Frequently Asked Questions

  • Your puppy can start AKC S.T.A.R. puppy classes after their 2nd round of vaccines!

    Dogs over 6 months old are eligible for any of our other package options.

    Give us a call if you are interested in reserving a spot for your pup!

  • Yes! We have a passionate and experienced team committed to helping the harder pups. We work with various behavioral issues. The spicy dogs are near and dear to our hearts.

    You may have even seen #buckleystraininglegacy on our social media. NSK9 donates an Adventure Training Camp to some hard to place dogs who are available for adoption at local shelters to give them a better chance at a forever home. In loving memory of Buckley - see you over the rainbow bridge, bud.

    Not all packages are suitable for reactive/anxious/aggressive dogs, so if you are unsure please reach out to us before you book so we can assist you in choosing the best fit for you and your pup.

  • We have serval package options available that all can help you achieve your training goals. The biggest difference between packages are how much time you have to invest upfront on training and your individual budget. Check out our comparison chart on our Services page for a full breakdown!

    Adventure Training Camp is the best long term investment due to the exclusive perks including a lifetime guarantee.

  • Pack walks are opportunities for continued support for our training camp alumni.

    We pick a spot around town to meet up and walk together. This gives you a chance to build your handling skills with the support of your trainers, work around other dog distractions, mingle with other pup parents, and spend some quality time with your best four-legged friend.

  • We’re thrilled to introduce our new Stepping Stones program—designed exclusively for our Adventure Training Camp alumni!

    This small group class is all about handler skill-building, providing you with the tools, support, and hands-on experience to take your training to the next level. If the pack walk format feels too overwhelming and you need more support before tackling a bigger group setting, Stepping Stones is here to guide you every step of the way.

    Limited spots available—small group format for personalized attention. Perfect for those looking to build on the foundation from Adventure Training Camp. This new initiative is designed to help fulfill our Lifetime Support promise we give to our Adventure Training Campers. Let’s keep those paws moving forward!

    The sessions will be lead by Co-Owner/Trainer Chloe and will be offered once a week on a different day each week to accommodate different schedules. The complete Stepping Stones schedule can be found on under the Events tab. RVSP required to attend.

    It is FREE and available to our Adventure Training Camp alumni only.

  • We currently have 7 trainers who each have a unique training style. In general, we are all balanced trainers, but we do our best to pair each client to the trainer that would be the best match. Learn more about each of our trainers here.

    Some of our trainers thrive helping the spicy, reactive dogs; some love working with herding, working, or sport dogs; and others love partnering with rescues. Our training style is often determined by what the dog needs.

    We love having a team with diverse skillsets because we are able to better serve our clients!

  • It depends on the dog! Every dog is different and every dog learns differently, so we use a personalized approach.

    After we assess your dog’s personality and training needs and goals, then we can determine what tools would be appropriate.

    For young puppies, we focus on positive reinforcement.

    For dogs over 6 months old, we pair the positive reinforcement training with tools to create clear and fair rules for the dog. We may use a variety of tools including but not limited to an e-collar, long line (15ft leash), slip leash, prong collar, Starmark collar, martingale, harness, and/or muzzle. Your trainer will explain what tools they plan to use for your dog and why.

  • Adventure Training Campers stay at their designated trainer’s house for the duration of camp. They will train all around the local area though to help generalize commands and build confidence in new environments! When your dog is in the care of the trainer you will be updated with pictures and/or videos daily on how they are doing and where they are going.

  • No. We only offer private sessions at this time.

    However, we do offer monthly pack walks for our alumni for continued training support. The pack walks are a group setting.

  • Yes we work with both ESA and service dogs in training.

    For service dog training interest highly recommend for service dog work to look up your ADA rights of owning a service animal. There are no such thing as service dog certificates. The only questions anyone can ask is what task does your dog perform and your dog must be well behaved in public.

    We typically recommend owners to focus on obedience and public access for dogs under 1. Once they turn 1 years olds we then start focusing on task training for service animals. The task you choose must be compatible with the dog and you as a handler.

    Just because you have a dog as a puppy does not mean they will qualify as a service animal once they turn a year. Temperament in a dog is not something you can change. Any reactivity or anxiety in the dog the trainer will recommend ESA compared to service work.

  • The biggest difference between 4 and 5 sessions is the in the 5 sessions you receive a ecollar and an extra session.

    You can always start with the 4 sessions and if you decide to utilize the ecollar later on you can upgrade for the $200 difference at any point.

  • We do offer a multi dog discount on Adventure Training Camps only. For sending two dogs to Adventure Training Camp we offer a $200 discount as well as an additional $100 discount if you decide to use one ecollar remote compared to two.

  • Yes! We recommend if unsure which route to go to start with the 4 sessions and have the trainer help guide you in which package you should upgrade. We do not charge additional fees outside the package price for upgrading and will apply left over credits to the upgraded package.

  • Yes! All of our packages are fully customizable to fit where you and your dog are at, to allow you the most bang for your buck while training with us. No two dogs learn the same or at the same level so we love to be able to fit each session to you and you dog.

  • AKC Star Puppy sessions and 4/5 private sessions are held at our facility 513 Cooper Street to start.

    We like to create a neutral environment for starting out training with your dog. Depending on the level of obedience and progression of training with your dog we move to out in public and out your house.

    If you do not do the homework your trainer gives you each week, then you will remain at the facility to be fair to your dog on distraction level.

  • We dedicate our time to current clients, as well as helping shelter/rescue dogs in the community with our left over time. We say 7-10 business days to ensure time to return calls for new potential clients depending on what we have going on. We are a small local business that allocates and prioritizes our limited resources to the dog community in Knoxville. For emergency situations we recommend putting in a inquiry, AND messaging us on Facebook.

  • Feel free to call or text us! 865.500.NSK9