Kevin's K-9 Academy, LLC

11/01/2025

How to Protect Your Dogs in the Cold, Snow & Ice:

Hi Everyone and Happy Saturday! I hope you are all staying safe but having a little fun in this icy wonderland:) Here are a few tips when it comes to the weather and your furry friend! :)

1- Especially if you have puppies, shovel out that same spot where they normally go potty so they have the same "picture" and you can stay consistent with your potty training where they can go quickly and efficiently.

2- Keep an eye out for rock salt and antifreeze (which is toxic). Rock salt isn't toxic but it can upset their stomach and irritate their paws so wipe them off before coming inside.

3- Protect your pup's feet in the snow and ice. You can use small amounts of petroleum jelly, coconut oil, or vitamin e cream which will help to prevent and treat cracked paws.

4- Continue walking your dog in the winter. Boredom can still lead to destructive behavior and them getting in trouble just like kids :) If you get creative, you can even build them a small agility course in the snow!

I hope these tips help and, as always, have wonderful and safe weekend! Feel free to reach out directly with further pup training help and free friendly advice :)

kevinsk9academy.com

05/01/2025

Hello Everyone and Happy Saturday! I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. This topic is one where many want to try and help their furry friend through a fear of a sound or object by treating them like a human ch...

14/12/2024

THINK before you get a Christmas puppy. Experienced Trainer Words of Advice

Hi Everyone! Happy Saturday as it a a crisp beautiful morning! Let me kindly give you some words of advice on this topic for the good of your family and your potential new furry friend :)

1- As parents, when/if you get your kids a Christmas puppy, remember the puppy is YOUR puppy, not your kids. I hear too many clients as I train dogs say "it is my son or daughter's dog". If you have this attitude going into it, kids are excited at first, lose that excitement very quickly, and then guess who is stuck taking care of the pet- YOU!

2- Remember, they are a lifetime member of your family. It is just like having a newborn child again so have that mindset going into it. Yes, YOU will be up 1-2 times/night taking your puppy out to the potty.

3- Make sure you have TIME for your new member of the family. We all have busy lives, but now you are adding an addition that needs physical/mental stimulation. You need to now block out 1-2 hours/day for walks, play, potty breaks, etc. If not, they will get into trouble (just like a child) and then people wonder why there are unwanted puppy behaviors....hmmm.....They are bored! Remember, I tired dog is a good dog :)

Folks, I say all of this respectfully and out of love, for your family and your possible furry companion addition to your household. I just see TOO MANY puppies/dogs given up, rehomed, or horribly taken to a shelter in the first year and euthanized for a decision that was just so simple on the front end! Please just make the right decision and make sure you have the time, energy, and have your puppy trained early on to make them the best member of the family possible! As always, have a wonderful weekend and holiday season! :)

30/11/2024

Beginner Training Tips to Help You and Your Furry Friend:

Hi Everyone! Happy Saturday as here are a few practical principles that will help you train and connect with your furry friend! As always reach out to me directly with further assistance :)

1- Start with 5-10 minute training sessions whether you training with treats, clicker or toys. Quality is always better than quantity. End on a positive note as your dog typically remembers the last rep that you performed in a session.

2- Be patient when you train your dog. Don't lose your temper. Dogs can sense your energy. If you feel a little frustrated, quit and come back to it later when you're in a better mental space.

3- Be consistent with your methodology and training tools. Your dog knows that they are in training when they have a certain collar on for example.

4- People sometimes may think that training is complete when a trainer done training their dog. I always tell them prior to training their dog, training BEGINS when I am done. With any trainer, a dog knows to perform for that particular trainer and will then go home and test you, the owner, like a small human child would. You need to simply do the same methods and communication that I used as the dog's trainer and they pick it up very quickly. I tell them training is not a magic bullet, although sometimes we wish it would be.

I hope these concepts and ideas help in beginning the training process with your pup. As always, I'm there for you for further training advice/help! Have a super Saturday and happy training! :)

28/11/2024

I just wanted to say a heartfelt Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I'm very thankful to all who have followed my articles this year, asked questions along the way, and have enjoyed my informative posts. It has been a pleasure to have shared my 8 years of dog training knowledge with each of you. I really enjoy and have an extreme passion for what I do and am glad to help develop a better relationship between each person and their furry lifetime family friend! :) As always, reach out anytime for a little free friendly training advice, knowledge and help and have a most Happy Thanksgiving!

kevinsk9academy.com

23/11/2024

How to Stop Your Dog's Reactivity to other Dog's on Leash

Happy Saturday everyone and what a wonderful bright sunny day it is! I picked this topic today as more and more people are reaching out to me regarding their dog leash reactivity. First, most dogs intention (I'd say 9 out of 10) is not true aggression. The pressure created by your leash causes them to pull even more in the dog's direction (their distraction). Regardless of the intention, however, we simply want it to stop and have a nice leisurely walk without all the nonsense right? :)

A fallacy that does NOT work is redirection. It is taught by many trainers and is a management tool (and actually reinforces the negative behavior), however we want to modify or stop the behavior.

