Defy Gravity K9 Rehab & Training

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Defy Gravity K9 Rehab & Training

DGK9 utilizes Balanced Training methods for behavior modification.

22/09/2025

Cabo is flying into the new week!

So since it's a new week, if you have let some of your training backslide then pick it back up again this week. There's no better time to start than now and procrastination is only deepening any issues you are having with your dog. Nothing will be resolved or improved upon until you do the hard work.

Everything you say, allow, do, correct, etc. is a very clear conversation to your dog about who you are. They know what is expected or is not expected of them through these interactions. And some of these interactions may seem benign in the overall scheme of things but paint a large picture of what your dog can or cannot get away with.

Dogs are always listening to us through our actions. Because, actions speak louder than words ;) So what are you saying to your dog? Start there and then dive deep into what could better your relationship.

21/09/2025

What happens when dogs don't have clear rules and boundaries in the world they live in? Confusion and chaos.

When owners coddle, enable, allow, spoil, and have a one-sided relationship with their dog, then they are opening up the door to being taken advantage of. And of course, the dog sees the leadership gaps and knows what he can get away with. Without a balanced relationship with the owner, one based on respect, he will continue to take advantage of the owner because he can and because it's easy. Why wouldn't he?

When this is the relationship between an owner and their dog, they can't be upset when their dog takes advantage of them, ignores them, or is belligerent. Why? Because it's the relationship they formed with their dog. Dogs are smart. Dogs are opportunistic.

But let's flip that around for a minute. What happens when owners create and enforce clear and consistent rules, boundaries, and limitations? What happens when the owner leads and guides their dog? What happens when the owner offers consequences for both positive and negative behavior? What happens then? Well, the result is interesting. The dog relaxes. They understand their world. They know what is and isn't allowed in a fair way. They gain clarity. They respect their owner and follow their leadership. The world opens up for them, and the bond between owner and dog is strengthened. It's an amazing relationship that unfolds.

So let's be the leader our dogs need and require. Let's be the disciplinarian and affection giver in a balanced way. Let's break away from being the dog's doormat and be their leader.

P.S. Consequences (whether positive or negative) are just the effect of a decision or action made.

20/09/2025

I talk about this over and over but why is the "place" command so important?

Well, it knocks out so many behavioral issues with one stone. If your dog is anxious or suffers from separation anxiety, it helps to reduce it. It brings about calmness and teaches your dog to relax in the world around her. It reinforces impulse control. It adds structure to their day along with providing mental stimulation. And for a lot of things, it keeps your dog out from under your feet while doing household chores.

If nothing else, teach your dog to "place" for the last item on the list. There's nothing more annoying than a dog trying to "help" you sweep 😅

19/09/2025

What are you allowing your dog to get away with? It's really just as simple as dogs do what they have been allowed to do. Whether that is intentional or unintentional on the owner's end. They are opportunistic.

Reactive? It's because you allowed it.
Jumping? You allowed it.
Barking? You allowed it.
Pulling on a leash? You allowed it.
Resource guarding? You allowed it.
Won't listen? You allowed it.
Biting? You allowed it.

Most of these issues you probably didn't even know you were unintentionally nurturing. That's okay. Most owners don't realize or know the means to get it to stop. What I want you to realize today is: by understanding how simple it is to create, continue, and grow these behaviors it is just as simple, in understanding, to change them (sometimes it can be much harder in the actual doing).

This is just the first step in stopping the unwanted behavior. Ownership of what has been allowed and then leading the dog to what is wanted now through discipline (rules, boundaries, and limitations). YOU are the only thing that can impact your dog's behavior. This is why I work hard to teach the owner and train the dog.

So here it is, plain and simple yet incredibly hard at the same time: if you don't want that behavior, don't allow it.

18/09/2025

Stay & Train Josie had a fun afternoon of training in public yesterday at the park.

Josie has been practicing new and healthy behaviors before tackling public places. I never put a dog into a situation without patterning first and working their way up to outings like this (especially for the anxious, fearful, or insecure type of dogs). Large crowds, loud noises, and unfamiliar smells have the potential to be highly detrimental to training and balancing the mind if the hard work of patterning hasn't been achieved before that point.

It would be somewhat equivalent to if you were dropped in a foreign country and you didn't speak the language or have someone to guide you through while teaching you. Instead, you learned about the culture and traditions, found a guide, and learned enough of the language to feel a bit more at ease before going. And that's what I do with each dog that trains at DGK9. I train, teach, and pattern before adding in external stimulation such as a public place that has the potential to be incredibly overwhelming. This sets the dog up for success instead of failure.

The takeaway? Make sure you are putting in the hard work to set you and your dog up for success.

17/09/2025

Mayzee and Hank joined their owner over the weekend for the owner transfer session. What I am creating is a new relationship between them and their owner. A relationship built on trust and respect but also getting Hank and Mayzee to buy-in to their owner's leadership and start listening to her.

The first couple of weeks are always the hardest, but that's why I give strict homework for each owner to do once their dog/s go home. How much or how little effort is put into the homework determines the outcome of the new relationship and if it will last. Dogs will do a lot of things for trainers, but the main thing I focus on is first patterning the dog a great amount and secondly building the dog's buy-in to the owner's leadership abilities. Dogs very easily pinpoint the leadership gaps, even if but small, which is why I have strict guidelines for owners for the first couple of weeks when they go home. This allows the owner time to continue patterning at home while also continuing the buy-in process from their dog.

