Kevin's K-9 Academy, LLC

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Kevin's K-9 Academy, LLC Certified Canine Training Specialist & Behavioralist Hello! My name is Kevin Shaffer and owner of Kevin's K-9 Academy, LLC in the Huntersville/Concord, NC area.
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I'm a Certified Canine Training Specialist and love every day I get out of bed in getting the satisfaction of helping people and their dogs develop a happier life together. Prior to pet care and training, I was a successful business to business sales representative for over 25 years but wanted something more meaningful and fulfilling. I started with volunteering at a local Humane Society and quick

ly realized my passion for animals was something that really drives me. I have always been a dog owner and dog lover and over time I came to realize that a career in dog care and training would be a great opportunity to help both people and animals. My wife and two children (7 and 10) have been an inspiration to me and have been equally excited about my career choice. We have 3 dogs (all rescues) of our own: Bailey, Brady, Chloe (fixed, healthy, and up-to-date on shots). Once again , I am a Certified Dog Trainer and behaviorist graduate from the Charlotte, NC based The Dog Knowledge. I'm a relationship based trainer as I look forward to caring for and/or training your “furry friend”. I truly love animals and look forward to getting to know each and every one of them!

Kid Friendly Pup Training Ideas for Your Family :)Happy Saturday everyone!  This week I want to chat about a few kid fri...
20/07/2024

Kid Friendly Pup Training Ideas for Your Family :)

Happy Saturday everyone! This week I want to chat about a few kid friendly training ideas you can do with your furry friend. Here are a few ideas:

1- Have your child feed your dog. That way your child is viewed by your pup as higher on the totem pole in the hierarchy within your family. The great part is that you don't need a lot of words. Have them place the bowl above your dogs head which will inherently cause most dogs to sit. Have them say "good" as their rear hits the ground. Then have them place the food down and release your dog with "OK" to eat. If the dog goes toward the food without being released, have them pick the food back up until the dog stays in a sit.

2- Instead of your child chasing your dog around the backyard, have the kids hide from your dog in or outside the house and have your pup find your kids instead. Then they can reward the dog with a treat as the dog finds them.

3- Your kids can simply "lure" your pup into a training command without saying the word (sit or down for ex.). The split second your pup does the command, have them say (calmly) "good" and release the food from their hand to give your pup. (This is a first step and then you can layer in the word once the dog is proficient but.....fun for your child).

4- Look up "interactive dog toys" on Amazon or pop down to Dog Supplies Warehouse on route 73. These are fun for both your pup and your kids!

These are just a few ideas. There are many more! I hope this helps and, as always, have a wonderful weekend!

When Your Pup's NOSE is their biggest distraction.........Happy Saturday everyone!  I run into a fair amount of dogs tha...
13/07/2024

When Your Pup's NOSE is their biggest distraction.........
Happy Saturday everyone! I run into a fair amount of dogs that I train where their biggest distraction is not a dog, person, child, etc.....It is their NOSE as 30% of their brain is used for smell :) What are some creative/fun things you do to tire out your pup, have it be a family activity, and get their attention more on you? Here a a few items:

1- Feed them from a few separate Tupperware containers, placing the containers upside down to make them work for their food. This is fun for your kids as well :)

2- When walking them in heel position (assume on your left side), say "heel" in middle of walking and either do a 90 degree left turn in toward their head or 180 degree right turn in opposite direction. The reason you are saying "heel" first, is you are letting them know you are going to make an abrupt turn. This puts their attention more on YOU than their nose to the ground.

3- Go to Amazon and plug in "Nose work for dogs". This is a sport for dogs that will be also fun to do with your kids involvement and mentally stimulate your pup; thereby tiring them out in the process.

4- Run or bike with your dog- this doesn't give them opportunity to use those nostrils, unless you release them "OK" to do so :)

These are just a few thoughts. There are many more! I hope this helps and, as always, have a wonderful weekend!

Leadership Importance with Your Dog- Why is it Important?Happy Saturday to everyone!  It seems like everything I do in t...
08/06/2024

Leadership Importance with Your Dog- Why is it Important?

