Venus and Mars K9

23/12/2024

My group class schedule might finally be regular, and thus now has a web page home! Check out all group classes here:

Group classes for basic pet training, tricks, freestyle dog dance, competition obedience, fitness, and more in Chicago and the Chicagoland area.

17/11/2024

New things alert!!! Inquire via email.

09/09/2024

If hitting the books with serious studies such as distractions and leash walking has become a bore, perhaps your dog would prefer to invest in trade school like AKC Fetch to earn their keep....(???) (LET ME HAVE THIS)

Here's where to find me in the upcoming months!

Teamwork on the Town Class
Starting November 17th
Rotates every week Sundays @ 2pm & Tuesdays @ 6:30pm
New outdoor location each class!
(DM me for more info)

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K9 Fitness and OB Classes
10/12 - 11/2 and 11/16 - 12/14
Saturday morning and afternoon
Found Training Center in Chicago

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Rally-Obedience and OB Classes
Starting October 10th
Thursday evenings
Spot On K9 in West Chicago

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Competition Heelwork and AKC Fetch
Starting September 30th
Monday mornings
For Your K9 in Elmhurst

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Multisport Coaching
Mondays 7-10pm
Adogtrainerlife's Gotham City Dawgs in Berwyn

02/05/2024

I am creating a lot of free resources for clients because in my perfect world, they would know all of this stuff before even coming to me! Even with the foundations in place, there is usually still plenty to work on. Check out these articles and let me know if you have any requests:

Dog training and canine behavior tips, thoughts, unique ideas, how-to guides, blogs & vlogs - all from a certified professional trainer.

14/04/2024

Big news! Venus and Mars K9 is officially reopening in Chicago.

Check out our website: venusandmarsk9.com 🐾

01/01/2022

Reminiscing about puphood. I actually lost a lot of Cupid's puppy pictures due to a phone dying. (Rookie mistake.)

30/12/2021

Special Mars addition

05/12/2021

I guess I have officially decided to fix Mars's heel. Her issue was going flat in the ring, only during heeling. I learned about heeling from the trainers that worked in my first daycare in brief snippets, before I was a trainer, and Mars had to soldier through a LOT of mistakes. I learned about engagement ring prep probably at the END of all that, and that fact combined with her inconsistent understanding of focus/head position criteria lead to a dog that checked out in the middle of our CDX attempts - where heeling comes before all the "fun stuff." Anyway I'm training her to be crazy and pushy now. This is like session 10.

24/11/2021

Wow, sports medicine is so cool!? Cupid was a super good boy and therefore got to have a super thorough exam this morning. He even got a chiropractic adjustment at the end. We used chin rest, stand-stay's, and side-lay/down-stays on and off for almost 3 hours. He is looking pretty good, and we are still thinking his issue was a neck nerve thing. After today we will be slowly reintegrating exercise, and hopefully he will be on the straight and righteous forever and ever.

20/11/2021

I introduced handler discrimination over the last couple of weeks. One card in the pile of cards is heavily scented like me (from rubbing it against my skin). I am just starting to wait for a little bit more of a pause before I reward him.

17/11/2021

Rally is a competition obedience dog sport that is fun for newbies and seasoned trainers alike. You can even now play the sport from home by submitting videos to the AKC. Learn everything you need to know about Rally, from basic foundations to finishing touches, in my comprehensive self-paced course, Rockin' Rally-O. 🐶🥇

venusandmarsk9.com/online-rally-obedience

Have questions? Ask away!

14/07/2020

Bessie is my favorite 💫 gorgeous super model of a dog 💫 and let’s be real, I know a lot of you feel the same way. But did you know that she’s got the BRAINS as well as the BEAUTY? Her and her mom Candice have been putting in the w o r k! The focus, the thoughtfulness, the steadiness, the distance skills, the timing and mechanics, the fading out the lures - I am so proud of this team. 💕 It’s not always easy training a fast, smart, drivey dog, but Candice steps up to the plate again and again. 💪🏼 I share this with the hope of inspiring more pet owners to do as much as Candice has done, turning her backyard into an agility course for her lucky dogs during quarantine, and regularly attending training classes to keep everyone sharp and happy. Bessie & Candice are absolutely rocking it. 🎉 Let them know how awesome they are! 🎉

14/07/2020

Luna & Lauren come to me by way of my beloved former workplace See Spot Run - Chicago! Lauren & Luna have dropped into some virtual tricks classes, and now they are having a blast in the Rockin’ Rally-O Group! 1,800 miles does not get in the way of me helping this spectacular team soar. 💫🌟 They’re working diligently through the Rally curriculum, and I’m excited to watch them progress even more. 🎉 Let these guys know how awesome they are! 🎉

07/07/2020

It’s officially the phase of quarantine where I am FULL ON VLOGGING. I wanted my first vlog to be spicy because I’m just that kind of dog trainer. 💁🏼‍♀️ So, behold, the semi-controversial: Why I Don’t Let My Puppy Interact with Random Dogs - and What I Do Instead. 🐾 Let me know if you have questions, agree, hate it... This is a pretty big topic that I could go on about for much longer than I did - and the video’s pretty long! Also, I’m aware that people feel differently about this, and I am not offended by people disagreeing on this particular subject. 🙈🥳

Vlogs & blogs: https://www.venusandmarsk9.com/blog

23/06/2020

Yay Rally!

22/06/2020

I’M SO EXCITED to officially announce my brand new program! The Rockin’ Rally-O Group was designed for curious pet owners with a basic training foundation, as well as those who have been training for Rally but need some additional help. Work through a comprehensive curriculum at your own pace, post videos of your training for feedback from the instructor, join discussion groups of other students, and more. Take a deeper dive into motivating your dog for the high-level work that is required to enthusiastically perform for minutes straight at a trial. This new program will be capped at 20 students. These first 20 students will receive the limited-time price of 95/month (less than one private lesson) and will be grandfathered into that price forever. Sign up or read more at venusandmarsk9.com!

03/06/2020

The other day, I posted in passing that the dog training industry is very white. This might be news to some of my followers who are not professional trainers themselves. I would like to explain just a little bit about why this is particularly messed up. Compared to other careers, the dog training profession is extremely accessible. There are no regulations so no licensing fees, no expectation of a college degree, and more free/cheap information about dog training and learning theory available than anyone could ever read and watch in a lifetime. And there is MONEY in this industry. An average month-long board & train runs about $3k. That means that if a trainer has 2 client dogs in their house at all times, they could potentially make about $72k annually doing board & trains alone. This should be the career of underdogs - and it is, for many. But mostly white ones. Why is that? Do you think it is for lack of trying from POC, lack of interest? (No.) Or do you think that there is something standing in their way? The bias of clients and employers/contractors is still relevant in our industry. With minimal tangible qualifications required to be a trainer, employers or clients hiring a trainer are mostly going off of liking how they seem as a person. Sure, dog training is a skill, but it is also a “touch” that people have to trust that the trainer has. And what races are more likely to be thought of as “trustworthy”? The fact that statistically speaking, people with Black-sounding names are less likely to be called back for job interviews is still relevant in our industry. And what if you “sound very Black” on the phone, in this career where talking to clients is imperative to selling your services? What if the color of your skin makes you look “out of place” in the affluent neighborhoods that should be your target audience as a trainer selling luxury dog training services? Thank you to for writing about his firsthand experience with racism as a dog trainer. I hope everyone is thinking about how we can all prioritize lifting up the people who have deserved so much more for a long time.

12/05/2020

Don’t skip leg day! These exercises are mostly inspired by working Mars’ thighs & b***y etc., plus some random tricks! 🍑🐾🐾🐾