Click N' Connect K9

12/07/2022

Well said!

Behavior Modification takes time- whether we are talking going to the gym as something we do 5 times a week and making it a 'habit', or whether we are talking about changing your dogs emotional response to something.
Often your dog has rehearsed this for a while, and is really good at the undesired behavior you wish would 'just go away'.

It is tempting to reach for 'quick fixes' to these behaviors.
I truly understand.

Thats why it's tempting to sign up for plastic surgery, do a crash or fad diet rather than embark on a lifestyle upheaval commitment of diet and exercise!
Not many of us want to do it the hard way- and we want results 'now'!

But a lot of the 'quick fixes', that seem to work at first, are not always what they seem. There are things that affect the dog deeply. And it can often take time, maturity, the 'right' (or wrong) environment or releasing stimuli (and many other factors) that will show us the long term affect of some of these 'quick fixes'.

We have often not just suppressed the behavior (which is why they seem to work so fast- super attractive for us in society today!), but we frequently have fallout to deal with.
And often, it is not good. Often, it is very dangerous.

Sometimes quick fixes are too good to be true.

Just like 'getting fit and leading a healthier life', canine behavior change takes time, effort and commitment to working with your dog.
And both of those things are often achieved with a qualified trainer on a carefully laid out, personalized plan.
Your dogs behavior is as individual as you are!
Sometimes you can achieve what you are wanting with consistent use of short sessions and quickly, just like 8 minute abs! But you need the whole plan to achieve goals- 8 minute abs wont work if you are consuming 5 chocolate sheet cakes a day...

So , just like the grapefruit diet won't lead to longterm health and wellness, using aversive tools probably won't lead to longterm mental or behavioral wellness with your dog.

Choose carefully.

05/07/2022

Nice group run with the 3 amigos followed by some sit/down/waits! Good job boys!!!

25/05/2022

One doesn’t look like the others😂❤️ some nice off leash training for these 3 tonight!

02/04/2022

Mr. Argus at almost 12 weeks old is getting introduced to the sound of a clicker!

Here we are charging the marker! What does that mean?

It means we are associating the noise of the “click” with something yummy!

Eventually this noise with tell Argus that whatever he did at that moment in time was a good thing and that we liked it! It is the same pitch every time so it helps dogs understand a bit better! He hears the noise, he knows he did something correct and so he gets rewarded for it!

Right now he’s slowly starting to understand what it means! A few more sessions and he will have it!🖤

23/03/2022

Hello everyone! We need your help finding this lovely girl a home that fits her needs!

I have been working with Miss Stella for about 6 weeks now and she has improved in her training immensely but needs a lot of time that her current owners just can’t give her. We have all agreed that finding her a home that is more active and can give her the training time she needs to understand this world will help her flourish into an amazing companion!

Meet Stella!

Hi! My name is Stella, I am a 1.5 yo Kelpie. Recently I moved from a 50 acre farm with my 4 brothers and sisters to a small house. All of my friends left with their moms and without them I need a more active lifestyle that will help me understand how to be a dog! I love to run, learn, explore, and play games. I love my person once I know who that is and I look to them for confidence!

What I need:
- a loving home that will go slow with me

- slow introductions to dogs, I am great once I have met them I just don’t know how to introduce myself. Maybe an older brother or sister to live with will show me how to do it correctly so I don’t scare dogs away!

- I probably shouldn’t live with cats right now as I’ve only met a few and I’m not sure what to do with them so I try to chase them! Once I understand what they are I’m sure I’ll be fine!

-I am nervous about what this world has to offer so my first reaction isn’t always the best reaction, I need a confident handler that will show me what is okay and what isn’t. I need someone to think for me😁

- I am reactive to strangers at first because they’re scary. Once I know they aren’t scary I am okay!

- I need a job! Maybe sports would be fun to do! I do love running and jumping over things so maybe I could try agility soon!

I was bought during covid and I just wasn’t able to see this world for the beautiful, fun place it can be. I need someone to show me it’s okay and to teach me how to play and have a good time!

