Defy Gravity K9 Rehab & Training

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Defy Gravity K9 Rehab & Training DGK9 utilizes Balanced Training methods for behavior modification.

21/06/2025

Threshold training for Mr. Bentley, the happy Golden, who is in our Stay & Train Program.

We work towards dogs waiting patiently at thresholds until being released. And this can be any door/threshold. This keeps the dogs from either pulling you through a door that opened or from your dog bolting out of an open door and escaping. Waiting at thresholds keeps both you and your dog safe.

This video demonstrates the steps I was taking with Bentley to work on threshold manners. The progression is quite fun to watch and it's something you should absolutely work on with your dog.

We've all seen the grim realities of what can happen to a dog that bolts out of an open door - lost, injured, possible death. Don't let that happen to your dog by not teaching them how to wait at thresholds.


16/06/2025

Let's talk about the "awareness" of your dog for a minute. Maybe they are overly aware of everything happening around them. Maybe they react to the things around them, whether that be jumping, barking, whining, pulling on leash, bolting out of doors/crates, growling, lunging, etc.

What these dogs have in common is that they are completely unaware of consequences for negative behaviors. Why? Because they've most likely been living in a world that is predominantly free of any repercussions for unwanted behaviors. They haven't had to "think" about their actions or any consequences that follow. They are aware of everything, except thinking about the choices they make. Why would they? Wouldn't you be doing the same if you were them?

But once you become aware that you, as a responsible owner, need to create and enforce rules, boundaries, and limitations consistently then you will start to notice your dog become "self-aware". This is the process of bringing your dog back to a natural, balanced state of mind. One where there are rules and consequences for choices (whether that be positive or negative). Your new "self aware" dog will start to make better choices and start to modify his behavior.

If you are looking for your dog to offer his best instead of what's just easiest, then start to heavily examine if your dog is living in a world of "unawareness" and you might have a piece of your answer.




P.S. this is Mr. Bentley, the 1½ year old Golden Retriever, who's here primarily for offleash ecollar and recall training

11/06/2025

Welcoming Raksha, who is adoptable through Allie's Hope For Paws Dog Rescue, to our Stay & Train Program!

This adorable young lady is roughly 8 months old and had her first training session with me last night. She is going to make someone an absolutely phenomenal dog! We will be documenting her training journey to hopefully help her get adopted through the rescue. If you decide to adopt her through Allie's Hope For Paws Recue, let us know and we'll get you added to the DGK9 Puppy Training Series!

Here's to Raksha and the start of her journey!


10/06/2025

We want to extend the biggest congratulations to Romulus on getting a new home!

We had a failed adoption with Romulus prior to him meeting his new family. Sometimes that happens for various reasons and that's okay. They acknowledged it quickly and they sponsored him to find a new family. Truly amazing people!

Romulus is now living it up on a farm, diving in their pond, playing fetch with their little boy, and having a blast running around with their other Malinois. It was a completely unexpected pairing but was in God's perfect timing.

So here's to Romulus and the fabulous life ahead of him!



08/06/2025

Yesterday afternoon, Bentley and Berkeley, the little Morkie men, reunited with their owners for a highly successful owner transfer session! The transfer session lasted well into the evening but was extremely productive, with both dogs and owners alike learning, growing, and building a new and balanced relationship. We are thrilled to acknowledge their achievements!

Our emphasis on instructing owners regarding effective post-training communication strategies with their dogs is designed to prevent relapse into entrenched habits. To support this endeavor, comprehensive training plans were distributed for implementation at home, with the objective of fostering balanced relationships between Bentley, Berkeley, and their owners. We are so very proud of them and look forward to observing their ongoing development and maturation.

When is the appropriate time to give affection?When the dog is listening, respecting, and prioritizing you. Here's the t...
06/06/2025

When is the appropriate time to give affection?

When the dog is listening, respecting, and prioritizing you. Here's the thing, many owners don't realize they are having a dysfunctional and one-sided relationship with their dog. They freely give privileges, affection, and ultimately unearned freedoms to their dog without asking for anything in return. And this is when things can get messy. Why? Because the counterbalances to all the freedoms are lacking, or in some cases completely missing from the equation. When the training, the leadership, the rules, boundaries, and limitations are missing in conjunction with unearned affection is when many problems in the dog/owner relationship occur.

So when do you give your dog affection?
When it is earned through stellar behavior.


