Helping dog owners and their families understand real-time behavior at its source, build trust, lead calmly, and achieve lasting real-life results through a proven relationship-first coaching system.
At SimplyK9 Training LLC, we believe every dog has the potential to be calm, happy, and well-behaved with the right guidance. Our mission is to help dogs and their owners build a strong, trusting relationship based on understanding and communication.
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Colorado’s trusted K9 experts.
Paws Up K9 Academy was founded with one mission: to keep Colorado dogs in their forever homes by giving owners the tools, knowledge, and confidence to build a lifelong partnership with their dog. We serve Colorado Springs, Denver, and surrounding communities across Colorado.
Our certified trainers bring experience across all breeds, ages, and behavioral challenges from firsttime puppy owners to experienced handlers working highdrive working dogs. Every program is tailored to your dog’s individual temperament and your household’s specific goals.
“A welltrained dog is about trust, communication, and a relationship built to last a lifetime.”
Four Programs, One Academy
K9 Training
Our K9 training prepares dogs for service, therapy, and high-tasking work through focused, structured programs that build obedience, confidence, control, and reliable performance while supporting handlers throughout Colorado Springs, Denver, and surrounding communities.
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Dog Boarding
Give your dog a comfortable place to stay with attentive care, structured routines, and a safe environment designed to support their daily needs while you are away in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas.
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Pet Grooming
Keep your dog clean, comfortable, and looking their best with professional grooming tailored to their coat, size, and needs, providing convenient care for pet owners throughout Denver and nearby Colorado communities.
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Pet Training
Our pet training programs help dogs develop better manners, leash skills, recall, focus, impulse control, and everyday obedience, helping Colorado families build stronger communication and enjoy a more balanced life together.
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Puppy Classes
Give your puppy the right foundation through structured classes covering basic obedience, manners, confidence, focus, and positive learning experiences, helping young dogs develop into well-adjusted companions across Colorado Springs and Denver.
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Obedience Training
Build a reliable and responsive dog through obedience training focused on essential commands, leash manners, recall, focus, and impulse control, with practical skills designed for everyday life throughout Colorado.
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Puppy Socialization
Help your puppy confidently experience people, dogs, sounds, handling, and new environments through guided socialization that encourages calm, appropriate responses and positive experiences during important early development stages.
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Behavior Modification
Our behavior modification programs address challenging behaviors, including aggressive behaviors and adolescent behaviors, using individualized training to improve communication, build confidence, and create safer, more manageable routines for Colorado dog owners.
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Service Dog Certification
Prepare your dog for service-related work with training focused on obedience, public manners, task skills, focus, reliability, and confidence, helping handlers develop dependable working partnerships throughout Colorado Springs, Denver, and nearby areas.
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Paws Up K9 Academy, Colorado Springs & Denver, CO
We use positive reinforcementbased, sciencebacked training methods that are humane, effective, and proven to produce lasting behavioral change without stress, fear, or intimidation. Whether you’re raising a puppy in Colorado Springs or working with a reactive dog in Denver, we meet you where you are.
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ScienceBased, ForceFree
MethodsPositive reinforcement and counterconditioning no shock collars, no fear.
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Two Cities. One
AcademyServing Colorado Springs and Denver your training relationship comes with you.
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All Breeds, All Ages, All
BehaviorsFrom 8week puppies to senior dogs Chihuahuas to Belgian Malinois.
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K9 Training
ExpertiseOne of the only Colorado academics offering civilian K9 training alongside pet obedience.
Local Training for Colorado Families
Paws Up K9 Academy makes professional dog training accessible to families throughout Colorado Springs, Denver, and surrounding communities. Whether you need puppy classes, obedience training, behavior modification, or advanced K9 training, our experienced team provides practical programs close to home.
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Years of experience
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Our Beloved Clients
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Real Customer Reviews
I’m incredibly grateful to Sandy and Paws Up K9 Academy for transforming my Belgian Malinois, Lucifer. At 8 months old, he was anxious, reactive, and hard to manage. Sandy’s guidance, patience, and practical training methods made a huge differencenot just in his behavior, but in our bond. Now at 1.5 years old, Lucifer is confident, well-structured, and on track to become a service k9. I truly didn’t think this was possible. Highly recommend Sandy if you want real results.
Shadow, a rescue who was once terrified of people, has completely transformed thanks to Paws Up K9 Academy. With their patient, positive approach, he’s now confident, social, and living his best life. We’re beyond grateful for their support in helping us build a strong, trusting bond! 😊
We had an incredible experience working with Selina to train my service k9, Poncho. Selina has a unique talent for explaining complex training concepts in a way that truly clicks, which made a world of difference for both Poncho and me. Poncho is a great dog, he is focused, capable, and absolutely loves his job. I highly recommend Paws Up and Selina to anyone willing to put in the work.
We had a great experience working with Sandy! From the moment she came in, it was clear she really knew what she was talking about. She quickly picked up on our dog’s behavior and understood exactly what was going on.
Sandy is absolutely wonderful. Her strategies and techniques are easy to understand and put into practice. The other day I was grateful for the verbal and hand signal she taught me to use for ‘sit and stay’ with my 9-month-old puppy. He put himself in what could have been a very dangerous situation.
Brad struggled with weight gain for years, and when he finally hit his goal, he got Emma, an Australian Shepherd with bright blue eyes. Through PawsUp K9 Academy, Emma became his service dog, supporting him in ways he never imagined. Now, she’s not just a dog, but a true companion and confidence booster.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Paws Up K9 Academy offers four core programs: obedience training, puppy socialization classes, behavior modification, and professional K9 training. All programs are tailored to your dog’s individual needs and your household’s specific goals.
We recommend starting puppy socialization classes as early as 8–12 weeks old, after your puppy’s first round of vaccinations. The socialization window between 8 and 16 weeks is the most influential period in your puppy’s development — experiences during this time shape behavior for life. The earlier you start, the better.
Most obedience training programs at Paws Up K9 Academy run between 4 and 8 weeks, with sessions 1–2 times per week depending on the program format. The timeline depends on your dog’s age, current behavior, and the goals you want to achieve. We’ll give you a realistic timeline during your free consultation.
Behavior modification is a structured, science based approach to changing problematic dog behaviors at their root cause. At Paws Up K9, our behavior modification programs use desensitization, counter conditioning, and management strategies to help dogs overcome reactivity, fear, aggression, separation anxiety, and other challenging behaviors in a humane and lasting way.
Paws Up K9 Academy uses positive reinforcement based, science backed training methods rooted in applied behavior analysis. We are a force free facility — we do not use punishment based tools, shock collars, or fear based techniques. Our methods are effective, humane, and create lasting behavioral change.
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