It has been an amazing year as we close out 2023. I am now an author! My book’s title is Love Your Dog Love Your Dog’s Behavior. It is available at our kennel (Adams K-9) and Amazon.com I would love you to purchase it. It’s a quick easy read and a format on how I train dogs. There is an email link which includes videos which go along with the concepts I teach. Here is a sneak peek.
Welcome! I am excited to pass along the training techniques I have used for the past 30 years, with some tweaking of course. I grew up with dogs during the 1960’s when people didn’t hire dog trainers. The training techniques our parents used were, you might say, a bit abusive. Fortunately, we have come a long way from rubbing the dogs nose in its urine and punishing the dog for running away or not coming when called. Why would a dog come to you when it knew it was going to be assaulted?
My family loved animals. We had cats, dogs, and birds. I remember a monkey showing up once, but that wasn’t our pet, we stuck with the basics. Since this is a dog training book we will stick with dogs. Our dogs were fairly aggressive, not very obedient, and would run away if not tethered. Little did my parents know at the time that tying a dog outside is a great way to build a dog’s aggression. This is one of the techniques police and dog sport enthusiast used to build aggression in police and sport dogs. We had a beagle that would slam into the storm door every time the mail or paper was delivered. I’m sure that scared the person on the other side of the door. Even someone knocking at the front door would elicit this behavior. This is not good dog etiquette which we will address later. I do have a memory of a dog named “Peppy” that was a Cantonese-looking pup laying on our kitchen floor dying, because it was hit by a car. It was the only time I saw my mother cry. It was more like bawling! This traumatic event started me on my dog training journey.
Now there are books, training video series, and multiple dog trainers available in every major city. There is really no reason for anyone to own a dog that is rude, aggressive, disrespectful or disobedient. So why this book? Why am I better than any other dog training book out there? I am not a national champion in a dog sport event, though I placed 1st place in the State Police Dog Competition and 18th at Nationals. I spent 20 years in police canine services training, evaluating, certifying, and working police dogs.
My first apprehension went like this. I was a rookie police officer who was still in training. My field training officer was also a K9 Officer. We were dispatched on a stalking call where a woman thought her ex-boyfriend was hiding in her apartment. We arrived on scene and spoke with the caller who was obviously frightened of this guy. We checked the apartment, and he was not there. Unfortunately, he was there. We missed him. He was hiding in her bedroom closet under a pile of dirty clothes. As we walked to our cruiser, this woman came running out of the apartment building screaming for her life with her ex chasing her. So I opened the door of the police car and let out the K9 named Black. Black sprung out of the car charging at the sound or the screaming woman. Luckily, Black targeted the suspect, who was now the hunted, frozen with his hands up. Black put the brakes on sliding up to the suspect and immediately started barking. The suspect was taken into custody, and Black was put back in the police car. Once all was calm, my training officer and I were back in the car with me at the wheel. My training officer looked at me and said, “Don’t ever do that again”. Unbeknownst to me, there are rules and protocols when a police K9 can be used as a use of force. The K9 handler, not the rookie police officer, makes those kinds of decisions. Lesson learned.
I later became a police K9 handler. Years training police dogs was great experience for me to train pet dogs. Pet dogs are so much more easier. I opened my dog training business in 2009 working part time out of my garage, and I opened a brick and mortar place in 2014. My business grossed 6 figures annually, and I built a great brand. 90% of our Google searches are for Adams K-9. Not dog training , not dog training near me. Adams K-9. If you are in Michigan and in need of a professional dog training service, I highly recommend contacting Adams K-9. Just Google it.
Now I know what you are thinking. I don’t need police dog tactics for my dog. I just want my dog to be well behaved and come when called. I have trained all breeds, mixes, big and small, and all dogs need training. My current puppy I am raising with my partner, Pam, is a toy doodle currently 2.5 pounds with a grown up weight of 8-10 pounds. Her name is Sasha. At 11 weeks old she comes when called with enthusiasm, sits, and places. We are working on down, and she just about has potty training whooped. I will take you on our journey and give you options on how to get the behavior you are looking for.
