Zen Dogz K9 Academy LLC

06/27/2024

06/12/2024

ZenDogz K9 Academy is so lucky to have Birdie and Uno boarding with us again. These two are such characters.

06/09/2024

We welcome Milo into our Zen Dogz family. Milo is spending the week boarding with us. He’s already taken to Chris.

03/31/2024

To our Zen Dogz K9 Academy family,

Wishing you all a very Blessed Easter. Hope the bunny brought all the pups some special treats.

Happy Easter,
Chris, Kim, & Tofu

01/02/2024

Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes and healing vibes to our Lovebug Tofu.
She did wind up having a partially torn knee ligament and had surgery on Dec 28th. She is doing remarkably well and working hard to recover. She has a great team of drs, techs, PT therapist, who are going to make a tremendous difference in this girl’s life.
Fingers crossed her right knee doesn’t go out in the meantime…
Tofu is so grateful to have a daddy like Chris who went above and beyond to get her the help she needs

01/02/2024

Started our Zen New Year with two new boarders spending the week with us. We are happy to welcome Uno, 5 yrs old, & Birdie, 6 months old, into our Zen Dogz family.
Here’s wishing that 2024 brings many more blessing to Chris and myself as our business continues to grow. We are so grateful for all our clients and are sending wishes of health, happiness, and well behaved pups!!

12/10/2023

Goose on his first field trip to a local mall. Working on Down with Distractions. He did amazing for his first trip.

12/08/2023

Making slow but steady progress with Lola, the human aggressive Rottie who showed up here with a surprise pregnancy. She’s been exceptionally suspicious, has an intense startle response, and will bite if pressured in a fashion she dislikes.

Our goal is to see if we can get her to the place where she can live comfortably and safely with her adoptive owner back in Texas. Lots of work still to go, but happy to see the continuing progress. 🙂

PS, all her puppies have been officially adopted out. So we’re super excited to see all those great little ones end up in great homes. ❤️

If you’ve got a dog you need help with, be it puppy challenges, off-leash obedience and manners, or serious behavior issues, The Good Dog’s unique approach to training and rehabilitation has been helping owners and dogs find their way for over 15 years.

www.thegooddogtrainingneworleans.com

12/01/2023

What’s so striking about doing dog work is how obvious this concept is, how much it’s in play, and how deeply it impacts dogs and their owners.

So many owners struggle with knowing what appropriate standards are, how to train them, and how to enforce them. I totally get that. These are by no means things that simply come natural to most folks. But it’s critical to understand how they are impacting you, your dog, and your life together.

I think for many they assume that whatever behavior their dog offers is just kind of “their dog”. They assume it’s a personality, or set thing which cannot be influenced. And while dogs definitely have unique personalities and genetic “luck of the draw” aspects which influence their behavior, what’s done with what your dog comes equipped with—how their behavior can be shaped by you—is an open question.

We consistently see even the most pushy, hardheaded, bratty dogs soften, become more cooperative and less combative. We see even the most anxious, insecure or fearful dogs gain confidence, stability, and learn to relax—even in environments which once created overwhelm. We see even the most reactive, explosive, loose canon dogs become calm, non-reactive, enjoyable walk partners.

Seeing this reality again and again, it becomes crystal clear that, while we may not be able to make our dogs into the perfect image of “doggery” that we’ve imagined or been sold as a given, we CAN have an enormous impact on what they ultimately become.

It’s a fascinating thing to contemplate what your dog is truly capable of, and how much you’re seeing of those capabilities—or not. I can’t say every standard you set will be met precisely as you’d wish. But I can say, that without higher standards, you’ll never have any idea who your dog truly is or what they’re truly capable of. What a tragedy to live a life together and never know that your dog could be so much happier, healthier, stable, enjoyable, safer—simply because you never set higher standards, demanded they be honored, and enforced them to the appropriate degree.

I can just about guarantee you that you’re only getting a tiny percentage of who and what your dog could be. If that upsets you, as it should, then I encourage you to become sufficiently knowledgeable in order to make this short time we have together the very best it can be. Whatever that looks like. ❤️

11/23/2023

Toby … working on Place/Down.
During our Private Lesson, Toby is working on Placing with an automatic Down.

We also had to work with mom and her state of mind, and tone. Mom would get upset that she knows that Toby knows Down. So when she would give the down, mom’s tone would increase along with her frustration. By working with mom, to be in a more relaxed mind set, keeping her tone even, Toby picked up the difference and changed his mind set too.

Mom now is giving Toby a moment before rushing to repeat the command.

They both did a great job!!

11/23/2023

Goose working on Duration Place. I swear he looks like.. “ Alright already, I got this PLACE THING down!! Let’s move on!”

Working on Duration Place is such a great tool. It helps teach to relax and chill. It helps the pups to get into a peaceful mind set.

11/06/2023

Thank you to everyone who took the time to like and share our FB page. 💜

We are going through some changes and our page will be moving forward as well to share what we are doing here
at Zen Dogz K9 Academy.

Yes we will still share information from sources we follow and support. We hope to focus and share more on our growing business. Stay tuned in!!!

11/06/2023

This lovely guy is joining Zen Dogz for our Board and Train Program. His parents had some basic obedience training in the past. So although he does know basic commands, he more often disregards is parents commands. He is easily distracted by almost everything.
We will be focusing on basic Obedience, distraction/reactivity, off leash training. He is very high energy, so we will also be working on duration work so he can enjoy a more quiet mindset to be able to relax and chill.

We will also work with his family so when he goes home, they continue to hold him accountable.

So often once the dogs go home, owners do not keep the dogs accountable and allow little slips here and there. Before they know it ”the training didn’t work”
Accountability and mind set is so important for both the dog and the humans.