I am:
-UTD on all my shots
-Microchipped
-Crate trained
-House trained
-travel good in cars

Please call or text us at (860) 383-9792 if you have any question about Stella or you or someone you know fits the bill for this lovely lady. Share this post so we can find her the perfect home!

17/03/2022

Yesterday was a big day for head trainer Sam! Everyone welcome Argus to the Click N’ Connect K9 team!!!💜🖤💜

We will post updates on his training and how he grows!

06/03/2022

So true!!!
I had a training this morning and reminded the owner about this! Don’t forget dogs have bad days too but it is our job to help them feel secure, confident, and loved!! No dog is a bad dog, they just need help communicating and that is where i come in!
If you have a dog that you’re having a hard time understanding feel free to shoot us a message and we would love to help!!❤️🐶

03/03/2022

Good read!

Can you reinforce fear? The short answer is, no. Many people still believe that comforting a fearful dog will reinforce the dog’s fear, but ignoring dogs in their time of need can do great damage. How can you help your fearful dog?

https://positively.com/victorias-blog/coping-with-fear/

28/02/2022

Good read!!!

Dr. Haug explores a few of the myths and the facts about dog training methods.

14/02/2022

Who else can relate?! Total GOALS!!!

Shared by Nathan Cassady

11/02/2022

As your thinking about buying flowers for your loved ones don’t forget to keep your furry loved ones in mind as well🥰

02/02/2022

Too funny!!!

30/01/2022

Wishing everyone that got snow is staying warm and dry!!!
We would love to see your furry friends having fun in the snow so feel free to comment some pictures of them for us!!⛄️❄️

26/01/2022

23/01/2022

Worth the read!!!
We as humans need to work better to understand what it is our dogs are telling us. You wouldn’t punish your kid for him/her telling you that they are uncomfortable in a certain situation so why would we do that to our dogs???

Growling IS acceptable behaviour.

Not only is it acceptable, but it’s a behaviour we can be thankful for and appreciate our dogs for.

A growl is a way for our dogs to tell us that they aren’t comfortable with something. It’s a way for them, as non-verbal animals, to communicate with us in hopes we will listen and help them by giving them space, moving away, or removing something in the environment that is worrying them. Sometimes it may also be a sign of pain or discomfort and we can help them by getting them veterinary care.

A growl is a form of communication that doesn’t do harm or damage. It’s a vocalisation, at the end of the day. And if we listen to their growls, they don’t have to escalate to a snap or a bite.

But if we don’t listen to their growls, they may learn that in the future, growls don’t work and the only way to have people listen when they are uncomfortable, is to bite. When people talk about dogs who “bite out of nowhere”, sometimes it’s the result of a growl having been punished or ignored so much that the dog’s only option left is to snap or bite.

That’s definitely something we want to avoid.

Every dog is also capable of growling, and a dog that may currently growl more than another isn’t a “worse” dog or a more “misbehaving” dog.

If we change our perspective of a growl and see it for what it is, just a form of communication from our dogs to let us know they are uncomfortable, then we will no longer see it as something unacceptable or something to be punished away or corrected.

Instead, we can have compassion for our dogs when they are growling and the discomfort they are in, listen to them, and appreciate the fact that they are trying their best to let us know how they feel. From there, we can help them with their worries and discomfort, and help them feel safe, so they no longer feel the need to growl in certain situations.

ID: A brindle and white dog growling on a blurred green, grassy background. There are 3 lines near the dog’s face to indicate noise. On the left is a translucent text box and the text says “Growling is acceptable behaviour”. The word “is” is underlined.

09/01/2022

So true!!

01/01/2022

Very good read and science based reasons you should choose only a +R trainer!!

The trainer you choose is key in you and your dogs success story!🐾

Even though ‘achieving balance’ is associated with success in our own lives, that meaning doesn’t hold true in dog training.

08/12/2021

Who can relate?😂

This morning 😔

28/11/2021

Happy Small Business Saturday to all of our friends and family with their own small businesses❤️

Here at Click and Connect K9 we do our part in helping our fellow small businesses and local shelters🐶

If you would like to contribute to our small business don’t forget we have our clickers for sale! They are just a small fee of $5.
Each clicker we sell $1 of that proceed (each individual clicker) will be put aside to donate to our local humane society.
So in essence $4 clickers and $1 donation to a good cause.
Help us help others that’s all we can ask for🥰

I have a sales person in CT and also in FL😁

Also stay tuned as we have clothing coming shortly!!

