About Obedient K9 Academy

Obedient K9 Academy trains from a 5,000 sq ft facility in the South End of Charlotte and runs a residential-led program with a group-class tail that never ends.

Programs and what they cost

Three formats are published: board and train, day training and group class. The signature five-week program is $2,900, with payment plans that the site says can run as low as $90 a month, and the business states plainly that not every dog it meets is a good fit for it. Day training is a drop-off at the South End facility in the morning and a one-to-one lesson at pick-up in the afternoon. The differentiator the site leans on hardest is that every program comes with unlimited group classes for the life of the dog, supervised by a trainer, used to proof new skills around other trained dogs.

What board and train looks like

Dogs in the residential program live with the trainers' families rather than only in the facility, and the site says every dog goes on multiple pack walks and field trips daily around the surrounding neighborhood to desensitize and socialize it. On- and off-leash obedience is worked in real-world scenarios, and the published equipment list is an e-collar, slip leash, clicker and treat pouch – with the site stating that an owner is not required to train with an e-collar.

Specialist tracks and method

A service dog training program is published, starting with temperament evaluation and obedience and progressing through public-access work to tasks customized to the handler – guiding, mobility, hearing alerts, medical detection or psychiatric support – and the site says it trains a foundation usable for therapy, emotional support and psychiatric service dogs. It states it does not offer protection dog training to pet owners. Staff are described as trained in purely positive techniques as well as a balanced pressure-and-release approach, and the business claims to be the only company in Charlotte using NePoPo methods. It also notes, correctly, that professional dog trainers in North Carolina are not required to hold any certification or insurance.