Defy Gravity K9 Rehab & Training

07/01/2025

*COURTESY SHARE*

Frenzi is still looking for an adopter. She is currently being fostered with Heather Napoli who will be able to answer more indepth questions about Frenzi (number on original post). Heather is an amazing trainer, handler, and reads dog body language exceptionally well.

Frenzi is not associated with DGK9, however, we can vouch for her through Heather. Heather has heavily worked with her while in her care. Frenzi would make a wonderful addition to an active family!

***COURTESY POST***

Frenzi
2.5 year old
Female
Belgian Malinois
Senoia, GA

Frenzi is VERY handler focused and loves her people. Very cuddly. Will play with toys periodically but doesn’t always return them. She prefers to hide them. Low hunt drive (lacks confidence for narcotics detection) and gives up. Would be an incredible active companion. Frenzi LOVES hiking and swimming. Environmentally stable and has had many trips to stores such as Lowe's. She prefers to be the only dog or in a male dog home, as she appears to have reactivity towards other female dogs. She’s great in a house, is house broken, and crate trained. She is currently living in a house with a child and does great with the child.

If you are interested in Frenzi, please text or call Heather Napoli at 770-856-6244 for more information on adoption.

*Frenzi is not associated with DGK9, but we are very familiar with her through her current foster.

27/12/2024

Does your dog get overstimulated and reactive when he sees other dogs while you are out and about? Does your dog completely ignore you during this? Are you afraid of being pulled down? Are you avoiding walking in certain areas or time of day because you are afraid you'll see another dog or person?

So you may ask, "How do I fix this?". Many folks tell us they use treats to "distract" their dogs when their dog becomes reactive. Now, there's really no right or wrong way to train a dog, however, when you really think about the fundamentals of luring for a negative reaction and treating the dog, the dog hasn't learned anything, the reaction is reinforced, and it will never go away.

What we do instead is teach dogs that those negative reactions aren't acceptable and then pattern healthier reactions from there. So we correct the inappropriate behavior and reward for better choices. But if all we did was throw treats at a dog to "distract" during those negative reactions, nothing will ever change, and nothing will ever be learned.

There's so many people who don't believe in correcting or punishing their dog. There's no sense in continuing to have a problem when the dog could learn in the moment and preferably deescalate before a reaction occurs. We find this much more humane than continuing with a dog that's losing its mind over another dog and rewarding it with a treat for negative behavior.

Ultimately, we choose to go the route that is best for the dog and teaches the dog in a balanced and fair way. To put it in another context: if you drive the speed limit you won't get a speeding ticket but when you do get that speeding ticket, you generally opt for better decisions thereafter and drive the speed limit.

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas everyone! We wish you all a very merry and blessed Christmas with family and friends! Don't forget the reason for the season:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." -Isaiah 9:6

25/12/2024

Merry CHRISTmas Eve from the Pup-a-long Pack!

Zechariah 9:9 - "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

19/12/2024

Owners who succeed with their problematic dogs are the ones who have zero excuses. They are determined. Motivated. Gung-ho. Eager. They are willing to learn and grow. They are 100% determined to create a better relationship with them and their dog. They are problem solvers. And they succeed.

18/12/2024

If you are getting a puppy/dog for Christmas, remember to start training early on. Because as cute as they may be now, you are training them for the dog they will grow into. 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.

14/12/2024

Creating calmness instead of chaos:

Think about your feeding routine with your dog or dogs. Really think about it. For most of us, feeding the dog or dogs is a really rushed process. Most people are typically running late for work and just set the food out, and then what happens... happens. Dogs are jumping all over the place, whining, barking, eating from other bowls, resource guarding, fights, and generally just running amuck, causing a commotion.

Dogs are impatient. Owners are frustrated.

Here's what you have created by doing this: an overly excited dog who has absolutely no impulse control whatsoever. You have, in essence, created a monster.

Now here's the question... what are you going to do with the monster you created? What are your next steps to correcting this? How are you going to create calmness from chaos?

It all starts with YOU. You need to change your routine. You need to be the calm yet assertive leader. You need to set those super important rules, boundaries, and limitations daily... or... be prepared to live with the monster.




