Happy F*ck ICE Friday! Support small, indie, immigrant, and BIPOC businesses, especially today, but every day! Vote with your dollar, hit 'em in the only thing they care about. Did you know ~40% of small businesses in Illinois alone have gone under in just five years? Keep your community alive!

Applying for events when I come across one that requires my sun, moon, and rising signs to complete the app. Babes, I don't know, I'm just a dude trying to make a living 😭

Hi, I'm Quinlan! I grew up training working dogs, and I'm still doing it to this day. I specialize in obedience, service dogs, and behavioral rehab. I teach in-person in NE IL, and virtual lessons anywhere! K9Kaliber.com is where you'll find me. Thank you for supporting independent dog training! <3

Should go without saying, but ICE, CBP, CPD, MAGA, and any of their enablers need. Not. Apply. My grandfather left nazis rotting in ditches from sudden onset lead poisoning. He wasn't a perfect man, but he was the right side of history. I won't spit in his face by working with fascists.

Bath day for my buddies again! They just keep getting dirty, as dogs tend to do, so I see them every four weeks like clockwork to get them cleaned and looking nice again. Indy might look like he's having fun but I promise, he hates baths, in accordance with Corgi tradition 😂

Alright, this is the year I finally use my social media... Right? 😂 Leo did awesome! He's working on reactivity, learning impulse control and how to keep his Big Boy Brain turned on when he's excited about stuff. Today, he did off-leash heels and held a stay while the door opened! 💜

Yes, I'm still 'off', but my wee foster went to her new home today. She'll finally be celebrated for the beautiful, spirited, wonderful soul she is.

Last 'ask a dog trainer' of the year! Swing by Peppo's Pets, pet the Maligator, bring a weird dog question or two! And if I don't see yous today, catch me again in January 💜

Well, K9K fam... That's a wrap on appointments for 2025. I'll write something more heartfelt when I have the spoons, but in the meantime: Thank you. I only know two languages, but even if I knew a hundred, I'd never have the words to say how grateful I am every day to do the work I do.

Every client today was queer. What a damn fine day, more of this, please. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

A year ago, Simba trusted no one. Now, he sits on the patio and peacefully watches people go by... And sits on my feet after his lesson 😂 The trust of a dog is so precious and beautiful 💜💜

I always have to giggle when new clients sheepishly tell me that they let their dog sleep on their bed. It's fine, lol, your dog isn't going to become some power-hungry overlord because they slept on the same surface as you, promise.

Halfway thru her 4 week board and train, Harley is doing great! Her prior trainer needed two weeks and $4k to teach her sit. In 2 weeks, I've got her doing touch, focus, spot, loose leash heel, leave it, stay, recall... Not all dog trainers are created equal. Some of us even... train dogs. Wild.

It's Friday, my friends. Means that I'm ordering a little pizza for me and Matt tonight. But first, gonna be at my favorite haunt, Peppo's Pets, 3-6, for another excellent Ask A Dog Trainer day! Same rules as always: if you can bring me a problem I've never handled before, your eval is free ;)

Service Dog 'Jelly Ferocious', the tiny medical alert comrade who melts my heart every time I see her. Her excellent human is vending at the Queerkindlemarkt on Saturday! Riotous Roots makes sensory fidgets, clay crafts, stickers, and a ton more. Link below, go show some queer artists love!

On the fence? Tried it before, didn't get results? Think it's too expensive? Let me show you what 30+ years of experience, passion, and dedication to a craft can bring you and your dog. ALL new client evals are $25 to wrap up 2025! In-home or virtually, get your dog the training you BOTH deserve!

Money saving tip from your friendly local dog trainer: 'No pull harnesses' don't work. Harnesses were designed to help dogs pull, not stop them, and straight front harnesses can quickly wreck your dog's shoulders and joints. There, saved you $40-80, and new student evals are $25. Just sayin'.

Meet Harley. Her prior trainer charged her owners $4k for 2 weeks board and train, and she came home with no training beyond 'just shock her, she'll come back'. I'm FURIOUS. Owners were ready to surrender her. I cut them a hell of a deal. I have 28 days to get this kid trained. Let's do this s**t.

No joke, I was coming on here to post something NEARLY IDENTICAL but this says it even better. I'd love to just... Not be disabled. That'd be cool. It ain't in the cards, tho, so if people can stop being trash, that'd be cool.

Absolutely living for my clients all sending me pics of their dogs playing in the snow, this is excellent. 🌨️

Got another good one, here. SUPER fun art, and I know that my, like, four followers do love animals. I will legit trade someone a lesson for one of the 'orcanize' zip hoodies, you can quote me.

As a man who fears and respects the noble mushroom... I appreciate this level of detail. How about a cool independent video game for the favorite couch warmer in your life?

Shopping small means supporting a real, living human being, directly. People who couldn't do it without support. It's not just a job for us. It's passion, dedication, devotion. Keep the arts and services alive, choose to shop small!

And a very small business, a wee publisher of non-fiction books!

