No BS K9 Training

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas from everyone at No BS K9 Training!

20/11/2021

If you're flying with your pup for the holidays, it's important to know ahead of time where the airport potty areas are located. Also make sure to allow enough time between flights for this essential activity (and gives them a chance to stretch their legs!)

Thanks for providing a potty place for our pets while traveling!

20/11/2021

Love the Nashville International Airport!

20/11/2021

Love the Nashville International Airport!

08/11/2021

We've been working on putting together photo collages of the dogs in our board and train program. This is ZuZu. What do you think of this idea?

01/11/2021

Guess what we just added to our training tools? A wobble board!

A wobble board is a great cross-training tool to help dogs develop motor-skills and improve their core strength as they works to maintain their balance on the board.

A wobble board is a good way to maintain strong joints, range of motion and mobility, but it is more of an advanced training tool.

To start, put your foot underneath the board to stabilize it and reduce the amount of wobble so your dog gets used to the instability of the board. Then you can slowly reduce how much stability your foot provides while always making sure your dog is comfortable before moving to another level.

29/10/2021

A great podcast that is both informative and entertaining.

Season 2 out now

27/10/2021

Whether your dog competes in a sport like dock diving or just goes on long hikes with you, building your dog's stamina reduces fatigue and exhaustion and helps prevent injuries.

Check out some great ways to build your dog's stamina in this article:
https://caninesports.com/blog/build-stamina-prevent-injuries/

25/10/2021

We went to the USDAA Cynosport Dog Agility World Games this weekend in Murfreesboro. It was a fantastic time and saw some top canine athletes.

Of course, we also loved seeing that any dog breed or size can do a sport such as agility. You can certainly tell the dogs love this sport!

11/10/2021

Did you know seasonal changes could affect your dog just like it can affect humans? Shorter days and colder temperatures mean less time outside and being active, which can affect your dog's mood and health. The cold temps can also affect a senior dog through increased pain from stiff joints.

For tips on keeping your dogs healthy and happy when the weather is changing outside, check out this article from the Grey Muzzle Organization.

As we roll into autumn, many humans experience some sort of mood shift due to plunging temperatures and pushing back the clocks. It’s the time of year with shorter days, colder temperatures and sometimes bouts of the winter blues. Sluggishness, or just a desire to do nothing and hunker down indoor...

04/10/2021

Although it may seem like your dog is barking at nothing, your dog perceives the world very differently than you do. This AKC article can give you a little more insight into what might be causing that barking.

Of course, training can help when that alert barking becomes nuisance barking. If you need help teaching your dog how to be quiet on cue, contact us and find out how we can help!

Why does my dog bark at nothing? Although it may seem like your dog can see ghosts, there's a logical reason for the commotion.

01/10/2021

If you have a puppy like Dane who LOVES to use his nose, why not add a little challenge when feeding him?

Fill up a kiddie pool with empty bottles and scatter his food around inside. This will engage his brain as well as his nose as he searches for his food.

Bonus training skills - this also builds a puppy's confidence as he gets used to the noises the bottles make, the feel of the bottles touching him, and increases his hind end awareness by him having to focus on his back feet placement.

30/09/2021

Did you know?
Dogs curl up in a ball when sleeping to protect their organs—a hold over from their days in the wild, when they were vulnerable to predator attacks.

29/09/2021

Louis is still a puppy and loves people, but he gets a little too excited when greeting people and wants to jump up on them.

Proper greeting manners is something we work on with our board and train dogs. We get them out into everyday situations and work with on how to properly greet people.

Training Tip - we always let new people know we're working on training with our dog. Before letting them pet your dog, ask them to only pet your dog if all four feet stay on the floor. Once they realize you're in training mode, most people are happy to help your dog work on his greeting manners.

28/09/2021

Dogs can sleep up to 12 to 14 hours a day. With more people working from home, dogs are awake more and may not be getting the rest and downtime they need.

Some sleep tips from the American Kennel Club to make sure your dog is fully rested:
Make sure your dog has a safe and quiet place to rest
Give them the choice to interact with you
And (although it seems counterintuitive) make sure they get plenty of exercise which improves sleep quality

How much of the day should a dog spend snoozing? With humans locked down at home, here's what studies say about dogs's sleeping habits.

27/09/2021

Okay, as dog trainers, we shoudn't show any breed favoritism, but we do have a soft spot in our hearts for herding dogs since we've had an Australian Cattle Dog and two Border Collies in our lives.