P.S. Mika, the Dutch Shepherd, is currently in our Rehabilitation to Adoption Program and will be looking for a new home ❤️ (she's in the crate to the right of the freezer)

P.P.S. yes, our garage needs organizing 😅🤣

13/12/2024

A little playtime fun for the 11 current members of the Pup-a-long Pack, and it's all about balance. They need to be able to mind their manners and be in a balanced state of mind, but they can also have fun too. Playing and having fun in a safe way comes from adding that other dimension to the relationship. The one built upon rules, boundaries, and limitations.

Being able to share that side of the equation with your dog allows you to be able to have the latitude to share the fun side with your dog without any risks (especially from overecitedness, overarousal, resource guarding, bratty behavior, etc.)

Sharing the structure, the leadership, and the accountability allow you to have so much more freedom with your dog in the long run. It also gives you the reliability and peace of mind to be able to have your dog off leash in acceptable areas once all the hard work has gone into proper training.

All the training. All the boundaries. All the rules. All the accountability. All the consequences. All the structure. It doesn't detract from your dog and make their world smaller or turn them into a robot. Instead, it broadens not only their world but also yours by tenfold. View all the hard work as something that adds value to both of your lives. It allows freedom. It allows fun. It allows play. It allows goofiness. It allows affection. It allows for a healthy and safe relationship instead of a one-sided relationship.

12/12/2024

Sometimes, "everyday life training" looks a little like this: having the dog stay on place while the little human runs around with a singing elephant 🤣😅

These are the moments that really add up over the long run. More often than not, training can look like this, and it makes it much easier to fit into your busy schedule (especially this time of year with the holidays). This type of training may look and feel mundane because it's passive training instead of active training, but it's vital to having a well-balanced dog.

And while we're on this topic, kids are going to be kids. They run around places, make noise, get into things, etc. However, it is of extreme importance to start teaching them at a young age how to properly interact with dogs or, better yet, ignore the dog while it's on place, in a crate, eating, etc. The same training also goes towards how the dog should properly interact with the kiddo as well.

10/12/2024

This is a terrific post!

Structure is your best friend!

If we structure our dogs from an early age, we’re setting them up for success! Though it’s still possible and super beneficial for our grown dogs to be provided structure, the younger we start structuring their lives and training, the easier the training process is!

It’s like when we start a new job: If we come in on day 1 knowing what 10 things are required of us, we’re far more likely to maintain and do our best to keep those things going. However, if we have been at a job for a couple years doing 6 things and our boss starts to add things to our to-do list out of nowhere, we start to question why and how that benefits us.

By structuring our dogs early, they understand routines, what’s required of them, and how it benefits them.
They’re far more likely to respect and look to us for leadership in day to day life as a result!

10/12/2024

Remember Mika that joined our Rehabilitation to Adoption Program on 11/24/24? She has been doing so well here and is on a slow, consistent, and upward journey of not only putting weight on but maintaining it along with also starting to build a little muscle (her muscles were atrophied when she joined us).

We are so proud and excited about her progress thus far. The process for healthy weight and muscle building is going to be a long one, but slow and steady wins the race, right? She's a lady who is on the move all the time, so she's been working on relaxing more to also help keep the weight on better.

And I know some of you may be curious about what her feeding plan looks like right now: she's being fed 2x daily (4-5 cups total daily, not each feeding), plain yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir, raw egg, and Omega 3/6 fatty acid supplement. And of course, the occasional can of wet dog food. Will that change as she starts to keep weight on even more? Absolutely, but for now, that's what she's getting and is actually what our personal sporting dogs get as well.

Here's to Mika, that lovely shiny coat of hers, her happy attitude about everything, the amazing future ahead of her, and getting back to a healthy weight!

09/12/2024

The biggest congratulations to Magnolia (now Venus) on the addition of her new family yesterday afternoon!

She has hit the absolute jackpot with her new family, and we couldn't be happier for her! She is such a wonderful little lady who deserves a phenomenal home, and now she has it! She is going to live her absolute best life with her new family.

So here's to Magnolia/Venus and the bright future ahead of her!