Happy Saturday to everyone! It seems like everything I do in the training world, ties back to this topic so I thought I'd write about it 🙂 Dogs were bred for over 50,000 years to work with humans. They inherently by nature, look for a pack leader. However, like human kids, if not given structure by a human pack leader, most will step up and take over this role (and perform unwanted behaviors) and that is when trainers like me come into the picture 🙂 They simply need to be given direction and boundaries just like our kids at home. Here are a few simple examples you can do to take that leadership role:

1- Have them sit & wait for their food and then release them with "OK" to eat.

2- Work thresholds in your home (doors/gates/roads, etc.) and release them with "OK" when YOU want to, not them.

3- Teach them a "heel" command when walking so YOU are leading them, not them leading you.

4-Be balanced in your approach. Reward positive/good behavior with verbal praise, touch, food and punish (doesn't have to be aversive),negative behavior.) Some trainers don't want to talk about the second piece. Isn't the world balanced (both yes and no) for human adults, kids, etc.?

These are just a few ideas. There are many more.....Have a wonderful weekend as it is certainly beautiful out there!

Let me know if anyone is looking for a Dutch Shepherd as this high energy boy, Zeke, is 6 months old, very intelligent a...
08/06/2024

Let me know if anyone is looking for a Dutch Shepherd as this high energy boy, Zeke, is 6 months old, very intelligent and is looking for an immediate home.

What does SOCIALIZING your puppy really mean?Socializing your puppy does NOT mean to take them to the dog park and let t...
18/05/2024

What does SOCIALIZING your puppy really mean?

Socializing your puppy does NOT mean to take them to the dog park and let them "go at it". Socializing your puppy builds confidence so you have a well adjusted non-fearful companion throughout his/her lifetime. Here are some items you may not have thought of.......

1- Different types of people (wheelchair, beards, uniforms, joggers, bicyclists, children, complexions, hats, etc.)

2- Animals- older and/or well behaved dogs, cats, horses, livestock, other pets you may have.

3- Handling- (examine ears, mouth, gums, squeeze feet, trim nails, skin, wipe with a towel, cradle puppy......anything a vet may do as they get older....

4- New Surfaces- Concrete, metal surfaces, slippery floors, wobbly surfaces, frost, wet grass, snow, stairs.

5-Wheeled Objects- shopping carts, strollers, skateboards, bikes, motorcycles, garage cans being moved, cars, buses

6- Scary Sounds-Thunder, fireworks, babies and kids, alarms, dog barking, vacuum cleaner, doorbell

7-Objects- Pots/pans, brooms, umbrellas, balloons, garbage bags, garbage cans inside and out.

8-Environments- Suburban, city street, shopping mall parking lot, inside building like Lowe's, dog friendly event.

These are just some of the items as there are many more. Desensitize and counter-condition during this crucial time of life as much as possible. As a trainer, I just see many dogs that are fearful & skittish. Some simple socialization up front makes all the difference. I hope this helps and as always, have a wonderful weekend!

How to Stop Dog Leash Reactivity?Hi Everyone!  I thought I'd write about this as many people are getting their dogs out ...
11/05/2024

How to Stop Dog Leash Reactivity?

Hi Everyone! I thought I'd write about this as many people are getting their dogs out and about in this beautiful spring weather and are struggling with this topic with their dogs. Does your dog drag you around, bark, or lunge on leash at other distractions?

Fist, here is what NOT to do that many trainers are teaching incorrectly and will NOT work: Redirecting a dog, waving food around in their face, etc. will never ever work. Instead do the following:

1- Stop or correct the unwanted behavior in the moment with a leash correction in the opposite direction of intention. Optimally, do so at first sign (the arousal, adrenaline, etc. Typically a dog will fixate/"load" internally, head goes forward, mouth goes closed, etc. Explosion is too late as it gets messy at that point.

2- Then.....you can train the desired behavior that you want. Use your verbal praise, food, clicker, etc. to calmly communicate to your dog that is the behavior that your want. Unfortunately, many trainers ONLY do this step 2, and people are continually frustrated with the lack of progress.

I hope this helps and as always have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! :) If you need further training help, reach out to me anytime at 704.792.5108, [email protected] or kevinsk9academy.com

Do you want to be able to get your dog out to public places this spring/summer without all the leash chaos ?  1- Start w...
04/05/2024

Do you want to be able to get your dog out to public places this spring/summer without all the leash chaos ?

