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Rebels Total K9
Owner/Head Trainer: Molly Krupp
About Me Now:
After graduation from the Tom Rose Dog training school I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life helping families live their happiest life with their canine companions through training. I currently own two working dogs; a male Dutch Shepherd named Felon and a female Belgian Malinois named Rebel. I do many types of sports with both my dogs including protection sports, narcotics/explosive detection, wounded deer tracking, and dock diving. Throughout all of my schooling, working with clients and their dogs, and previously owning two highly reactive dogs I have found my true passion. Not only is it working with pet clients and their family dogs to help give them a more enjoyable life but specifically focusing on reactive and aggressive dogs; whether that be reactivity/aggression towards people or other dogs. I have personally lived through the stress and heartache of not understanding why your dog reacts to people and/or dogs around when you take them out in public, not knowing how to help them and how to get your life back with your dog. I have found great fulfillment in specifically helping those families gain their life back with their dogs and be able to enjoy taking their dogs out on all the adventures you could possibly dream of.
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My History:
I have always been a lover of animals, specifically dogs, my family has had multiple dogs since the day I was born. I have never lived a day of my life without a canine companion in my life. Throughout high school I continued my passion working in a boarding and daycare facility. During high school I owned a German Shepherd that was a very anxious dog that quickly turned into people and dog reactivity. I saw how training was able to build his confidence and not only allow him to live a happier life with little reactivity but also how much more I was able to enjoy him without having to worry about him having a reactive episode out in public. Right after high school I joined a dog training company and found what truly sparked my passion. I purchased my first working dog; a female Belgian Malinois named Rebel. After being a dog trainer I worked for another boarding company as a manager and then moved onto being a vet assistant to learn about the medical portion of the animal I love so much.
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Schooling and Certifications:
In between working as a manager at a boarding company and working as a vet assistant I decided I wanted to go back to my tru passion of training dogs and decided to pick up and go to North Carolina and enrolled in Tarheel Canine Training, Inc's "Police K9 Instructor" course. There I worked with and trained a variety of police canines starting with training them from the beginning until they were finished and sold to police departments all around the country. After completing the program and passing all of the exams I was certified as a Police Canine Trainer/Instructor. A year later later I decided I wasn't done continuing my education and spent 4 1/2 months in Missouri at Tom Rose Dog Training School for their Professional Trainers Course learning about pet dog training and sport dog training. There I worked with my Belgian Malinois, trained a service dog for a nonprofit organization called "Dogs That Help", as well as a third puppy that I purchased. I trained all three dogs that lived with me daily as well as client dogs for their in kennel training program. We had many hands on training requirements related to sport work as well as pet dog training. During school I worked with multiple reactive dogs that reacted to people and/or dogs. I was inspired by the true difference I was able to make in these families lives by giving their dogs a new found confidence and a way for owner and dog to efficiently communicate with each other. I successfully passed all hands on and written exams and graduated as a professional dog trainer.
Rebels Total K9
Your Part in the Training Process:
The most important part of the training process is YOU, the owner and family. We provide weekly private lessons whether you choose our private lesson packages or our board and train packages to ensure that you have the support and knowledge to continue training on your own once your program is over. We provide lifetime support to make sure that you NEVER feel alone throughout this lifelong process. We provide countless resources to allow you to continue your learning and make sure that you feel confident in your understanding. During our board and train packages every training session we do with your dog is fully documented so that you are able to keep track of your dog's progress throughout their program. We will also send picture and video updates to make sure that you know your furry family member is safe and happy. If you choose our private lesson packages you will be sent home with a packet to track training progress of each session throughout the week, list of homework, and what was gone over in the lesson so that you can look back at it throughout the week.
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Play:
Throughout training we put a major focus on play. Play is more important than most people understand. We think that it is a good way to burn off some of your dog's extra energy. In reality when done properly with your dog play is the greatest asset we have to build the deepest bond and greatest love with your dog. Play is used throughout training in so many different ways; build a bond and trust between owner and dog, it acts as a high value reward during training, it helps to build up the dog's confidence, it can be used to help create a larger sense of security in your dog around strangers, and done in specific formats it can help to fulfill your dog's genetic and biological needs.
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Our Training
Rebels Total K9 puts their main focus on balanced training. Throughout the training process we make sure that your dog is properly motivated to work with us and is being paid with their greatest positive motivator. While we make sure that your dog is ALWAYS being properly paid with their most motivating positive reinforcement we also make sure that there are consequences for not following the rules and boundaries we set in place. This is why clear communication is so important during every interaction with your dog. If you do not have clear boundaries and rules in place for your dog it is not fair to add in consequences. Before adding in negative reinforcement we make sure that the dog has a VERY CLEAR understanding of what we are asking from them. No matter where you are interacting with your dog there are going to be competing motivators in your environment, whether you are at home, out in the yard, or out in public. Even with clear communication and boundaries if the competing motivators around you give higher level of motivation for your dog they may stray from what you are asking and follow the competing motivator. If you don't add in consequences at some point you will most likely run into a competing motivator that will be of higher value to your dog than the positive reinforcement that you are offering. We add in consequences when needed to make sure that your dog will respond in any situation helping to keep both you and your dog safe in different environments. If your dog is off leash in the yard and sees another dog walking across the street or a small animal you want to be absolutely certain that if you tell your dog to sit, down, or come back to you they will respond immediately. Having this peace of mind will help both you and your dog avoid any accidents. We put majority of our focus on paying the dog for their positive behaviors and keeping things upbeat, fun, and exciting. As a company we focus on keeping training super positive and fun for both you and your dog. But we also make sure that there are clear boundaries for your dog and that they understand that no matter how exciting the environment around them is they must follow your commands.
Example of why consequences may be needed: If your kids are watching TV after dinner and you ask them to turn off the TV and go do their homework and they don't. You may give them a warning and repeat that you want them to stop watching and go do their homework. They again ignore your request and may even turn the TV up louder so they can hear it better. You again ask them to stop watching and go do their homework and again they ignore your request. At this point you know that asking them again will not change their behavior because the competing motivator of the TV is higher than the motivator of you just asking them to do their homework. You then take the remote, turn off the TV, and start giving out consequences like grounding or no TV for a week. They are going to get up and go do their homework. The next time you ask them to turn off the TV and go do their homework they are going to go and do it the first time you ask. This is because the consequence of being grounded or not being able to watch TV for a week is a higher motivator to them than the competing motivator of continuing to watch TV.
Even though we are in general a balanced training company we do offer the option for positive only options for our basic obedience and puppy packages if requested by owner. We want to do training in a way that you are comfortable with. To further discuss the difference between purely positive training and our normal balanced training please reach out to us. We are happy to further discuss all of your options and what will work best for your dog and family.
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Learning
We want you to keep in mind that any new learning is going to be stressful for both you and your dog. Learning is always stressful in mammals including dogs and humans. Even learning a basic new skill will add small amounts of stress to the body. Our goal is to make this a fun and positive experience for both you and your canine companion. Teaching your dog how to handle the added stress and to overcome it is a huge part of what allows training to build the dog's confidence. They learn that even when they are a little bit uncomfortable they can look to you, their safe space, for guidance to help them through any situation. This builds their confidence in not only themselves; knowing that they don't have to figure out how to navigate an experience on their own. But it also builds their confidence in you; they know that you are going to advocate for them, keep them safe, and give them guidance.
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Further Questions and Discussions:
We are happy to answer any further questions you may have for us or discuss our training options and beliefs with you further. We understand that you have many options where you can take your dog for training. We greatly appreciate the time you have taken to read more about us and for considering us as an option to trust us to care for a member of your family. We want to make sure that all of your questions about our company have been answered and that you are comfortable with our training programs.