Defy Gravity K9 Rehab & Training

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Defy Gravity K9 Rehab & Training

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

26/04/2025

So you are in the market for someone to train your dog? That's no easy task when searching for someone to train not only your dog but also you and your family as well. It can become a daunting task when scrolling through countless social media pages and websites in hopes of finding the "golden ticket" to success-ville.

What we suggest, when looking at any trainer is to dive in, watch their training videos, what are the results they have, do they have experience with a dog similar to yours, what is the trainer's personality like and will it mesh with yours, etc. Is the trainer able to convey training techniques, approaches, and methodologies effectively to you in a way that makes sense? The last thing you need is a negative experience that hinders both you and your dog from forward progress.

We are balanced trainers, meaning we utilize all four quadrants of operant conditioning. We use both rewards and consequences in our training approach. We help owners with properly using training tools to help not only their dog succeed but also help the owner feel more confident. We are able to identify problem areas and work through challenging issues through behavior modification and reverse perceptions. We work heavily on the dog's state of mind and bring it back to balanced with an array of training tools and approaches. We are, by no means, miracle workers who can "fix" any behavior; however, we can make strides in a more positive direction and help the dog be the best possible version of itself along with helping you be the best version of yourself for your dog.

So, if you are in the market for a trainer, do your research. See what each trainer has to offer and what aligns with what you need for your specific dog and situation. Maybe you need a trainer in the PP/FF community, or maybe you need a balanced trainer to tackle the nasty baggage your dog is carrying around. Either way, make sure you are doing what is best for your dog.

25/04/2025

This is something we tell everyone who trains with us: you have to want the change with your dog more than we do and put in the hard work after "bootcamp" with us is finished.

Without owners putting in the effort at home once a strong foundation is paved, nothing will change. Period. Talented trainers can do lots of things, even magical transformations, but what they can't do is want it more than the owner does. If owners aren't willing to put in the hard work in their home, make the shift, keep up with the "homework", correct unwanted behaviors, set and enforce rules/boundaries/limitations in a consistent way then the training is for nought.

The owners who are determined to make the lifestyle shift are the ones who get to enjoy so much more freedoms with their dog. They are the ones who set their mind to make the change. They ask questions. They have a "can-do" attitude. They don't give up. And for those owners who put in the hard work and tough love, kudos. You make us proud.

When owners are willing and open, we dive in and give them all we have. But with that, we meet owners where they are. If they aren't up for doing the work required after the foundation is paved, there's not much we can do to change that.

23/04/2025

Simple, down to earth stuff today:

For those of you with entitled, bratty, pushy, demanding, tenacious dogs... to change the dynamics you will need to make a shift in your lifestyle and leadership style. With the correct training, mindset, and tools, you can drastically change the relationship with your dog.

Leadership is influence (21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell). Ask yourself, how are you being an effective leader to not only your dog but also yourself and those around you?

23/04/2025

It shouldn't have to be hard. Yet for so many, it is. Here's the thing, though: things truly desired rarely ever come easy. There are no shortcuts; just consistent hard work and effort. A desire to improve and a determination to get there. How strong is your drive? How much are you willing to put into it? Because that will determine your outcome.

Now you could argue it's because of the training tools being utilized that the dogs are behaving so well. And while those are helpful, they are only part of the equation. Hours and hours of training go into utilizing the training tools correctly. They aren't being used because deep patterning, reinforcement, and training weren't set into place prior. No, they are there for those life moments, much like how a pilot still has a parachute should something happen even after all the grueling training they have been through.

These training tools (Herm Sprenger prong collar and Mini Educator ecollar) aren't for the lazy. They aren't band-aid "fixes." They aren't for those not willing to put in tons of effort. They aren't for "slapping on a dog and shocking or choking into submission." Whoever says that has no idea how to properly use the tool. They take considerable time, effort, and training for the trainer/owner to be effective with them and build communication with their dog. They aren't for the lazy, and they aren't used instead of actual training.

P.S. enjoy Zipporah at Lowe's with us from a couple of days ago before she headed off to her new home ❤️

21/04/2025

Congratulations to Zipporah on the addition of her new family! We couldn't be more thrilled for Little Z and the amazing life ahead of her ❤️

Zipporah is thriving in her new home and has already had the most fun during family game night. She's fitting in extremely well and acclimating nicely to her new home and all of the attention she is receiving. They have big plans for her to be their demo and sport dog along with being a cherished member of their family.

We are over the moon thrilled for Little Zipporah, her new family, and all the future things they are going to accomplish together!

20/04/2025

“There in the ground, His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!!

And as He STANDS in VICTORY!
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me!!
For I am His. And He is mine!
Bought with the precious blood of Christ!”