Most people we talk to are under the impression that they need to spend countless hours working with their dog. This not...
06/06/2025

Most people we talk to are under the impression that they need to spend countless hours working with their dog. This notion seems to overwhelm the majority of people we speak with and therefore they don't train their dog at all due to the feeling of drowning. What if we told you that wasn't the case at all though? What if we told you there was a different way? Of course, what we find important will have time invested in it and training with your dog should be on the list of priorities if anything is going to change.

Let's think about it a little differently. Instead, let's focus on everyday life training. You know, working through all the hustle and bustle of day to day life. However, what about training through all the small moments that seem benign in the overall grand scheme of things? This involves more designated time in the crate or on place until more freedoms are earned and better behavior becomes the norm. By doing this, you are fostering better behaviors to occur more frequently. Think about how much time you have to dedicate to "everyday life training". It's in these, what seem like small, moments that big changes are made in you and your dog's relationship.

Really think about how you view training. It doesn't have to be overwhelming; there's usually another way; but it does need to be done with you putting in the work and consistency if you want anything to change.


04/06/2025

So here's the thing: when you are out and about, you can only be responsible for you and your dog. You have no control over anything happening around you. But what you do have control over is how you and your dog react to that external stimuli.

The world could be crumbling in around you, but it's up to you to keep not only yourself but also your dog in check. If not, you'll fall into the depths of the chaos. And there are sharks lurking there.

Instead of becoming part of the "problem," alternatively focus on you and your dog. Tune out the world around you, but yet still be keenly aware of the happenings around you. Watch your dog's body language for signs of stress, overexcitement, reactivity, pinpointing, etc. Correct from there. Work on creating a sound, "bombproof" dog who can go through the fires of life alongside you.

We challenge you to lead your dog. Guide them. Set clear and consistent rules, boundaries, and limitations in a fair and concise manner. Don't focus on others or their dogs, put your attention towards you and your dog, and work towards building the best relationship possible.


Dogs are masters at putting on a "mask" and covering up what they are really feeling, just beneath the surface. This is ...
30/05/2025

Dogs are masters at putting on a "mask" and covering up what they are really feeling, just beneath the surface. This is why we dig a little deeper and see what lies beneath the front the dog is putting on.

Almost every dog that comes to us for training is demonstrating one, or multiple, negative behaviors but when we are able to obstruct that cycle we are able to start to see what is behind the mask and better able to see who the dog actually is. Many dogs come to us being a "bully." But once we are able to work with the dog, we see that the "aggressive", "possessive", "pushy", "protective" bully is actually just an insecure/fearful and anxious dog.

So why would a dog attempt to make you and other dogs think he is a bully? Because being fearful, anxious, and insecure is a sign of weakness, and the dog would much rather live charading around as the confident bully he actually isn't instead of living in a state of anxiousness. Honestly, if we truly think about it, don't we as humans do the same?

Once we are able to start blocking the actions the dog has been used to taking (i.e., reacting, growling, nipping, biting, etc.), and then we are able to start re-patterning old habits in a way that is more healthy and beneficial for the dog. That's when we start to see the true dog that lies beneath the surface. That's when the magic starts to happen. And that's when we can actually start to help.


Think of training as how we do therapy for people. We don't "fix" people who are in therapy, but new ways of coping are ...
28/05/2025

Think of training as how we do therapy for people. We don't "fix" people who are in therapy, but new ways of coping are created. New skills are put into place to help that person work through the areas they are having problems with. They become stronger, healthier, and more confident individuals. This is the same for the dog in training.


27/05/2025

A little rainy day tandem training session for Berkeley and Bentley, the Morkies!

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Why Choose Us?

We’ve been there! That’s right, we’ve been the people with the unruly dogs that everyone avoids. We’ve been the people whose dog is aggressive. We’ve been the people that couldn’t go to the dog park. We’ve been the people whose dog controlled the walk. We’ve been there! We understand what you are going through without a doubt.

Here’s the good news, it doesn’t have to be that way! Once we applied our proven dog psychology techniques, our pack became balanced almost overnight. This can be the same for you too!

We are certified in dog psychology and will help you to read your dog’s body language to what they are trying to tell you. We decided on the name, Defy Gravity, as not so much of a physical thing (however exercise and obstacle training goes along with it), but we also rehabilitate death row dogs that we have given another chance at life and have now found loving homes for. So in a sense, we are beating the odds for these dogs and “defying gravity”.

Here are a few of the things that we can help you and your dog with: