https://exploringk9s.mypixieset.com/

Exploring K9 Training, Dayton, OH (2026)

06/11/2026

It makes a world of difference knowing your dogs have someone experienced, knowledgeable, and trustworthy caring for them while you’re away from home. Especially when one dog can have big feelings about people and needs time to build trust, another dog needs plenty of mental and physical fulfillment to thrive, or your household includes both.

If you follow us, you may recognize this black Labrador Retriever, Ms. Kit, who utilizes our Enrich & Explore walking services. This time, we had the privilege of caring for both her and her more reserved brother, Fenri, while their family was away.

Fenri is a dog who can be fearful of new people and likes to take his time building trust. He thrives when the people around him understand how to make interactions feel safe, predictable, and stress-free. Thankfully, Fenri had met us before, and we were happy to pass the vibe check for the weekend!

Then there’s Kit, who fully embraces life at a solid level 10. She is a happy, enthusiastic Labrador through and through and is always ready for fun. Having the knowledge and experience to help her channel that excitement into appropriate outlets while also helping her settle when needed made all the difference.

Both Kit and Fenri spent their days enjoying time outdoors, running around, exploring, foraging for treats in the grass, and soaking up plenty of love and attention. It was so rewarding watching Fenri continue to grow in confidence throughout the weekend, and before long he had become our little shadow, happily accepting affection and curling up with us each evening. Kit was thrilled to have one of her favorite people staying with her and made sure we knew it. ☺️

These two were an absolute joy to spend time with, and we think the photos say it all. We were informed after arriving home with initial excitement, both of these pups were exhausted for the night from all of our fun!

We have truly loved how well received our in-home pet sitting services have been. Caring for people’s dogs is something we never take lightly, and it’s a responsibility we are grateful to be trusted with!

06/09/2026

Many dogs don’t struggle because they lack training. They struggle because excitement, novelty, or overstimulation makes it hard to access the training they already know.

When dogs are having big emotional responses to their environment, obedience often falls apart. Not because they don’t know the behavior, but because knowing a skill and being able to use it are two different things. Redirecting arousal into training can be helpful in the moment, but it doesn’t always change the dog’s relationship with the environment.

Norbert is a 2-year-old chocolate Labrador with excellent foundations, dedicated owners, and plenty of training under his belt. Despite that, he still struggles with over-arousal in novel and stimulating environments.

After helping Norbert and his family with puppy training, they recently reached back out to utilize our Day Training services. Following our first outing, we reassessed what he truly needed and adjusted our approach. For his second session, we intentionally chose a quieter natural environment rather than a busy public space, giving him more opportunities to decompress, process, and practice slowing down.

The difference between our first and second outings was already noticeable. By focusing less on managing behavior and more on helping Norbert regulate his arousal, we’re seeing him become more thoughtful, engaged, and successful in the environments that challenge him.

If your dog listens beautifully at home but struggles in new or stimulating places, the answer may not be more obedience. Sometimes the missing piece is helping them develop the skills needed to navigate those environments successfully. We love helping people learn how to achieve this and the joy and relief they feel from it. We’re incredibly proud of Norbert and we can’t wait to share how his next session went!

Reminder! Throughout June, enjoy 10% off our Bundle & Save packages on training and dog walking services when you book 3+ of the same service. Whether you’re new to us or already a client, it’s a great time to save on services for your dog!

06/05/2026

Pride Month Special: 10% Off Bundles & Save Packages 🌈

Pride Month is a deeply meaningful and personal time for us. Not only are we proud supporters of the LGBTQIA+ community, but both Shelby, owner and trainer of Exploring K9 Training and Haley, who makes up the other half of our small business and training team, are members of the community ourselves. We are also proud partners who share a home, a life, and a passion for helping dogs and their people.

This business has given us the opportunity to turn that passion into something truly meaningful, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported our small business and helped make that possible.

To celebrate Pride Month and share that gratitude, we’re offering 10% off any Bundle & Save package throughout June.

This promotion applies to:
- Private Training Lessons
- Enrich & Explore Welfare-Based Walks
- Training Day Sits
- Existing Premade Bundles

Whether you’ve been considering training, looking for extra support for your pup(s) during your busy schedule, want to just give your dog special experiences they’ll love, or are ready to bundle your favorite services and save, now is a wonderful time to get started. We’re proud of who we are, proud of the work we do, and thankful for every person and dog who has trusted us along the way.

Happy Pride Month, and thank you for supporting our small, woman-owned, queer-owned business. Your support allows us to continue doing what we love while building a life together centered around helping dogs and their people.

Contact us today to learn more and take advantage of this limited-time offer!

06/03/2026

Every dog deserves opportunities to experience the world in a way that feels good to them, and that’s exactly what these walks are designed to do.

While we may visit some of the same places, no two walks look exactly alike. We adjust our pace, reinforcement strategies, and overall approach to support each dog’s unique needs because the best walk isn’t the same for every dog.

