Hackles & Hide K9 Academy

Hackles & Hide K9 Academy At H&H, we take a psychological approach to training from a dogs point of view. We specialize is healing and rehabilitation for K9 aggression and reactivity.

We also offer basic and advanced obedience using positive only methods.

08/23/2025

Is it disobedience, spite, or an unmet need? 🤔 .. ✨️Meet MY dog, Blizzard!✨️

Initially, Blizzard begins the exercise on the heel, and I then request him to switch sides. While he is performing the behavior, he exhibits some unusual actions, including a partial play bow, signs of stress, appeasement behaviors, and then completes the task. 👀

We continue practicing, and when I ask for a touch, he disregards the command and performs a full play bow. It is at this point that I recognize he has an unmet need and focus on addressing it. He then shakes, signaling the end of play, and we resume training, where he demonstrates improved focus and success! 🙌🏼

How do we determine if they are being disobedient, spiteful, ignoring, misunderstanding, or have an unmet need, you ask?

✨️Through context clues, body language, and the individual!✨️

For example, switch is a relatively new command, so for a higher drive dog, it can be stressful trying to be sure he’s doing the right thing, and he is *very* expressive! So, at the time he showed the half play bow, stress, and appeasement, I was unsure if he was stressed because it’s a new command or if he wanted to play.

Disobedience - you ask your dog for something they know well, there are no distractions or stressors, and no unmet need.

Spite - this is *NOT* a dog emotion. Dogs do not do things out of spite.. There is an underlying reason for that behavior‼️

Ignoring: Are there distractions or stressors? This may cause your dog to be less engaged and not listen right away! Be patient, redirect, and repeat if needed!

Thinking: Does the dog pause and shift their body language slightly? They are thinking! Give them a minute or redirect them into better behavior, depending on the situation!

Misunderstanding: Is it a newer command? Did you use a different hand cue? Are you marking and rewarding them enough?

Yeah, dogs are adorable, but sometimes they're a mystery.. right!? That's what we're here for!

If you need help.. REACH OUT!

HAPPY WEEKEND 🙃 ✌🏼

Www.hacklesandhidek9.com

Ashley: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

08/16/2025

✨️Sometimes, we encounter situations where the challenges make us take a deeper dive..✨️

Not everything is black and white. ✨️This is Kona✨️

While it may initially appear that this dog is terrified of the dishwasher, a closer look at the video, considering the dog's breed and herding instincts, tells us the real underlying reasons for this behavior.

✨️Go down this rabbit hole with me..

Kona starts with an eye stalk, spins around the washer to herd it, barks at it, and when it doesn't move, he becomes more intense and agitated.

Because as a herder, he needs to control where the dishwasher goes. Since the dishwasher isn't moving, it's building Kona's frustration.

As soon as I put my arm down to move the dishwasher door, he nose-bumps it to get it to move in the direction he wants. If you know how a cattle dog works, you know what that looks like.

Where this might seem far-fetched, his movements tell us otherwise.

✨️The fact that these dogs reside within a home as a pet does not erase their inherent instincts.✨️

Ashley and I will conduct a follow-up evaluation of Kona to further investigate his behavior, aiming to either exclude or validate an additional hypothesis.. So, stay tuned!

I would also like to add that Konas family has been incredible!

Have questions or need help? REACH OUT!

Www.hacklesandhidek9.com

Mike: [email protected]

Ashley: [email protected]

⚠️✨️One thing that is really important to me is letting everyone know how great my teammate is and lifting her up. I am ...
08/10/2025

⚠️✨️One thing that is really important to me is letting everyone know how great my teammate is and lifting her up. I am so proud of this girl and blown away by the knowledge she has, her willingness to help H&H grow, and above all her love and compassion for animals. I seriously struck ✨️gold✨️ with this one!

✨️ Here's a little background on Ashley : ✨️

Ashley is a certified professional dog trainer who specializes in behavior modification and obedience, and she has dedicated herself to studying canine behavior to understand the root psychological causes of behavioral issues. Her training approach focuses healing and growth versus suppressing emotions through fear.

Ashley holds a degree in Animal Science and has obtained certifications in obedience training and instruction, with experience that includes veterinary technician work and collaboration with animal behaviorists. She also holds a Fear Free Certification.

Ashley's compassionate approach, her strong desire to understand the reason behind the behaviors, and her want to help animals live a happy and healthy life are a few of the many reasons why I'm lucky to have her on my team and truly believe in her as an amazing trainer!

If your dog is struggling with reactivity or just needs some simple obedience, I encourage you to reach out! ✌🏼

Www.hacklesandhidek9.com
[email protected]
641-414-9644

Event cancelled due to weather, thank you to those that came! Come see Ashley today at Paws and Pistons at Hawkeye Downs...
08/09/2025

Event cancelled due to weather, thank you to those that came!

