Rapid K9 Solutions

Rapid K9 Solutions Certified, professional dog training 🐶
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Personalized training packages
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Servicing most of the Black Hills🌲
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Obedience, behavioral cases, and more

08/15/2026

Some video from an impromptu parking lot session with Elton & Maeve.

The other day I had Elton & Maeve running some errands with me and we stopped to get in a quick session in an empty parking lot. Some extra generalization never hurt.

The objective of these quick sessions was to ask the two of them to think clearer when in drive/excited.

Elton can be a bit of a maniac when a ball is present. So much so that something as simple as “climb” (otherwise called “place”) can appear to be a newer concept to him when he knows I have a ball. He struggled to even get himself up on the platform (all four paws) because he was “in drive” or in other words, too focused on the ball to clearly grasp what I was asking of him.

Maeve is similar in that regard. Her processing speed is sometimes cut in half when she’s preoccupied with the thought of playing tug.

A session like this has numerous benefits.

•Using a toy for a reward is just so much more meaningful to a lot dogs. It’s competitive, and many dogs genuinely enjoy that competition or “conflict”. I’m thinking specifically of dogs like Rottweilers, Bulldog types, and some herding breeds.

•Going from obedience/control to play will help a lot when it comes to getting your dog to refocus when distracted or in drive/excited.

•Because I am quickly marking (“yes”, which is a termination marker) and rewarding as soon as the dogs do what I ask, they starts to understand that the quicker they comply the quicker they get rewarded. This can and likely will speed up obedience.

08/13/2026

This is Brooks.

Brooks is a Caucasian Shepard/Australian Shepard/Bernese Mountain Dog mix. He has a bite history that resulted in some damage.

Yesterday was my first time meeting Brooks, and it was the beginning of a private lesson package that will go until at least the end of September. At that point we will reassess.

My approach with Brooks was similar to most other human aggressive dogs. I had to see how far he would go, so I suited up and gave him an opportunity to show me what he wanted to do. To the surprise of his owners and I, he never really made a serious attempt to bite.

I decided to do a little bit of compliance testing, with the idea of seeing what might trigger a bite. Without going so far as to be unfair or “force” him to bite me. I had him walk away from his owners, and he put up just a little bit of a fight. He got both his paws on top of the leash in an attempt to gain control, and that’s when you see me lift the leash up to get his paws to come off of the leash.

Immediately after that I make fun of him for being big and tough but peeing like a girl dog.

I walked him through some obedience. Most of which he already knew, but some he did not. It didn’t take long for me to see that he wasn’t all that interested in fighting me. Likely because the theatrics behind the fence and with the leash did not yield the results he was hoping for.

Brooks and I then spent a little time just getting to know each other. Some petting, and some play time with a ball.

While I’m sure he’ll take a shot at me in the future, this was a great introduction for the two of us. Acting aggressive didn’t work, and in the end he got to see that I really just wanted to say hello and play with him for a bit.

We should be able to make a lot of progress with Brooks, and I’m excited to see how our lesson next week will go.

08/12/2026

Becoming friends with Teddy

Teddy & I have done a lot of training together, but him and I being buddy’s was never really the focus. We mostly cared about him not biting strangers or the vet.

Times have changed, and we’d like for it to be possible to have Teddy stay with me for a few days if need be. So we’re starting the process of Teddy & I becoming friends.

Sitting on the ground and tossing treats to him for an hour would have been an utter waste of time. He’s a smart dog, and he would have immediately understood that taking treats from me is more like a business transaction rather than a hang-out.

I needed something better. So, I asked Teddy’s owners what he liked to play with the most, and the answer was the hose. So, we turned on the hose.

Today was just about getting my foot in the door. I’ll be picking up Teddy probably later this month, and him & I will get some bonding done. I don’t care if I have to stand outside with a hose for 2 hours. Teddy & I will become friends.

08/10/2026

Only a few more things that we want to accomplish before Maeve heads home at the end of this week.

This morning I took most of the crew out to an open area with the goal of practicing without a leash on. Maeve nailed it. Staying in downs, recalling, being polite with dog friends and dog strangers alike. This was a very encouraging outing. Not that I expected anything less.

Next up is a more busy public setting where I can really test Maeve’s off-leash reliability.

08/08/2026

Addressing Apprehension in Dogs

With some spare time after a lesson this morning, I pulled out a couple place boards and a teeter totter and decided to run Maeve through some exercises. Something like this is a fantastic way to bond with your dog.

More specifically, this was a great exercise to instill a sense of trust and cooperation in Maeve. Another instance where she gets to learn that I wouldn’t put her in a genuinely dangerous position, and that I will face obstacles alongside her. We’re a team.

Her first run through was easy enough, but I don’t think she was expecting the middle board to move once she was on it. Once she figured that out, she became apprehensive. Of course, we couldn’t stop there. I was going to help her overcome.

This gave me the opportunity to incorporate and discuss reward events (“throwing a party”), leash pressure (negative reinforcement), as well as a simple trick to encourage/build interest in food.

08/05/2026

Moses update

Got to see Moses again today, and lo and behold we might have made some progress.

This isn’t to say that I’ve got him 100% nailed down in terms of some sort of diagnosis. What I know is that we spent a couple more hours with him this morning, and I am definitely seeing a shift in energy during certain moments. Like many of you have seen in a previous post about Moses, the leash as well as my bite gloves were a major trigger. But not by the end of our lesson.

I want it to be noted that we didn’t miraculously teach Moses a “down” in the last week. The fact that he’s laying down is due to it being a more comfortable position for him, AND it is a reflection of his emotional state.

I won’t get ahead of myself, because I know that progress is not always linear with dogs. But the end of today’s lesson gave me a good deal of hope for what we will be able to accomplish in the future.

08/04/2026

Tail untucked ✅

Curious (instead of avoidant)✅

Steady walking pace (instead of alternating between completely frozen and sprinting for anything resembling a hole or a cave)✅

Starting to enjoy affection (instead of just tolerating it)✅

We’ve made some improvements with Poppy. Today was our 5th day train, which means Poppy and I have spent roughly 20 hours together over a period of a month & a half or so. That might sound like a lot of time, but it’s really very little when you remember that Poppy is 5 years old and it wasn’t too long ago that she was living at a rescue.

From here, Poppy’s mom & I will be scheduling the rest of our lessons. We will continue to give Poppy new experiences and help her form a new perspective on life.

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57701, 57702, 57703, 57704, 57709

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