1- Start with your body up at your pup’s nose instead of in back of them. This inherently gives you a shorter leash, they are beside you or slightly behind and YOU are the leader. A dog doesn’t react as much when they are at your side.
2- The leash should be short and LOOSE. Any pressure you create on a dog’s trachea or chest causes a dog to pull in the opposite direction. When they are the leader, they are typically doing something unwanted.
3- Keep your arm at your side as if you were walking without a dog and don’t let it go past your leg. If it does, it means the dog is pulling and leading the way .
4- If your dog starts leading the way, quickly do a 180 degree right or left pivot turn (depending which side you are waking them on) . This “sets the tone” for the walk/venue and puts YOU in control .
I hope this helps and, as always, have a wonderful weekend!

While I know puppies are so cute and sometimes its tempting just to take two as opposed to one, however, it's best to ge...
23/03/2024

While I know puppies are so cute and sometimes its tempting just to take two as opposed to one, however, it's best to get one many times so not to develop "littermate syndrome" which can develop referring to all the problem behaviors that can arise when adopting two siblings. Here are a few best practices IF you do get two puppies at the same time:

1- While it is certainly fine to have a designated time to play together, to develop into well adjusted young adults, each puppy should be worked as well separately as well (eating, sleeping, training and walking).

2- Make play with one puppy exciting so they develop a bond with YOU as well. Put the other one in his/her crate with their favorite chew/toy in the meantime to build positive association with the crate.

3- Socialize and train them separately. That way the can develop skills, confidence, and personality without the dependence of their sibling. Also, like small children, they won't get into trouble during this time.

4- While potty training, take them out separately and in different spots. That way they are not distracting each other while you are trying to get them trained.

I hope this helps and have a fantastic weekend!

Happy Saturday Everyone!  I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful day!  I wanted to cover a dog training topic that I...
16/03/2024

Happy Saturday Everyone! I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful day! I wanted to cover a dog training topic that I probably hear by most clients in the unwanted behavior category. What is it ? JUMPING at the front door when people come in the house. Let me say first there are many ways to deal with a variety of concerns but I'll cover one method here to both build value/power in your "NO" (can also use "off") and also stop this nuisance dog behavior.

1- Be calm when the doorbell rings. Dogs many times will feed off your energy. Sounds weird, but true :)

2- You have 1.3 seconds to both say "good" or "no" for a dog to understand and learn proper behavior (called "marking" in the training world). However, on the unwanted behavior side you need something that the dog doesn't like subsequent to your timely "no". What this does is build respect/value/power in just your word "no".

3- In this case, I'm going to suggest compressed air (called a "Pet Corrector") you can pick up on Amazon or local pet store. This works on roughly 80 percent of dogs from my experience. It is great because it is non aversive & works on most dogs.

4- IMPORTANT: You don't want your dog to see the can because you don't want them working off the visual cue of the can because you don't want to have to carry the can around for the next 10-15 years :) Simply say "no" and spray the can at them directly. The moment they get down or back off immediately mark the desired behavior with a calm "good".

5- DON'T immediately pet them for doing so as you don't want them mistakenly think you are rewarding them for the undesired behavior. Just calmly say "good".

Dogs think in pictures or environments and after a few times of doing this (as long as they view the air as a deterrent and fit into that 80 percent or so) they will inherently choose not to jump themselves as they will expect the air correction. Incidentally , as I certainly reward desired behavior as well, once they learn not to jump reward that in return with calm affection and/or a treat to show them that is the behavior you want.

As always, I hope this helps and have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Happy Saturday everyone!  I thought I'd cover on how to teach your puppy/dog to retrieve a ball today :)   Below are som...
17/02/2024

Happy Saturday everyone! I thought I'd cover on how to teach your puppy/dog to retrieve a ball today :) Below are some tips:

1- Start close- Don't throw the ball a long ways at first. If your pup is toy driven, their prey drive should automatically kick in. Build distance as your dog becomes proficient.

2- The split second your dog picks up the ball, with some level of excitement (don't be too excited as it may cause some dogs to drop the ball), say "good boy/girl" and simultaneously back pedal as this will kick in your dog's prey drive toward you.

3- Don't encourage before your pup gets the ball as they may, begin to come back to you before they actually pick up the ball.