Come see Ashley today at Paws and Pistons at Hawkeye Downs 10 AM - 3 PM and play to win a prize! e

08/08/2025

AHH ‼️ Fence fighting 😱– An issue we see all too commonly. 👎🏼

In this video, you can see the dog barking as it approaches the fence, followed by the other dog running towards it.

Seeing this, you may wonder who the instigator is here? 🤔

How do I stop this behavior?🤔

How do I keep the dog from doing this if the neighbor dog is always barking, too?🤔🤔

Let's get to it!! 👊🏼

• Who is the instigator? The light brown dog is the instigator in this case.

✨️ Observing the German Shepherd's body language, it appears she is responding out of fear and attempting to create distance by encouraging the other dog to move away.

Considering that dogs, particularly puppies, have not fully developed the reasoning portion of their brains to the same extent as humans, when they bark or react, if the other dog responds in kind or does not retreat, they do not pause to consider alternative approaches. Instead, they may escalate their reaction, leading to a cycle that does not remedy itself.

• How do you stop this behavior? The best solution is a ✨️leash✨️

✨️This way, in the beginning, at least, you have some control over the situation and can work on teaching your dog to ignore the other dog through desensitization techniques, redirection techniques, and displacement behaviors.

✨️✨️We can use all these aspects to create a replacement behavior when your dog sees and hears the neighbor dog to end the behavior toward the other dog!✨️✨️

This technique also presumes that the dog does not have any underlying behavioral or medical issues!

If your dog is struggling with fence line reactivity ‐ REACH OUT!

Happy Friday!!✌🏼

~Ashley~

Www.hacklesandhidek9.com

Ashley: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

Update, slot is filled, you can reach out to be put on our waitlist for the next class! Ready to unleash your dog's best...
08/05/2025

Update, slot is filled, you can reach out to be put on our waitlist for the next class!

Ready to unleash your dog's best behavior?

Our foundational obedience course trains your dog in all the essential skills, such as sit, stay, down, impulse control, and loose-leash walking, all while strengthening your bond with your best bud!

Utilizing positive reinforcement and relationship-focused methods, along with comprehensive support, you will acquire the necessary skills to cultivate a well-behaved dog.

I have one spot open on the Aug 10th at 5 p.m.

Call/text Ashley @ 641-414-9644 or email at
[email protected]

Www.hacklesandhidek9.comst r

08/01/2025

Happy FOURTH birthday to my business partner, employee of the month ✨️every. single .month✨️, morning motivator, "number one scent dog", partner in crime, BIG TOBII!!

Im not sure what i did to deserve a treasure like you. 🫶🏼

I love you buddy!!!

07/25/2025

✨️ HEY EVERYONE 👋🏼 – MEET GUNNER✨️

First off, we really need to stress to you the IMPORTANCE of CONTEXT with both the situation and the living environment‼️
✨️✨️This information is golden✨️✨️

Gunner is a foster through Cedar Valley Pit Bull Rescue. We did two evaluations on him!

We were asked to do an evaluation on Gunner, who was being housed at a boarding facility until he found placement. The facility evaluated him and he failed their evaluation to join group because of his behavior towards other dogs. ✨️ He does get one on one play daily, and the enrichment he needs! His behavior is NOT a reflection of the facility or caused from anything they did wrong.✨️

Our assessments:

The first assessment took place at a boarding facility, exposing Gunner to the presence of other dogs that he could not get to. Day and night, behind a barrier – this causes frustration to build.

In the first part of the video, when he attacked the decoy dog, he had built frustration from not only seeing the decoy dog, but also seeing, smelling, and hearing dogs he can't get to 24/7. This is why he immediately went to attack the decoy.

In Gunner's second assessment, we removed him from the facility and took a walk around Home Depot to assist in resetting his emotional state and mitigating anxiety and frustration.

We then did a controlled introduction with Gunner to another dog. His performance was so much better. He redirected easier and overall showed a great improvement in behavior from his initial assessment.

Seeing the difference in his reactions just based on the context of the environment exhibits why we are so adamant about making sure they have a good home environment as well as a good situational environment‼️

✨️✨️ This is also why behavior modification training, the majority of the time, requires in-home training, not just a board-and-train, group class, or play-and-train.✨️✨️

Until the in-home environment and behavior can be observed and adjusted as needed, we can not fully change behaviors out of the home.

We are excited to share that Gunner got a foster home..🙌🏼

Be sure to check back to see his progress in his new home environment!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!✌🏼

~Ashley~

Www.hacklesandhidek9.com

Ashely: [email protected]

Mike: [email protected]

07/20/2025

✨️To actually be able to help reactivity, it's important to understand why the reactivity is happening.✨️

If we don't know the underlying reason, we can't work to actually improve the situation.