11/06/2023

This beautiful girl is joining us for our Board and Train Program. Her parents are unable to go out on walks without her being highly distracted, pulling, and jumping up on them. She also does not know any basic commands. She’s a sweet girl who just needs some guidance with basic obedience and learning to be in a better mindset. We will be working on basic commands, and distraction/reactivity. Her family is looking forward to going out and having peaceful relaxed walks.

11/02/2023

Congratulations to Goose and John. They both put in a lot of hard work and completed our Basic Obedience Training Program. Goose will be continuing on to our Off Leash Training Program.
Both these guys have been great to work with. They really put a lot of time and energy into making training a part of everyday life.

11/02/2023

It’s too simple, and too unsophisticated, I know. “You’re ignoring the underlying emotional cause.” “You’re just suppressing the behavior.” “You’re creating a ticking time bomb.” “You’re creating a negative association.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve heard all the fearful messaging and warnings. Unfortunately, I’ve also trained thousands of dogs who were extremely reactive and helped them become relaxed, well-behaved, and deeply included dogs who could go anywhere with their owners with zero reactivity.

And I’ve yet to see a single one of these fearful proclamations become reality. But I HAVE watched countless dogs and their owners struggle needlessly due to ill-informed, opportunistic, indoctrinated trainers and other online “experts” spouting their usual nonsense.

Many trainers love the mental ma********on and fancy appearance of false depth—and many owners love the excuses and stories they can tell themselves to absolve themselves from doing the emotionally uncomfortable work, while simultaneously absolving their dogs from being accountable.

The false complexity and the myriad excuses aren’t meant to better clarify and enable success—they’re meant to obfuscate, create the appearance of expertise, support fanatical training ideologies, and let trainers, owners, and dogs off the hook… all while leaving the problems very much intact.

If you’re an owner who truly wants to get over reactivity issues, and you’re prepared to do the hard work, just keep it simple. Common sense and observable reality are still available, and straight talking, honest trainers are still out there—although they’re getting harder and harder to find.

Go find them.

10/07/2023

This is solid advice for any relationship. Anyone who’s consistently trying harder than their “partner” in whatever context, is typically in an unhealthy, dangerous, and at the very least, unproductive space.

When it comes to working with clients, I always tell students, shadows, interns, and my team: to meet them where they are. It’s the best way to ensure you avoid the ugly stuff listed above, not to mention the otherwise inevitable training burnout, and resentment of clients that is so rampant in the dog training world.

Contrary to popular belief, and typical client/trainer behavior, we’re not here to pressure, cajole, or plead. The desire for success has to come from inside you, the client.

It’s your job to be motivated, excited, driven, curious, committed, and ready to work...hard. It’s our job to meet you wherever you are at, and give you the very best we have to offer. But you, the client decide what that looks like.

Now that might sound harsh, or uncaring, but it’s the furthest from it. We care, like most trainers, a lot. But if not carefully and (healthily) directed, that depth of care can easily become resentment and burnout when it’s not reciprocated properly (healthily). So in order to ensure we’re always ready to give the very best of ourselves, we make sure we only share that best of ourselves when our clients share the best of themselves.

It’s not only self-protection for us, it’s also protection for you, the client. I’m sure you don’t want the bitter, angry, phoning-it-in dog trainer. And the best way to prevent that, is by us being strong with boundaries.

So think of training as a choose-your-own-adventure. Or an Indian restaurant where they ask you how spicy you want your tikka masala. The depth and flavor of the experience you receive is on you. If you want more, bring more, ask for more.

You determine the depth of help you receive by the depth of commitment and desire you bring to the table.

Reciprocal behavior in relationships are the hallmark of healthy relationships. Unfortunately, this hallmark is often missed. Laziness, want rather than need, competing priorities, delusion, and selfishness often derail the possibilities.

That all said, if you come with guns a’blazing, we’ll be ready. The clients that want the best, and give the best, are the ones who always seem to get the best.

Isn’t that a fascinating thing? 🙂

PS, and trust me, if you’re worried that your enthusiasm, curiosity, and insatiable desire for improvement will be “too much”, I promise your trainer will be thrilled with the intense interest and drive—because it’s precisely where they (your trainer) are coming from.

PPS, and if your trainer isn’t deeply excited by your enthusiasm, curiosity, and insatiable desire, you just found out that you’re either contemplating or are in an unhealthy relationship—and it’s time to leave.

03/09/2023

Dogs can’t talk to us, but they can communicate. How to know what a dog's T.E.M.P. is telling you.

03/09/2023

If you've ever owned or seen a dog who suffers from separation anxiety, you know how heartbreaking that can be. I'm sharing a 10-step protocol that will turn...

03/09/2023

Some days your dog just doesn't feel like doing something, or they're not quite ready to learn what you had planned. Make sure you listen to your dog and put them first. When you listen to your dog, their trust in you grows ten-fold!

😎 Dog training is an ever-evolving field and there is no “perfect” way to go about it.

❤️ As long as your training method puts the dog first, is based on dog’s perspective and is flexible and adaptable to individual dogs, then you’re on the right track!

🐕 Learning is infinite, so keep an open mind and see what your dog can teach you!

03/09/2023

03/09/2023

03/09/2023

The horror! 😧

03/09/2023

Prepare This Special Pumpkin Treat for Your Pet Today! 🧡

Pumpkin contains numerous vitamins and other nutrients essential for your pet's health. 👌 Whip up this recipe to help your pet enjoy pumpkin and its benefits. 🐶🐱

Visit our new website (link in the comments) to learn how pumpkin can benefit your pet’s health.

03/09/2023

Never share coffee or any food/items containing caffeine with your pet! ☕⚠️

Today’s free article is all about the foods and other items you should keep out of your pet’s reach. Click the link in the comments to read it now. 👇