Canine Connection Training

Canine Connection Training offers a comprehensive range of services. Puppy Preschool covers kenneling, potty training, desensitizing, socializing, and appropriate play behaviors, with one class per week. One-on-One sessions involve a trainer working individually with the dog and owner to build a bond and achieve obedience, with time to be determined.

Basic Obedience classes, held once per week, teach leash control, loose leash walking, heel, no jumping, quiet, down, stay, and place commands. The Stay & Train program involves the dog staying with a trainer in their home, followed by owner education to maintain training. Advanced Obedience, also one class per week, focuses on off-leash control to strengthen the dog-owner connection.

They also specialize in working dogs, offering K9CX Response Dogs for explosive detection and active threat defense, and K9CX Personal Protection Dogs for family security.

Canine Connection Training is a dog training facility in the upper Midwest committed to building relationships of lasting trust between dogs and their humans. Their mission is to teach clients how to communicate effectively with their dogs and achieve their training goals. They offer a wide range of comprehensive training services catering to every stage of canine development, from puppyhood to advanced obedience, including specialized training for working dogs.

They also provide fully trained explosive detection dogs as part of their Response Dog program, which are designed to defend against active threat/shooter situations in various environments. Additionally, they offer Personal Protection Dogs to provide an added layer of security for families.

Their philosophy emphasizes being determined, yet patient and calm, instructing animals while guiding humans. They believe that building relationships, trust, and understanding are key, focusing on connection rather than treats. They value the uniqueness of each dog, human, and their relationship, adapting their approach for success, and promise to listen to animals and people to learn and understand.

Accomplishments

Dave Johnson, the Lead Trainer and Owner, has over 23 years of dog training experience, including training his own hunting dogs and serving as a Police K-9 Handler for two K-9s. He completed 40 hours of LAPD training for E-Collars and has trained police K-9s for departments in Gladstone, MI, and Alger County, successfully certifying a handler and dog through NAPCH on their first attempt. In 2020, he was awarded Humanitarian of the Year for his work assisting the Michigan State Police and Delta Animal Shelter during a puppy mill seizure, personally caring for over 20 dogs with behavioral issues and developing a successful training program for them. He also volunteers with the Dawgz Adapt Program at Alger Correctional Facility and has trained over 1,000 dogs and their owners.

Carlton Isaacson, a Dog Trainer, has over 8 years of K-9 training experience and 10 years of active-duty US Air Force service, where he handled and certified three Military Working Dogs for bite work and detection. He has worked with numerous agencies including the US Secret Service, Department of Defense, FBI, Customs and Border Patrol, and ATF, and was deployed three times to the Middle East as a K9 Trainer, Handler, or K9 Overwatch. He also volunteers with the Dawgz Adapt Program.

Cassie Sanders, a Dog Trainer, recently completed her first year of training with Dave and Carlton. Her journey began after adopting a terrified rescue dog, leading her to pursue dog training as a career. She has worked with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MIDOC) in their Dawgs Adapt program, trained multiple service dogs, hunting/tracking dogs, and personal protection dogs. She also volunteered at a local shelter, successfully rehabilitating a seemingly aggressive dog named Curly.

How to Get Started!

To get started, prospective clients can reach out with questions via email or phone. They can register their pup by filling out an online form which requests human’s name, dog’s name, breed, age, desired training location (Escanaba, MI, Dickinson County, MI, or Northeast Wisconsin), requested training program (Puppy, Basic, Advanced Basic, One on One, Stay and Train), email, phone number, and a summary of training goals. Intake and Release forms are also available for download.