☆We're not talking about improving the situation by suppressing emotions. 😒👎🏼- And, no, we're not completely against devices for certain things, but that's another conversation.

A large part of evaluating reactive behaviors toward other dogs is seeing their reaction to our decoy dogs, Salem, Binx, and Sanderson ✨️The real MVP''S✨️... Even though our decoys are stuffed, the dogs we work with perceive them as real.😲

We use our decoy dogs as a safety measure. When reading behaviors, it's very important to do it safely, step by step, to prevent injury to the client, their dogs, the neutral dog (who can easily become reactive if the situation is not controlled properly), and ourselves.

There's a lot more to understanding reactivity and why it's happening than just the interaction between Salem, Binx, and Sanderson. This is just one of many things we look for when understanding behaviors‼️

Reactivity can be simple, and sometimes it's more complex. Whatever their issues are, please remember that true healing is a journey. It takes time, effort, and a lot of patience on your end to make a positive change for them. It's not a snap-your-fingers quick fix.

I'm sure if you suffer from trauma, you understand the emotional challenges and hurdles you've faced throughout your road to peace. They are right there with ya!!

If you're having issues with your buddy and would like an evaluation, REACH OUT!✌🏼

Www.hacklesandhidek9.com
Mike: [email protected]
Ashley: [email protected]

✨️Meet Rozzie! – The dog affected by a laser pointer✨️ "HERE'S HIS STORY~Rozzie is a 7 year old Labradoodle. When Rozzie...
07/12/2025

✨️Meet Rozzie! – The dog affected by a laser pointer✨️

"HERE'S HIS STORY~

Rozzie is a 7 year old Labradoodle.

When Rozzie was 16 weeks old, his sitter played with him using a laser pointer to help expend some energy, completely unaware that this would have lasting effects.

Three years later, he continued to chase shadows, light, and redirect his frustration by snapping at them, leaving Rozzie feeling down about his lack of control. 💔 A diagnosis of CCD, or Canine Compulsive Disorder, was given following a visit to the veterinarian.

⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What is CCD, you ask?!

CCD is a repetitive activity that shows no function and persists through different environments.

Behaviors that are common in CCD:

•Tail chasing
•Flank sucking
•Chasing light/shadows
•Licking
•Spinning
•Self mutilation
•Fake fly biting.

Certain predispositions within breeds, along with a lack of correlation, to lack of training, and a weak owner-dog relationship, contribute to CCD.

These behaviors can also hinder a dog's normal functioning, as they may struggle with everyday activities, thereby impacting their overall quality of life. 👎🏼

CCD can be managed through medication and is most effectively addressed through a combination of medication and behavioral modification training.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rozzie has been taking Fluoxetine to help reduce his compulsiveness and has ceased snapping at his parents. The Fluoxetine doesn’t keep him from chasing light, but it's not as obsessive anymore.

Now, he's able to settle instead of constantly looking for something to chase!

Unfortunately, we see laser pointers used a lot as "play." Its super important to understand the effects of them, what exactly CCD is, and why it causes these obsessive behaviors.

– Rozzies family's story in the comments!

If your pal is struggling with CCD and you would like some help, REACH OUT!!

Www.hacklesandhidek9.com
[email protected]

Hello 👋🏼 As summer is in full force, we should probably talk about ground temps!! 👉🏼 Consider this scenario: A kid at a ...
07/10/2025

Hello 👋🏼

As summer is in full force, we should probably talk about ground temps!!

👉🏼 Consider this scenario: A kid at a swimming pool or beach experiences intense heat from the ground, prompting a rapid sprint towards the water to avoid the discomfort of burning feet 🔥..

— Yeah, weve all experienced it. But have you thought about the fact that your dog feels the burn on their "feet" too? Its true!

The concrete and asphalt gets much hotter than air temps, and they can severly hurt our dog’s feet! 🥺 💔

It is important to protect their paw pads, as they are quite sensitive, contrary to popular belief!!

This can be achieved by keeping them indoors on hot days, walking on dirt and grass, or by using shoes so they can comfortably accompany you outdoors.
You may be thinking, hmm 🤔 I’ve tried shoes, but they won’t wear them… but guess what? There is hope!

✨️Did you know that getting dogs to wear shoes is a process of conditioning and desensitization⁉️ This is a behavioral training technique that helps dogs overcome their fears and anxieties. 🙌🏼

If you would like to protect your besties' paws and are interested in getting them to wear shoes to shield them from heat, ice, and salt in the summer or winter – reach out! ✌🏼

~Ashley~

Www.hacklesandhidek9.com
[email protected]

Address

6270 Partners Avenue Suite #311
Marion, IA
52302

Telephone

+13199301499

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