Envision K9

25/06/2024

Daisy and Wally enjoying the morning hours during the heat this week!

I have been loving working with Daisy. She is true to her breed, which is fascinating for me as a trainer to work with. I say this to almost every single person that meets me… genetics are WILD! 🧬

Daisy isn’t a dog that I will be doing flashy, fancy obedience with. She isn’t a dog that I will be teaching place to. Could I? Probably. But why? There is a very important difference between can and should.

Her temperament is FABULOUS, especially for a Pyrenees. She’s friendly, open to doing things with me, and has really taken wonderfully to the freedom she’s gotten around here. But at the end of the day, she isn’t bred to be the fastest, “engaged” dog on the planet.

She’s bred to guard, to herd, to work independently. Respecting that makes training a bazillion times easier for myself and for her. Shoving her into a mold that doesn’t fit would not only frustrate myself and her owner, but would drastically change her relationship with us. I can use all of those things to teach and guide her, and give her owner a shot at an incredibly cooperative relationship that benefits both of them.

The day that I started taking genetics into consideration in working with the dog in front of me changed my training. It changed my relationship with the dogs I was training. It helped owners see their dog for who they really are, not who we want them to be.

And often times who they really are is exactly what they are designed to be. Working WITH their genetics instead of trying to change them or suppress them.. that is where the real training is. 🙌

20/06/2024

“DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?!?!?!?!” - Daisy and Buzz 🤣🌼⚡️

18/06/2024

Let’s give a warm welcome to Daisy!

She is a Great Pyrenees and is here for a three week puppy board and train. I love puppy board and trains because I get to help set the foundation for the rest of their lives 😭😍

Daisy is spunky and chill at the same time. Her owner described her as “unbothered” and I honestly think that is so accurate LOL. She’s here to learn the basics like markers, intro to recall, basic commands, and how not to dive bomb her mom while out doing yard work.

A classic, giant puppy! Can’t wait to get to know her better! 💕

17/06/2024

Originally, I was taking this video to talk about how it’s OK for dogs to get some of their frustration out in ways that we may find odd or “undesirable”.

In my humble opinion, letting dogs get some of that frustration out in a controlled or allowed way heavily decreases it when we don’t want it. Koty loves to let loose when she plays, and we don’t discourage it (within reason) during our keep away game. In the past I would have not allowed this.. and to be honest it came out in other ways for Kota. Not to say every dog would be allowed to do this or encouraged, but for Kota, it releases a lot of feelings and makes her overall a much easier dog to live with on the daily. Not everything with our dogs needs to be shut down for fixed constantly. You’ll find yourself doing a lot of suppressing and a lot of managing.

But then after she came back, I realized Buzz was still hunting his ball. I threw it the opposite way from which he ran so he had zero idea where it went. I thought it was neat to watch him completely ignore another dog, another ball, neighbors shooting, and just natural distractions in a field of critters for his desired goal: his chuck it.

People don’t often realize how much teaching the dog to ignore things when necessary is about motivation and/or understanding of “the game” vs the actualdistractions themselves. I can’t introduce him to every distraction he may face in the world or working. Here is your reminder that play/game based training is not just about wearing your dog out. So much can be learned in that game if you approach it that way 🙂

08/06/2024

Raise your hand if you’ve got “old” dogs that you would sell every worldly possession and possibly your soul to stop from aging 🙋‍♀️😭

Love these “old” gals. They’re only 8, so in a perfect world we have lots of time left together. But man does it feel like time has flown by with them! Every year they’re just a little whiter and I’m eternally grateful for 8 years and every extra one that I get with them.

06/06/2024

And then… God made a dog ✨💛

19/05/2024

Check out Doug! Front and center and ready to go 🤣

For anyone who doesn’t know, we raised Doug as a puppy and he was sold to USPC to be an EDD with them. Proud of that boy!