The answer is relatively simple. Teach yes and "NO". Balance......You have 1.3 seconds to mark the negative behavior (their attention span) i.e....your "NO" or "Leave it" and then a correction (doesn't have to be aversive) . It just needs to mean something to your individual pup. It can be a leash correction in opposite direction of intention, compressed air, etc. You are simply building value in your "NO" first, and secondly your furry friend chooses not to lunge, bark, freak out, BECAUSE.....they are expecting a correction.

Remember, they are like a small human child and have the mental capacity of a 2-3 year old. Your kids test you right :) On the flip side, reward when they are making the right decision in the moment with verbal praise, calm touch, and food as you are teaching calmness.

I hope this helps and as always, have a fantastic weekend and upcoming Thanksgiving

16/11/2024

EASY SIMPLE WAYS TO?....Training With Your Pup

Hi Everyone and Happy Saturday. What a beautiful day it is! Here are a hodgepodge of easy simple ways to deal with every day training items/problem behaviors with your furry friend!

1- Stopping your dog from biting the leash-Pull straight up on leash as they have in their mouth. Most will not like how it feels on their gums and stop this behavior

2- Sitting for their food w/out saying "sit"- Place bowl over their head and put down bowl. If they go toward pick back up and repeat until they automatically sit. Mark calm "good" the second they auto sit and then release with "OK" to eat. Also, most times a little spatial pressure (step in toward them) will cause dogs to sit automatically.

3- Stopping bolting out of the door- Open and close door as they go to bolt out. When they stop and back up a little mark with calm "good" (no need for word sit, stay, wait, etc.). They get the "picture" if they bolt the door may go closed on them so they wait automatically. Then you can release with "OK" if you like or just simply go out of the door yourself.

4- Coming toward you without saying the word "come" or "here"- simply backpedal your feet several steps as this will cause most dogs prey drive to kick in and they will come toward you.

I hope these several simple tips help you as there are many more! Have a super weekend everyone! :)

09/11/2024

Dog Walking Body and Arm Positioning Tips:

Hey Everyone! Happy Saturday as it is certainly a beautiful day today! I'm an analytical guy and although this is very simple and quick to do, I wanted to break down the physical dynamics of how to walk your dog in the heel position where you are the leader and it is comfortable as well.

1- Start with your feet up above your dog's nose. This inherently gives a lot less leash.

2- Swing your arm briefly back and forth at your side as if you didn't have a dog (8-12"). I walk the exact same if I have a dog or not. They key is when you swing your arm back and forth as you normally walk, is it still short and LOOSE? Pressure creates pulling so you want to create a bubble or pocket where there is not pressure on your dog's chest or trachea.

3- The reason your dog is beside you is that they are much less likely to react to their surroundings when they are beside you plus you are the leader. If you give a lot of leash, they are scanning to get in trouble (barking at another dog, pulling you in a particular direction, stopping and sniffing every 5 sec, etc.)

4- Loosen your shoulders and once you have your body/feet and arm are in the correct positioning, say "heel" and GO with purposeful pace. When you are done, say "OK" (release word), give them all the leash they want and let them be a dog. When you are ready again, get back in position and repeat process.

I hope this helps and have fantastic weekend! :)

27/10/2024

Pup Crate Training DO's and DONT's

Hey Everyone! Well a little late tonight writing about this very important topic as I wanted to share some crate training best practices that will help you with your furry friend.....AND....I saved one for the end for those that can't sleep with barking and whining or getting ready to be thrown out of their apartment because of this unwanted behavior!

DO's:
1-Allow them to freely walk in and out during the day. Lots of praise as enters.
2-Give them a special treat that the ONLY get when entering the crate.
3-Pay attention and let your dog out & praise when they are calm and quiet.
4-Try covering crate with blanket for excessive barkers or whiners and/or white noise machines

DON'TS
1-Use as a source of punishment or shove them in when they don't want to
2-Let your dog out when they whine or bark
3-Keep them in for an extended period of time. Anything over 8-9 hours is excessive.
4-No shouting or yelling as they bark or whine
......and......one you CAN do which works (remember I'm balanced...95% positive and 5% "knock it off". It does NOT create a dog to be fearful of the crate, etc. Once you do all the positives for weeks and your dog STILL is whining/barking in the crate at night, get their metal food bowl and put on top of the crate (if you are sleeping at night next to the crate for ex.) The split second they bark/whine, say "NO" and firmly hit the metal bowl on the top of the crate. The split second they stop, CALMLY say "good" .....and......then go to sleep :) Problem solved! Simple but it works :)

As always, have a wonderful weekend and I hope that I've helped :) I'm always here to help with your dog training questions/needs!

