connected the dots for a short track, finally moving off of puppy scent pads. We’re learning tracking for IGP/Schutzhund, which has been a goal of mine for over 10 years. Learning this sport is challenging but ultimately helps me understand how dogs learn even more!

02/03/2023

Oreo is staying for a Board & Train to learn how to be an even better boy than he already is! He struggles with your typical adolescent behaviors, socialization & confidence. I can’t wait to help him grow!

01/23/2023

Phin is working on his reactivity. He’s been pulling mom around the neighborhood, barking and lunging at other dogs. We’ll get him cool, calm and collected soon! 😎

Today he tackled engagement, how to play, long line work, and ignoring other dogs in the environment.

01/23/2023

This happy boy had his first public outing today. Pierre did very well (muzzle free!), responding to verbal cues and leash pressure.

His owners have always wanted a dog that can socialize with them. They’re on the right track with building his confidence!

01/18/2023

These boys were rockstars during our errands! They always get a lot of attention while showing off their focused heel, stays around heavy distractions, & climbing onto random objects 😆

12/29/2022

The dogs are loving the weather today! I have a helper with me, who is having fun playing with the dogs & giving simple obedience cues. 😊

12/23/2022

It was cold out but don’t worry, Damon had his hoodie 😆

He worked on both observing the chaotic playground (calmly) & giving me attention when feeling overwhelmed. This dude has came a long way!

12/20/2022

After months of training and learning how to be a dog, sweet Ace gets a family for Christmas! 🥰🎄

It hasn’t been easy fostering him. Ace was nearly feral when he came to me for help. With time, he has learned that people & dogs are safe to interact with. I’m so happy to have been a part of his journey. Seeing his true personality shine has been the biggest reward in all of this.

Keep on being a good boy, buddy! 💞

12/17/2022

And this is why we say, let them sniff on walks!

A fun visual representation of what your dog sees (smells) every day. Look at how noisy it is and how many tracks there are intertwining. The different animals, people, and dogs movement in just one area. The snow lets us humans see the history of this area and what animals and people have passed through. A dog will smell this every day and know who and what animals have passed through. Smellavision!!!!

Dogs are incredible.

Imagine tracking and detection dogs needing to filter out all this noise and track a single scent down. Amazing!

(Note this is a fun representation, not accurate)

12/12/2022

Pierre mastered a parallel walk around the neighborhood and ended with play in his own backyard. If you would’ve asked me and his owners months ago, we’d say this was impossible.

Way to go, buddy!! 🤩🥰

12/09/2022

Some dogs are never going to be ‘daycare’ dogs — that’s okay! Some people aren’t into parties — that’s okay, too! As dog owners, it’s our job to teach our dog (friendly or not) to exist around the presence of other dogs without being rude.

Pierre is a long time student who has been working on his social skills. He might be small, but he has big feelings about strange people and dogs. His owners have worked hard and made good progress with him, but there’s still more to be made!

Today, Pierre socialized (off muzzle) with Atka, Kuma, Vika and Bear. He’s responding to body language from the other dogs as well as corrections from humans. Being able to exist, calmly, in a group of dogs is the first step of proper socialization.

12/08/2022

The key to a happy, well behaved dog:
✔️ Play
✔️ Exercise
✔️ Nap
✔️ Train
✔️ Play Again

12/05/2022

Shopping buddy!

Damon killed it in Hobby Lobby today — it was SO busy! He even got asked if he was a service dog. If you know this dog, you know how that made me laugh 😆