Lionheart K9, Dog Training in Maryland

07/04/2025

And this!

🎆🇺🇸 4th of July Reminder for Horse Owners 🇺🇸🎆

Fireworks are loud, chaotic, and completely predictable… because they happen every year. If you own horses, it's your responsibility to prepare them for life's noises—not the world’s responsibility to go quiet because you chose to own livestock.

It’s not reasonable to expect your neighbors to cancel their celebration for your horse. What is reasonable is that you spend time desensitizing and preparing your horses so things like fireworks don’t send them into a panic. Whether it’s through exposure, training, or thoughtful management, this is part of horsemanship.

Horses don’t live in bubbles. Whether it’s fireworks, tractors, dogs, loudspeakers, or gunfire—our job is to make sure our horses can handle the world they live in.

Stay safe, be prepared, and enjoy the holiday. Happy 4th of July! 🎇🐴🇺🇸

07/04/2025

The best time to start preparing your dog for loud noises isn't the 4th of July, but here we are! Here's some things to consider, since animal control will be working overtime to secure dogs who were terrorized by fireworks. Just know that after this weekend, it will be the best time to start preparing for the next big event. Stop procrastinating.

Welcome to another Training Tip Tuesday!
Since it’s July 2nd it only makes sense that we talk about the giant sparkling wicked loud exploding elephant in the room: FIREWORKS.
The rules are the same every year, so I decided to re-run a 2021 post from the Fortunate K9 student group. But before we begin, please indulge a brief appearance by Captain Obvious:
- Make sure any fencing and gates to your yard are truly secure to prevent a dog escape from your yard.
-Even better, if your dog is spooky, only bring him out ON LEASH and an INESCAPABLE COLLAR to do his business, preferably before the fireworks really start.
- Does your dog have any sort of visible ID with your contact info on it attached to him? Now’s a good time to make that right, just in case.
- If you’re on good terms with your neighbors who host a fireworks party, ask ahead of time what time they’re thinking about starting the festivities so that you can get your dog out before they get going.
- Don’t be the dummy who brings their dog right to Ground Zero where the town is doing their official display or your neighbors are doing theirs. Way too many things can go wrong even if your dog has no issue with the fireworks themselves: big crowds of possibly tipsy people who are wearing minimal-coverage summer clothes while staring into the sky? Sounds like a great place to bring a dog (NOT). Do your dog a huge favor and leave him home for this stuff. Please.

And now, from July 2021, a word to the wise about fireworks and your dogs.

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Hi all, I've seen a couple of posts here and also gotten a few private messages regarding fireworks reactions in dogs.
Right now we're in the thick of it, and my house in East Derry sounds like a warzone. There are four dogs in the house right now: Fox and Pizza don't really care about the fireworks at all. Foster boy Riku is slightly whiny but not freaking out. And Boarding Student Oakley started out nervous but is now much more relaxed even as the intensity of the display hasn't changed.
Best advice right out of the gate?
-If your dog is crate trained, put him in his crate. He will feel much more secure in a familiar place. If necessary, cover it partially (not entirely). Is he safe with a super valuable chew like a marrow bone or a peanut-butter-stuffed Kong? Now's a good time for him to have one IN HIS CRATE.
- If a crate isn't possible for some reason, give your dog access to the bathroom and if he wants to get in the tub, allow him to (this is a common stress reaction in some dogs during loud times). Do NOT allow him to pace or go from window to window.
- Put on some competing noise. Paul has some Miles Davis playing at a decent volume on the first floor where the dogs are. I have students who use white noise machines or who watch action movies with their dogs during loud events.
- DO NOT CODDLE FEARFULNESS. Acting super concerned and nervous yourself is only going to exacerbate the behavior. A calm, matter-of-fact demeanor is a lot more reassuring than a panicky or coddling one. When Oakley was first reacting with nervousness my most involved verbal response was "Wow, that was a big boom! Who cares! Let's go over here and sit for a minute." It's fine to acknowledge a change in environmental distraction but it's a huge mistake to invest a lot of importance in it as you'll create more of a problem than you started with.
- Use your obedience. If your dog hasn't gone completely off the deep end, get into his head with something he can do to control himself: a sit/stay, a place command, a down underfoot. Calm, quiet praise for successful completion. EDITED TO ADD: this suggestion appeared originally in the FK9 student group and was intended for people who train with us. We train in a way that the dog has an understanding of the expectations and will often derive stress relief from “doing his job”. If your dog is unfamiliar or unreliable with obedience training ,ie, you have to bribe or bully him just to get his attention, then please do NOT make things worse for him by demanding something he may not be able to give you. Stay with the management suggestions instead (and pro-tip: get some better training for yourselves! 😊 )
Like all good training and behavior rehab/modification, conditioning a dog to remain calm under this kind of duress may take time, effort and commitment. But other than dogs who have genetic shyness or dogs who are going through age-related hearing changes, there actually are few reasons for dogs to panic at typical levels of fireworks.
Act like you want your dog to act, give him a safe, small place to feel secure, and put on some tunes. This stuff will probably be going on all day and night tomorrow too!

