I recently posted the following on social media: You won't see a well-bred purebred dog in the shelter. Why? Because well-bred dogs come from reputable breeders. And reputable breeders ALWAYS take their dogs back. This sparked a great discussion and some backlash from people saying that purebred dogs end up in the shelter all the time. Yes, they do. But I [...]
Are you interested in Private Lesson Training for your dog, but want to know more? Let me share some commonly asked questions and answers, so you can decide if Private Dog Training is for you! 1. Are private lessons effective? Yes! We create a fully customized training plan for each lesson to set you and your dog up for success. This [...]
If you own a dog and want to train your dog to be your service dog, we can help. Valor K9 Academy specializes in puppy training, family dog obedience and, you guessed it, service dog training. Training is a 5-step process. Let me break it down for you: Step 1: Service Dog Evaluation The first step is a comprehensive service dog [...]
When I was first got started as a dog trainer, I knew very little about nutrition. I gave my dogs Taste of the Wild dog food and didn't think twice about it. Then I attended a canine nutrition seminar in Chattanooga that was hosted by a holistic veterinarian. That's where I learned more about the cooking process of kibble and the [...]
Eye contact is a critical part of training. Eye contact builds engagement, and engagement is everything! An engaged dog focuses on the handler and everything else is just background noise. So how do you build engagement, and how do you keep it? Knowing when to reward eye contact is a major component to good dog training. Building eye contact Eye contact [...]