19/10/2024

Nose Work Dog Games that are FUN for the entire Family!

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 mentally tire out your pup and have it be a family/kid friendly activity. Here a a few items:

1- "Find It"- This is a pretty simply one where you throw a treat near your dog and have them find it. You can increase difficulty by making the treats smaller and throw a little further from your pup.

2- "Cups"- Place 3 cups on a hardwood floor and place a treat under one of them. Then have your pup move the cups around and find the one with the treat. Then you can mix up the cups with the treat and try again.

3- "Hide and Seek". This is probably the toughest one for your furry friend and the one your kids will like playing the most (you need two handlers for this game). Have one person be the handler of your pup and the other hides (one with the treat). In the beginning, start somewhere pretty simple like under a table or in a closet and you can increase the difficulty in hiding places once your pup gets the hang of the game.

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

12/10/2024

One Way to Teach "DROP IT" to your Furry Friend

Hi Everyone! I hope you are all having an outstanding sunny Saturday! I thought I'd share this step by step as this is something you can even do with your kids!

1- First, have your pup grab an item around the house. (Use high value food) Show your pup the food and the split second, he/she drops the item release the food so it drops to the ground in front of him/her, and say "good". Don't say "drop it" quite yet as we are teaching your pup as he doesn't know the desired outcome yet.

2- Once he is proficient, layer the "drop it" in and as soon as he releases the item, release the food to him/her on the ground, and mark, once again, with "good". Do this until you feel he/she is getting it.

3- Next, take the treat and put it behind your back and say "drop it" and repeat the same procedure (above). You are doing this as you want to be able to wean the food and have your pup drop an item without food moving forward. (You don't want them working off that food cue in the end).

4- You can then start practicing with other items in your household that your pup likes to pick up and get in trouble :)

I hope this help and, as always, have a wonderful weekend!

06/10/2024

Energy/Excitement Level when Training Your Furry Friend

Happy Sunday everyone! First, I'd like say please pray and donate to everyone in Florida the NC mountains affected by Hurricane Helene. You can do so at Walmart in the parking lot with "Miracle Movers". Now, this seems simplistic, but when training be an advocate for your dog to win in your communication with them. You have 1.3 seconds to communicate with your dog for them to associate and learn a behavior. There are times to be calm and times to ramp up the praise and be excited! Here are some examples:

CALM:
1- It sounds weird, but dogs can feel your anxiety, calmness, excitement, etc. when handling them. If you are teaching calmness on leash, YOU need to be calm and communicate with them in a calm, timely manner.

2- If they are dog or people reactive on leash or you want them to sit at a crosswalk, calmly tell them they are making the right decision (a simple calm "good"). They don't need a lot of heavy petting, excited "good boys/girls", etc. Remember, you are teaching calmness.

EXCITEMENT
1- If you are teaching recall ("here" or come"), as soon as they turn and start coming to you RAMP UP THE PRAISE. I always hear people give a half hearted "good boy/girl". I laughingly say to them "If you were your dog, would you really want to come to you" :)

2- If teaching "drop it", the second, they drop the item, say "yes" and give them a treat and/or high praise. Dogs think in pictures/environments and if they get a timely favorable excited response from you for a job well done, they are likely to perform again.

These are just a few examples and there are many more. This is something that people don't think about but important to your dog's training success. As always, I hope you have a super Sunday!

21/09/2024

08/09/2024

Puppy Potty Training Tips:

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying this cooler day! Well, I thought I'd chat about my least favorite topic but a necessary one obviously as you get a new pup! Here are several helpful tips that will hopefully make your life a little easier when potty training your pup. Remember, please be patient as it is like having a new baby in the home and you signed up for the task :)

1- The rule of thumb is a puppy can hold their bladder for however many months they are plus 1. So.....if they are 2 months old, it would be up to 3 hours. That means, yes, you will need to get up in the middle of the night to take them out. Remember, it's like having a baby in the house.

2- Put them on leash, take them to the same door, and same spot every time. You want your pup to have the picture that a particular spot is the bathroom. You will want to be boring when taking them out so they don't think it is play time.

3- Make that spot like Disneyworld. Have a treat in your pocket but don't let them see it as you don't want them working off that visual cue so you can wean it. The split second they go (make sure they are finished as you don't want them doing half their business, anticipating treat, and then go back in and finish off inside), say "good boy/girl" and give them a high value treat (something they wouldn't normally get inside....chicken, cheese, turkey, etc)....remember Disneyworld.

4- Wait 5 more minutes as many pups will go twice.

5- Rule of thumb is a young puppy will normally have to go to the bathroom about 20 minutes after eating, drinking, playing, etc. so if they don't go for you the first time after 5 minutes, take them back inside, put them in the crate, wait 5 minutes and then repeat the process.

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

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!

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!

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!