4- As they approach, say "drop it" (assume they already know this command), as the ball will then roll to you for convenience so you can throw again. The split second they drop the ball , mark the drop with "good" and throw a treat out to the side so you can pick up the ball.

****Don't let them see the treat (have behind your back) as you don't want the dog to work off the visual cue of the treat. That way you can wean the treats once they are proficient.

I hope this helps and have a super weekend!

Tips for Two Puppies Playing.  How to Know if Aggressive or Play?Happy Saturday everyone!  This is a topic I recently ha...
10/02/2024

Tips for Two Puppies Playing. How to Know if Aggressive or Play?

Happy Saturday everyone! This is a topic I recently had a neighbor ask so I thought I'd cover it . Several tips/points below:

1- Look at body language not audible sounds- There can be lots of growling, barking, sounds, etc. This in itself is pretty normal. Puppy play should be back and forth. One puppy should not always be the aggressor/initiator.

2- "Puppy bows" or where they or where they hunker down and then back off is good demeanor. They are trying to engage play with the other puppy. This may also include audible sounds.

3- Make sure they are taking breaks in between play. If one puppy gets too tired, they may have a tendency to snap. Therefore, you need to be the one to make them take breaks and intervene.

4- Finally, prioritize training over play with puppies. A couple supervised 10-15 minute play sessions is good. The rest of the time should be spent on teaching them obedience/manners as that sets the foundation for their adolescence/young adulthood.

I hope this helps as always and have a wonderful weekend!

Dog/Owner Awareness on Leash (Gaining Respect)-180 degree right pivot turnHello Everyone! I hope you are having a wonder...
03/02/2024

Dog/Owner Awareness on Leash (Gaining Respect)-180 degree right pivot turn

Hello Everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful sunny Saturday :) I wanted to cover this topic as I saw quite a few dogs with their owners this week as I was dog training that really had no awareness of their owner and thereby were pulling, reacting to distractions (people, dogs, birds, squirrels, etc.). Below is a powerful move you can make which will gain the respect and awareness of YOU with your furry friend!

(Assuming you walk your dog on the left side)

1- Line up your body with your pup's head and give shorter leash (but loose), say "heel" and go (be purposeful).

2- As they see a distraction out in front or just begin to pull you (lack of respect for you), say "heel" again (think of that "heel" as "Pay attention to my left leg") and then plant your left foot and pivot your feet to your right and go the opposite way.

3- Simultaneous to you planting that left foot, plant your left arm briefly to your left leg (until you make the turn) as you don't want to simply pull your dog around with you ; but you want them making the proper decision to follow around by your left side. If not, they will feel pressure until they figure it out and come around with you with practice without the pressure.

4- I'm not saying to make 50 turns on a walk but do this a 2-3 times as you walk them and you will find them paying much more attention to you than their surroundings and once again, do this either when they are distracted or when they just begin to pull out in front.

I hope this helps and as always, have a super weekend! :)

20/01/2024

This is 2 year old Petey who I worked with this week in one of my training day camps . In the videos , we are working on some off leash behavior . Petey did awesome and has a really sweet even keel personality.

PUPPY PROBLEMS?$99 Limited Time Offer In Person Puppy Crash CourseCall/Text 704.792.5108 or Go To kevinsk9academy.com an...
13/01/2024

PUPPY PROBLEMS?
$99 Limited Time Offer In Person Puppy Crash Course

Call/Text 704.792.5108 or Go To kevinsk9academy.com and click on "Contact" To Schedule
(Serving Davidson, Huntersville, Concord, Kannapolis, North Charlotte , and surrounding areas)

17/12/2023

TRANSFORM YOUR DOG in 5 days or less with a fully customizable 2,3, or 5 day training camp.

Kevin’s K9 Academy is LOCAL - serving NC residents in the Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, Concord, Kannapolis, and surrounding areas.

INCLUDED FREE- Pick up and drop off daily.

EXPOSURE- to public places like Birkdale, Lowes, local parks, Bass Pro, etc. to ensure performance around distractions.

DEDICATED & EFFICIENT- booked days are solely for your dog .

CUSTOMIZED OUTCOMES- no cookie cutter approach . You get what YOU need.

HANDS ON- You get hands-on coaching.

