Ivy League Canine Academy

We had an incredible ILK9 Alumni session this morning at the @historicpearl! We got there a little early and had the place to ourselves. Super proud of our owners and the work they put in with their dogs! See you next month!!

Two peas in a pod! Nola has been here for about 4 weeks. Her and Rooster have had ample time to get to know each other in a structured way. Although both Rooster and Nola have very easy going temperaments, we still built up their likelihood of meshing well through a lot of passive socialization in the beginning. We then introduced drills with toys and free time for them both while instituting multiple off-switch drills throughout the sessions. This increased the likelihood that they would mesh well and that we had reliable functional obedience with both dogs in case either dog became too intrusive to the other. Essentially, as the owners/trainers we have constantly played playground monitor with these two - finding the balance between structure and freedom while shaping clear expectations and boundaries so their interactions stay positive and enjoyable. Shoutout to Rooster for following in the footsteps of his big brother, Bass, and being the most tolerant doggo so he can help teach training dogs how to be the best versions of themselves. He’s our best training tool and he doesn’t get enough credit 🥰🐶🐕

Check out this incredible before and after from a 3 year old bull terrier, Nemo, that recently graduated from our behavioral board and train program. This family went from completely overwhelmed to completely empowered in 21 days!

Check out this quick highlight of Porter’s transformation! Before training he was impulsive, insecure, and reactive. His owners were frustrated by his behavior because they couldn’t do the activities they wanted with him. Now, Porter 2.0 is back home with a whole new life ahead of him. He still has his great personality, but an entirely new set of skills to add to the mix! Plus, his owners know how to continue advancing his skills and bringing the best out of Porter. Congratulations, Porter!!

Leadership is not a part time gig. You would be amazed at how many behavioral issues in a dog, come from your dog being overstimulated, overly aroused, and under led. If you can find ways to sneak in some impulse control, obedience, and micro management you will start to form a different relationship with your pup. And by different I mean better, more complete, more fulfilling, etc. Love your dog by leading them!

We just wrapped up our 3 day K9 Proxemics course at Fort Leonardwood, MO. Our course focused on teaching 8 Army MWD Handlers the basics on Close Quarters Battle (CQB), K9 utilization, substance detection, tactical movement, and some behavioral mod. These students were a blast to work with and the dog teams made incredible progress. I was fortunate enough to be able to work with our good friends at @pawsandfootprintsllc who facilitated this entire course! We love giving back to the military working dog community!

Future MWD OOx is growing so fast… He is killing it in his training, too! Exposing him to new environments and working on focus with the handler is key for a healthy socialized pup!

Days on the road are so much better with our dogs! Who else needs a road trip?!? (Hi, Bass!)

What a difference a few days of structure and the right tools can make for a dog! RRitter and MMedusa are two very strong dogs with lots of energy, drive, and instincts. Now they just have a healthier way to deal with them!

Counter conditioning fear and anxiety. We see a lot of fear based aggression and reactivity. So how do you go about rehabilitating fear and replacing with confidence? It’s a combination of structure (obedience), exposure, and reinforcement. Consistent application of all three of those combined will counter condition a dog’s emotional responses to stimulus over time. Reinforcement is the part that is the most misunderstood. If a dog barks at the sound of a deadbolt (like the video), there is a pretty strong connection between that sound and a situation the dog fears. It’s ok to apply correction for breaking an obedience task when the trigger occurs, but just punishing for the behavior alone won’t work. Reinforcement is crucial to help change that stimulus (deadbolt) to a positive emotion. Through reps and consistency you can change your dog’s emotions!