19
Jun 2019
Finding a good dog trainer isn’t easy. There is no overarching certification organization for dog training as a career, so just anyone can go print cards and be in business, which means dog trainers are a dime a dozen. The problem is that no training is actually better than bad training. Serious damage can be done by bad training. It’s a lot harder to fix a dog who’s been poorly trained than it is to start training fresh with an untrained dog. Every day I get messages from people who invested time......
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04
Jun 2019
Dog training is a fast-growing career field, and for good reason. More than ever, pets are becoming kids for people, and as Earth’s population grows, there are more dogs than ever. In 2012, 36.5% of US households owned a dog totaling 69,920,000 dogs. By 2015, those numbers jumped to 44% and 78,000,000. There is a huge need for good, experienced dog trainers. If you love dogs and people, and you’re interested in becoming a trainer, this blog post is for you! FINANCES As much as we’d all love to live on hopes......
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01
Feb 2019
VK9 Owner Education “Behind every well-trained dog is a well-educated owner.” –Amy Pishner A big part of what we do here at Valor K9 Academy involves owner education. Our goal is to not only train your dog, but also teach you how to better understand and communicate with your dog. While owners are sometimes part of the problem, they are a big part of the solution too! We have all our new clients read this post to explain key terms and concepts so everyone is on the same page in training. Key......
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01
Dec 2018
When I work with dog reactive dogs, I use a simple 4 step process. Each step takes approximately one week of Board & Train or 1-3 lessons, depending on the owner and the individual dog’s behavior history, age and temperament. Step 1 is foundation training to establish a working relationship with the dog, to build confidence and to teach basic skills such as focus, place, art of doing nothing and heel with auto-sit. Step 1 also includes basic obedience commands, treadmill training, agility, sheep herding and other confidence building and obedience exercises.......
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01
Jul 2018
The Fourth of July is supposed to be a time of celebration, but it can quickly become a stressful experience if your pet goes missing. July 4th and 5th are the two busiest days of the year for shelters across the country. Not all dogs find their way back to their owners again. Don’t let your dog become a statistic: Play it safe and be smart. Now is not the time to work on your dog’s fear of loud noises or fireworks. Keep your dog in the house and when you take......
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01
Jun 2018
Hey guys! One of the questions we get asked a lot is “How do we train dogs that aren’t food motivated?” Dogs who are fed on a regular schedule or who have 24/7 access to food in a bowl tend to be unwilling to work for food. They’re thinking, “Why work for something I get for free?” But just because a dog isn’t willing to work for food doesn’t mean we don’t train. There’s a lot of training you can accomplish with a dog who’s not food motivated! We’ve compiled a list......
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01
Jul 2017
We’ve all been there before. We train our dog to an impeccable level of obedience – first time obedience, great focus, solid eye contact, bombproof training – and then, well, life gets in the way. This happens…that happens…and before you know it it’s been six months and you find yourself repeating commands, your dog has become complacent and sloppy, and you’re frustrated that all your hard work has been for ‘nothing.’ Or so you think. Yes, your dog’s training has gone down the toilet, but the good news is that it’s really easy to get your dog......
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01
Jun 2017
Justin and I have been blessed with four wonderful dogs (Zoey, Duke, Havok and Yedi). They are like children to us, and on a working level they’re an integral part of what we do here at Valor K9 Academy. Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing their stories so you can get to know them better. First up is Zoey: Zoey (DOB: ~March 2011, Australian Shepherd x Border Collie) I adopted Zoey in August 2011 from a backyard breeder off Craigslist. He claimed she was purebred but couldn’t produce paperwork, and after seeing......
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