What are the opening hours?

Monday 7am - 7pm Tuesday 7am - 7pm Wednesday 7am - 7pm Thursday 7am - 7pm Friday 7am - 7pm Saturday 7am - 7pm

ABTK9, 106 Capital Trace Unit C & D, Elizabeth City, NC (2026)

09/19/2026

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐢 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐁𝐓𝐊𝟗! 🐾

T**i is joining us for a Board & Train program focused on strengthening her obedience, engagement, impulse control, and overall training foundations. A solid foundation builds clearer communication between dogs and their owners while creating reliable skills that translate into everyday life.

We’re excited to work with this sweet girl and share her progress along the way! 💜

While you’re out enjoying the community this weekend, be sure to visit ABTK9 at the 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 tomorrow!

📅 Saturday, September 19
⏰ 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
📍 Camden Community Park
125 Noblitt Drive, Camden, NC 27921
🎟️ Free admission

Stop by our booth, meet the ABTK9 team, learn more about our programs, and enjoy a great day supporting local businesses and our community. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

09/15/2026

🐾 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐜𝐞 🐾

Ace has been working on calmly observing his environment while remaining engaged with his handler. This is an important foundation for everything from loose-leash walking and obedience to confidence building and reactivity prevention.

Successful training does not mean a dog must ignore the world around them or maintain constant eye contact. We want dogs to notice their surroundings, process what they see, and then voluntarily check back in with their handler for guidance.

By reinforcing calm observation and voluntary engagement, we help dogs develop better focus, emotional regulation, and decision-making skills in real-world environments.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬.

Great work, Ace! 💙👏🏼

🐾 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘨? 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘉𝘛𝘒9 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 252-562-6611 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴. 📞

09/12/2026

🐾 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄, 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓! 🐾

Natty, for short, arrived a little unsure of the new environment. We gave him time to observe, explore, and process without pressure, and once he felt comfortable, his personality came shining through. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭! ❤️

𝐃𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

For example, many dogs become excited the moment their leash or harness appears because they have learned:

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐡 = 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤
𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 = 𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞
𝐂𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 = 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

The same learning process can also create negative associations. If a dog’s only outings involve veterinary procedures, grooming appointments, or highly stimulating environments, they may begin to generalize those experiences. Eventually, the leash, car ride, unfamiliar building, or even leaving home can predict something stressful before anything has actually happened.

This is why we strongly encourage speaking with your veterinarian or groomer about occasional 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬. Pop in, allow your dog to receive a few treats, and leave. No examination, nail trim, or procedure, just a short, positive experience that helps change what the environment predicts.

𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.

By keeping visits brief, working at the dog’s pace, and ending before they become overwhelmed, we can help create more confident and cooperative dogs.

We are excited to have Natty training with us here at ABTK9 and cannot wait to continue building his confidence! 🐾

09/12/2026

🐾 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗕𝗧𝗞𝟵, 𝗞𝗔𝗜! 🐾

We’re excited to officially welcome Kai to the ABTK9 family! This handsome little guy came in ready to learn, and we’re looking forward to building the strong foundations that will help him grow into the best companion he can be. ❤️

Our focus at this stage isn’t perfection. It’s 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿. Those foundations are what everything else gets built on.

And apparently Kai approved of our approach... because when his session was over, 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲. 😂 That’s one of our favorite signs that we’re doing something right!

Training should be fun for 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗢𝗚. Not every session is going to be perfect, and it doesn’t need to be. Build engagement, celebrate the small wins, and always try to end on a good note. Sometimes the most productive training session is only two minutes long.

𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄.

Welcome to ABTK9, Kai! We can’t wait to watch you grow! ❤️

09/07/2026

🐾 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗿 & 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗼 checked into ABTK9 this weekend… and immediately made every other dog look 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹-𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱. 😂

We had the pleasure of caring for these two 𝗕𝗜𝗚 boys over the weekend, and they were just as sweet and entertaining as they are massive. Seriously, the photos do not prepare you for the amount of dog happening here. 🤣

Wrangler & Bronco were recently adopted from Pasquotank Animal Services. We love getting to see shelter dogs on the other side of adoption.. safe, loved, and figuring out what this whole “family dog” thing is all about.

𝙒𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙧 & 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙮𝙨…

And luckily for us, their stay wasn’t goodbye! Their family will also be enrolling Wrangler & Bronco into our training program, so these 𝗫𝗫𝗟 fellas will be back at ABTK9 soon. 🐾

09/04/2026

🐾 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦.