Well, I saw glitter and you know I had to give a share! My artists, feast your eyes on some stunning supplies 👀

YES! Every single time a new client books their first appointment, I do a happy dance. Every, single, time. It means the world! 💜

Remember - if you're financially in a position to do so, skip the #BlackFriday deals online from big companies and shop instead from small and local businesses. The big guns don't need your money, but for small traders it can be what keeps them going into 2026, so support your community instead.

Oh snap, another cool indie worker? Let's slap that follow button, show them some love and watch cool art happen!

Your Black Friday reminder that in 75% of U.S. industries, a smaller number of companies now control more of the business than they did twenty years ago. We must stop the monopolization of America. Shop small if you can, please.

Community Kitchen Chicago has a mutual aid map! If you're in need of help, or are looking to volunteer/give back, here's a stellar list of resources. Love the people of my city. Keep caring for each other, never let anyone take your spirit. www.communitykitchenchicago.org/mutual-aid-map

Hi, I'm Quinlan! I grew up training working dogs, and I'm still doing it to this day. I specialize in obedience, service dogs, and behavioral rehab. I teach in-person in NE IL, and virtual lessons anywhere! K9Kaliber.com is where you'll find me. Thank you for supporting independent dog training! <3

It's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so I know all your inboxes are blowing up with corpos wanting to sell you stuff. So I'm going to spend my time reposting indie shops AND services, because I know how hard it is to fight for visibility, especially right now. Here's Works of Whimsy Studios!

People are best on records and books because you can turn them off or put them back on the shelf - Henry Rollins

'I can't afford dog training, it's too expensive.' Some trainers find it abhorrent that the cost of training has more than doubled in the past five years, and haven't raised our rates since 2018. It's me, I'm some trainers. Fee schedule, anyone? k9kaliber.com/index.php/fe... Open. Honest. No BS.

Why do I hate board and train as a standalone program? Because it ruins dogs' lives. Dogs die from bad training. Just got a referral from one of my clients for a friend of hers. Called the guy up; he sent his dog off for a two week board and train 6 weeks ago. Spent 'thousands'. It was a rip-off.

Don't. Let. Them. Make. You. Feel. Small. Every single person who acts, makes a difference. You want a whistle? Hit me up, I can drop off a few or bulk!

Watched the Kneecap movie with my Irish class friends. There was a line, 'no one's anyone, until they are.' I like that. 💜

I furiously hate the phrase 'you gotta spend money to make money'. You gotta have money in the first place to spend it, and everyone deserves to make their dream a reality if they're willing to put work in. No industry should be pay to win and capitalism is a plague.

Common mistake: bringing a new dog home and immediately throwing them in with the established dog(s). Do you want a new roommate cuddling you on the couch? I see sooo many fights and struggles to get along because of rushed intros. Give them time and their own space to figure each other out, first.

Maidin mhaith, good morning, from Misneach and her turnip! Suburbanites and city dwellers who feel like being in the burbs today: come by Peppo's Pets in Hoffman Estates between 3-6, and bring me some dog behavior questions. See you there! 💜

People often tell me they held back on giving out my info because they didn't know if I'd take the job, so I made everyone a handy flow chart so you can determine if I will or won't take that job ;)

Feel this in my soul. Trying to be visible when you're up against corpos with massive marketing budgets is the most soul-crushing, frustrating, horrible feeling, and double that when you were raised to 'be humble' and never speak highly of your own work or yourself. Go read some books, people <3

Another day, another piece of bad dog training advice given to a client. Today's myth: Correction makes dogs fearful. Read on, my friends! k9kaliber.com/index.php/20...

Life goal achieved: bake cinnamon rolls without having to fish the instructions out of the recycling bin. It's gonna be a good day. I can feel it 🦾

It's always such a treat when Rivet gets to make a new friend. She and Sirius have been playing through kennels and fences for a while, and it felt like time to let them play face to face. Huge win for them both, to have a friend who can match their energy and play style!

I harp on referrals a ton, and for obvious reason. But the reality is so much deeper than I can really go on social media, so I wrote a little post about it. Why am I pushy about referrals? Because they're what feeds my family. Because I will drown without them. k9kaliber.com/index.php/20...

Hot off the printer and assembled, a little gift for the shop that's supported me the most over the past year. Independent walkers, shops, sitters, groomers, etc., know that I see you, love you, and support you! 💜

Open my Tidal recommended tracks, twitch a little because my dog trainer soul had a visceral reaction, go back to Massive Attack's 'Mezzanine'.

The universe is testing me today. Had a business owner try to 'negotiate' with me over using accessible parking as storage for his cars (absolutely not), got told my service dog can't go in stores without a vest (absolutely not)... My patience is so, so thin with ableists. Dog grant me strength-

Live too far, or on a tight budget? Can't find a good trainer near you? Psst... I do video lessons, too! $55 an hour, one-on-one. No hidden anything, no shenanigans. Just good quality dog training 🐾