REINFORCEMENT RESOURCES- You will receive daily videos of your dog in action with details on how to replicate good behaviors .

Let me help you and your dog speak the same language - call/text 704.792.5108 or click “Contact” at KevinsK9Academy.com

17/12/2023
How to Deal with Fear/Skittishness in your Puppy or Dog?Hello Everyone!  Happy Saturday to you All 🙂  This is a topic th...
16/12/2023

How to Deal with Fear/Skittishness in your Puppy or Dog?

Hello Everyone! Happy Saturday to you All 🙂 This is a topic that I deal with a fair amount as a trainer so I'll share a few pointers/tips with you. I'm also offering a $50- $100 discount on my January 2024 dedicated obedience mini day camp bookings if anyone is interested just shoot me a message or call.

First, puppies have two "fear" stages, one occurring in the 8-12 week period and the other during adolescence sometime (6-18 months). These will naturally end on their own so nothing to worry about. Otherwise, here are a few DO's and DONT's at anytime with your pup:

1- DO get your puppy (8-16 weeks) out and about and have them experience EVERYTHING as this is the time they build confidence (new environments, objects on wheels, scary sounds, new surfaces, unfamiliar people, handling ears, paws, etc., )

2- DO counter-condition with food during this young puppy time (Ex. Scary Sounds- Play thunder, fireworks, loud noises, etc. on YouTube, or Alexa and, in the moment, feed them high value food. Believe it or not, if you do at this time, they will correlate these sounds as POSITIVE instead of negative throughout their life.

3- DO keep putting them in these fearful situations. This is called "flooding" in training. Eventually, they will realize nothing bad is going to happen. Counter-conditioning with food does not work with dogs (as opposed to young puppies) as the fear overrides the food. However, you can still desensitize them.

4- DON'T coddle, say "IT's OK", excessively pet, pick them up (if they are small) as even though your human intentions are good as you would treat a young human child, this has the opposite effect on dogs and creates more fear.

I hope these help and have a wonderful Holiday Season. Merry Christmas!

This is 9 month old Missy who I worked with this week .  She was one of those pups that her NOSE was her biggest distrac...
09/12/2023

This is 9 month old Missy who I worked with this week . She was one of those pups that her NOSE was her biggest distraction 😂😜. She was a sweet girl and tired out at the end of the day in the last pic😊.

Simple Tips of Dog Focus on LeashHappy Saturday everyone!  I train dogs every day that have focus issues and are distrac...
02/12/2023

Simple Tips of Dog Focus on Leash

Happy Saturday everyone! I train dogs every day that have focus issues and are distracted by dogs, squirrels, people, smells, etc. when they are out and about with their owner, making for a walk controlled by the pup and an unpleasant experience for the owner where they are along for the ride instead of THEM being the leader :) Here are several easy tips you can start TODAY to reverse this hierarchy:

1- Have a beginning and end to your walk ( I know.....sounds like of funny). Say "heel" when you start out and release them with "OK" when YOU want to, not them stopping whenever they like. Stop as many times as you like with these two words in mind. Don't hesitate....GO when you say "heel".

2- Instead of rounding off some of your left turns, say "heel" and make a subsequent 90 degree left turn in toward your dog's head (think of "heel" in this instance as saying (leg). You want your pup to ultimately take a 1/4 step back, miss his/her head and simply continue

3- (Same principle as above). This time make a 180 degree right pivot (don't round it) turn and go the other way, saying "heel" first before making the turn. This is a great move when you first start out in the morning and your dog is all hyped up thinking he/she is going to start pulling you in one direction or they may see a furry friend up the street and think they are taking you with them. Powerful move.....
***** on the 2nd and 3rd points, this is assuming you are walking your dog on the left side. Just reverse the directions if walking on the right******

By making this a structured walk, it gives your dog better focus and mental stimulation as well; thereby further tiring them out in the process. A tired dog is a good dog! :)

I hope these helps and, as always, have a super Saturday!

Dog Separation Anxiety (Home Alone) . What to do?Happy Saturday everyone! I won't get in to the causes of separation anx...
04/11/2023

Dog Separation Anxiety (Home Alone) . What to do?

Happy Saturday everyone! I won't get in to the causes of separation anxiety right now as we can't look backward but what can you do NOW?

