Dog training and boarding
Basic Board and Train Program
Our board and train covers basic obedience such as come, sit, down, heel, stay, and rest. (The commands and behaviors covered in the program are adaptable to your needs. Things such as a right vs left side heel or commands in another language are examples of varying preferences.)
It typically lasts two weeks but sometimes will extend depending on the progression of your dog. Our program can be divided into 4 distinct phases: introduction, learning, fading, and proofing. The first 2-3 days are spent exercising, hand feeding, and ensuring your pup gets lots of cuddles as they adjust to a new environment. Days 4-7 consist of beginning to ask for behaviors in exchange for the food we are hand feeding. This stage is full of learning and involves primarily luring with a little verbal input. The first half of the second week, days 8-11, we begin fading the food luring and asking for complete behaviors. Finally, the last few days, 12-14, we spend taking field trips to places like Home Depot, Lowe's, Tractor Supply, and more. This allows us to see if our foundation holds up with distractions and environmental changes.
We will also trouble shoot behaviors such as reactivity, jumping, and nipping. HOWEVER, our basic program DOES NOT cover aggression cases including resource guarding. We do work with these dogs, but our progress is usually much slower as it normally takes longer to gain trust and build a solid relationship; two weeks is not enough time. If you are interested in training an aggressive dog give us a call.
***This process varies depending on the dog we are working with due to factors like their training history, what the owner's primary goals are, and how quickly they settle in.
***Advanced board and trains are available for dogs who have completed our basic program. Contact us for more information!
Lessons
Our lessons are ideal for owners who want to learn along with their dog. They follow no specific plan and are completely adaptable to your exact needs. We do not require that you commit to a certain number of lessons or "buy in bulk".
Progression depends entirely on the owner's commitment outside of lesson time. Think of it as attending class then getting homework where the class is the instruction YOU receive during the lesson and the homework is what you do with your pup at home. The more you work on your homework, the faster your pup will progress towards your goals.
Common goals we help owners and pups work towards include basic obedience (such as come, sit, down, and a place command), leash manners, reactivity, agility, scent detection, and protection training.
***We recommend weekly lessons to ensure consistency and to trouble-shoot any problems that may inhibit progress.
Boarding
Our boarding program is unique because we are located on a 34 acre farm. This allows your dog to get plenty of exercise and lots of socialization. We find that physical stimulation helps ease the stress that comes with being in a new environment, and all but a few (usually the ones who would rather sniff) of our boarders love their daily runs around the property.
Your pup will receive 2 main exercise times per day once in the morning and once at night; these usually consist of runs around the property. They will also get group play (if they are social) or individual play time periodically throughout the day. Your dog will be kept in a climate controlled building in Ruffland Kennels at night and when the weather is not inclement. During nice weather, we have 5x10 runs for them to move around in when other dogs are training or exercising.
***ALL our client dogs wear FI tracking collar while staying with us and the property is fully fenced. We also supervise play time.
Police K9s
Training & Sales
At Fortified K9 we provide a wide range of police K9s from fully trained, NNDDA certification ready dual purpose K9s to green single purpose K9s. The breeds we offer include Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherds, German Shepherds, and Labrador Retrievers.
Because we are a smaller kennel the number of dogs and level of training they have attained varies.
If you have interest, please don't hesitate to reach out and we can discuss your individual department's needs and what a realistic timeline looks like for K9 preparation and placement.
We also offer handler courses for departments who purchase K9s from us. The length of the program is dependent on the handler's experience and what level the K9 is at at the time of purchase.
Breeding
Our breeding program is the result of two decades and many generations of carefully selected dogs. We value attributes like health, sound nerves, confidence, and ample workability. The definition of workability varies depending on the breed, but all of our dogs are bred with purpose. That being said, our pups require jobs, structured play, and training. We currently offer Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, and Labrador Retrievers.
*Availability varies as all of our breedings are carefully planned. We always ensure our pups go to the best homes and jobs that suit their individual personalities and needs.