Have a safe and Happy Independence Day!

(That's FK9 student Maverick watching the show from his porch.)

07/02/2025

The fastest way to get a puppy used to the novelties of different environments, people and objects is to allow them to explore.

The easiest way to get a puppy to accept odd sounds or loud sounds is to let them hear, from a safe, buffered distance, of course!

Yelling at your puppy is foolish. Now both of you are making noise.

You can't punish a puppy. The puppy has no understanding of what it's supposed to do, so the best decision you could make is to let the puppy figure it out.

That doesn't mean let the puppy be startled or traumatized. Give the pup enough room to explore, by giving her room to advance or retreat at her own pace.

A sincere "Goodgrrrrrl!" when she shows bravery and emotionally neutral support when she is cautious.

There's always tomorrow.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and good dogs won't be, either.

VMF Laurel, scoping out her new digs.

Bred by Sandy Stokes

Owned by Veterans Moving Forward

07/01/2025

There are a lot of sensible folks in the horse training space, and this response from an individual I respect is classic.

You have three options when it comes to managing a dog's behavior effectively:

Fix the behavior yourself.

Have someone else Fix the behavior for you.

Ignore the behavior.

You'd be surprised how many people choose the last option.

06/29/2025

The one caveat to working with dogs who resource guard is the effort it takes to "front-load" the behaviors we will be using to -control- resource guarding dogs.

The three primary skills a dog should have for this work is an 'OUT!' command, a 'LEAVE IT!' command, and a retreat command, like 'KENNEL!' or 'PLACE!'.

Obviously, the very first prerequisite is going to be removing opportunity, which could well mean confining the dog away from resources (crating or tethering, or at least leashing in the case of dogs who resource guard space, furniture or humans), not permitting free access to resources like food or water (picking up or relocating things the dog covets), and restricting potential resources in multi-dog homes by only permitting access to resources while confined, and not allowing cross-access to those resources (by other dogs in the home), with shutting crate doors even when the crate is not occupied.

Even dogs that resource guard crates will eventually have to leave the crate to go outside. This is useful knowledge. It can be used successfully as a risk mitigate for dogs that resource guard crates or crate contents.

A safe strategy is to remove the dog and relocate, before attempting to remove the object.

I have tethered severe resource guarders inside their crates to facilitate handler safety when extracting the dog away from its resource, and securing the resource after the dog is removed. If the crate itself is the resource, we can address that in much the same way; by being emotionally neutral and practicing many conflict-free exits and entries before un-tethering.

Unsurprisingly, if handlers stop making it about the object or the space, the dog generally doesn't perceive a threat and doesn't become defensive.

Not true in all cases, but enough to reveal a pattern of triggers that made the dog defensive, and how to alleviate that without creating conflict.