1- When you leave the home, don't talk to your dog (Ex. "Bye, Fluffy... be a good boy", etc...) This actually hypes up the dog and is a cue that there actually is something to worry about. It has the opposite effect of your good intention.

2- Undo any physical cues of leaving the home. So if you normally grab your keys, put on your shoes, and then leave a particular door switch up your routine so your pup doesn't know you are leaving.

3- Crate train your dog- for many dogs, this is their safe haven and they need to know it is OK to be alone. Give them a treat when you crate them that they do not get any other time. Make it like Disneyworld :) Also, only leave for short periods of time and build up on the time gone. It's OK to also crate them for short periods of time when you are NOT leaving the house. Make it a positive place.

4- Exercise your dog before you leave that way they are tired before you leave. A tired dog is much more likely to settle down when you leave.

5- Teach them the command, PLACE. This is an excellent way to teach a dog that it is fine to be alone for a period of time.

6- Don't coddle your dog, in that I mean they don't need to be everywhere that you are all the time. This is a big one as I find that many people treat dogs like small children and they end up creating the issue themselves by always needing to hold the pup, be in the same room, etc.

As always, I hope this helps and have a wonderful weekend!

Basic Training-Understanding How Dogs Think?Timing/Marking/RewardingHappy Saturday Everyone!  As I chat with training cl...
28/10/2023

Basic Training-Understanding How Dogs Think?
Timing/Marking/Rewarding

Happy Saturday Everyone! As I chat with training clients prior to training, I find that people tend to jumble these three (above) items together as they use food typically for training. If you want a dog to perform commands once food is weaned, you want to learn to SEPERATE these three items.

A dog will pick up on a physical body cue before the audio cue of your voice. Too many times people hold the food in one particular hand, in visual sight, shift their body a certain way every time and then wonder why the dog only performs for food. Instead, it should be command, marker (just means the word "good") the split second dog perform command, "yes" (distinguished from "good") in that they get paid after word, and then reward (out of visual sight with no prior body cue).

***Important***Before you mark the desired behavior, don't have your hand in your pocket already going to pay the pup as the dog sees you do this and hence, is working off the visual cue of the food and your hand, not the command.

The timing of the marker for the command (desired behavior) is the important piece , not the timing of the reward which can come a few seconds later. You want power in your marker, not the food. People many times are teaching a sit, down etc. and are using their marker multiple times, or moving their body excessively which simply confuses/excites the dog. Slow everything down, cut out all the "white noise" and separate as dogs think in pictures and understand us in this way.

As always, I hope this helps and have a fantastic weekend!

Hi Everyone!  I've run into more and more dogs afraid to ride in the car with my pup training clients so I thought I'd s...
15/10/2023

Hi Everyone! I've run into more and more dogs afraid to ride in the car with my pup training clients so I thought I'd share a few suggestions to try with your furry friend :)

1- (For Puppies), especially under 1 year of age: Pups have two fear periods, one in the 8-12 week period and another one at some point during adolescence (6-7 months until 1.5 years). They will grow out of this but try to counter-condition the fear with high value food (something they get ONLY in the car) IF they will take it. Normally after 16 weeks (roughly), the fear will outweigh the food, so start early.

2- Don't coddle the fear! No negative energy, "it's ok's", "you're ok's", holding, etc. as even though our human intentions are good (as we could treat a baby or young child), this as the negative effect on dogs. Be persistent. Desensitize over time.

3- Build a positive association with the car. Don't just take them to the vet in the car and nowhere else. Get them out to positive places like Birkdale, Lowe's , Bass Pro Shop, antique malls, Barnes and Noble (for a "pup cup" :)), parks etc.

4- Try cracking the window slightly as fresh air will sometimes help. Also, some dogs' safe haven is their crate, so try that as well.

As a last resort (in the beginning) your vet can prescribe Cerenia, Metoclopramide, or another anti vomiting med to get them through that piece so you can work through the issue. I hope this helps and as always have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

What To Do When Your Dog Objects?Dogs have the mentality of a 2-3 year old child.  So, you need to be the leader in inst...
30/09/2023

What To Do When Your Dog Objects?

Dogs have the mentality of a 2-3 year old child. So, you need to be the leader in instructing them on what they can and what they can't do within your household. In fact, they are desperately looking for your guidance in this area. Below are several helpful examples and simple tips of real life items I run into as a trainer when I chat with clients.