25/11/2021

As you all prepare to feast tomorrow don’t forget!!!

24/10/2021

Happy Sunday everyone!
Moose here got to work on his Loose Leash Walking with distractions!
If you notice in the video there are horses to the side of us and cars in front of us and Moose was able to acknowledge that the distractions were there but decided what we were doing was more interesting!
Also pay close attention, at one point Moose wanted to bite his leash as a game but as soon as I gave him a little eye contact he said “oh yes I am working, this is more fun!” And he decided not to. Moose loves to work!

Why do we train LLW You ask?
1️⃣ No one wants to walk a dog that’s constantly pulling you around
2️⃣ SAFETY!!!! It gives your dog a job to focus on, that way things that he or she may not see everyday like bicycles, children or other wildlife don’t become a hazard to you and your dog.
3️⃣ helps with your dogs impulse control,
ex: if their is a squirrel across the street but you’ve made LLW more fun, they will decide to leave the squirrel to stick by your side! Your the fun one now😉
4️⃣ Allows your dog a bit more freedom than a formal heel but also still gives slack in the leash

If your looking to teach your dog how to Loose Leash Walk message is here and we can help you get started!!!

21/10/2021

Happy Thursday! I hope everyone enjoys what a beautiful day it will be today as much as Mr. Moose here is!😎
If your doing anything fun with your dog, cat, human child, significant other, etc. today feel free to share in the comments👇🏽 we would love to see what everyone is up to!

17/10/2021

Sunday Snoozes after a great clicker training session AND Fall vaccinations! These guys LET us vaccinate them with a needle and syringe and STILL wanted to train with us after! So proud of this herd (more not pictured) who just a few short months ago thought humans only meant something bad was about to happen, now humans mean fun, safety, and a choice!💜🐴

Also a big Thank you to our amazing Vet Dr. Berger for your time and patience with helping in these guys learning and the trust they give us!❤️

10/10/2021

I hope everyone had an amazing Sunday! I wanted to share a clip from one of my trainings today because it was a HUGE moment.

As I’m sure you noticed the animal in the video is not a dog, although close in size meet Biff the miniature pony.

A little back story on Biff….
Biff here had a rough first half of his life, he was left on a farm with all his other brothers and sisters (horses, cows, emu’s, goats, etc. you name it, I bet it was on that property) until one day a lovely couple bought the farm and inherited all the animals on it. When they arrived they noticed Biff was a Stallion (an intact male horse) and so being out with other mares (female horses) both his size and bigger that was going to be a big issue. As any responsible pet owner would, they needed to get him castrated. Only one issue….Biff had never been handled, haltered or had people really any where near him ever. An so in order for this procedure to be done, he had to be caught on the end of a rope and wrestled to the ground. Yes, I know it’s less than ideal but more horses bred would have been a much bigger issue, especially since none of the horses on the property at the time were handled or ever touched by humans either.

And so after his first time being handled/touched by humans meant, caught on the end of a rope, being wrestled to the ground and then waking up to no longer having his manhood Biff was not a fan of people AT ALL!

This happened quite a few months ago, and so I was called in, I was asked to work with all of the horses on the property, big and small so they would all accept basic human handling. My first thought was “how am I going to get any of these horses anywhere near me to even begin?”

I’ve trained all kinds of different horses but these are the first ever that I have trained using all positive reinforcement methods, and let me tell you, IT HAS WORKED!!! These horses were so untrusting in the beginning I couldn’t imagine any other methods working.

And here we are back to Biff, Biff was the last out of all the minis to allow me to get close enough to work with him, I had gained the others trust and they allowed me to work with them to the point that they all are now halter broken and allow basic grooming/care to be done. But Biff still was holding onto that traumatic experience he first had with humans and I can’t say I blame him.

