About Smart K9 Training

What they offer

Smart K9 Training is a dog training center on 53rd Avenue South in Fargo, founded in 2018. Its main format is day training: dogs are dropped off in the morning and picked up in the evening for four consecutive weeks, either every weekday or three days a week, and spend several hours a day in one-on-one training on the owner's top two or three goals. Each week ends with a private lesson so the family can follow through at home, and programs include socialization and environmental exposure, a weekly report card with homework and access to an online training platform.

Programs

A four-week basic obedience and prevention program suits young puppies and excitable adult dogs with minor issues such as jumping, mouthing and barking. A five-week advanced obedience program gives more time for dogs that are slow to warm up or working through a behavior problem, and longer programs are recommended for dogs struggling with fear, anxiety or aggression. Board and train and private lessons at the facility are also offered.

Approach

The center calls itself a small-batch facility: trainers have only four training dogs in their care at a time. The trainers say they move at the dog's pace, build a relationship and a verbal marker system first, then work on behavior rehabilitation through counterconditioning, impulse control and confidence exercises, and choose tools only where they suit the individual dog.