In this article, we interview our longtime client, Kiara Miller, and ask her about her experience with Valor K9 Academy. She has been a client for three years now and has traveled on average a thousand miles per visit to do board & trains with us. She also came to a Trainers Retreat! We’re honored to be her go-to trainer.
1. Tell us about your dogs.
Niya is our 3 and a half year old female German Shepherd. She’s a spirited, affectionate gal that keeps me on my toes. She loves to train, play fetch with her red ball and swim. She’s also a great road trip buddy.
Niya
Quincy is our 1 and a half year old male German Shepherd from Germany. He’s a sweet, happy goofball that makes me laugh daily. He loves to tug, destroy cardboard boxes and go on field trips. His guilty pleasure is stealing my shoes to carry around.
Quincy
2. Where do you live, and why did you choose to train with Valor K9 Academy?
During our dogs lives we have bounced between NV, UT and TX.
We chose VK9 before we even had a dog. I started to research dog trainers and came across Amy on YouTube. I enjoyed all of her videos and felt her explanations were clear and concise. My gut felt it was the right place for us.
3. What were your training goals for your dogs and were those goals accomplished?
My goals for both dogs were to have great manners, be obedient on and off leash, and to be able to take them anywhere with me. With Niya, it was a bit more complicated as she was reactive on the leash so getting to this point took more time and effort. But both dogs accomplished these goals under various trainers at Valor!
4. What was follow-through like after board & train? Did you feel you had our support and assistance whenever you needed it?
Follow through was consistent with everything else at Valor – top notch. From the go home lessons to follow ups on Zoom to guidance via email. They provide it all and are very responsive. I still feel supported by Amy and her crew.
Niya posing in Horseshoe Bend during the Trainer Retreat
5. What is it about Valor K9 Academy that stands out to you as different from the rest?
This is a little challenging for me to answer because honestly I was really lucky in that I had not been to numerous trainers prior to Valor. But I will tell you more of why Valor will continue to be my go-to.
The entire experience is professional, the results are exceptional, and the dogs are well cared for in a clean, calm environment. They also place emphasis on teaching you the handler. I knew when I said I wanted a well trained dog that it meant I had to learn just as much as the dog if not more. Valor has been able to do that for me. I went from knowing close to nothing to being able to confidently handle my dogs. For me, that’s priceless. I also love all of the free content the team produces! There is just such a breadth of knowledge among the group that it’s awesome to have that to learn from.
An additional thing that makes Valor stand out is the standards that Amy has for her team. You can confidently take your dog to any one of the trainers and know it will be quality training and care. She’s an excellent trainer, mentor and business woman which is reflected through the service they provide.
6. What are your current training goals for each of your dogs?
Currently my goal for Quincy is to complete the CGC. He was ready to test a while back after his board & train, but the pandemic put a delay in that. Hopefully we will get this done soon. In the mean time we have also been working on trick training.
For Niya, she needs to complete her CGCU. She also needs to complete the final leg for her first AKC Rally title. Once that’s done we will work towards the intermediate title.
I’m also intrigued by dog sports and tracking so these might be some potential activities in the future, we shall see!
7. What is your favorite training tool and why?
Food! I like training with food because my dogs love it and it’s easy. They will do anything you want for a piece of dehydrated raw food. When Niya was a puppy I fed all of her meals via training and it was the best experience. It was effective and I felt such a bond with her through those sessions.
I also really like the leash and e-collar. These both allow you to be so clear with your messaging that I find then to invaluable as well.
8. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Our investment in training with Valor K9 has turned out to be everything I had hoped for. I would highly recommend it to anybody looking to bring out the best in their dog and grow as a handler.
Thank you so much, Kiara! You can follow Niya and Quincy’s adventures on Instagram at niya.mi11
Leave A Comment