Dog Training
K-9 Specialistʼs philosophy on training a dog correctly, comes from nothing more and nothing less than just pure nature. What this means is K-9 Specialist does not use any tactics to training or correcting your dog that the Pack Leader Wolf wouldn’t do his or herself to correcting and training it’s own pups in the wild.
We do not believe in hitting a dog, squirting a dog in its face with a squirt bottle, or shaking cans full of pennies to correct or train a dogs behavior. We also believe that treats should be used only at a certain time of training, which we will discuss more in depth in our one on one evaluation. Here at K-9 Specialist, we believe that there are three phases of training when dealing with your dog. Those phases are the learning phase, the correction phase, and the distraction phase.
Learning Phase
The dog is taught the meaning of a command. In this stage of training we would introduce the dog to markers, once this is understood then other behaviors can be taught. This phase of training is done in controlled environments. We don’t want to add a lot of distraction until the dog knows and understands the behavior that you are asking him to perform. While in the learning phase the dog is given a lot of grace in order to work through the exercises with out stress. You will take your dog through a learning phase every single time you teach him a new behavior. It will go a little faster each time because the dog is already accustomed to communicating with you and he now understands how to work with you.
Correction Phase
This phase is the introduction of a particular correction that a dog will need in order to perform his or hers duties to the owners specifications. Each dog may need a different source of correction depending on its temperament. For example, a simple verbal command may work for one dog, while another may need a particular collar to understand that its behavior is not acceptable. It is not until the dog understands 100% what you do and do not want him to do, that he will then graduate to the next level of training.
Distraction Phase
This is where we will add distractions to your training. Once your dog is performing an exercise consistently and you know for certain he is on board and understands what you are asking, you can then move to a proofing phase of training. This is the phase of training where we will ask the dog to perform the same exercise but in new locations or on new surfaces or perhaps with other dogs and people around. In this stage of training we will still need to give the dog ample time to understand that he still needs to perform the exercise even with the distraction in place. So we will need to make use of our verbal “negative marker” for this. We will gradually increase the level of distraction to be more and more difficult.
K9Specialist.com focuses on these speciality areas of dog training. K9Specialist.com’s main geographic areas for providing dog training is the Michigan and Ohio areas, with clients located in the Holland Michigan, Muskegon Michigan, Grand Rapids Michigan, Detroit Michigan, Flint Michigan, and Saginaw Michigan areas among others.
Policies
After 3 visits and/or 1 week or more at our training facility, no refund may be obtained. This is only valid on Basic training programs. This is not applicable to any Intermediate, Advanced, Aggressive Behavior Modification, or Personal Protection Training Programs.
For clients protection as well as ours, all evaluations are subject to being recorded.
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Aggression – K-9 Specialist will not take on any dog that shows aggression toward any internal family member. This goes for daughter, son, nephew, niece, uncle, aunt, father, mother, In Laws etc. We only deal with aggression that comes from the outside in. We will teach the dog to be put under control by the handler to stay on their property at their side while being out doors. This means under complete client contained supervision!! Client must specify clearly at the signing of contract on what type of aggression they are dealing with and understand what we will not take on.
All training comes with a lifetime guarantee for the life of the pet.
Note: Please understand that K-9 Specialist LLC can only teach you and provide you with the proper tools to control any unwanted behaviors your dog may have. For example, if you have a Hound and you dislike that he or she chases birds, K-9 Specialist LLC can help you control that unwanted behavior while you are in your dogs presence only. We cannot stop your dogs natural given drive, nor can we control it if the dog is unattended. However, as long as you are trained by us and follow the proper procedures on how to maintain control of your dog while in his or her presence, you will have a well behaved dog. Please note that this applies to all behavior modification courses. Do not be fooled by others who claim they can “cure” a problem that is a natural instinct to your dog. There is no cure for a bird dog wanting to chase birds for example, but there are ways to control them. Please do not waste your time or money on K-9 Specialist LLC if your expectations are to “cure” your dogs natural instinct. If your expectation is to have full control over your dog while in his or her presence, we are the team for you. This same concept also applies to aggressive behavioral issues.
Special Example: I, owner and operator of K-9 Specialist LLC, owns a naturally aggressive Pitbull. My Pitbull is ONLY aggressive towards other dogs or animals in general, not people. As long as I am with my dog, whether I have her on or off a leash, she will respect and obey my authority. For example, if another dog walks by and I am present with my Pitbull, she will remain in her place and not move or react to that dog because I am there to control the situation. However, if I walk away and leave my dog unattended, she will most definitely advance towards the other dog because I was not there to control the situation. I am giving this very real scenario to provide the public with the knowledge that just because a dog is well trained, the training does not take the natural instinct out of them at all. It would be like taking the “dog” out of the dog…completely impossible. That’s why I offer training to help teach and educate you as well as give you the tools to maintain proper control and behavior with your dog, as long as your in his or her presence. That’s the key right there. You MUST be in his or her PRESENCE to have complete control.