ESCANABA — A man who has a way with dogs and offers sought-after training services was also recently named “Business Person of the Year” by Upper Peninsula Business Today (UPBT).

Dave Johnson, current owner and founder of Canine Connection, began professionally working with dogs about 12 years ago, when he launched a daycare / lodging business called “D&D Take ‘Em Kennels,” with the initials standing for the names of Dave and his wife, under the corporation Integrity Canine Care Center, Inc.

“I had no idea the need for training in this area,” Johnson said, until he started seeing how many pet owners were struggling. When customers of the doggy daycare started asking about training, Johnson knew he was able to help.

He’d trained hunting dogs since about the year 2000, and once the demand for general obedience became apparent, he read about the subject and learned much more simply by being around dogs constantly.

Being at the daycare meant “being around dogs, learning how to communicate with them, and how they’re communicating with each other,” Johnson said. “That’s what really turned it around for me.”

While some people use methods that involve rewards, positive reinforcement, or a clicker, Johnson feels that “bribing” animals with treats is not as effective as the “pressure on, pressure off” practice adapted from the way mother dogs treat their own pups.

“Once I started teaching like the bitch did — pressure on, pressure off — my training just took off like wildfire. I was no longer doing something foreign to a dog; I was teaching it what was taught from the word go,” Johnson said.

Training became another service Johnson offered at for a while at D&D, which was

Johnson added that he also volunteered at the Delta Animal Shelter and helped train dogs and handlers for the Dawgz Adapt program at at Alger Correctional Facility. He’d trained several of the K-9 units in the area.

Though some dogs, especially those who have been rescued from abusive situations, can be very fearful, Johnson said that the fear can be transformed into confidence.

“When a dog gets confidence, it starts to believe in itself, and then it obviously believes in its handler,” Johnson said. “We call ’em man’s best friend for a reason, because the only thing they know is love and affection.”

D&D Take ‘Em Kennels’ first location was a 30-by-40 garage-like building in Hyde. After people requested a move to Gladstone, the business relocated in February 2017. As the training portion grew, the name changed to D&D Dog Dynamics — effective August 2019, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

Eventually, a falling-out of sorts between staff and the owner of D&D led to Johnson starting a new business. Articles of organization were filed for Canine Connection in June 2023, and around October of 2023, the new business made its home at 613 Ludington Street.

Whereas D&D had started as a kennel, the entire focus of Canine Connection is training — not just through Johnson and other staff working with a person’s dog, but by an owner training alongside their pooch.

“I make that connection between you and your dog, Canine Connection. That was the whole purpose of it,” Johnson remarked. “You’re miscommunicating, then you start learning how to communicate; you make the Canine Connection.”

One other trainer, Jayna Godfrey, works for Johnson at Canine Connection. The business owner said he wants to make sure that people and dogs keep learning.

Though access and parking at the Ludington Street premises are diminished by the current construction work, Johnson is not currently holding group obedience classes, but continues to offer a variety of types of “training with soul,” as his slogan goes.

The range of classes include puppy preschool, wherein pups are taught “kenneling, potty-training, desensitizing, socializing, appropriate play behaviors and so much more” one day a week.

In one-on-one training, a trainer works with an owner and dog to help the pair create a bond.

A basic obedience class, also held once a week, is designed to teach “leash control, loose leash walking, heel, no jumping, quiet, down, stay and place.” During the “stay and train” option, the owner leaves his dog with the trainer for a week.

The stay-and-trains are popular, Johnson shared. “I have (the owner) first come to me, we talk about the issues, we write them down. …Our job is to resolve those.”

When the owner comes back to collect the dog after a week, they receive a session “for at least two hours minimum. We’re gonna go over a bunch of stuff, and then we show you what the dog can do, and then obviously we have you take over,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t make any sense if the dog just listens to us.”

Something that Johnson would like to do more of is training service dogs. He no longer trains police canines, but has been delighted with the outcomes that some service dogs have on their people.

Canine Connection has trained a couple local service dogs — including Annie, a golden retriever who watches over a teen with Functional Neurological Disorder, and Lucy, who comforts an athlete with Down syndrome.

“Nothing makes me happier to watch a whole person’s life change because of a dog, and getting their lives back,” Johnson said.

At the moment, Canine Connection is quite busy, but Johnson said he tries to get back to everyone. The best way to get in touch with him is by calling or texting 906-280-9850.

“We don’t care what breed you have, we do not care what size dog you have. We train everything and anything here,” Johnson said. “We do not care how vicious your dog is. I got a bite suit that protects me. (When) you take their teeth away, you change their thought process.”

Some dog owners have returned to Johnson for successive animals; some find him through word of mouth. Earlier this year, someone appreciated his work enough to nominate him for Business Person of the Year in UPBT, a magazine that highlights Upper Peninsula enterprises and is a companion publication to the Daily Press. The honor is presented annually to a local entrepreneur or business person who is a good citizen and has had a noticeable positive impact on the community.