So, let's discuss. Link in the comments to learn strategies to prevent, mitigate and resolve resource guarding in dogs.

The conversation is already starting!

06/24/2025

This rahtchere is why we do not feed dogs together, and why we don't "house" dogs together in a boarding environment.

I don't GaS how well your dogs get along at home- put a resource in between two predators and it doesn't take much for crap to pop off.

Professional boarding kennels are still one dog/one run or one dog/one space when it comes to feeding time and this is why.

Groomers that offer "cage free" grooming see exponentially higher incidents that include dog deaths from fights and human injuries than groomers who confine their animals when not being handled.

Dog "daycares" are the number one place where dog injuries/deaths/fights occur, and bites to humans due to trying to separate fighting dogs.

The internet is proof enough. You don't have to look very hard.

You can take all the chances you want. I'm not going to. I am risk averse when it comes to other people's property.

It only takes a single miscalculation for irreversible damage to occur.

Link to the whole video is in the comments.

06/22/2025

I am seeing an abundance of video clips of dogs getting defensive over food, toys, space and even certain people.

It's not cute. It's not funny. It can be pretty dangerous.

There is a video floating around of an individual that calls themselves a *trainer* just tormenting a young, muzzled Golden Retriever with an empty food bowl and a sack of food.

That's not training. That's abuse.

Knowing how to prevent, remediate and eliminate resource guarding behavior does take time, because it requires a sea change in the way we manage our dogs, and helping the dog not feel threatened.

That's the only reason it happens to begin with. The dog feels it needs to defend it's interests soon morphs into the dog learning it can control access through aggression.

Humans are not any different.

Resource guarding is natural, yet it's one of the primary reasons dogs are given up or euthanized.

It is an evolutionary advantage to successfully defend resources. Doing so enables that organism to survive another day; produce offspring, and assure the continuation of the species.

It can be controlled, even 'cured', without resorting to violent acts as most recently displayed by angry, incompetent "trainers" who brutalize dogs with empty food bowls while they wear muzzles and cower in fear.

It takes an understanding of what triggers the behavior and how to reduce risk of it occurring from puppyhood, into adulthood.

I teach owners how to do this successfully every day.

When you are ready, read the comments.

06/21/2025

I don’t get any more gratification from helping an adopted or “rescue” dog than I would from a purpose-bred dog or a purebred dog. Having helped them suit their situation better is the only goal.

Being able to guide that dog and it’s ownership into a better frame of existence is the job. My feelings about it are limited to my success and how I can improve for the next one.

I tell owners, whether their dogs were bred from the finest bloodlines, or hauled across state lines on an illicit ‘transport’ that we train the dog at our feet, not the one in our head. I am simply the conduit to nurture that relationship. My satisfaction comes in the form of having been able to help, successfully.

I don’t understand the “adopt, don’t shop” trope, and I have never supported it. The notion that one dog is somehow more deserving than another is fraught with untruths. Whether a person chooses a dog from a well-bred litter or from another source where provenance is questionable, dogs require care and affection, regardless of their pedigree. Buying a dog from a rescue or shelter is a matter of preference, it should never be an ‘only’ option.

My favorite dogs to work with are the bold, confident youngsters that are willing to try anything. They model the behavior I deliberately select for my own dogs, and the behavior I would like to see in all dogs.

My greatest successes are helping dogs that lack that quality to gain it to some degree, and live fulfilling lives without fear. Or at least, much more confidence. Fearful dogs are challenging. Whether through genetics or experience, humans made them that way.

I don’t understand the preference to have to work harder for something. I prefer an odds-on chance for success by starting with raw material that is going to make my job easier. If I personally had a choice between the purpose-bred pup that I could mold like clay, or the dog that has been passed from pillar to post, my decision favors the former.

As a trainer, I don’t have the luxury of telling people what dogs they *should* buy, I am obligated to help them where they already are. They chose their dog for a reason. My job is to help them with the dog at their feet, not the one in their head. Nor the one in my head.