Today, 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲 started working on something that may not look like traditional “training,” but can make a 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 for the rest of her life: veterinary and grooming preparedness. 🩺✂️

We introduced Millie to several things she may encounter during routine veterinary and grooming care, including 𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲, handling of her ears and feet, and different types of body positioning.

And those nails? 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗭𝗘𝗥𝗢 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲. 👏🏼❤️

We often hear, “𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘨’𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦!” and while that's a great start, 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗺.

Nail clippers look and sound different. An otoscope entering the picture is very different from someone simply rubbing an ear. A stethoscope touching the chest while someone positions and handles the dog is another completely different experience.

Dogs don't automatically generalize “𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦” to “𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.” That's why with Millie, we're not waiting until these things 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 to happen.

We're introducing the actual tools, sounds, sensations, handling and positioning she'll encounter throughout her life and working to make those experiences 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲.

No wrestling. No forcing her through it. No “𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵.”

Instead, we're creating lots of small, successful experiences that teach Millie:

❤️ 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲. 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁.

Because exposure alone doesn't create comfort.

𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

🐾 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝘀𝗶𝘁.”

09/04/2026

🐾❤️ 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐁𝐓𝐊𝟗, 𝐆𝐔𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐒! ❤️🐾

This handsome guy is Gus Gus, and his training journey is going to be a little less about “sit, down, stay” and a whole lot more about 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, and helping him feel safe enough to make brave choices. 🥹

Dogs are communicating with us 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲. A tucked tail, lowered posture, looking away, hesitation, lip licking, suddenly becoming still, frantic excitement, jumping, barking, even seemingly “clingy” behavior can tell us something about how a dog is feeling.

Most people have heard of the three big fear responses:

𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓. 𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓. 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐙𝐄.

But there’s a fourth we don’t talk about nearly enough…

✨ 𝐅𝐀𝐖𝐍. ✨

Fawning is an 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦. Instead of fighting, running away, or completely freezing, a worried dog may become excessively friendly or submissive in an attempt to avoid conflict. They may crawl into you, lick excessively, roll over, jump up, wiggle dramatically, or desperately seek interaction.

And this is where fearful dogs can sometimes fool us.

A dog approaching you doesn’t automatically mean, 𝘖𝘩, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

A wagging tail doesn’t automatically mean, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺.

And a dog allowing something doesn’t necessarily mean, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

𝐖𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐆. 🧠🐕

With dogs like Gus Gus, our goal isn’t to force bravery. Confidence doesn’t come from repeatedly putting a dog into uncomfortable situations until they “get over it.”

We build it through 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, and 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

Safe Experience ➡️ Success ➡️ Positive Memory ➡️ Confidence ➡️ 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘 🐾

Every time Gus Gus investigates instead of avoiding, chooses to engage, recovers after uncertainty, or realizes 𝘏𝘦𝘺… 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘥, we’re adding another little deposit into his confidence bank. ❤️

Sometimes the biggest training victories aren’t flashy.

Sometimes they’re simply watching a worried dog realize that 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, and the world isn’t quite as scary as he thought it was.

🐾 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 ABTK9, 𝐆𝐮𝐬 𝐆𝐮𝐬. We’re excited to watch this little guy find his brave. ❤️

📞 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦: (252) 562-6611
🌐 𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘢𝘣𝘵𝘬9.𝘤𝘰𝘮

09/04/2026

🐾 THIS is the kind of training that changes what life with your dogs looks like at home.

Lux & Onyx absolutely nailed it today. 👏

They worked on Place, settling, and learning how to calmly coexist while another dog is nearby, something we LOVE working on with multi-dog households.

Because if you have more than one dog, you probably know the domino effect. 😂

One dog gets excited → everybody gets excited.
One runs to the door → everybody runs to the door.
One wants attention → suddenly there’s a committee meeting at your feet.

At ABTK9, we want to give owners something better than simply managing the chaos.

We teach the dogs how to manage themselves. 🧠🐾

Place work helps create individual boundaries while teaching dogs to settle, disengage, wait their turn, and understand that everything happening around them doesn’t require their participation.

And just look at these two. 😍

Two completely different dogs, working independently in the same space, learning skills their families can actually use at home.

That’s what training should do... make everyday life with your dog easier, calmer, and more enjoyable.

If you’ve been thinking, “My dogs could NEVER do that…”

👀 Those are exactly the dogs we want to meet.

