Courteous K9

Courteous K9 offers a comprehensive range of dog training programs tailored to various needs and skill levels. Their Group Classes are 6-week in-person sessions covering foundational obedience (Perfect Puppy for puppies 5 months or younger, and Courteous K9 for dogs older than 5 months), advanced life skills (Life Skills & CGC Prep), and specialized sport classes like Off-Leash Reliability (E-Collar Training), Hounds Around Town (public manners), Agility, Toy Play Skills, Nosework, and Mondioring Obedience. Foundation 1 classes include two months of free CK9 Membership.

Day Training provides an alternative to traditional dog daycare, focusing on daily training and enrichment. Dogs participate in obedience, relaxation training, and supervised group play sessions. The Day Training PLUS option includes an additional training session or activity each day, customized based on the dog’s age, ability, motivation, temperament, and skillset.

Board & Train programs allow dogs to stay with a trainer in their home (Sleepover with a Trainer) or at the facility. These programs include daily obedience training, relaxation training, a trick of the month, and supervised group play. The Board & Day Training PLUS option offers a second daily training session or activity.

Private Training is available as one-on-one lessons at the facility, in the client’s home (within the Rochester area), or virtually via Zoom, phone consultations, or video submissions for critique. These lessons address obedience, tricks, and behavioral issues, including reactivity and aggression.

Online Learning is accessible through the CK9 Membership for $25/month, providing access to all online courses. These courses cover puppy training, foundation and advanced obedience, training concepts (e.g., clear communication, reducing rewards), skill-specific classes (e.g., toy play, relaxation, tricks), sport classes (e.g., Intro to Disc, Nosework), and behavior modification classes (e.g., tackling the teenager stage, resource guarding, reactive remedy).

Pricing Summary

Courteous K9 offers various pricing structures for their services. Board & Day Training is $75/night for in-facility stays and $100/night for sleepovers with a trainer. Board & Day Training PLUS is $95/night in-facility and $125/night for sleepovers. For stays of 3 or more nights, the last day’s Day Training or Day Training PLUS charge is waived.

Four-week Board & Train packages are available: $3,000 for 28 consecutive nights with a trainer (a $500 discount) or $2,500 for 4 consecutive Mon-Fri weeks with a trainer. In-facility Mon-Fri for 4 consecutive weeks is $1,900. Day Training is $50/day, and Day Training PLUS is $65/day.

The Frequent Fido Program offers weekly rates for Day Training ($50/week for 1 day, $100/week for 2 days, $150/week for 3 days) and Day Training PLUS ($65/week for 1 day, $130/week for 2 days, $195/week for 3 days), including 10% off training, boarding, and retail. The VIP Program offers unlimited Day Training for $950/month or Day Training PLUS for $1,250/month, with benefits like 2 free nail trims, free holiday photos, a dedicated crate, unlimited self-wash, and 25-50% off training, 25% off boarding, and 25% off retail. A $100 discount is offered for the first month of the VIP program for puppies 5 months or younger.

Online learning through the CK9 Membership is $25/month for access to all online courses. Group classes are $180 for 6 weeks. Private lessons at the facility are $50 for 30 minutes or $100 for 1 hour. In-home private lessons are $100 for 45 minutes, with a package of four 45-minute lessons for $300. Reactive/aggression in-home lessons are $150 for 45 minutes. Virtual lessons include live Zoom meetings at $20 per 15 minutes (30-minute minimum), phone consultations at $15 per 15 minutes, and video submissions for critique at $10 per topic. The self-wash station is $20 for 30 minutes per wash, or an unlimited yearly membership is $100, with an additional fee for their shampoo/conditioner.

Policies

If a dog has not been to the facility recently for one of their services, Courteous K9 may require the dog to attend a few days of Day Training prior to a Board & Train stay. Exceptions to this rule may be made on a case-by-case basis, such as for clients who do not live near Rochester. For 2 or 4-week Board & Train packages, clients must schedule a pick-up time for a go-home lesson. For Board & Train stays, clients should only bring the dog’s pre-measured food, flea/tick preventative (if needed), any medications/supplements, and collar(s) and leash; no additional items should be brought. For Day Training, clients should not bring any harnesses.

Courteous K9 is a dog training business founded by a group of trainers dedicated to providing high-quality training services. Their philosophy emphasizes expanding their training toolbox with various techniques from formal education, seminars, workshops, and hands-on experience, rather than adhering to a single ideology. They believe in a customized approach, recognizing that each dog and family is unique, and aim to make training clear, fair, and enjoyable for both humans and canines.

The business offers a variety of services designed to help dog owners do more with their dogs and achieve long-lasting results through high-quality education. They cater to puppies, starting them off on the right paw, but also believe it’s never too late to teach older dogs and their owners new tricks.

Courteous K9 provides Group Classes, Day Training, Board & Train programs, Private Training, and Online Learning. Additionally, they offer a self-wash station for dogs. They pride themselves on many years of experience in supporting dog owners and boast high success and client satisfaction rates.

Accomplishments

Courteous K9 boasts over 40 years of combined professional dog training experience in Minnesota. Their trainers are experienced in working with dogs of all sizes, ages, breeds, and mixes. The majority of their trainers actively train and compete in various dog sports, continuously expanding their knowledge through over 100 in-person classes, over 50 online classes, and numerous seminars and workshops.

Notable trainers include Mikaela Gustafson, an AKC CGC & Trick Dog Evaluator, DMWYD Trick Dog Evaluator, and Updog Judge, who trained the first miniature schnauzers in the United States to earn Trick Dog Championship titles. Ethan Hilgemann is a Certified Mondioring Level 2 Decoy and has been training professionally since 2018. Megan Peterson, an AKC CGC & Trick Dog Evaluator and Canine CPR & First Aid Certified, has been training professionally since 2019 and competes in multiple dog sports. Jess Lund has been training professionally since 2017, with her German Shepherd achieving titles in Mondioring. Jen Sorum, an AKC CGC and Trick Dog Evaluator, has been training professionally since 2018, with her dogs earning multiple trick and agility titles and competing at National Agility Competitions. Erin Grout has experience raising and training service dogs with Can-Do Canines, and her German Shepherd pups have earned AKC Novice Trick Dog titles and CGC.

How to Get Started!

To begin services with Courteous K9, clients can register their dog for Day Training or Group Classes, or request dates for Board & Train through their online booking system. For the Frequent Fido or VIP programs, enrollment is initiated by emailing the business. Private lessons require approval and scheduling directly with Mikaela Gustafson or Ethan Hilgemann, and the first lesson for reactivity or aggression issues is an evaluation.

For Group Classes, it is recommended to start the online version of the class before the in-person session begins. For Foundation 2 classes, completion of Foundation 1 (Perfect Puppy or Courteous K9) is a prerequisite; if classes were completed elsewhere, an evaluation is required to skip Foundation 1. For Day Training and Board & Train stays, clients are encouraged to read the free online course “Setting your dog up for Success!” prior to their dog’s first day.