A family business that never stopped being one
Thirty-two years. More than ten thousand dogs. Same family, same building, same phone number.
It started with two people and a conviction
Mike Stone opened Absolute K-9 Training with his partner Toni in April 1994. No franchise behind them, no investors, no marketing department. Just a belief that most of the dogs people were giving up on were not the problem.
Mike had spent years as an instructor at a training school before deciding to do it properly on his own. He held certifications in the United States, Germany and England, in obedience, in protection work, as a kennel technician. He knew what a dog was capable of.
What he wanted to prove was simpler. That the family whose labrador drags them down the street, or whose rescue growls at the mailman, does not need a different dog. They need someone to teach both ends of the leash.
Mike has been saying it since 1994. Ten thousand dogs later, nobody has proved him wrong.
What changed, and what did not
A lot changed. Three facilities. A team of certified trainers with more than forty years of combined experience. A 22,000 square foot home in Sorrento Valley shared with Snug Pet Resort and a full animal hospital. Television, radio, a Disney film launch, and clients who arrive by private jet alongside clients who arrive by bus.
What did not change is who answers the phone. Mike still runs the evaluations himself. The business is still owned and operated by the same family. Nobody has ever bought it, franchised it, or turned it into something with a call centre.
The year Mike and Toni opened the doors
Dogs trained, and still counting
Combined experience across the training team
Never sold, never franchised
Who your dog actually spends the day with
Every trainer here is certified, and several hold certifications from Germany and England as well as the United States. Between them they have trained competition dogs, police dogs, and working dogs at a level far beyond what any family pet needs.
That matters for one reason. If someone can teach a working dog to hold a down-stay under pressure, teaching your goldendoodle not to jump on your mother-in-law is not going to trouble them.
Josh Zapparolli
Travis
Tom
Brigitte
Photographs are real trainers at the facility but are not yet matched to names. Confirm who is who before launch.
A vet down the hall
Absolute K9 is the training division of Snug Pet Resort, a 22,000 square foot facility in Sorrento Valley with a full animal hospital inside it.
For a family leaving their dog with us for a few weeks, that is not a detail. It is the answer to the question nobody wants to ask out loud: what happens if something goes wrong at two in the morning.
Come and meet us
Bring your dog in. Mike or one of the team will sit with you, watch your dog, and tell you honestly what it takes. It costs nothing and you are under no obligation.