Steadfast K9 Solutions

21/02/2023

5 month old puppy, training to be a service dog. 30 minute hold of a down. Massive distractions to include people, carts, another dog, and children.

Can your puppy do this?

28/10/2022

I spent the weekend training with little Albert and his autism service dog.

That dog is always there, always watching.

Training this pair is pretty challenging. First, Albert is 2 years old. Second, Albert does not bond in “tradional” ways. Both of these factors require a “think outside of the box” approach.

The dog has been placed for a little over a month. The results?

No more “night terrors”…which were happening 2-3 nights per week. Additionally, Albert has gained confidence in public, and is much less reactive to stimuli while out and about.

We trained at a fall festival, which had large crowds, and loud noises of varying pitch and volume…both of which are huge triggers for Albert. Three hours in that environment, and Albert had very few issues with the massive amount of stimulation.

I’m psyched about the progress!

People like Albert are one of the reasons that I do this. The right dog, coupled with the right training is life altering.

30/08/2022

Humans are pretty impulsive creatures. They often base decisions on emotion, instead of logic and reason. (Or, like dogs...what smells good.)

A perfect example of this is new dog owners getting high drive working dogs because the puppies are “cute”, they saw the breed in a movie, or a dog killed a terrorist. They think “Oh, that dog is awesome. I should totally get one.”

They fail to do even basic research on what that dog will turn into, what the dog’s needs will be, and what that dog will need to thrive.

A perfect example is the Belgian Malinois. Featured in a few movies, and celebrated for killing a wanted terrorist. Malinois puppies are adorable.

Malis are incredibly focused, high drive working dogs. Most exhibit extremely high drives, incredible energy levels, and almost one dimensional focus. They are specifically formulated as working dogs. Think...a United States Marine on a m**h binge.

They need constant stimulation, a very strong (and patient) Alpha personality handler. Most are NOT suitable as house pets. They need hours of exercise and mental stimulation daily...and they love to bite things. Lots of things. Pretty much anything, really. Most are appropriate only for experience dog handlers.

That same is true for Dutch shepherds, higher drive working line German Shepherds. Cute as their puppies are, they quickly grow into large, powerful animals that have been purpose bred for certain tasks...which are not sitting in a couch waiting for someone to come home.

They are purpose bred (think...many have almost a genetic memory. They are pre programmed to do certain things.) to dominate other creatures, think independently, and use their mouths to accomplish tasks...via biting. In order to either harness of suppress those drives, an owner/handler needs to understand both dog training and the drives present within that particular dog. Most dog people who impulse buy a high drive working dog lack a basic understanding of either.

This leads to misery for both owner and dog. The owner ends up with an out of control, (what they think is) crazy, dog that bites. The dog is not happy, because there is conflict with their owner, and their base drives are not being utilized.

Best case, everyone is unhappy. Worst case...destruction of possessions and the very real possibility of an actual dog bite.

What inevitably happens is the owner will get rid of the dog. Best case is a “rehoming” of the dog. To draw a parallel...your parents give you away to someone else because they think you suck. The next possibility is an animal shelter or rescue. This is the equivalent of your parents dropped by you off at a jail. Worst case, the owner abandons the dog. (It happens more often than people realize, and it is as devastating to the dog as one would imagine.)

With extremely rare exception, there are no bad dogs. There are only dogs that are not understood, properly trained, or appropriately utilized. Dogs who were acquired by an irresponsible human who failed to learn how to communicate, train, or care for the dog that they took responsibility for.

For all of you humans thinking about getting a high drive working dog...research that breed. Learn how to actually train a high drive dog. (Hint...”positive only” training will not work.). Understand what that dog will need to be happy and satisfied. Now, if you have the slightest doubt about the fact that you are strong enough, patient enough, have enough time...

Don’t. Just don’t

21/06/2022

Amelia the Service Dog, working on ignoring heavy distraction.

One full hour at the entrance of a busy store.

Amelia is only one year old!

13/04/2022

45 minutes at the entrance to a busy store. Zero issues, despite massive distraction. Carts, people, noise, and all kinds of smells.

We are training Lobo to be a therapy dog for a burn unit and ICU.

13/01/2022

THIS VIDEO IS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING.

This video is a perfect example of why people need to research the “trainers” that they entrust with their dog.

This isn’t training. This is the worst abuse that I have ever seen.

The dirty secret within the dog training world is that anyone, literally anyone, can call themselves a “dog trainer”.

It doesn’t matter if the only experience they have is working for Petco, only training their own dog, or watching a few YouTube videos. In fact, the only training required by one of the most popular franchise trainers is...3 weeks of training on how to press a button on an e collar remote. Three weeks, with only one tool/training m**hod.

When you interview a trainer, make sure to ask them what certifications they hold, and who they trained with. The vast majority of trainers aren’t certified in anything. The reality is that they are taking your money, and experimenting on your dog...with varying results.

When we decided to begin training other people’s dogs, I spent over six months away from home, training with some of the very best trainers in the world. People who are widely acknowledged as Subject Matter Experts in K9 training. Quite literally, the people who “wrote the book” (in one case, 5 books) about their specialty. My training cost well over 30k.

My son spent over a year interning with the same people. The courses were physically and mentally demanding, the instructors expected our best...otherwise, they would fail us or send us home.

Despite 40 years of experience raising and training large breed working dogs, both my son and myself put ourselves through those courses in order to both have documented Subject Matter Expertise, as well as the K9 Master Trainer credentials that come with that expertise.

Additionally, we have documented successful histories of producing life altering service dogs, “Tier One” military working dogs, rehabbing dogs with serious aggression issues, instilling confidence in dogs with serious fear issues...as well as fixing what other trainers have “broken”.

Experience, training, and certifications DO matter. They show people that we are serious about what we do, and took the time and expense to become the very best that we can be...

So that your dog can be the absolute best (and happiest) they can be, which includes a strong bond with their human.

As trainers, we concentrate on strengthening the human/K9 bond. We believe that dogs are sentient beings with immense potential. We succeed in bringing out that potential through balanced training.

This “trainer” heralds himself as a “celebrity dog trainer”. Seriously. It is painfully apparent that this “man” has absolutely no clue on how to actually train a dog, and has absolutely no respect for what a dog is...and what they can be.

He needs to be prosecuted.

If you need help with your dog, one of our certified K9 Master Trainers CAN help you...no matter what the issue is. We even have a Master Trainer who can travel to you!

05/01/2022

Can your puppy stay in one place for an hour? How about doing it in the middle of a busy department store...The day before Christmas?

The dogs that we train can. This puppy is 10 months old!

If you have any issues with your dog, we can solve them. We train everything from pets, to service dogs, to Tier One WMDs.

We even have a trainer that can travel to you!

30/12/2021

Steadfast K9 Solutions is excited to announce that we can offer a certified K9 Master Trainer that can travel to YOU!

Our traveling Master Trainer is certified in: K9 Behavior Modification; Basic, intermediate, and advanced training, K9 scent imprinting for scent detection, Tracking and Trailing, and service dog training.

He can train anything from a timid Yorkie to a Tier One military working dog.

08/12/2021

Working on staying down with heavy distraction.

22/11/2021

People...

Let’s have an honest chat, shall we? Let’s discuss breed selection.

Recently, someone I know was bitten by a dog while working at a restaurant. He was removing a plate from a table. The owners had their two dogs with them and were seated outside. Now, this is someone who has interacted extensively with my dog while in public. He has always been very appropriate, and never had any issues with my dog. Great guy.

He suffered a serious dog bite on his side, right above the belt line. Full mouth, with puncture wounds on both his stomach and his back.

Why did this bite happen? The owners failed to consider two factors before going out in public...breed and training.

He was bitten by a Caucasian Shepherd, also known as an Ovcharka. The Ovcharka was originally bred as a guardian dog in what is now Russia. While they have a cute fluffy appearance...They display a serious protective drive, and an innate extreme distrust for strangers. They are purpose bred to fight and kill animals like bears and wolves in order to protect livestock. They are extremely intelligent, stubborn, and are well known from going from relaxed and affectionate to extremely protective the moment they detect a threat. They also routinely grow to 150 pounds plus. They are huge, extremely powerful, high drive dogs...with a very high protective drive.

They are not meant to be owned by the average suburbanite who lacks the will to properly train that dog and harness their drives.

I don’t fault the dog in this situation. The dog did exactly what it has been bred to do. It felt that the physical proximity was a threat, and reacted accordingly.

I fault the owners. They failed on several levels. First, they failed to consider the innate drives present within that dog. They just viewed the dog as fluffy and cuddly. They then failed to properly train that dog, and also failed to suppress that protective drive enough to take that dog out into public places. Then, they took a poorly trained, reactive dog into a high stimulus environment.

Here’s the deal...
Each dog has innate drives bred into them. Thousands of years of purposeful selective breeding have produced distinct breeds of dogs. Each breed was purposely “designed” (for lack of a better word) for specific tasks. In order to accomplish those tasks, only dogs with distinct qualities were bred. This resulted in each breed displaying specific propensities, drives, and behaviors. This was done so that dogs could work and accomplish tasks for their owners.

Today, most dogs no longer have a job. People often treat them as “fur babies”, disregarding what that breed was designed to do. They do not carefully consider the innate qualities and drives that their potential dog was bred for. Ignoring those basic, purpose bred drives. Failing to train their dogs properly, based upon those drives.

Depending on the breed (as well as the individual dog), that can be disastrous.

Please be responsible in your choices when it comes to dogs. If you cannot provide the dog what he/she needs, cannot harness their drives, and cannot respect their purpose...

Get a cat.

07/11/2021

30 minutes at the entrance to Lowe’s.

Both Smokey and Henry did well.

20/08/2021

The first day of high school for one of the dogs that we have trained recently. Basil completed our basic obedience and public access modules, and her handler trained with us, as well.

Basil is less than 5 months old.

Today was my first day of school! It was filled with lots of people who think I’m adorable, and I got to help my handler with his first day too.
🐕 Basil is starting high school a few periods a day, slowly getting used to the routine. As she grows and learns, she’ll increase her time in the building.

18/08/2021

OK, People...

Midwestern Pet Foods products have been linked to at least 130 deaths, and 220 confirmed illnesses.

The FDA has issued a warning that high levels of aflatoxin have been found in their Sportmix dog foods, which can lead to illness or death.

If you feed this to your dog, please throw out the bag and substitute som**hing else. Yes, a sudden change in food will often cause diarrhea, but that is far better than running the risk of your dog getting sick or dying.

We recommend only feeding your dog food made with “human grade” ingredients. That assures that your dog receives that nutrition that he/she needs, without tons of fillers.

14/08/2021

One of our core competencies is service dog training. We breed, raise, train, and place some of the very best German Shepherd service dogs in the country for PTSD, often coupled with mobility issues and TBIs.

Why is this one of our core competencies? Because our lead trainer has been a service dog handler for the past 7 years. He knows what it takes to train a service dog to accomplish the tasks that their handler needs. He understands exactly how vital a service dog is. He treats service dog training as possibly life saving...because he knows it can be.

This is one of our puppies. She is only 4 months old, and is about to complete her basic obedience course with us.

The locomotive is ten feet away. Lots of noise and vibration. Watch her focus and confidence.

12/07/2021

Working on a public down/stay with Raven. Her handler is Miss Wheelchair Georgia. She is also a strident advocate for service dog handlers.

Lots of distraction, for about an hour.

An employee pushing a large broom in close proximity. A customer examining the grill closest to her. People walking past. Carts, a motorized wheelchair, children...

And some mental midget with an off leash pit bull that decided to approach us to see if our dogs “are friendly”.

Raven did extremely well!

03/07/2021

Heavy distraction training today.

5 month old puppy. Chickens, ducks, bunnies, geese, other dogs. Goats.

Absolutely rock solid all morning.

Raven is being trained up as a service dog for Miss Wheelchair Georgia.

29/06/2021

As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I have been incredibly fortunate to train with some of the absolute best K9 trainers in the nation. Men and women who are the recognized authority within their K9 specialties. Some of them have, quite literally, “written the book” on the type of training that they specialize in. Or, they have developed a training m**hod that eclipses all others. They are frequently featured in the news, quoted in articles, etc.

But, unlike many of the other “K9 experts”...

They aren’t in it for the fame, accolades, or notoriety. They have real world experience that taught them exactly how serious K9 training must be. Law Enforcement and Military K9 handlers that have had to rely on their dog to survive, and save other people’s lives.

The woman in the left hand picture is Sinead Imbaro. She developed a m**hod of K9 scent imprinting that is world renowned. In a few days, she and her dog will be featured on the show “America’s Top Dog”. Most people would think that being on that show would be the most important thing she will do this week.

It is not...not even close.

The picture on the right is Sinead and her K9 Magnus, yesterday...searching through the rubble of the building collapse in Surfside Beach, Florida. There are still over 150 people beneath all of that concrete, and both she and her K9 are desperately working to find them.