I introduced the clicker very early into his training. We started by when he hears the clicker noise that meant he got a treat thrown near him (remember at this point we still were only allowed about 20 feet away from him). We continue this over and over making the distance of the throws closer and closer to humans until he was able to eat it out of our hands, timing each click perfectly. We did this for a little longer but now we had to change his perception of the clicker. Instead of his thought process being, “I hear the noise I get a treat,” we had to change it to “I do something in the humans eyes as good and when I do that “something good” I hear the noise I like that gets me the treat I want.” In order to change his thought process over to this, I started with a touch command, his nose touches my hand, he hears the click and then he gets his cookie.

Biff picked up on this super quickly and from there our training was just getting started. Fast forward a few weeks later and here we are working with a halter!

When you watchnthe video watch how on the second attempt Biff really struggles a bit to figure out what it is I want from him, which is to put his head to the middle of the halter. After he finds his nose to the middle of the halter I mark it with a click! This click marks to him exactly what is that I want from him. He is super clicker savy so watch how after I give him the perfect mark there are so questions as to what I want anymore, he’s got it!

Yes, you may also be laughing at his hair cut and wondering who would do such a terrible job but this poor guys had the biggest most matted mane/forelock I had ever seen in my life to the point he couldn’t really see where he was going, and so he allowed me to give him a hair cut using these positive reinforcement methods! He truly has been such a fun little guy to progress with and I am so happy I’ve been able to give him a choice to participate with humans again and I am so thrilled he chose to give us another chance.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk if you’ve made it thus far I’m just beyond happy for this little guy and his brothers and sister to now trust humans!

09/10/2021

Happy Saturday everyone!🐶

🐾 What’s everyone doing on this beautiful morning?

🐾 Miss Millie went for a nice Saturday morning walk and is ready for the rest of her day😁

🐾If you live in or around the Ocala/Citra Florida area and would like your dog to get out for walks, hikes, and fun adventures like Millie, message our business page and we can get you signed up!

25/09/2021

📢📢Very good article that everyone should read!

The Dominance theory has been proven to be ineffective through and through and was never meant for our domesticated dogs! Read here and understand why!

The enduring appeal of showing your Chihuahua who is boss.

23/09/2021

🎤CALLING ALL CONNECTICUT CLIENTS📢

🟣Trainer Sam will be in CT from September 24th through September 28th and is available for lessons!

🟣If all of you zoom loving clients would love your chance for those HANDS ON lessons…..NOWS THE TIME!!!!
🟣Message us here and we would love to come work with you and your pup!🐾

21/09/2021

Everyone meet Moose!🐶

Moose has been a big part of the start of Click N’ Connect K9!🐾

As a dog trainer it is super tough not having a dog of your own to practice all of your skills on and unfortunately I am currently one of those trainers.

Luckily I do have an amazing landlord who is kind enough to let me borrow her best friend Moose to continue working on my skills!

When I started working with Moose he didn’t know much as far as obedience training, he’s just a lovable guy who was eager to learn but needed someone to show him the ropes.

We started from the beginning about a year ago and Moose has been flourishing in his training ever since the start!

Instead of focusing on what is not okay and what I don’t like, I use positive reinforcement training to show him what it is I would like and what the correct answer to the question would be. He LOVES to train because I was able to make it fun for him!

His skill set is that of an advance obedience dog now and he continues to learn new things because he ENJOYS TRAINING WITH ME! Yes you heard that right, he stays and works with me because he enjoys doing it!! It is his choice to train and he continues to tell me he’s ready to learn more!

Stay tuned for some training videos of Moose! He’s worked so hard over the last year and it’s about time that he shows off his skills🥰🐾

20/09/2021

⭐️Hi everyone⭐️

🌀 I would like to start by apologizing for the inactivity on this page!

🌀I’ve had a very busy summer and haven’t made enough time for my training page as I would have liked to! (Working as a full time equine vet tech takes up a lot of my time with many long days😬)

🌀With that being said, Click N’ Connect K9 has also not slowed down its only been Sam’s social media skills that has🤣

🌀We’ve had:
- new and old clients (both 2 legged and 4)
- new graduates
- new opportunities
- higher skill sets
- more in person classes
- continuing with zoom lessons

The list goes on and on!

🌀 So stick with us and this page and we promise to stay more active and show you what we’ve been up to!