Herding breeds have some great qualities, but their high energy and high drive means their not suitable for everyone. If you're looking at adding a herding breed to your family, here is an article with an overview of different types and some tips to living with this very active group of dogs.

https://www.dailypaws.com/living-with-pets/pet-compatibility/cattle-dog-breeds

24/09/2021

Working with ZuZu on her loose-leash walking. While "free" walks are great to let a dog explore, it's also important to train on loose-leash walking as well. This skill is great for keeping your dog safe when you're out at an event, when you're approaching other dogs or people while walking, or even just maintaining control when in new environments.

Training Tip - each time your dog "checks in" with you (turns to give you eye contact), reward them with a treat or praise. This positively reinforces your dog's focus to be on you for direction.

23/09/2021

With obedience training, you've got to get the reps in. It's a lot of repeated training sessions over and over. Only then can you layer in duration or combine behaviors together for more complex training.

Of course, you have to progress at the dog's speed and not rush training. That's why our board and train program is great to get those reps in since we're with the dogs day and night, seven days a week.

If your dog needs those training reps, just let us know how we can help!

22/09/2021

Join your fellow pet parents for the on Saturday, Sept. 25th!

Walk anywhere, any length, with others or just you and your dog. The is a chance for you and your dog to enjoy the health benefits of being active together.

If you want to go further, consider donating to the event organizers, Pet Parents. Donations support their Therapy Animal Program, which helps a wide variety of clients including veterans with PTSD, seniors living with Alzheimer’s, students with literacy challenges, patients in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities, and those approaching end of life.

For more information on the and how you can donate, please visit https://p2p.onecause.com/wlpw/home.

World’s Largest Pet Walk is Pet Partners’ signature fundraiser, on 9/25/2021. Funds raised support our Therapy Animal Program which brings love and healing to millions of people in need.

21/09/2021

While our board and train dogs are always training, it's good to incorporate a little fun into the training program.

Adding a little agility training along with obedience training is a great way to add some variety and fitness into your training program. It also keeps the dog's mind engaged in the training by keeping them focused and engaged by wondering what is going to happen next.

20/09/2021

September is National Service Dog month. We hear the terms service dog, therapy dog, emotional support dog. Are they all the same thing? Actually, no, they aren't. It can be confusing to know what the difference is between them.

This AKC article does a great job giving an overview of the different types of dog roles that sometimes all get lumped together as "service dogs".

Service dogs, working dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs all provide aid and support to humans. But they're not the same. What's the difference?

18/09/2021

Happy !

Dogs bring many benefits to our lives. Ensuring they remain healthy, happy, and safe is a vital part of our job as dog owners. Part of being a responsible pet parent includes training, exercise, socialization and proper veterinary care.

Taking care of our pets is a big responsibility, but we all know how rewarding our canine companions can be. If you're like us, your dogs are part of your family too!

17/09/2021

In between training sessions, it's good to build other skills with puppies. Dane, a 5 month old Beagle, is learning to go through a tunnel. While it is fun and gives him a break from his regular obedience training, it's also letting him develop confidence at the same time.

The tunnel provides a different texture under his feet, the fabric touching his back, the sound of the material moving, and having the end of the tunnel partially closed all expose him to different sensory stimulus, which will help him when he goes into different environments with his pet parents.

15/09/2021

We normally say that dogs shouldn't eat "people" food, but I think we can make an exception with these super foods. Who knew blueberries were good for both pet parents and their dogs?

For more super foods for dogs, check out the full AKC article at https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-my-dog-eat-these-human-superfoods/

13/09/2021

September is National Service Dog month and it's a great time to shine the spotlight on the value dogs can bring to our lives.

Service dogs perform a variety of important roles for their owners. Extra training is required for service dogs and is tailored to the specific needs of their owner. Some perform daily tasks like opening doors and cabinets to more advanced skills such as alerting others if their owner is having a seizure.

Part of a service dog's training is also going to public places with their owners. Part of this dog's training was visiting the local home improvement store and getting use to moving carts, which she did like a champ!

11/09/2021

On 9/11, almost 100 dogs were deployed to search the wreckage of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Ten years later, 15 of these dogs were still alive.

11/09/2021

We're continuing to build on Dane's obedience training by building duration on the "place" cue. Having good "place" and "stay" cues are good foundational skills for any puppy to have.

(Of course, a little extra "petting time" at the end of every training session is a great perk of the job!)

10/09/2021

Did you know a person's blood pressure goes down when petting a dog? And so does the dog’s.

While we've never measured it, we definitely know the benefits of petting for both us and the dogs in our board and train program!

09/09/2021

Working with Dane, a 5 month old Beagle, on his loose leash walking. Even when it's raining, we still manage to get in some outside training sessions. The rain doesn't seem to bother Dane at all!

08/09/2021

Baseball season is still going strong. Who knew these ball parks had dogs as part of their teams?

Meet the baseball dogs. From picking up bats and carrying buckets of balls to entertaining fans, these dogs are real team players.