[My very first review for DK9A was on Google Reviews: https://goo.gl/maps/T69UdTUTC8NgWhEF9]
We bought our black GSD, Koa, from Delta K9 Academy in June of 2022. He became very protective and dog reactive from around 8 months old. I did my best to work on giving him corrections and desensitizing him, but it was also challenging getting my stubborn husband and rowdy young daughters on-board as well.
We were using a prong collar that apparently, the gauge was way too big, more for a 130 lb dog, according to the head trainer, Vinny [my bad, main Trainer, Grace, gave him a new smaller one]. Hence why my corrections weren't doing the trick and I was a little late on that too. **Self-accountability.** [wink, wink]
He's boarded there in Jan 2022 when my hubby and I celebrated our 10yr anniversary. Owner, Mike, suggested we bring him back for obedience training before he gets even stronger and somebody gets hurt. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out then because my 8yo was in school and I would have to head back to DK9A for the 3-day Transfer process which must be done in three *consecutive* days and we have 1.25-1.5hr commute one-way with decent traffic on the dreaded 405 fwy.
We figured it best to wait to board and train him when we left for vacation and they would update me on his progress once a week with a few phone calls to address my long list of concerns. Mike was very patient and informative in doing so.
After 5.5 weeks of training [varies per dog/family] and completing the 3-day transfer of learning and working with his amazing trainer, Grace, speaking with a few other DK9A trainers, and Mike, here are the major improvements we noticed as of this writing:
1) He no longer barks at other dogs on our walks as long as my husband, 8yr old [pictured], and I [main handler] make sure to give him a quick pop on the lead to correct him before he starts fixating on a person, bird/squirrel/smaller animal [high prey drive] or another dog [dog reactive]. Prior to OB training, he would lunge towards another dog, bark ferociously like he'd wanna kill them or eat a yappy Pomeranian/Maltese for a snack.
2) He no longer pulls hard on our walks. YAYYyyy!!!
3) He listens to our basic commands a lot better too! SIT, STAY, DOWN, PLACE - all big improvements. I reintroduced crate training upon his first day home and it was a smooth transition. He was already used to "bed" on his cot bed which is now, "place." His orthopedic bed remains "bed." He doesn't leave Place unless we tell him too [still a daily work in progress at home].
4) We learned not to give him treats for small feats, but greater tasks since he's already very food and toy motivated (ex: no treat just for sitting, but give treat at the *end* of multiple tasks, always give a treat for good recall). This may be different for other dogs, please speak with a DK9A trainer for individualized tips.
5) His recall was great at their facility, but we're still working on that at home both indoors and especially outdoors with a lead and prong collar (ask them for what size Herm Sprenger collar is best for your dog). We also purchased an Anchor convertible slip lead before leaving on his final day there.
6) He hasn't barked at the "Yappy Dog/House" even though they barked at him from behind their tall backyard fence on our walks around our neighborhood since pickup on Thurs., 7/20/23 (we walk/play/train him daily).
7) He no longer pulls to sniff and mark every frickin thing on our walks.
We couldn't be more ecstatic about how much more pleasant our walks are with Koa and forever grateful to his trainer, Grace. Special shoutout to the girls at the front office [hi Adel & Celia!] for being so patient and entertaining my daughters so I could speak with Grace, Mike, and train with Koa. Lord knows how challenging it is to manage my 8yr old's chronic autoimmune T1d (not like T2d - insulin dependent vs insulin resistant, she can't reverse or outgrow it, no cure), being a full-time mom and main caregiver, and making time to train Koa. Now that he's more well-behaved, I can actually have my oldest daughter walk him around our neighborhood, having her pass him to me like how Grace showed us, before another dog/owner approaches us.
Note: Koa's 15 months old, 80lbs, intact. He likes to be the dominant male in our neighborhood. DK9A did the hard work and it's up to us to keep up the daily training now that we learned how to do it better. We anticipate being able to bring him to dog-friendly beaches in the next week or two, on-lead with his "DO NOT PET" tactical collar and/or harness of course, bc we're often surrounded by none-the-wiser. He's the third dog [and smartest] we've owned thus far. We're open to e-collar training with Grace in the near future too for more confidence & fun outdoors. read more