Does Your Pup......?

1- Put on the brakes when on leash at certain times when THEY choose to do so? Solution: KEEP GOING until you release with "ok" to be a dog. Release them as many times as YOU want to so they know you are in control, not them.

2- Bark at you for attention? If you give them attention in this moment, you are rewarding unwanted behavior and they will do it another 1000 times. In 1.3 seconds, say "no" and quickly take two fingers and pop them in the rib cage. You have just built value/meaning/power in your 'no" and moving forward you can just use your word as you have built respect. Reward them with attention when they are NOT barking at you instead.

3- Not want to go into the vet office? Several thoughts.......Don't take your dog in the car JUST when they need to go to the vet office. Take them other fun places in the car (park, social settings, Lowe's etc.) so they build a positive association with the car. Also, (if you have a puppy), go to the vets for 5 minutes, sit down, feed them high value treats, and then walk out and leave. Then, the pup has a positive experience (FOOD), will remember the smell, etc. and be more inclined to have no problem visiting the vets as they get older.

I hope these few tips help and as always, have a wonderful sunny weekend! :)

Do You Want Your Dog to Stop Jumping On People at the Front Door?I get this request from potential clients all the time ...
23/09/2023

Do You Want Your Dog to Stop Jumping On People at the Front Door?

I get this request from potential clients all the time so I'm writing this to help folks. Below is one non-aversive way to build value in your "NO" and stop your pup from jumping on people as they enter your home. What is it? COMPRESSED AIR.....I would say it works on roughly 80% of dogs. Steps are as follows:

1- The split second (you have 1.3 seconds to "mark" a behavior) your dog jumps, say "NO" and quickly spray compressed (called "Pet Corrector" on Amazon or in stores) air at your dog.

2- The second your dog's feet hit the ground and they stop, calmly say "good" (you are teaching calmness). **Important**Don't immediately pet your dog as you don't want them thinking you just rewarded them for an unwanted behavior that they just did.

3- When you spray the air, QUICKLY make the can go away (in your pocket or behind your back) as you don't want them working off the visual cue of the can because you don't want to have to carry that can around for the next 10-15 years :)

4- By doing this procedure, your goal is to NOT use the can of air but for your "NO" to have value/meaning/power and for that word to simply work. Ultimately, your pup chooses not to jump because they are anticipating the air being sprayed at them. As an advocate for your dog to win, have the people coming into your home be calm and not ramp up the dog.

As always, I hope this helps and have a super fall weekend!

Tips from a Trainer's Perspective on Finding the Right Doggie Daycare:Happy Saturday everyone!  I'm writing this as I he...
16/09/2023

Tips from a Trainer's Perspective on Finding the Right Doggie Daycare:

Happy Saturday everyone! I'm writing this as I hear so many issues with doggie daycares from my clients. I hope my recommendations help :)

1- Pup Entry Evaluations: Ask how they are going to use this information they gather from you. Dogs are like people. Depending on personality, energy, and confidence level, they are only suited to be matched up with dogs that complement their own individual characteristics.

2- Make sure you meet the owner and/or manager (and get their cell number) when you sign your dog up for daycare. This may sound elementary, but many people are not doing so. Ask for the specific daily routine and protocols for handling dogs. Many people are just dealing with 18 year old kids and it is a total free for all; thereby issues arise.

3- Select a "balancing facility" (and if they have one, balanced trainer). Make sure they are treating your dogs with both a "yes" and "no" mentality. The world is balanced for adults, children and yes, even your dogs. I write this as I recently had a training client was not even allowed to walk into the daycare facility with a prong collar on their dog. My 77 year old client has COPD, on oxygen, and would literally get pulled over if the dog was not on such a collar which is her best and only tool to be able to walk her dog effectively.

4- If the facility is threatening to throw your dog out of daycare for some reason, (instead of accepting just a letter from the facility as many do), ask to come and and see for yourself what is going on and/or have them provide you videos of such occurrence. Many dogs are being thrown out of facilities and if proper procedures, protocols and the establishment's owner/manager provided active leadership this would not occur in many cases.

I hope this helps as always and have a wonderful weekend! :)

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