About Southwest Florida K9 Services

Police K9 roots, civilian dogs

Southwest Florida K9 Services is a dog training and boarding facility at 6230 Mellow Drive in North Fort Myers, owned and operated by Rusty and Dee Graham, lifelong residents of Lee County. Rusty retired from law enforcement after 18 years in the K9 Unit as handler, trainer, supervisor and administrator, and is credited with 33 years of K9 training experience. Dee is a certified vet technician credited with 23 years as a K9 obedience trainer and behaviorist, and she leads the AKC Star Puppy class on Saturday afternoons.

Method

The business describes its philosophy as behavior modification through positive reinforcement with a reward system. All training starts on leash, and the e-collar is used only after a dog knows every command, for distance and off-leash work.

Programs

Training runs at the facility, in your home or in public places, as group or private classes. Options include puppy classes for 8-24 weeks, basic to advanced group obedience, AKC Star Puppy, CGC, Community Canine and Urban K9, help for aggressive and reactive dogs, socialization, personal protection with obedience, board and train, day training, pack walks, tracking, scent detection, search and rescue and an electric collar program. Every program starts with a sit-down interview and evaluation. The facility also offers boarding, German Shepherd breeding and training equipment, and is open Mon-Sun 6AM-6PM. Phone (239) 633-5844.