If your dog listens at home but falls apart around distractions, it’s not random, and it’s fixable. Rising Starr K9 (RSK9) provides real-world dog training in La Crosse and the Coulee Region for pulling, reactivity, and unreliable behavior that doesn’t hold up in public. With 25+ years of experience, Rick Pedersen has worked with over 1,000 dogs in training, building calm, focused, reliable dogs at home and anywhere you take them. Services include private training, group classes (AKC STAR Puppy, Intermediate, Canine Good Citizen), and in-home Board & Train with one dog at a time. Recognized as Best Dog Trainer 2026, RSK9 serves La Crosse, Onalaska, Holmen, West Salem, Sparta, Winona, Viroqua, Westby and the Coulee Region.
Training & services
Training goals
Behavior consultation
Canine Good Citizen preparation
Leash training
Obedience training
Puppy training
Socialization
Behavior support
Aggression training
Fear and confidence
Reactivity training
Separation anxiety
How training happens
Board and train
Group classes
In-home training
Pack walks
Private training
Dog age
Adult dogs
Puppies
Senior dogs
Training level
Advanced training
Beginner training
Intermediate training
Class options
Small classes
Support between sessions
Follow-up support
Homework and practiceCustomer-reported
Personalized training plans
Assistance and working dogs
Hunting dog training
Therapy dog training
Your dog’s background
Rescue dogs
Training approach
Balanced training
Positive reinforcement
Additional services
Boarding
Other listed services
View 13 additional details
Advanced Skills
Classes
Dog Kennel
Dog Training Facility
Dog Training Sessions
Great Training
In- Home Dog Training
Individual Coaching
Reactive Training
Skills Training
Specialized Training Classes
Training Equipment
Week Class
Confirm current programs and availability directly.
5/5Rising Starr K9 has continued to be wonderful to work with. We cannot say enough positive things about their program! We have worked with them many different ways - individual sessions, group sessions, and just recently completed a 3 week Board and Train program with our Golden R…Read full reviewClose full review
Rising Starr K9 has continued to be wonderful to work with. We cannot say enough positive things about their program! We have worked with them many different ways - individual sessions, group sessions, and just recently completed a 3 week Board and Train program with our Golden Retriever, Olive.
Rick and Joane communicated with us every step of the way, sharing with us daily what Olive was up to and what training looked like while in their care. Not only did we receive incredible progress and educational videos, but they also went out of their way to comfort us while we missed our girl, showing us videos of Olive in their home environment, comfy on their couch, and being loved and cared for by them. Seeing Olive happy and learning so much made the entire process so much easier for us!
Olive has made great progress in her confidence, obedience, and has the foundation to work on her reactiveness to stressful situations. But the work doesn’t stop here - and we will continue to seek out Rising Starr K9 as we continue Olive’s journey, boosting not only Olive’s confidence and skill level, but also our own!
We continue to highly recommend Rising Starr K9 to all of our friends and family!
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Taylor Brownlee
5/5If you’re looking for a trainer who is personable with not just your dog but you as well, I Highly recommend Rising Starr!! My boy Casper and I went to a handful of one on ones with Rick at the beginning of 2024. He taught us both SO much in the few lessons we had with him! We u…Read full reviewClose full review
If you’re looking for a trainer who is personable with not just your dog but you as well, I Highly recommend Rising Starr!! My boy Casper and I went to a handful of one on ones with Rick at the beginning of 2024. He taught us both SO much in the few lessons we had with him! We unfortunately couldn’t continue training because life got super busy for me and Casper. Over a year later, I reached back out to him about continuing on Casper’s training journey and he treated us as if no time had passed and guided us in the best direction!!
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Kevin
5/5Rick and Joanne are AWESOME. Mr. Moose had a problem with over excitement when greeting other animals. We choose to ask Rick for a 3 week "Board and Train" program to help Moose overcome his behavioral issue. In that time, Rick was able to help Moose understand that it is not …Read full reviewClose full review
Rick and Joanne are AWESOME. Mr. Moose had a problem with over excitement when greeting other animals. We choose to ask Rick for a 3 week "Board and Train" program to help Moose overcome his behavioral issue. In that time, Rick was able to help Moose understand that it is not necessary to be outwardly/excessively excited and to remain relaxed. He also had reinforcement of his base skills and learned other valuable skills such as off lease recall, introduction to whistle training and something referred to as "Place".
"Place" is the ability to tell your dog to "Place" in any setting and the dog will stay in that spot until until released. SO AWESOME!!
Rick was in contact with us daily during the 3 weeks and shared progress as well as playtime videos during Moose's stay.
After Moose's 3 week Board and Train Session was complete, We chose to attend "in person" training with Rick during his Good Citizens Classes. Upon passing his test, Moose received an endorsement to his AKC registration and can now visit the elderly in Care Facilities to share his Love with others.
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Laura Mueller
5/5Rising Star K9 exemplifies excellence in dog training. Rick and Joane provided unparalleled expertise and genuine care, transforming my dog into a more patient and well-behaved family member. Rising Star K9 treated her with the utmost kindness, care and love, as if she were their…Read full reviewClose full review
Rising Star K9 exemplifies excellence in dog training. Rick and Joane provided unparalleled expertise and genuine care, transforming my dog into a more patient and well-behaved family member. Rising Star K9 treated her with the utmost kindness, care and love, as if she were their own furry family member. I am incredibly impressed with the positive changes in my dog’s behavior and temperament. I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking top-notch dog training. We can’t wait to continue our path to canine good behavior with Rising Star K9!
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Penny Langer
5/5Rick and Joanne are patient, kind, realistic and explain in plain language for those of us that have never trained a dog before. Dunkin and I have had alot of fun learning and meeting different pups and their humans on our journey towards..who knows where. The training makes me …Read full reviewClose full review
Rick and Joanne are patient, kind, realistic and explain in plain language for those of us that have never trained a dog before. Dunkin and I have had alot of fun learning and meeting different pups and their humans on our journey towards..who knows where. The training makes me feel like we can branch off after CGC to do anything we want! Highly recommend Rick and Joanne if you want to enjoy your fur friend to their fullest.
Original customer experiences from the collected Google data. Ratings without comments follow written reviews.
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