VanBuren K9 Academy

04/03/2026

RIP 04/03/2026. After seeking a second opinion and learning it was inoperable, we made the decision to take her pain away forever.

04/03/2026

Cinder has already settled in and earned the opportunity to explore the house with us present and supervising.

She’s incredibly sweet and is doing great with all of our other dogs.

Next week, we’ll start bringing her along to private lessons and having her observe during group classes.

04/03/2026

Setting the class up with walking partners so they learn to be accountable not just to themselves and their dogs, but to everyone around them.

04/03/2026

04/03/2026

Our group class was practicing crossing a busy street at a crosswalk in preparation for the CGCU test.

04/02/2026

The AKC CGCA/CGCU group class.

04/02/2026

Schatzi Is here and just being a dog today.

04/02/2026

Remi is wanting Cinder to play.

04/02/2026

She’s learning to feel safe with me and understand that the big dog that intimidates her is completely responsive to me.

04/02/2026

The only thing I expect from Cinder on day one is to simply relax and learn how to enjoy being a dog.

04/02/2026

There are things happening in this industry that most people would never even think to question.

There have been cases where dogs were given substances like Benadryl or other calming medications without the owner’s knowledge to make them appear more relaxed or “trained” at pickup.

That is not training. That is deception.

Administering anything to a dog without the owner’s consent and without veterinary direction is unethical and in many cases outright dangerous. You are not seeing progress, you are seeing a chemically altered state.

No dog should ever be medicated behind your back to create the illusion of improvement.

If you are hiring a trainer, you need to know exactly what is being done with your dog, what they are being exposed to, and what is being put into their system.

This is your responsibility as an owner.

Ask direct questions. Be involved. Do not assume.

Your dog cannot advocate for itself.

04/02/2026

Here’s a tip for the dog trainers who deal with the same patterns day in and day out.

When you come across someone who throws up red flags in how they communicate, how they respond, or how they try to dictate how you should run your program instead of focusing on what their dog actually needs, make a note of it in their contact information.

When you save their contact, put a red X before their first name and a red X after their last name.

Simple. But it matters.

Because what I’ve learned over time is this: people rarely remember how they showed up, but they expect you to forget. They’ll circle back months or even years later, ready to pick the conversation back up like none of it happened, often because they realize they passed on help they probably needed.

This system isn’t about holding grudges. It’s about protecting your time, your energy, and the structure you’ve built.

The next time they reach out, you immediately know there’s history there. Before you respond, you can go back, review the conversation, and remind yourself exactly what their mindset was. Not what you hope it was. Not what they claim it was. What it actually was.

And from there, you can make a clear decision.

Have they changed, or are they the same person expecting a different outcome?

People can change. But patterns usually don’t without intention.

This just gives you the awareness to move forward with your eyes open instead of starting from scratch every time someone decides to come back around.