Delaware K9 Academy

17/08/2024

Read this!! Then read it again. Your dog isn’t better for me because they like me more than you. It’s because I make more sense. Why? Because it’s my job to make more sense! I’m a translator between you and your dog.

It’s not you, it’s the nature of learning a new language. Trust us and trust yourself!

“my dog does so much better for you than they do for me”

something that most trainers hear.

and they should. if your dog isn’t performing for your trainer, then your trainer isn’t good at their job.

don’t let it discourage you. if your dog can do certain things for your trainer, that means that they can do it for you too!!

here’s the thing, when we (trainers) are working with you and your dog, we are constantly “on”. we are working.

everything we are doing with your dog is intentional.

you have lived with your dog 24/7 one way, and now you are changing things, probably pretty drastically, and that is going to take time. and it’s hard.

your dog sees you on your bad days. when you don’t feel like doing the work. when you’re tired and don’t feel like performing.

and that’s okay! you cannot be perfect or “on” all of the time.

as trainers, we can’t allow ourselves to have off days with your dog because that’s not fair and you wouldn’t get the results you need to transform your relationship with your dog and their behavior.

we are only seeing your dog for a few hours or weeks, so we need to get results quickly so we can show you what your dog is capable of and their potential.

so just because your dog behaves better for us than they do for you, doesn’t mean that they’ll never do that for you.

it just means it’s going to take some time!

the fact that your dog is showing these behaviors means that they can do it for you too!! and that’s amazing.

you might never be a dog trainer.

we don’t want you to be a dog trainer if that’s not what you want.

we want you to be able to live with your dog harmoniously and we want you and your dog to be happy.

don’t play the comparison game because then you’ll never be able to see what amazing work you’re doing and how great your dog is.

so keep working hard and focus on the positives, because you can do this.

04/08/2024

Be aware if you’re hiking anywhere on/near the Appalachian trail!! This is a horrific thing to do and I can’t imagine the motivation behind it, but it’s so important to teach your dog not to pick things off the ground because it can mean the difference between life or death.

🔸️ ATTENTION: APPALACHIAN TRAIL DOG OWNERS & HIKERS 🔸️

Over the weekend, it was reported that a hiker found dog treats stuffed with fishhooks near the George W. Outerbridge shelter on the Appalachian Trail.

The incident occurred near the North Trail Loop leading to the shelter, on State Game Lands #217, in Washington Township, Lehigh County.

Items like these could prove deadly to any animal that consumes them, including wild and domesticated animals.

If anyone has any information about the incident or locates more findings, please call 1-833-PGC-WILD or 1-833-PGC-HUNT immediately.

16/07/2024

Corporate wants you to find the difference between these two pictures.

Milo and Wallace stay twinning.

13/07/2024

What is this, cattle dog city?

(Guinness, on the ground, is still looking for a home. Reach out if you’re interested in adopting!)

04/07/2024

Watson wants to wish everyone a happy and SAFE 4th of July!!

26/06/2024

Pixel hopes everyone is staying cool in this heat wave!

20/06/2024

Help us win the 2024 Community Choice Award for best dog trainer (again)!! You can vote every day. Every vote counts and this award allows us get our name out to help even more dogs and families!

Vote for the top nominees in each category and be entered to win a gift card!

10/06/2024

Congrats to Daisy Mae for graduating our reactivity program!🌼 She was adopted and started her training journey at 7 years old, proving to everyone that it’s never too late to start working with your dog. Can’t wait to see how you flourish!!

25/05/2024

Happy memorial day weekend!! Celebrate with 10% off a lesson program if you sign up today, May 25 through Tuesday, May 28! Just mention this post for the discount.

10/05/2024

Mismatched eyes: ✅
Mismatched ears: ✅
Fluffy Merle: ✅

If you like adorable, friendly dogs that can hang out in the house or go on adventures with you, Leo is your dude! He’s hanging out as a board and train with us while he finds his next foster. Whoever fosters/adopts him will get free lessons with us to learn how to work with him! If you’re interested in fostering or adopting this handsome guy, contact East Coast Herding-Dog Organization Rescue Inc. !

29/04/2024

As some of you may know, we have been fostering this Australian cattle dog through a wonderful herding dog rescue. He's ready for his own family! If you're looking for a cool, sporty dog to keep up with you on adventures but also cuddle on the couch, Guinness is your guy! Whoever adopts him will also receive free lessons with me to help them and Guinness get to know each other. Reach out to ECHO if you're interested!