Doug looking pretty cool with all of his friends US Capitol Police

03/05/2024

Happy Friday from Wally! 😍

02/05/2024

WHERE IS BUZZY? 🤔

When you find him, give yourself a high paw from Buzz and comment a fun picture of your dog to “find”!

01/05/2024

Reminder that voting is open until May 10th! And if you’re feeling extra helpful, you can vote every 24 hours! 🙂

Hi friends!

It’s come to my attention (thanks Lili Moreno Jorgensen 🤣) that I was added to the Omaha’s Choice dog training category!

Whoever got Envision K9 added, thank you! I figured why not share and hopefully get some more votes since I’m already on there.

It would mean a lot if you guys would take the time to vote! 🙂

https://omaha.com/contests/omahas-choice-awards/

23/04/2024

Hi friends!

It’s come to my attention (thanks Lili Moreno Jorgensen 🤣) that I was added to the Omaha’s Choice dog training category!

Whoever got Envision K9 added, thank you! I figured why not share and hopefully get some more votes since I’m already on there.

It would mean a lot if you guys would take the time to vote! 🙂

https://omaha.com/contests/omahas-choice-awards/

17/02/2024

✨ OBEDIENCE ✨

Did you know that obedience doesn’t have to flatten your dog or kill drive?! 😮

Obedience should be:

✅ Fun and exciting to teach/learn
✅ Helpful in building a cooperative relationship
✅ Used when necessary, not a constant thing for your dog to be engaged in
✅ Used to open up a whole new world for you and your dog

Buzz’s ball went down into the ravine at the property, and we didn’t want the dogs following Ben to get it. I asked for a sit, waited until I heard Ben coming back up, and then released them with a simple “ok!”. You can actually see the chuck it come flying up right before I release them if you look closely.

I want my dogs to listen when I need them to, but have the freedom to be dogs before and after that. They deserve nothing less than to hunt the mice, chase the chuck it’s freely, and roll in the dirt when their heart desires. And reliable obedience gives us that ability!

14/02/2024

Happy Valentine’s Day from my four and two of my co-owned dogs!!!

Just kidding, I don’t co-own them but I pretend I do because they are just the best! ❤️🥰❣️

Everyone got a cookie from Woof & Whiskers and Bell and Riker got a new toys! A ball for ball obsessed Bell and a squeaky donut for squeaker/anything to hold in my mouth works Riker! 🤣

06/02/2024

We love a clean training room!!!! 🤩🧼

And we REALLY love Presley! The place command is a really important one for his owners, so we’ve been working on it in a tactful way. Instead of just suppressing his puppiness, we use it as a “you’re tired and fulfilled, go relax a bit”. Doing it this way facilitates a more organic form of relaxing for the dog if you want to use place in your everyday life.

He caught on SO fast and I just am in love with his progress here! Pres is the definition of a motivated puppy and he has been an absolute blast to work with.

02/02/2024

If your puppy’s training doesn’t include this… you are definitely missing out! Presley is loving his off leash freedom at the cabin. 🌲

My goal with puppies is always to bring out the happiest, goofiest, confident version of themselves. A lot of people want a perfectly trained dog immediately, and they forget about the joy and relationship that can actually come from training.

Obedience is obviously a super important part of training, but so is how your dog is feeling. Recall shouldn’t be a drag, and the basics like sit and down should be things that they WANT to do. If the dog understands and finds value in what you’re teaching, the fun never stops.

Easy enough when you know what you’re looking for!

20/01/2024

Say hello to Presley!

He’s here for his puppy board and train. What a time with this Nebraska weather! 🤣❄️ he is working on potty training, introduction of basic commands, kennel training (he says kennels are stupid, but we know how important they are), and how to play some games like an absolute pro.

He is a goofy dude that is just happy to be involved.. can’t wait until the weather gets nicer and we can get out into the world. Until then, lots of foundational stuff, relationship building, and outbuilding flirt pole! 🙌