Hank and Mayzee's owner now has not only the tools but also the knowledge to help them feel confident through different situations and also how to keep any prey drive and excitement from escalating. I am so proud of Hank, Mayzee, and their owner!

12/09/2025

The work that looks like just having a dog "place" or doing commands such as sit, down, stay, place, etc. is actually requiring the dog to do something different than they normally would when they are excited, anxious, fearful, etc. Instead, the dog learns to tolerate what is going on around her and relax to "life" as it moves past in a much healthier state of mind.

Obedience commands are non-negotiable, but we work up to "real life" situations by starting puppies and adult dogs off in more sterile environments and working their way up towards larger distractions and outdoor work. Otherwise, we would be setting the dog up to fail by throwing them into hard-to-handle situations that we have not patterned and trained for.

Indoors, "place" commands are a fabulous tool to utilize for when the doorbell rings, guests come over, vacuuming, answering the phone, UPS/FedEx deliveries, playing with kiddos, eating supper, life moments, etc. but it has to be patterned first before asking the dog to stay on "place" for an extended period of time without prior training and being held accountable for non-compliance. So it becomes something where the dog learns to ignore life going on around until released to roam freely. Basically, it is a means to an end of negative behavior. Because staying still is much harder for dogs than moving around, barking, and pacing.

We train dogs for life situations but start them off slowly until they are patterned enough and can hold their own. So don't let little life training possibilities pass you by when you think you don't have the time to train. It can be as easy as having your dog relaxing on her "place" (whatever you choose that to be) while you clean the house, help your kiddos with homework, or cook supper.

P.S. Is little Miss Josie not the cutest puppy?! 😍

10/09/2025

Mr. Hank is getting to work on being neutral around cattle. He has previously had some very negative reactions to cows and calves on the farm he lives on. This session consisted of him just learning to exist around them, correcting any pinpointing from him, and rewarding the positive neutral behaviors from him.

05/09/2025

"Archaic" and "punitive"? ...nah, we're just out here changing lives.

Instead of the PP/FF movement being up in arms about the proper usage of training tools and methodologies (I'm talking specifically about balanced training, prong collars, and ecollars), how about they look at all the good these balanced trainers are doing? The type of work that is truly transformative and changes lives? The kind of dedication that goes into giving the dog and owner the most out of life through being well-rounded? The kind of trainers who keep dogs out of shelters?

Shouldn't they instead focus on that? No, instead they wish to villainize certain training tools or styles. And the result, we see so many dogs and owners forced to live sheltered lives. Those dogs forced to stay in isolation because their owner can't handle them. Both owner and dog have limited, if any, freedoms. And nothing seems to change for the better. Instead, the owner surrenders the dog or opts for euthanasia.

But you know what? They didn't try everything because many times they are made to believe that euthanasia is a better option than researching and trying all avenues. Why? Because they've been told the other stuff was "cruel" and start to believe it. They believe they'll be inhumane to their dog by trying balanced training. But what's more inhumane than not trying literally everything and just keeping the dog in a bubble or euthanizing?

This is when you really have to take a step back, do the research, and find what works best for the dog. Not what looks best or feels best for you. What works best for the dog. I want you to read that again. Do what works best for the dog. And isn't that what we all want: what's best?

"Punitive" and "archaic"? Nah, a life full of freedoms.

04/09/2025

Whatever tools you use to help you and your dog succeed, OWN IT.

Finding the right tools and navigating through training can be very difficult for some owners (especially when first starting) and unfortunately, there are so many critics out there who are more than happy to share their judgmental and unsolicited opinions about you, how you train your dog, and the tools you use that work for you and your dog.

We've seen absolutely wonderful, knowledgeable owners receive backlash for using tools such as a prong collar or an e-collar. Those same people giving them grief like to scream "abuse", "how cruel", or "you're taking the easy way out". But you know what we've seen? We see owners who are far more attentive, watchful, and caring while using a prong or e-collar. Most owners we actually have to tell to dial up a little on the ecollar (instead of dialing down) or give a little firmer correction on the prong collar because it won't hurt their dog.

Why? Because most owners are absolutely wonderful and they have their dog's best interests in mind and they want to further the training instead of hindering it. What we find is, owners who opt to use these tools are actively searching for ways to help their dog be more involved in their life, keep their dog safer, and ultimately be able to keep their dog in the long run. And that's not abuse. What is abuse is the negativity these up-and-coming owners receive from people whose sole agenda is to spread a message of hate.

So here's the thing: whatever tools and training style you use, do it unapologetically. If you are one of those amazingly committed, caring, and hard-working owners striving to give you and your dog a life filled with more freedoms then stand up for what works best for you and your dog because when all is said and done only YOU know what works best. So ignore those that spread hate, attempt to shame you, and try to bully you. They are not helpful. What is helpful is doing your due diligence to research, learn, grow, and base your decisions on actual proof and results (instead of the emotional stuff) and then take control of it!

03/09/2025

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 a leash, bolting out of doors/crates, growling, lunging, etc.

What these dogs have in common is that they are completely unaware of the consequences of 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.

31/08/2025

Threshold boundaries are a wonderful thing to teach any dog. This helps keep dogs safe by not bolting in and out of open doors. It helps give owners peace of mind. This can be used for any door (house, car, businesses, windows, etc.). Have you practiced this with your dog lately?

P.S. pictured below are Mayzee & Hank who are currently enrolled in the Stay & Train Program, my daughter sitting at the top of the stairs, and Susan the witch (I use her for training dogs around random "scary" things)

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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: