According to a 2022 survey, nearly half of all Colorado households contain at least one dog. And if you’ve spent any time out and about, you know many dog owners like to take their best friends everywhere they go. You also may have noticed that not all those lucky dogs are the most well behaved, making for an unpleasant adventure for both human and pet. Indeed, a well-trained dog is a happy dog.
That’s where Austin Printz and his team of trainers at Parker-based Blue Sky Canine come in. They train dogs (and owners) to make it pleasant—and safe—to take your dog on an adventure, be it to the nearest park or across the country. “It’s really about safety,” says Austin. “For the safety of the dog and for the safety of the people around you.”
Blue Sky Canine works with both puppies and older dogs. “With adult dogs, we focus on behavior modification; correcting bad habits that cause problems or may have reactivity toward people or other dogs. Adult dogs may take a bit longer to train, but Austin says, “With the right skills and the right practice on the owner's side of things, you really can teach an old dog new tricks.”
Austin expresses concern about so many untrained dogs out in the world—especially those who are off leash. “Your dog may be well-behaved, but it takes a good amount of training, dedication and consistency to really produce an off-leash dog. “
“In a perfect world, we can all let our dogs off leash because we know they'll come back when they're called because we went through training. But the reality is, most dogs aren’t fully trained to be off leash and there are a lot of factors that we can't account for, like the other dogs being walked or at the dog park. And maybe for the right reasons, you want to let your dog off leash and let them play. However, dog parks are the number one place for dog fights. You can train all you want, but you can’t account for an untrained dog that may be aggressive or insecure around your dog. Maybe the owner thought it was friendly, but your dog or another dog triggered that aggression, and then a dog fight happens. I generally recommend against the off-leash dog parks, unless the situation is super controlled. And that’s really hard to find.”
Austin says that solid training—for both dog and owner—teaches your dog to understand what it should and shouldn't be doing because you have installed a clear line of communication, allowing you and your bestie to feel confident about going on adventures together.
In the end, Austin and his team want everyone to enjoy adventures with their dogs. “This is a really cool thing where I can help multiple people and their pets. When I started this, it seemed like it was going to be really rewarding. And sure enough, it has been great.”
Blue Sky Canine
303-522-3114
blueskycanine.com
Austin says that solid training—for both dog and owner—teaches your dog to understand what it should and shouldn't be doing because you have installed a clear line of communication, allowing you and your bestie to feel confident about going on adventures together.
Dog parks are the number one place for dog fights. You can train all you want, but you can’t account for an untrained dog that may be aggressive or insecure around your dog. —Austin Printz