08/12/2024

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

Well, it knocks out so many baheviorial 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 to the world around him. 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.




P.S. this is Celerity's first time on the slatmill. It's all about building her confidence in slow baby steps while keeping it fun for her. Plus, it's a great way for her to exercise both mentally and physically on these super cold days and for the rainy days coming up this week. She is part of our LET'S GO! Mushing dryland bikejor and rig team 🙌🏼

P.P.S. challenge accepted from our amazing friend at Borderline Psychos Dog Training & Sport Handling with having dogs on the treadmill/slatmill while another is on "place". If you haven't checked her out, please do! She's a fabulous trainer!

P.P.P.S. want to try this challenge to? Video, post, and tag us and Borderline Psychos Dog Training & Sport Handling! We'd all love to cheer you on!

05/12/2024

What if the key to helping your dog relax were corrections for naughty behavior? What if holding him accountable for his actions actually helped him to be comfortable? What if guiding him and leading him helped him to view the world in a different light? And what if we said that properly applied corrections and the perfect timing helped him do just that?

How many owners would be willing to help their dog that way? How many owners are willing to give their dog both the "yes" and the "no" that happen in life every day? How many owners would give their dog the full equation to the world they live in instead of 50% of the equation with only saying "yes"?

What if we told you that we've witnessed so many dogs through correct guidance, proper corrections, and perfect timing rewards become relaxed, chill, and comfortable? It can be a hard concept for many owners to understand. We get it. But once you've seen it in action; once you've been able to witness the dog who is freaked-out, insecure, neurotic, fixated, escalating, worried, overwhelmed, etc. start to calm down and not only their body but their mind relax then you will start to fully grasp what is happening.

Sometimes the thing that works the most wonders, the thing that is the most helpful, the thing that is the most positive, healthy, and relaxing is a correction that shifts the dog's state of mind into a more balanced one.



P.S. we still choose to talk about the "tough" stuff and the "hard" side of dog ownership. Why? Because we've yet to find someone who needs help in the affection side of the equation.

04/12/2024

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.

04/12/2024

Anyone who’s trying harder than their “partner” in whatever context is typically in an unhealthy, dangerous, and, at the very least, unproductive space. This is solid advice for any relationship.

When it comes to working with clients, we always meet them where they are. It’s the best way to ensure avoiding the ugly stuff listed above, not to mention the otherwise inevitable training burnout, and resentment of clients that is so rampant in the dog training world.

Contrary to popular belief and typical client/trainer behavior, we’re not here to pressure, cajole, or plead. The desire for success has to come from inside YOU.

It’s YOUR job to be motivated, excited, driven, curious, committed, and ready to work...hard. It’s our job to meet you wherever you are at, and give you the very best we have to offer. But YOU decide what that looks like.

Now, that might sound harsh or uncaring, but it’s the furthest from it. We care, like most trainers do, a lot. And that depth of care can easily become resentment and burnout when it’s not reciprocated. So, in order to ensure we’re always ready to give the very best of ourselves, we make sure we only share the best of ourselves when our clients share the best of themselves.

It’s not only self-protection for us. It’s also for you. We're sure you don’t want the boot camp trainer telling you to do this or do that or us becoming frustrated because you (the client) aren't willing to learn. The best way to prevent that is by us being strong with boundaries.

So think of training as a choose-your-own-adventure type of thing. Or an Indian restaurant where they ask you how spicy you want your tikka masala. It’s on you. You want more, bring more, or ask for it.

You determine the depth of help you receive by the depth of commitment you bring. Period. Read that sentence again.

Reciprocal behavior in relationships is the hallmark of healthy relationships. Unfortunately, this hallmark is often missed. Laziness, wanting rather than need, delusion, unwillingness to learn, being scared of what has or could happen, and selfishness often derail the possibilities.

That all said, if you come with guns a’blazing, we’ll be ready. The clients who want the best and give the best are the ones who always seem to get the best.

Isn’t that a fascinating thing? 🙂




P.S. pictured is Magnolia, who is ready for her new home! She's in our Rehabilitation to Adoption Program. Feel free to reach out and ask any questions about her to see if she may be a good fit for you!