Some dogs benefit from movement, exploration, and opportunities to engage their brains. Others need slower-paced experiences that help them regulate, decompress, and navigate the world with more confidence. Our goal is always the same: creating experiences that help each dog feel successful, fulfilled, and understood.

Dogs thrive when they’re given opportunities to do more than just exercise. Sniffing, exploring, problem-solving, and engaging in species-appropriate behaviors all play an important role in their well-being. Even small opportunities to meet these needs can make a meaningful difference.

This was Griffin’s second visit to this park after building confidence through many successful outings at a more familiar location. We saw so much growth during this adventure. Griffin appeared more relaxed, found joy in movement and exploration, and worked through the small moments of stress he experienced beautifully. Most importantly, he left with another positive experience and increased comfort in a new environment.

We’re so grateful to Griffin’s family for trusting us with their special boy and to all of the families who trust us to provide these experiences for their dogs. Watching these pups grow in confidence while getting to simply enjoy being dogs is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do. 💛

05/28/2026

Today we just wanted to take a moment to share some photos of a few of the dogs we’ve had the privilege of working with because honestly, how can these faces not make you smile? ☺️

In all seriousness, we also want to say thank you to everyone who has supported Exploring K9 Training. Whether you’re a client, someone who enjoys our content, or simply someone who loves supporting a small business passionate about helping dogs and their people build a better life together, we truly appreciate you.

As the owner of Exploring K9 Training, I’ve loved dogs for as long as I can remember. As I got older and developed a passion for psychology and behavior, that passion naturally expanded into dogs as well. Since I was a teenager, I dreamed of creating something exactly like this, and getting to do it full time has been incredibly fulfilling.

One of the things we value most is showing up for both dogs and their owners with compassion, patience, and understanding. Whether through training, our welfare-focused dog walking services, or in-home pet sitting, our goal is always to help dogs feel supported while helping owners feel understood and comfortable too.

We are always learning, always growing, and always striving to better support the people and dogs who trust us. We truly believe choosing a professional should mean choosing someone who not only cares about results, but also cares deeply about the emotional well-being of both you and your dog.

Thank you for allowing us to do what we love. We cannot wait to continue growing, learning, and helping even more dogs and their people along the way. Here’s to continuing to brighten the lives of these incredible beings who give us endless love, companionship, and joy every single day. ☺️

05/27/2026

Dogs often do better behaviorally, emotionally, and even physically when their needs are consistently met. Just like humans, the way dogs experience and process the world around them has a huge impact on their overall wellbeing. When dogs are given opportunities to decompress, explore, move their bodies, and engage with their environment in fulfilling ways, we often see improvements in their ability to regulate, settle, and navigate life more successfully.

That’s one of the things that makes our enrich and explore walks so beneficial. These walks are designed to support a dog’s nervous system, emotional regulation, and overall welfare through intentional movement and enrichment tailored to the individual dog in front of us. Movement doesn’t just help people process stress, it helps dogs too, though how we go about that movement matters. Sometimes that means slowing down to sniff and explore, while other times it means helping a dog move through the environment in a way that feels productive and regulating.

A huge part of our skillset is being able to properly read the dog in front of us and adjust accordingly. Whether we’re working with shy dogs, hyper dogs, easily overstimulated dogs, or dogs with big feelings, we consistently see the impact these experiences have on their body language, behavior, and ability to relax and settle.

Kai had such a great time getting to sniff, explore the woods, check out the tunnel, and p*e on every tree he could find. Kai is a dog with high arousal who needs time to decompress and regulate before having interest in taking food, and during this second walk we already saw improvement in how quickly he was able to settle, take treats, and stay consistently engaged throughout the outing. Watching dogs grow more comfortable, relaxed, and successful through these experiences is one of the many reasons we love offering this service so much.

We love that with our approach, we see these dogs truly learn to love working with us. Even the dogs who are less food motivated or more picky, we’ve found we have a special effect that has really proven itself over the years. ☺️

05/26/2026

Introducing Mr. Moose! ☺️ Moose is an older yellow Labrador Retriever that we have the privilege of pet sitting while his parents enjoy a well-deserved vacation. Moose truly lives the dream life, especially for a Labrador. He gets three meals a day, with lunch being veggies, and gets to bask in the sun in his beautiful backyard while playing frisbee and patrolling the yard for bunnies whenever he desires.

When he’s not being an active boy, he’s happily relaxing on his dog beds, which are an absolute necessity for Labradors because they LOVE comfort and the comfiest places to lounge. Moose does have a condition he takes medication for, and thankfully that’s something we’re able to support him with too.

We are so grateful to be trusted with caring for Moose in all of the ways he deserves, and we truly are loving our time with this sweet ham. It’s so special getting the opportunity to love dogs that aren’t ours and seeing exactly why their owners adore them for their unique personalities. We’re helping keep his mind sharp and fulfilled through training, enrichment, and fun problem-solving activities that he’s been getting really excited for. Afterwards, Moose is always quick to nap because older boys like him need plenty of good quality sleep. We really adore that no matter how old a Labrador Retriever gets, they are always technically babies.