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

19/04/2025

Leadership is influence (John Maxwell - The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership).

Leadership is the antidote to so many behavioral issues with your dog. What are you saying to your dog? Because everything you do, say, allow, correct, and ask of from your dog is telling your dog what you expect and also what they can get away with. You are telling them a story: do you allow them to get away with things, or do you correct them when they do something wrong?

If you aren't the leader in your relationship with your dog, then they, of course, will be because you left that position up for grabs. And what typically happens from there? Fear, stress, anxiety, insecurities, possessiveness, reactivity, fights, bites, overexcitedness, overarousal, and the list could go on.

So here's the thing: actions speak louder than words, and your dog is always listening to you.

16/04/2025

The "homework" we provide for owners after training with us is the biggest aspect in the success of building a new relationship with their dog and building new, healthier patterns with them. It's up to the owners to be consistent and put in the hard work by setting and maintaining rules, boundaries, and limitations with their dogs. The dogs know what they are supposed to do (they've been heavily patterned while training) but all those old feelings, emotions, and perceptions can easily flood back in and dogs are masters at finding the leadership gaps when back with their owners.

Sometimes, owners can become easily frustrated when their dog starts pushing the boundaries. But here's the thing, the owners are the ones who are learning. The dogs know what is expected of them but they are opportunistic and will attempt to find the "easy way out" and/or push the boundaries to see what they can get away with; much like humans.

This is where consistency and determination are key. Because if those two aspects are in place with a strong willingness to learn and grow while remaining calm during the growing process, then the magic can start to happen.

16/04/2025

*COURTESY SHARE*

This precious and sweet young lady is looking for a home of her own. She's currently being fostered by one of our friends who works at the vet. If you are interested in her or have more questions, please reach out to Allie's Hope For Paws Dog Rescue or Carly McDanal (foster).

14/04/2025

Everyday life training with Solomon while the vacuum and toddler both run. This is just a glimpse into thinking about training in terms of everyday life training. Train while you cook, clean the house, do laundry, etc. There's always the perfect opportunity out there. It's all about perspective.

13/04/2025

For all of those with cute pups right now, remember to start training early on. Because as cute as they may be now, you are training them for the dog they will grow up to be. What you reward now and what you let slide now (jumping, barking, nipping, etc.) will equate to who they are as an adult dog. As much delight as puppies bring, they also bring an equal, if not more, amount of challenges and hurdles to overcome with them.

12/04/2025

Enjoy the most fun and goofy little morning training session with Zipporah! She is a very food motivated little lady and we had the most fun patterning a new behavior: sit pretty!

09/04/2025

UPDATE: PLACED IN A NEW HOME

Name: Zipporah
Gender: Female
Breed: AKC Belgian Malinois
DOB: 6/11/2023
Microchipped
UTD on DA2PPL-KC-RV & HW-
Location: Northeast Alabama

We have a unique opportunity in which we are potentially looking at placing one of our personal dogs here at DGK9. Zipporah is a really cool, little pocket rocket at only 20" at the withers. She currently competes in Dryland Mushing (canicross, 1 & 2 dog bikejor, and 4 dog rig). She swims in our pool and also enjoys swimming at the pond and lake. We are potentially looking at placing her due to her smaller size to someone who could utilize her more (the rest of our mushing team is roughly 24"-26" at the withers with a much longer back for a longer stride). Otherwise, she can stay here and be our daughter's mushing dog, but that won't be for another four years.

She has so much heart, grit, and determination in harness. She does extremely well keeping up with the larger dogs, but she works twice as hard. She has been handled by other people she didn't know for both bikejoring and canicrossing. She did excellent in those race type environments with new people along with people she didn't know handling her in the start chute.

She is good with other dogs and will play nicely (male and female - intact and altered). She currently lives wonderfully with 11 other dogs of varying personalities. She also really enjoys nylon chew toys and will lay in the sun chewing on them while the other dogs run around.

Zipporah is conditioned to a PetSafe Wireless Fence Collar, low stim on a Mini Educator Ecollar (for off-leash adventures), and minimal pressure on a 2.25mm Herm Sprenger Prong Collar. She will also gladly stay in a 6' fence without trying to get out. She is also treat/food motivated.

Zipporah is excellent and very gentle with our almost two year old daughter. Zipporah did grow up with her, so keep that in mind. Our daughter can give/take toys from her along with feed her or give her treats without any issue.

Zipporah knows: sit/sit stay, down/down stay, place, wait (either for food or at thresholds), "with me" (heel), mushing commands (directions, "Let's Go", "woah", etc.), go to kennel, and has a very good recall. She has primarily been an outdoor dog and only comes inside on occasions. She prefers to be outside, but she is crate/potty trained and will stay in a crate quietly all night without any accidents.

