Atlas Working K-9’s

06/09/2025

Vacation Boarder loving life and summer time!
⛰️🥾🐾☀️🌲

06/08/2025

A true influencer doesn’t force — they inspire.

It’s fascinating to observe how truly skilled and successful dog trainers operate. They don’t need to demand others to follow their methods or pressure people to change. They simply do — and the results speak for themselves.

When someone works consistently, with expertise and respect for the dogs’ well-being, it shows — in the dogs they train, in the progress during practice, competitions, and even in the videos shared on social media ✨.

When others see something exceptional in those training sessions, competitions, or videos — something they also want to achieve — they become eager to learn. They want to understand how to build that same engagement, enthusiasm, and harmony with their own dogs.

I’ve always wondered why anyone should be forced to train exactly the way I do.

I gladly share advice, guide, and teach those who want to learn my approach. But I treat people the same way I treat dogs: by motivating and inspiring them. I also provide honest feedback when needed — but I try to do it constructively and supportively.

Teaching — whether dogs or humans — relies on the individual’s internal motivation to achieve something meaningful. My job is to make the learning process interesting, inspiring, and effective.

This is influence in its purest form. No force. No pressure. Just the power of example.

06/07/2025

I’ve said this many times and I’ll keep saying it…
We don’t care if we aren’t your style, we are out here making a real difference in the lives of dogs who need us and their families. Lucky trained specifically with Trainer Alex and he is still alive because of the work she has done with him and the continued work under our guidance, by his owners. Change takes time and diligence. We have the same guarantee for everyone, if you do what we say, it’ll work. If you don’t do what we say, it won’t work.
Like us or not, dogs like Lucky speak for themselves.
Unapologetically.

05/31/2025

I looked at the first photo and my heart skipped because this previously shut-down boy looked truly happy, content, relaxed.
Then I noticed the second photo and my hearted swelled because I was realizing how close we were to making it. To bringing him full circle and making him somebody.
Then I saw the 3rd photo and my eyes filled with tears because we have made it. He is free. He is relaxed. He has purpose and intention. He’s not squashed. He’s fulfilled. He’s treated with fairness and his soul is starting to light up.
Axel who was only a shell of himself when he started Board & Train several months ago, has a new lease on life.

05/26/2025

05/25/2025

🐾 Remember our post about assisting AACC in rescuing over 70 dogs? We’ve got a paws-itively wonderful update, and a photo of APD and AACC before the successful retrieval of the pups! 🐶💙

Since Friday, over 45 dogs have been adopted, and countless donations of supplies, food, and support have come pouring in. Anchorage, your kindness has made all the difference. 🙌

While this mission had its share of tail wags and happy endings, it was a serious operation. Our officers were proud to support Animal Care & Control in ensuring these animals were safely removed from dangerous conditions and given a second chance.

From all of us at APD: Thank you, Anchorage, for stepping up in such a big way. ❤️🐕‍🦺

05/24/2025

05/24/2025

Way to go Alaska. 🥰

🚨SHELTER UPDATE🚨

We would like to start off by saying that due to our amazing community we have already had 17 dogs adopted just today. This Memorial Day weekend we will stay open for both Saturday and Sunday but will be closed on Monday the 26th.

We want to also let everyone know, that as of today, the 71 dogs that were seized are now officially our property. As a result they can now start going through the evaluation process here at the shelter to be placed up for adoption. With this we are sure to need the help of many foster homes, to help reduce the stress of the animals and be able to provide proper kennel space in the shelter.

We are so grateful for the continued support of our pet loving community.💙💚

05/24/2025

I share a lot of video playing with dogs.

And talk about it frequently.

But I want to make something extremely clear…

I’m not playing with dogs to practice sit/down/place/heeling behaviours over and over ..
. but to create a way for dogs to tap into who they are.

This is not some fancy, abstract way of saying I use fetching and tugging for “biological fulfillment..”

(Ie. that it lets them bite and tug and chase and do things all dogs like to do)

Most dogs don’t know how to play actual games when they come for training.

They fetch and tug but still have loads of (sometimes serious) issues.

Or have problems playing that make their owners give up on it altogether.

So it’s often not biologically fulfilling.. at least to start…

…and almost never as deep as it can potentially be.

And not every way of playing is going to hit the right buttons for every dog.

There are so many breeds and personalities of dogs that ✨ don’t like toys ✨.

Using toys to fetch and tug will never be any type of fulfilling for those dogs.

But those dogs.. and all dogs… can certainly learn and LOVE games…

When they are the games that THAT dog likes…

And when they have been taught well.

I use games I’ve developed with a dog to show them concepts and teach behaviours.

But the majority of our time is NOT that.

Because that learning usually happens FAST.

Like.. ridiculously fast.

Teaching sit, down, stay, etc is not the primary reason I shed sweat, blood and tears to develop play in dogs.

I teach and play games with dogs because it gives them purpose.

Something to get skilled at.

Something where they can show me who they are.

Something where they can do what they want to do.

Without it being structured, managed or orchestrated.

It’s about as much freedom as I know how to give a dog.

05/23/2025

Love this visual.

A perfect visual of what *high drive* looks like in two different breeds of dogs.

Genetics.