REAL K9 Training LLC

08/12/2025

Socialization: It’s Not a Free-for-All (and You’ve Only Got 12 Weeks!) 🐾

Your puppy’s brain is basically a squishy little sponge until about 12 weeks old — soaking up every sight, sound, and smell and deciding, “Is this safe or scary?”
After that? That sponge turns into more of a sturdy brick. You can still teach them, but it’s a whole lot harder to change first impressions.

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🐶 My Socialization Rule: Observe First, Meet Later
• Dogs: We watch from a distance. Your pup learns calm behavior and handler focus, not “see dog, lose mind.”
• People: No random greetings unless I set it up with a calm human and a safe plan.
• Environments: Parks, parking lots, quiet sidewalks — yes! Dog parks, pet stores — hard pass.
• Pace: Short, sweet, and paired with snacks or play. End on a win.

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👀 Learn to Read the Room (and the Dog)

Don’t just assume your puppy is “fine” because they’re quiet or still. Learn what their body is saying:
• Loose body, soft eyes, and curiosity? 👍 They’re probably comfortable.
• Tucked tail, stiff posture, lip licking, turning away? 🚫 They’re feeling uneasy.
• Context matters too — sniffing in a new park might mean “I’m curious,” but sniffing nonstop when someone’s trying to pet them might mean “Please go away.”

Your job isn’t just to expose them — it’s to make sure each new thing feels safe, fun, and ends on a good note.

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🏆 The Goal

By 12 weeks, I want your puppy to have positive experiences with as many sights, sounds, and situations as possible — without being scared, mobbed, or overwhelmed.
Think: “Ooh, interesting!” not “Oh no, danger!”

Because the world is huge and sometimes weird. Your job? Teach your pup the world is safe and you’ve got their back. 💛

08/10/2025

Your service dog’s calmness might not be confidence—it could be shutdown.

The Wellbeing of Service Dogs Matters Just as Much as the Handler’s Needs

Public access work is one of the hardest jobs a dog can do. The sights, sounds, smells, and unpredictability of public environments can be overwhelming—even for confident dogs. For shy or fearful dogs, it can be downright distressing.

The heartbreaking truth is that many service dogs are asked to work in situations where they are deeply uncomfortable, sometimes because their signals are subtle—quiet signs of stress or fear that go unnoticed. Dogs that react “forward” (lunging, barking, pulling away) often get more attention from their handlers simply because their discomfort is louder. But the dogs who shut down, freeze, avoid eye contact, or quietly shrink away are suffering just as much—if not more.

A shut-down dog may look calm on the outside—but that stillness is often the result of extreme stress, not relaxation. If your dog is fearful at home, it’s safe to assume those feelings are even stronger in public.

It’s not uncommon for service dogs to have a career change because they simply aren’t confident enough to handle the demands of public access work. And that is okay. What’s not okay is expecting help from an animal who is in a constant state of stress and unable to advocate for themselves.

I understand the pain of having to retire a dog from public work—it’s a huge loss. But our dogs’ welfare, safety, and comfort should be just as important as the tasks they perform for us. They rely on us to speak up for them, protect them, and make the call when a situation is too much.

Please—learn to read your dog’s body language. Notice the small changes. Respect the subtle “I’m not okay” signals. Being a great handler means balancing your needs with theirs, and sometimes that means making the hard decision for their sake.

If you’re ever unsure about your dog’s comfort level in public access work, I’m happy to help evaluate and guide you through what’s best for both of you.

They give us everything they have. Let’s make sure we give them the same in return.

08/09/2025

Not all panting means your dog is hot or happy—sometimes, it’s a silent stress signal. Can you spot the difference?

Panting can means so many things. Sometimes I find it difficult to describe a stress pant to clients. My favorite verbal description is the “why so serious” smile equals stress pant… Joker from Batman reference. So when I caught these pictures, I just had to put together a side by side comparison. Hope this helps others see the subtle differences between a dog who’s stressed and a dog who’s relaxed.

08/08/2025

🧠 Think About It Thursday 🐾

Not all progress is loud or obvious.
Sometimes your dog didn’t bark when they wanted to.
Sometimes they looked to you instead of lunging.
Sometimes they recovered faster than last time.

👏 That’s growth—and it deserves a reward.

We’re often quick to notice the “bad” stuff…
But what if we caught our dogs being awesome just as often?
💛 Reward the calm. Reward the check-ins. Reward the small wins.

The more you reinforce the behaviors you do want, the more your dog will offer them.
That’s how training sticks. 🙌

Tonight’s reminder:
✨ Progress is often quiet, but powerful. Catch it. Celebrate it. Feed it.

08/06/2025

🐾 Training Tip Tuesday 🐾

Sound familiar? You’re not alone—window barking is one of the most common calls I get. While it may feel like your dogs are protecting the castle, what’s really happening is:
• They’re practicing alert barking (which gets reinforced every time the “threat” walks away).
• It can build into reactivity or stress if not managed.
• And… it can drive humans a little crazy. 😅

✨ Tip: Start with management—cover the window or block access so your pup can’t rehearse the “bark → intruder leaves → I saved the house!” cycle. From there, we work on the why behind the barking and teach calmer, more confident responses instead.

If your pups are running neighborhood watch a little too seriously, I can help you bring the volume down (without crushing their spirit 🐾💚).
📞 (970) 591-9722 Reach out today to book a session and let’s turn those barks into check-ins.

08/05/2025

🐾🎉 Big feelings, big heart, and a brand-new journey ahead… meet Honey! 🎉🐾

This sweet Lab mix just joined our Big Emotions, Big Wins program here at R.E.A.L. K9 Training, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her and her family to the crew. 💛🐶

🐕 Honey is an adorable rescue from Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue, where her loving humans adopted her. She’s got some big feelings about other dogs 💥 and can be a little shy around new people—but that just means we get to help her build confidence step by step (and have fun while doing it 🥳).

🌟 What we love about Honey? She’s thoughtful, sweet, and already showing us she’s ready to learn. Her dedicated humans are just as committed—supporting her, learning alongside her, and celebrating every win. That’s the dream team right there. 🙌

We’ll be moving at Honey’s pace, slowing things down to make sure her foundations are solid and her confidence grows strong. Because here at R.E.A.L. K9, big feelings aren’t setbacks—they’re the start of big wins. ✨

💬 Drop a warm welcome for Honey below and cheer her on as she starts her journey! ⬇️

08/05/2025

Couldn’t agree more👇👇

08/02/2025