I’ve trained with Sinead. As an instructor, she is demanding, precise, focused. She refuses to accept anything less than 100% from both her students, their dogs, and herself. She is an utter badass, who inspires those around her to be the same. Why? Because what she is teaching could be the difference between life and death. Literally.

The building collapse has hit a little close to home for me. My family has a similar property pretty close to that site. Had history been slightly different, my father could have easily been one of those 150 people.

To the families waiting and praying for news, I will tell you this...

There is not a single better K9 team that I could think of to be working that site. I have watched Sinead with her K9. They have a phenomenal bond, forged through years of exhaustive, uncompromising training. Magnus is a rock star. Sinead’s drive, work ethic, and subject matter expertise are second to none.

I know that both Sinead and Magnus have trained for exactly this...exhaustively. Day after day, week after week, year after year. Pushing themselves, all the while knowing that the training they do may actually save someone’s life.

As stated before, had history been slightly different, my father could easily be trapped beneath that building. If that were the case, I would be take comfort from the fact that Sinead and Magnus were deployed to that site...

Because I know that they have done everything humanly possible to be prepared for exactly this horrible scenario, and are both putting everything they have into the all important task at hand.

29/06/2021

5 month old puppy, being trained by our head trainer. Loud jarring noises, unfamiliar environment. She is being trained as a service dog.

He is a certified K9 Master Trainer with over 40 years of experience...who specializes in training up rock solid service dogs.

He is certified in basic obedience, advanced obedience, K9 scent imprinting, behavior modification, puppy pre school, and service dog training and selection.

He is a “balanced trainer” who focuses on creating a extremely strong bond between dog and handler.

The puppy’s entire focus is willingly on the handler, not the noise, commotion, people, or objects. This will allow her to ignore any distraction in order to appropriately perform the tasks that her handler will need.

,

29/06/2021

5 month old puppy, working on her heel...in a store.

A properly trained dog should require only two fingers in the leash in this situation.

27/06/2021

For all of those who have puppies, here is your Potty Training guide.

10/06/2021

Today, I’m training a dog for someone who purchased one of our puppies. She is a beautiful silver sable. 6 months old.

She is working on staying in place, despite being distracted by one of her favorite things...

The creek.

29/05/2021

One of the things that Archie’s handler was nervous about was taking Archie to the beach. She was worried about him not listening, or having issues with other dogs.

The Steadfast K9 Solution? We did “beach training”. (Which, quite honestly, was fun and relaxing.) Lots of exposure, and lots of obedience while at the beach.

The result? Perfect behavior at the beach.

18/05/2021

Hard at work, socializing puppies for service dog placement.

16/05/2021

People often ask if they should neuter their dog early.

The answer is...NO.

Neutering a dog before two years old robs them of critical hormones necessary for bone density and muscle development. It triples the risk of joint issues, and shortens a dog’s lifespan.

This study cited was done properly. A large group of dogs, over an extended period of time. A control group was used. The results cannot be refuted.

Most people cite behavior modification as a reason to neuter. Proper training is a far better m**hod to have a positive impact on behavior...

Without effecting the long term health of your dog.

Neutering German shepherd dogs before age one increases risks of joint disorders, according to a newly published study out of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

16/05/2021

Does your dog behave well enough to go to prom?

Our dogs do!

10/05/2021

Doing some environmental work with Commander. Loud noises, exposure to moving vehicles.

A trainer that we cooperate with (who also owns one of our dogs) is flying in and picking her up, then training her as a service dog.

10/05/2021

More environmental work with Archie. Heavy distraction to include baby geese, and another dog playing with a toy. Rock solid throughout.

Archie is a life altering service dog for a teacher who survived the Parkland school shooting in Florida. He also functions as a therapy dog for students within the classroom.

03/05/2021

Time lapse of environmental training with Archie.

Normally, we do not allow any public interaction with service dogs as they are being trained.

Archie, however, is an exception. Archie is almost a “dual purpose” dog. Not only is he the service dog for his handler (A teacher who survived the Parkland school shooting), but he also sometimes functions as a therapy dog for students.

As such, we worked on staying in place, with occasional instances of him physically interacting with children.

He did as well as always.

,

03/05/2021

Public access work with Archie the Service Dog.

Archie is back with us for a few weeks of training. He is a service dog for a heroic teacher who not only survived the horrible school shooting in Parkland Florida...but she also saved the lives of her entire classroom.

We are working on staying in place, despite heavy distraction. He is sitting directly by the front door of a Lowe’s store.