Titletown K9 Academy LLC

06/01/2026

🎓GRADUATE🎓

Max and his owners completed their 6 week puppy course.

Basic obedience foundation work, socializing, and home application.

I had the pleasure of working with many repeat clients who have added a new dog to their family or got a new one after a passing.

It is never lost on me that yall are trusting me to help train your dogs.

This dude has grown SO much over his course and so have his owners.

Sky is the limit for this group!

🚂💨

05/25/2026

Honor the Fallen.

This day and everyday, we remember and appreciate the men and women who died in service to our nation.

We mourn the loss of such as them but also rejoice in us having the privelage to know them.

Memorial Day, remember.

05/12/2026

COMPETENCE

Defined is the ability to do something successfully or efficiently.

In the dog industry, most folks assume this is showcased as titles, awards, stats, or sponsorships.

Let me be clear, those are ALL incredible and worthwhile metrics of success.

However, in terms of these last few posts; CONNECTION, CHARACTER, COMMUNITY, and now competence. Efficiency is more what I’m describing.

When working with your dog, competence can be as simple as holding a down stay while a package gets dropped off all the way up to certifying at a trial.

When we work and collaborate with the dog on all the bases our end result will be the dog showcasing to the world, its level of competence.

Keep up the great work with all your dogs. I SO appreciate the video and message updates of what you’re working on, success stories, and what you’re still working on.

This is a never ending process, give yourself and your dog grace to grow into competence.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms out there! To your kids, fur-babies, step- kids, nieces / nephews, and ALL the women that are impacting folks on a maternal level. We see you, we appreciate you, and we LOVE you.

Have a great day!

05/08/2026

COMMUNITY

Where you at?

In my experience, a great area of distinction that I spend with my clients is the difference between socialization and engagement.

You can go to a location and be socializing WITHOUT engaging. On the other hand, you can be fully engaged without ever socializing.

When we are dealing with a “location“ how I instruct this, is the location is irrelevant. If we have CONNECTION, and we understand the dogs CHARACTER, where we operate with the animal should not matter.

Example, if we go to a pet store and there are other animals or stimulus at the location, that ultimately should not interfere with the first two bases.

What typically happens, is when we bring our dogs to new locations? We accidentally showcase to the dog that the LOCATION is more important than what we are tasking the dog with. If that is the case for you, my recommendation would be to revisit the connection base with your dog, establish the WHAT in your training at a different location.

Once this space is established, the WHERE will not matter.

Hope you all are having a great day, enjoy the sun with your pups!

05/05/2026

Having won is 2024 and being a finalist last year, we are incredibly grateful!

I’ve been following their journey over the years.

Since we are not in it this year, please consider voting for Miller Heights K9 Academy for Best in the Bay!

05/04/2026

CHARACTER

Expert, novice, catechumen, apprentice, doctor.

All just words.

WHO ARE YOU?

The list of “aggressive” “submissive” “nervous” “insecure” “blah blah blah” dogs I’ve worked with typically all come to me with these labels already attributed to them. Are there dogs who have those characteristics? Absolutely. However, that IS NOT THEM exclusively.

In all the programs offered, be that an evaluation, package, or board and train, I openly explain to clients, I’m looking for patterns, not definitions.

This may seem like a small nuance however, I have boxes of tissues in my office to collect the tears people spill in my center. Yes, tears. Even some of my own.

When working the dogs I do, my goal is to gain and build the FIRST base, CONNECTION.

The “mean” dogs aren’t always mean, the scared dogs, aren’t ways scared.

Who is your dog really?

In your training, once connection is established, you can begin to ask those questions. To be honest, just like our children, it’s humbling when they show us their true selves. They may not like what you like. They may be more or less active than you or fill in the blank.

But what’s more? That they like what you like how you like it? Or creating an environment for them to be themselves?

Now, are boundaries in their expression needed, yes! Is structure still need, you bet.

Nevertheless, in your training, I encourage you to go so slow you feel silly, do stuff so random it feels unproductive and see if your dog reveals its true character to you.

Love you all.

05/01/2026

04/29/2026

CONNECTION

When working with your dog, I’d feel confident saying that without connection, you’re missing a major component of the interaction.

When I’m assisting a dog, regardless if it is a puppy without behavioral issues or a dog that has some serious and dangerous outbursts; I CANT move forward without connection.

The way I describe this process to clients is likened to the Avatar films where the characters “join” their hair to the animal they are riding. In the water, in the sea, or in the air.

As corny as it may seem, do you and your dog have the same heartbeat? Do you both have the same expectations in the session? Are you both even operating in the same universe?

Connection is, was, and will always be the base and foundation which everything else is built.

Now, true connection, will take a lot more effort and a lot more time than you’d probably like to hear. However, just in our relationships with people, those are the true and REAL ones.

In the decade plus I’ve been training dogs, I still cant think of a client where I recommended to hurry up, it’s 99.99% the case of “slow it down.”

Hope you all are having a fantastic week and getting out with the pups!

04/16/2026

“The march does not begin when you are ready, it begins when you are broken.”

Spent the past week in the beautiful Pacific North West. I participated in a veterans group that went to Mt. Hood.

We had a 100% summit rate with the participants.

Which is great however, if I’m being transparent, I KNEW nothing I needed was up there.

It was the belly laughs with other veterans, the intentional conversations, and challenging myself in an arena I don’t have alot of experience or knowledge in, mountaineering.

Everything I’ve ever needed, sits around me at our dinner table every night, I see them every Sunday at Mass, I see them at family get togethers, etc.

Stepping into this adventure, I had a serious intention to challenge myself in things I’m “not good” at. Ropes, mountain gear, weather reports, knots, and the mind blowing systems and gear that goes into mountaineering.

I do these types of things on purpose. When you all cross through that front door into my training center, I’m asking you a very large request, trust me.

As a professional and someone with over a decade of experience, I STILL have questions, I am still learning, and still seek mentors.

All this to say, I do these things so I can be a forever “student.” I can’t express how inspiring you all are to work with, learn with, and grow with.

Thank you is a wild understatement.

Hope you all have a great week!