The Hyper Pup K9 Training and Rehabilitation

08/24/2025

Toby’s owner dropped in to test out the fitting of his collar. She always comes bearing gifts. And by “gifts” I mean a huge bag of dark chocolate covered pretzels. I’m addicted to these things. I told her that I think her plan is to fatten me up. She denied it, but I don’t believe her. She’s an enabler of my one bag a month habit. Now I know why dogs get hooked on treats. Anyway, I’m beyond grateful for my treats and I’m told Toby is continuing to do well with his training. Time to get my fix.

08/23/2025

A reminder to many of you with dogs who just won’t listen…

I often get a dog owner come in for a consult and tell me that their dog tunes them out and therefore needs obedience training. So I tell them what I will teach the dog. Sit, down, stay, come, place, heel. Then they tell me, “well, my dog already knows all of that”.

Great. So your dog knows the rules but chooses to ignore them. Sometimes he’ll perform the behavior, and sometimes he won’t. 

Here’s the reminder… The learning of obedience is not necessarily in the compliance of a behavior, but in the enforcement. That’s your part. Your ability to ensure that your dog performs to your standards is what can transform unruliness to higher levels of control, focus, and manageability.

What’s the point in rules if you’re not going to bother enforcing them? 

08/21/2025

You may remember Max from a week or so ago. Five year-old Frenchie with serious leash reactivity. As is the case with many of these dogs, he’s a true sweetheart, when not triggered. Through private lessons, his owner has been working diligently at controlling his outburst and regaining immediate focus…often one or two seconds after he goes off the deep end. That’s improvement. It’s a tough go since a five year-old dog has been practicing these behaviors for a long time. The more a behavior is rehearsed, the more deeply ingrained it becomes. Still, she’s making tremendous progress. The real test comes in a week or two when we take him out on the road and test the results in real world settings. It should be interesting and I’m betting that the results will be impressive.

08/21/2025

Truth. I’ve been there.

The Side of Dog Training No One Talks About 🐾.

Behavioural work takes more from a trainer than most people will ever realise. It isn’t just hard on the dogs. It’s hard on us, too.

We’re managing fear, frustration, aggression, anxiety, in dogs & owners.
We’re reading body language every second.
We’re making rapid decisions that can affect safety.
We’re carrying the weight of responsibility for everyone in that moment.
We have to be calm when inside our brain is running 100 miles an hour.

We take the bites.
We take the screaming.
We take the judgement when progress doesn’t happen overnight.

It’s mentally exhausting.
One session can feel like running a marathon in your head, juggling the dog’s emotions, the owner’s confidence, the environment’s risks - all while keeping a calm, clear presence.

& we do it again the next day. & the next. Because we care. Because we know what’s possible when we get it right.

So when you see a trainer walking away from a tough session with their head low, it’s the toll this work takes. & tomorrow, they’ll step back into the ring and do it all again. It's worth it all, but it’s not a straight forward as people seem to think for a trainer.

08/20/2025

Giant Cane Corso pup comes in for a consult and possible board and train. The kind of dog most people cross the street to avoid. Yet this guy was a big goofball only interested in the treats I was feeding him.

08/17/2025

Poppy returned home to her family this weekend. I’ll miss her antics.

The night before, just minutes before I put her down for the night, she decides to go on a zoomies craze. Racing from the living room to the kitchen and back again. She slams into furniture and smashes into cabinets. I make no effort to stop her. It’ll only add to her fatigue. The whole thing last a few seconds when she finally drops herself on the kitchen floor from exhaustion and plays dead. She slept well that night.

08/14/2025

This is Leo.

He checked in a week ago for his three week board and train. He’s as sweet as he looks. A real lover. He’s here because he drags his owner whenever he’s on a leash, making him impossible to walk. It’s like his mind is on another planet and he’s oblivious to the fact that there’s a person at the other end of the leash.

He’s also lacking confidence. Takes a long time to warm up. Imagine that, a dog with no confidence leading their human. What could go wrong?

In a situation like this, my first priority becomes improving the dogs confidence and trust, and a large part of that happens through the development of a healthy balanced relationship with me. In other words, I need to win him over. It’s a good thing I’m a charmer. 

08/14/2025

Battle scars from working with a jumpy, nippy 4 month old. But I’m not naming names and I’m definitely not pointing fingers.

08/14/2025

Summer nights have a magic all their own.
The rush and distractions of the day fade away, the crickets take over, and everything slows to a calmer rhythm. The dogs feel it. I feel it. Focus comes easier, the work flows smoother, and training seems to click in a way that’s hard to capture in daylight.

And when you’ve got a “crazy train” like Tyson, I’ll take every advantage I can get. Tonight, that advantage was a quiet evening, a steady rhythm, and a dog finally starting to settle into the work.
Summer nights hit different, and I’ll miss them. 

08/12/2025

From “don’t trust him” to “look at him now.”
When Casey first came in, he wore a muzzle and couldn’t be trusted around people. Fear and uncertainty kept his world small.

This week, we took his training on the road—and the turnaround was incredible. Calm. Focused. Trustworthy.

The difference? His owner stepped into the role of leader, giving Casey the direction and confidence he needed.

It’s proof that with the right guidance, even the most challenging dogs can write a new story.

08/10/2025

Tried to take Tyson’s picture but he got distracted by a vehicle and quickly spun around. Or maybe he’s just trying to give me a message.

08/09/2025

Success rarely happens overnight.

Despite what social media might make you believe, it’s not about one big breakthrough—it’s about stacking small wins, one after another, until the “impossible” becomes possible.

Zeus’s owner understands this better than anyone. He’s put in the work, stayed consistent, and the results speak for themselves. The once uncontrollable Saint Bernard who charged like a bull now strolls like a lamb. More walks. More freedom outdoors. Far less time in the crate. And here’s the kicker—we’re only on lesson three.

They’ve gone from chaos to calm, from frustration to peaceful coexistence. A goal that once felt out of reach is now their new normal.

If you’ve ever thought your dog was “too much” to handle, Zeus is proof that change is possible—starting with one small win at a time.