Blog by K9 Pro and Steve Courtney Dog Training K9 Pro The K9 Professionals

Many people comment and message us saying how much they love the videos we make of the rehab work we do here at K9 Pro, and you may be one of them. If you haven’t watched them yet, most are on our YouTube Channel (here). But I feel that most of us, do not truly understand the level of immense …

So for those of us who watched Tony Danza in the show “Who’s the Boss”, this article has nothing at all to do with that. Now with that out of the way, I want to talk about a common ideal that often exists within dog owners households. I meet a lot of people that tell me that their dog knows …

Anyone who has a dog with a problem, serious enough to seek help, is looking for the magic cure for dog problems. They feverishly search the internet, books, dvd’s, vets and every other resource known to man, or woman. The problem seems that everyone thinks they have the magic cure to dog problems don’t they? Me personally, I don’t feel …

A dog that will stand by your side in life, a friend, protector and confidant? The German Shepherd Dog has long been mans most loved breed when the man, or woman wanted a very capable dog. Over time though, more and more of this incredible breed ends up in trouble, rescue, rehab and worse. Why does this happen to this magnificent …

A while ago I wrote an article called “positive doesn’t mean good” where I spoke about the terminology used in dog training and behaviour modification that are part of the Operant Conditioning principles. I wanted this article to talk about the REAL problem I have with punishment. Not the application of traditional systems and methods but the peoples actions which …

So it won’t take you long to figure out that I wrote this article with the recent dog attacks in mind, in something like 5 days there were 4 dog attacks on 4 children, one resulting in the death of a little 1 year old girl. Of course there was an instant explosion from the “ban the breed” believers, but …

One of the most important things I have learnt as a dog trainer is the difference between feeding a dog and reinforcing behaviour with food. Learning how to use reinforcement correctly in training is usually just one element of successful behaviour modification but it is a critical part of helping the dog to develop work ethic, learn how to make …

As many people who follow us know, we specialise in Dog Behaviour Modification and Rehabilitation. There are hundreds of articles and videos that show our work including many before and afters, just check out our YouTube channel (K9Pro YouTube) if you would like to see some of our work.

I work with a lot of Assistance Dogs, these are often brought by people who are training their own Assistance Dogs, but other times I may be working with already certified Assistance Dogs that are displaying behaviour problems.

It is a real shame but most people that get a new puppy spend a very small amount of time on very basic training then stop. The next time they think that it is time to do some training is when their dog is behaving badly. This means that those people are reacting to their pups behaviour rather than training …

It’s that time of year where we all start to wind down into holiday mode and get ready to enjoy the Summer period. This often means holidays and trips away and if you are anything like me, you like to bring your dogs along with you when you travel. I love spending time with my dogs and I especially enjoy …

Every day I see a broken handler, broken by their dogs behaviour, they often describe their relationship with their dog as a “love / hate relationship“. There are parts of their dog that they love beyond what words can describe, but there are elements of their dogs behaviour that make them anxious, frustrated, frightened, feel weak – typically a broken …

There are many people that the title of this article will race shivers up and down their spine, they may have a dog that was, is or could be reactive or aggressive or one they do not want hurt, and when they see an off leash dog coming towards them, their world takes a big tumble. I cannot count the …

When it comes to dog training I find that using technical jargon, “big words”, scientific terms to describe simple things a complete waste of time and learning that Positive doesn’t mean good is a big part of clearing up misconceptions in dog training. I mean, many people I see, I would say the majority, are nervous and anxious about their dogs …

When developing a dog for a working or high end sport role, using the right working dog gear can make the difference between your dog performing at a very average level or worse, not being prepared at all, to a dog that has developed his or her mind, body and behaviour to excel at what he or she has been …