We’ve truly loved how well received our pet sitting services have been because it makes all the difference knowing your dogs are in knowledgeable, capable hands while you’re away. Dogs deserve care that upholds the same love, structure, and compassion you pour into them every day. It can be hard for dogs when their people leave, and it’s comforting knowing the person caring for them will always be kind, humane, compassionate, and focused on making the experience as stress-free as possible.

05/25/2026

Even high energy dogs need movement that’s slowed down, and honestly, many of them need it more than we think. For dogs who already view life as exciting and fast paced, constantly adding more intensity is not always what helps them most. Sometimes what truly benefits them is learning how to slow down, process their environment, and practice being excited while still thinking clearly.

Ms. Dottie recently started agility classes again and, with half of her breed makeup being Border Collie, movement and high energy environments can get her very wound up initially. Because her of dad’s work schedule, he doesn’t have much time before class to help her decompress, we’ve been taking Dottie out beforehand for enrich and explore adventures. This has made a huge difference for her. By slowing things down earlier in the day and then allowing her time to rest afterward, Dottie is showing up to class calmer, more thoughtful, and still fully able to perform and enjoy herself.

Dottie has also recently joined us for training as well! She already has an amazing foundation and a dog parents who works beautifully with her, but there are a few quirks they’d like help polishing up so she can continue being her best self. One of the biggest things we’re focusing on is Dottie’s relationship with engagement around exciting stimuli, as becoming overstimulated can sometimes lead to bigger responses toward certain types of movement and environmental triggers.

For Dottie, the goal is not simply teaching her to disengage from movement. We also have to look at her emotional relationship with training itself. Historically, food and engagement became associated with turning away from the environment instead of being allowed to process it. For naturally curious dogs, constantly asking them to disconnect from what interests them can create frustration over time.

So before expecting better choices around movement, we first have to help Dottie learn that food, engagement, and working with us does not mean the fun ends. It means she can still process the world, think clearly, and stay connected all at the same time.

05/21/2026

As dog professionals, we are also just people navigating everyday life, and that means continuously learning how to balance work, responsibilities, mental load, and showing up for our dogs in a way that feels sustainable.

We are human too, and we understand what it feels like to care deeply about your dogs while also recognizing that sometimes it is not a lack of knowledge but a lack of capacity when life feels full or overwhelming.

That understanding is a big part of why we are so passionate about the work we do, and why the walks, decompression time, sniffy strolls, long lines, and quiet moments in nature are not just things we recommend but things we actively live with our own dogs. We have seen how much they support not only our dogs’ well-being, but also our own ability to stay grounded, regulated, and connected in daily life.

There is so much value in slowing down on walks and letting them be more than just exercise, because not every outing has to be fast paced or structured to be valuable, and those quieter walks where we just wander, let them sniff, and take things in together can end up being some of the most grounding parts of the day for both of us.

We have experienced firsthand how these kinds of routines support emotional regulation, connection, and overall well-being for our dogs, while also giving us space to breathe and reconnect with ourselves. This is also why empathy sits at the center of how we approach training, because while there are absolutely things dogs need from us and important boundaries that matter, we believe support should meet people where they are as much as possible.

There is so much value in compassion and support as we move through life, in asking for help, and in working with someone who understands that life is not always linear or easy to manage. For us, this also comes back to offering ourselves grace while navigating the responsibility of caring for other beings and life in general, because we have learned that if we want to improve anything long term, we also have to be intentional about building ourselves up in the process.

05/20/2026

Showing up for our dogs in the way they need truly makes all the difference, and Pepper is such a beautiful example of that.

Pepper is an extremely sensitive rescue dog who struggles deeply with unfamiliar people entering her home and space. While she absolutely adores her family, trust does not come easily for her outside of the people she knows best, and once escalated, recovery is non-existent when guests are present.

We originally met Pepper through our Pet Sitting services when her family was looking for someone who could offer her the patience and support she needed while they were away. Building trust with Pepper was not a quick process, but by the end of the stay she was cuddling with Shelby at night, playing with her, and seeking her out for comfort and reassurance. That progress led her family to pursue training support with us since building that trust with someone is half of the battle.

At our first lesson together, we focused heavily on creating a realistic guest protocol that prioritized space, predictability, and minimizing conflict wherever possible. We also worked on handling skills, recovery time, and introducing tools Pepper could lean on during moments of uncertainty.

We returned for our second lesson after a few weeks off and were genuinely blown away by the progress. What once looked countless minutes of panic barking became only brief moments before Pepper was able to recover and relax. Because of that progress, we were able to work through movement around the home, standing up repeatedly after cueing Pepper, changing rooms, and introducing environmental changes that would normally startle her. We also worked outside on polishing pattern games, handling mechanics, creating space from stressors, and continuing to build positive associations to her name and recall.

One of the biggest goals with Pepper is helping her learn how to process and recover instead after escalating, and seeing her show more curiosity and thoughtfulness during stressful moments was incredibly rewarding. These are huge wins for Pepper, and we are so proud of how far she has already come.

Exploring K9 Training

06/11/2026

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