📞 (252) 562-6611
🌐 www.abtk9.com

09/02/2026

🐾✨ 𝗢𝗞𝗔𝗬, 𝗣𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦… 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗢𝗡𝗘’𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨! ✨🐾

Meet 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲! 💙 This ridiculously handsome little guy is a 𝟭𝟮-𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 who is getting an early start with private training at ABTK9 and THIS is the age where we can do so much.

Because puppy training should be 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝘀𝗶𝘁.”

Sure, Bodie will learn his basic foundations but our goal is bigger than having a puppy who can perform a handful of commands for a treat.

We want to help you 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗘 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝟭𝟬–𝟭𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. 🐶

At ABTK9, our private training is 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗻-𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿-𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆. No trying to keep up with six other puppies. No cookie-cutter curriculum. We meet your dog exactly where they are and build from there.

🐾 Want better engagement and focus? We work on it.
🐾 Wild puppy with ZERO impulse control? Yep, we work on that too. 😂
🐾 Need appropriate ways to burn that puppy brain? We’ll teach you 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 you can actually use at home.
🐾 Confidence building, handling, leash foundations, recall, settling, boundaries, and appropriate socialization? 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆.

And just as importantly… 𝗪𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨. 👏

We want you to leave understanding how your puppy learns, what fulfills them, how to communicate clearly, and how to continue building on those skills long after your session ends.

Starting early gives us an incredible opportunity to build good habits before unwanted ones have months... or years, to become established.

So if you’ve been staring at your adorable little land shark thinking…

“I love you SO much, but we need to get our lives together.” 😂

✨ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻. ✨

Welcome to the ABTK9 family, 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲! 💙 We cannot wait to see what this little guy becomes!

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥?
📞 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 (252) 562-6611

🌐 𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘢𝘣𝘵𝘬9.𝘤𝘰𝘮

09/01/2026

🐾💚 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗢𝗚 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗬 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 💚🐾

Hi, I'm Ashley, owner and head trainer at ABTK9. People often ask what inspired me to become a dog trainer. Most expect me to talk about certifications or the dogs I've worked with, but the truth is one of my greatest teachers has four legs. His name is Titan. 💚

If you've followed ABTK9 for a while, Titan probably isn't a new face. We've shared pieces of his journey before, but his story is at the heart of why cooperative care means so much to me.

Nearly two years ago, I met Titan while working as a veterinary assistant. Routine vet care had become incredibly stressful for him. His owner adores him, but she was heartbroken watching him struggle. Before she left, I handed her my card and said, call me.

She did. And that call began a journey neither of us expected. 🐾

Over the next two years, Titan taught me far more than I could ever teach him.

We began with 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧, 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘. 💚

We spent hours of quiet work, sitting together, learning his language, figuring out what made him feel safe, making the unpredictable, predictable.

This past week, Titan had one of his best veterinary appointments yet. 🩺🐾 He calmly completed his exam and vaccines. And although we had planned to complete his heartworm test as well, we made the choice to stop.

𝗛𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱. 💚

And sometimes one of the most important things we can do for a dog is recognize when they've given us enough and allow them to leave on a win.

So, we saved his heartworm test for a few days later at ABTK9, his happy place. 🏡🐾

And then something happened that nearly two years ago I wasn't sure would ever be possible.

Titan allowed me to hold his front leg. I placed the syringe. And when I saw that first flash of blood, I realized...

𝗪𝗘'𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦. 🥹💚

And I cried.

Not because of the blood draw, but because of everything it represented.

Nearly two years of trust.
Nearly two years of learning his language.
Nearly two years of tiny victories that probably didn't look like much from the outside.

Titan didn't just learn how to participate in his own care...

𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗜 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘. 🐾

He taught me that training isn't always about asking a dog to sit, stay, heel, or comply. Sometimes it's about sitting across a room from a dog who doesn't trust you yet, and giving him no reason to regret letting you be there.

It's about making the unpredictable predictable. It's about listening when they communicate. It's about celebrating the tiny victories. 💚

And instead of asking...

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗚 𝗧𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘?

Asking...

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗜 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗚 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘 𝗘𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗘? 🐾💚

That's cooperative care. That's why I'm so passionate about it. And that's a piece of the philosophy behind ABTK9.

So, if you're new here, Hi. 👋 I'm Ashley.

And this is Titan. 🐕‍🦺💚

𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗕𝗧𝗞𝟵. 𝗜'𝗠 𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗥𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘. 🐾💚

🌐 𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘢𝘣𝘵𝘬9.𝘤𝘰𝘮
📞 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦: (252) 562-6611

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