Thompson K9

Thompson K9 Thompson K9 is a small, family-owned balanced dog training business based in Ypsilanti, MI.

23/11/2025

GSD pup Rigby had his first major public training trip to Cabela’s, and it was a very challenging outing for him. From the Salvation Army representative outside to the shoppers and taxidermy wildlife inside, the environment was full of distractions and triggers.

He was understandably overwhelmed but was still able to work through the chaos - both in the store and in his brain - and it was a productive first store trip for him. Though he had lots of feelings about everything he encountered, he didn’t exhibit the explosive reactivity he previously would’ve defaulted to.

Nova at Cabela’s 🦌
17/11/2025

Nova at Cabela’s 🦌

17/11/2025

Alcona started practicing some off-leash training recently and is doing great so far! She’s learning to remain engaged and still follow her commands even when she knows the leash isn’t on. 🐾

13/11/2025

As close to a hidden sleeve “introduction” as we get. 🤣

It seems every other bite work video I see is a dog’s “introduction” to a new piece of equipment, slowly and carefully acclimating them to every change to the point where it’s making a bigger deal out of it than needed - and also sometimes missing the entire point of said equipment. 😅

IMO an “introduction” shouldn’t be necessary when it comes to new equipment. If the dog is supposed to bite and something is there, the dog should take it, if it’s trained properly.

Butch is a perfect example of that.

She has never bitten hidden equipment, and for the last couple of months all of her actual bites have been on the bicep and on the red sleeve I present to her in the video. A very visible piece of equipment.

She had zero hesitation in committing to biting my arm and staying exactly where she stuck it. She didn’t know I had a sleeve on, and not slipping the sleeve and hoodie at the end of bite kept it that way.

This is in no way meant to shame people for being proud of their dog’s accomplishments. It’s a big deal to a handler when their dog is progressing and reaching milestones, and that’s amazing to watch.

My point is directed towards the work itself, and at the end of the day, it might not even matter, depending on your goals. It’s just an observation. 🤷‍♂️

Ladybug at Lowe’s 🩷
12/11/2025

Ladybug at Lowe’s 🩷

Roo at Lowe’s 🧡
11/11/2025

Roo at Lowe’s 🧡

Sending your dog to a board & train program is a big commitment: to the time your dog will be away from home and to the ...
08/11/2025

Sending your dog to a board & train program is a big commitment: to the time your dog will be away from home and to the effort you’ll put in working with them when they return, and it’s a financial investment in their longterm wellbeing and behavior. It is also a huge exercise in trust - and it can be hard to know who to trust with your dog.

Some of the top questions and concerns we hear from owners thinking about sending their dog to B&T involve their dog’s safety and living conditions, as well as the more emotional side of things for the owner (and we get it; being away from your pup is difficult!). We also work with a lot of owners who have already been through training that didn’t help them or their dog, so they’re understandably doubtful about if anything will actually work.

We prioritize owners feeling comfortable and confident with us and our process before moving forward with B&T for their dog. We want to meet you and your dog, to answer any and all questions, and to get on the same page early on in the process. We value honesty, transparency, and communication. We understand how much trust owners place in us, and we don’t take that lightly.

When owners commit to having us train their dog, we commit to making sure their dog becomes the best they can be.

07/11/2025

Rigby the GSD puppy’s first session working on duration place was a very clear visual example of a dog learning to settle.

Our rules for place are: stay on the cot, remain lying down, and maintain a calm state of mind.

Rigby started out whining, huffing, and barking - at everything and at nothing. He broke (sat up, stood up, and/or tried to walk off the cot) a couple times. He was looking for anything to entertain himself. He didn’t know how to handle doing nothing.

But as the session went on - and with a few verbal reminders not to bark or get up - Rigby relaxed, both physically and mentally.

In the beginning, though he was lying down on the cot and technically looked like he was “in place,” he was never mentally there, never truly relaxed. The start of the session was him practicing a learned obedience behavior; the end of the session was him making mindset shifts.

Address

MI

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 19:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 19:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 19:00
Thursday 09:00 - 19:00
Friday 09:00 - 19:00
Sunday 12:00 - 19:00

Telephone

+19893940004

Website

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