Zipporah would make an excellent active companion for someone, an entry-level sport dog, or a recreational mushing dog (due to her size, she can't keep up with the hounds that are dominating the sport). She has the potential to be an absolutely amazing dog for the right person!

We are located in NE Alabama near Fort Payne. If you are interested in Zipporah, please reach out to us. We are more than happy to answer any questions that you may have about her and find out if she'll be a good fit for you. Keep in mind that Zipporah is an AKC registered dog who we purchased from a breeder (who is no longer breeding for personal reasons) and not one that was surrendered, rescued, or pulled from a shelter to enter our Rehabilitation to Adoption Program.

08/04/2025

The word "socialization" gets an awful lot of play in the training world, and it’s definition has come to mean an awful lot of things. Many of which are incredibly counter-productive, if not downright dangerous.

So let’s see if we can clarify a few things ;)

Socialization isn’t:
- About letting your dog freely interact with dogs at the dog park, day care, or with friends' dogs.
- About allowing your dog to meet other dogs on-leash.
- About allowing all manner of people, in all manner of mental/emotional states, interact/pet/pressure your dog.
About exposing your dog to the sights and sounds of cars, buses, motorcycles, bikes, skateboards, joggers...and allowing them to freak out, panic, aggress, hide, bark etc.
About exposing your dog to the sights and sounds of dogs, cats, and other animals, and allowing them to freak out, aggress, lunge, bark, growl, etc.

Socialization is:
- About teaching your dog the proper responses to dogs. What is and isn’t appropriate behavior, and correcting the unwanted behavior when it appears.
- About teaching your dog to walk by the barking, lunging, reactive dog(s) on walks and ignore them completely. Correcting if necessary to achieve this result.
- About advocating for your dog and ensuring people aren’t allowed to pressure your dog by touching, crouching down, attempting “kisses” etc. That means being a big boy or girl and stopping others from engaging in unwanted, uninvited interactions.
- About exposing your dog to all manner of daily life “things” and ensuring a proper response. If aggression/arousal is present, it’s corrected. If fear/arousal is present (and causes an overreaction/fleeing etc.) it’s corrected. Ask your dog to learn to ignore and not care about these “life” distractions/concerns/temptations. Teach them to listen to the training and you, not the world around them.
- About teaching your dog to leave other creatures alone. The cat, the bird, the cow, the goat, the other dog, is simply none of their business. If they decide those things are their business, it’s your job to correct and clarify what is and isn’t their business for them.

Socialization has become a ridiculously simplified, dumbed down, all-encompassing idea. Free interaction and exposure have been presented as a panacea, the magic gateway to a balanced dog. That’s a whole lot of malarkey you’ve been sold by a lot of people full of misinformation 🙂

Socialization is all about teaching your dog how to behave and exist in the world...properly. People have a belief that only interactions create a well socialized dog. They don’t understand that existence is almost always preferable and more valuable than actual interaction. Yes exposure is critical, but exposure without 100% clear guidance, and corrections for poor choices, isn’t socialization, it’s chaos, and it’s not teaching your dog what’s right, what’s wrong, and that you’ll keep them safe, so they don’t have to.

A well socialized dog isn’t phased by the world around them. And that doesn’t come from simple exposure and interactions without guidance. Ironically, that’s precisely how you create anti-social dogs.

05/04/2025

What do you want? Stop and think about it. What do you really want?

Are your actions in alignment with the path that will lead you there? If not, decide right now to make those changes. Don't wait until tomorrow. Act now. Make the changes now.

Don't put off the path to forward progress. Be willing to learn, grow, try new things, fail, press forward, succeed. You'll never know what the possibilities are until you try with clear determination and your full effort.

03/04/2025

We train dogs to be off leash via ecollars (this shouldn't be anything new for those that follow us). The dogs absolutely enjoy wearing their ecollars because we have associated positive experiences with them. They know they are getting to go on an "adventure" of some kind. This allows them so much more freedom while giving us peace of mind for when those "life" moments happen.

Here's the question we get asked frequently from people, though: "When do you stop using the tools?"

That's a good question. Even though our dogs are off leash trained with ecollars and verbal cues, they are still animals with minds of their own. And sometimes, that rabbit or deer that jumped out of the woods is just too much of a temptation to run after. All the training in the world doesn't remove any individual desires from the dog. They are still who they are even though they have been trained. They know the rules, boundaries, and limitations, and yet, just like humans, without the enforcement of consequences, will push the limits and attempt to do what they want to do.

Dogs are much like us. Opportunistic. So when can you remove the tools? When the world no longer needs the police to enforce the rules for humans. Both have the safety of you and your dog at the utmost importance.

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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:

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