Your dog(s) will love it here
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Whether it’s training, boarding or daycare, you want the best for your dog. Which is perfect because at TK-9, we won’t settle for less than the best.
Love Tecla’s K-9 Academy!!! My dog Reagen loves going to play with her friends at daycare. The staff is professional, friendly, and they show so much love to my sweet girl. The facility is clean and very quiet. Not your typical daycare when you walk in and all you hear is dogs barking. We enjoy a calm drop off with classical music!
Pamela H.
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Tecla WaltonCEO & Training Director Tecla Walton, Pack to Basics Certified, has 24 years of experience as a music educator and 15 years of experience as a dog trainer. Her unique ability to educate dog owners as well as train their dogs is a product of the way she has blended her two worlds. Tecla’s deep love for and commitment to the canine species has led her to continually seek out and implement the best training methods for the dogs she trains. Her emphasis is on balancing the relationship between dog and handler through sound training principles, clear communication, and trust. Tecla’s dog training experience spans the worlds of pet obedience and competitive dog sports alike. She has studied under Bart Bellon, Chad Mackin, Tom Rose, and Michael Ellis. Tecla holds multiple high-in-obedience, high-in-trial, high-in-tracking awards, and “V” scores with her dogs and has helped many clients to do the same. She has also earned High In Trial honors with three different dogs in three different disciplines in an 18 month period of time. |
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William HendrixSenior TrainerWilliam Hendrix has had an affinity for dogs ever since he was young. He thought about working with dogs as a profession and began his internship at Tecla’s K-9 Academy in March 2015. Since then his love for dogs has only grown. William completed an extensive 18-month internship under Training Director / Owner, Tecla Walton. He was then hired by TK9 following the completion of his internship and has been working in the capacity as a trainer for over 2 years. William has over 6,000 training hours under his belt at TK9. He grew up in San Antonio Texas, moved to Maryland because his dad was in the military, and holds an Associates's Degree in General Studies at Carroll Community College. |
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Cathy FergusonAgility InstructorCathy Ferguson is a former professional musician whose day job is with the Howard County School System as a special education teacher. She started working with Tecla in 2009 due to her adopting a 9-month old, exuberant dog from the Howard County Animal Shelter. Previous owners said that “Roxy,” now named Thais, was agressive. Tecla’s initial evaluation revealed not an aggressive dog, but a highly energetic dog. Tecla had started teaching Rally and recommended that Cathy and Thais give it a try. At the first lesson, Thais did everything that Cathy asked her to do. Thais needed mental stimulation and Rally was it! They went on to compete in Rally, earning their Arch, Arch X, Arch EX, and their Arch MX. At the Breakaway Action Dogs 10 year Anniversary Rally Competition, Cathy and Thais earned Judges Best Team Award amongst other awards. Cathy started taking agility lessons with Thais and quickly brought her other dog Ange into agility training. Cathy is now the agility instructor at TK-9. |
There are no words to describe how truly grateful I am to Tecla and her staff for continuing to work with us. From Day 1, it was all about putting a plan in place to set Eclipse up for success in altering the way she perceives the world. In a relatively short amount of time she’s much more comfortable with other animals and people. While we still have a long way to go, the progress to date has been amazing! She loves the staff and trainers there, and it puts my heart at ease to know I have a place where I can take her for daycare and boarding that she enjoys. It is truly an environment where dogs feel safe and can have fun.
Deepu D.
Your health & safety is always our first priority.
Here’s how we are ensuring a healthy environment for you and your dog as well as our team in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic:
Daycare / Boarding:
Group / Private Training: