About K9Attitude: My NePoPo® Journey

My passion for modern dog training ignited with NePoPo®—the revolutionary system created by Bart Bellon (and refined alongside Michael Bellon) that blends negative and positive reinforcement to build behaviors performed with true heart and soul.
It all began at my first live NePoPo® Silver School in Springfield, Missouri.
I showed up early, one of the first in the parking lot with coffee in hand, grinding through pre-school notes. As Bart pulled in, we locked eyes. Maybe that’s why he noticed—my water was already boiling. I grabbed a front-row seat and stayed fully locked in.
Over the next three days, Bart pulled me on stage again and again. He nicknamed me “Bart the Dog” and turned me into a living demo of B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning principles. E-collar on my arm, stimulation running from the command until I completed the behavior—sprinting 30 paces to snatch the cash reward. I left $80 richer, but the real payoff was understanding NePoPo® on a visceral level: precise pressure transformed into explosive drive.
I kept pushing. I attended multiple hands-on Gold schools to go deeper. At my first one with the legendary Chris and Joe, I’d freeze up whenever I anticipated a question—even when I knew the answer cold. They counter-conditioned me exactly like they would a dog: quick finger point 🫵 and the classic line,
“Training starts with good…? Hum hum hum… ATTITUDE!”
It hit home. Hard. Attitude is everything—for the handler and the dog.
Those schools showed me the magic of modular dopamine and position boxes for building drive, focus, precision, and resilience. But the traditional designs frustrated me: wooden boxes absorb odor, rot outdoors, splinter, and demand endless maintenance. Cheap plastics crack, and most alternatives just don’t hold up under real training pressure.
I got tired of gear holding back great training—so I built better.
That’s how K9Attitude came to life. My dopamine and position boxes are made from ultra-durable HDPE (high-density polyethylene) with stainless steel fasteners: completely weatherproof, odor-resistant, rustproof, easy to hose off, and built to last a lifetime. Fully modular and multi-purpose—perfect for dopamine work, precise positioning, heeling, scent games, and whatever else you throw at them.
Whether you’re a competitive sport trainer, working K9 handler, or dedicated pet owner living the NePoPo® philosophy, these are the last training boxes you’ll ever need.
Because great training starts with good attitude… and tools that never let you down.
Train with heart and soul.
— Brent, Founder of K9Attitude