13/04/2024

💊let’s talk medicating your dogs for behavioral issues💊

first things first - i’m not against medication. if your dog needs medication to help them adjust to day to day life, then im all for it. i need medicine occasionally to help with my own anxiety, so if a dog needs it, whether its daily or situationally, then i am not going to deny them that.

but what i (and so many of my colleagues) am struggling with is how quick vets and other trainers are to suggest and prescribe medication without addressing the root cause.

without giving your dog a chance to work through their feelings, to learn how to cope with stress and discomfort and anxiety. and for what?

i understand that it’s difficult to watch your dog be so uncomfortable when you don’t have the answers. medicine SEEMS like the easy answer, but often times what it’s actually doing is just sedating your dog, they’re still anxious and feeling all of their feelings, but now they’re unable to do anything about their feelings, so they’re just stuck. feeling sh*tty. is that the life you want for them???

i have a client right now who, when they adopted their dog, she immediately bonded with the mom of the house and started resource guarding her. she’s incredibly insecure and that was her way of feeling in some sort of control of her life. when taken to the vet, the vet first told them to euthanize her, and then prescribed a heavy daily sedative. at only ten months old.

look, i’m not a vet. my speciality is behavior. i don’t know medicine, so ill stay in my lane here. but i will say that through training, taking this dog off of a daily sedative, building confidence, creating some healthy separation between mom and the dog, and helping her to bond with other members of the family, the resource guarding has COMPLETELY GONE AWAY.

because we gave her the chance to work through some things on her own time. we gave her the opportunity to settle into her new home and adjust to her new family. we taught her how to look to her comfort people for guidance and direction when she’s feeling unsafe, and we also taught her how to work through her feelings on her own.

here’s the thing, this dog is might still a candidate for some anxiety medication due to her sound sensitivity and anxiety. she’s been through a lot in her very short life and during her fear periods. so maybe medication will help take the edge off a bit. BUT!!!! she also has the skills now to work through her feelings when she’s feeling anxious. and that’s the important part.

the meds will (hopefully) help take the edge off in combination with her training. medicine cannot be the magic fix. because there is no magic fix for anxiety. there is no magic wand that can be waved to help your dog. you have to do the work.

there are so many things that need to be taken into consideration before throwing pills down your dogs throat to “solve” an issue. is a trainer telling you medicine is the issue simply because your dog won’t take treats??? (yes, i’ve literally heard this before) is your vet prescribing medicine before suggesting training??? (training should be “prescribed” before medicine!!!!) put on your critical thinking hats before medicating your dogs!

but also know, that if at the end of all of this, medicine seems like the right answer for you and your dog, then that is okay too. your dog is an individual. what works for one dog is not going to work for another.

10/04/2024

Looking for something to do on Saturday? Head to the Pet Expo at Upland Park in Upland, PA and come swing by our booth to say hi! We’ll be there 10am to 1pm. Can’t wait to see you there!

31/03/2024

Happy Easter from Lolo and Bailey!💐

04/03/2024

Apparently here at DEK9 we are now taking polar bears for board and trains🥹

25/02/2024

We went to a rally trial today and made out like bandits! For anyone who doesn’t know, rally is similar to obedience, but you can talk to your dog in the ring and follow signs instead of a judge. We got a 1st (with a perfect score!), 2nd, and a new title! Way to go Jesper!

05/02/2024

Congrats to Maximo for graduating our puppy course, and a special shout-out to his mom for putting in ALL the work!! Maximo was a pretty insecure, reactive guy, even at 4 months old. With all the work his mom has done, he’s now able to accompany them to the farmer’s market! Can’t wait to see how he keeps developing.🐾

19/01/2024

Hope you’re having a warm, safe snow day from us here at Delaware K9!

03/01/2024

If you’re looking for some written material to supplement training with your new canine companion, check these out! They’re full of great info to helping your new pup adapt to your household.

did you bring a new dog home this holiday season? i just launched my puppy and new dog guides to help you out!

each is jam packed with tips and information to help you and your new best friend get started on the right foot. its essentially a brain dump of all of my favorite tricks i’ve learned over the years.

now through january 21st use code NEW11 to save $11 on each guide.

the New Dog Guide is made for dogs over 6 months old and the Puppy Guide is for dogs under 6 months old!

both can be found on my website, duceysdogs.com under the shop tab

happy shopping 🖤

01/01/2024

Happy New Year! Drop your doggie resolutions below!⤵️

30/12/2023

Keep an eye out for our expansion in the new year: Delaware Feline Academy!🤣

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas from our crew here at Delaware K9!

20/12/2023

Willa is one smart cookie! She and her owner have been working very hard to build Willa’s reliability instead of following her hound nose!

14/12/2023

Lincoln starts his board and train with us today! He’s such a happy, goofy boy. We’re excited to have him.

06/12/2023

Walter wants to know if you were aware we do puppy lessons! We not only offer a single informative puppy session, but also a 6-week puppy program for people who want more hands-on help! These are the perfect programs to get you and your pup set up for success!!

PS, can you guess what breed Walter is?

02/12/2023

Everyone wish Aura a happy birthday!! She turns 2 today in the middle of her board and train. She’s made some great progress so far!

28/11/2023

Did you know? We’re CGC Certified! This means we can test your dog as a canine good citizen, as well as any of the variations. We can also test you for trick titles. These are a fun way to bond with your dog and add some cool titles to the end of their name, as well as some ribbons to put on your wall! Message us to find out more.

24/11/2023

For the first time, we're offering a Black Friday deal! Save an entire 20% on a board and train program just by contacting us and mentioning this post. This is today only, so be quick!