The litmus test for folks is to put their prejudices aside and just train the dog in front of them. Not everyone is suited for a puppy. Not everyone has the temperament to work a dog with behavior issues. Not everybody has designs on performance events with their dogs. We are all going to be limited by our experience, our willingness to invest time or money or both, and our interests.

The dogs we own require our attention. Whether they were scraped off the streets of some third world country and brought here, purchased from a top performance breeder with the lofty ambitions of a world stage, or bought out of the transport’s trailer at some road stop on interstate 95, the owner enters an unwritten contract to care for the needs of that animal.

Be sure that you are prepared for all that entails.

06/20/2025

Yup.

Peer Review in the Horse World

In most professional fields—whether it’s medicine, science, or academics—peer review is the gold standard. It’s how people within that profession check and challenge each other’s work. It’s not about being negative or picking each other apart; it’s about making sure that what’s being presented holds water, that it’s tested, reviewed, and truly useful. It’s about keeping each other honest.

But you know what? The horse world has its own version of peer review. It’s called a horse show.

When you haul a horse to a show and step into the arena, you're putting your training, your methods, your horsemanship—and your results—on display. You’re allowing your peers, judges, and yes, sometimes even the critics, to see what you’ve built. You’re opening yourself up to praise when things go well and correction when they don’t. That takes guts. But more than that, it shows that you believe in your work enough to let it stand on its own two (or four) feet in public.

Too often today, I see trainers who don’t show, don’t compete, and don’t ever put their work in front of anyone else. They post polished videos, they say all the right buzzwords, and they might even throw around terms like “natural” or “science-based” to try and lend credibility to what they do. But without putting that work through any kind of review process, how do we know it’s solid? How do we know it works under pressure, or across different horses, or over time?

We don’t.

And let me take that one step further—because this same thinking applies to all the “studies” and “research” I see people quoting online. Especially in the horse world, where science and emotion get tangled up quick. Just because something is called a “study” doesn’t mean it’s solid. This includes many publications from large well known universities. If it hasn’t been peer reviewed, then nobody has checked the method, the results, or the conclusions. And when nobody checks, you can pretty much find a “study” that says anything you want it to say—because it’s never been questioned.

That’s dangerous thinking.

And that’s why I say this: whether we’re talking about science, training methods, or a new “revolutionary” idea about horse care—ask where the review is. Ask what kind of scrutiny it’s stood up to. In the horse world, that means looking at people who show their horses, who compete, who clinic, who put their work out there to be tested in public. That doesn’t mean they have to win every time. It just means they’re willing to be transparent and open to growth.

Those are the people I want to follow. Those are the voices I trust. Because they’re walking into the arena every day saying: “Here’s what I’ve done."

That’s real peer review.

06/17/2025

Training may be expensive at the front end, but I can assure you, it's paltry in comparison to lawsuits for attacks on humans or other animals, homeowners insurance increases, sedation for vet visits or grooming over the life of the dog, high-security boarding if you ever want to take a vacation, and a thousand other things that make your investment not only make sense, but save you money, long term.

Don't want to pay that? Think you can manage on your own? Just 'give up' the dog by dumping it at a shelter to become someone else's problem?

How's that gonna look to the kids?

If you can live with that guilt, it's no skin off my beak, but karma is a thing, and she has ways of making sure you remember.

In a world where prevention is in fact worth more than a pound of 'cure' over the long haul, the sticker shock that comes from having to -fix- a dog rather than -inoculating- against inappropriate behavior can be startling.

Working with difficult dogs is not without consequences.

Knowing what to do and how to do it is possible through a lot of practice.

I can tell you what to do, but do you have the practice to do it as well as I can?

I can do it for you, but there is cost associated with assuming all the risk.

Either way, there's a trade-off.

Fast, good, or cheap. Pick one.

They all involve some sacrifice.