Killian’s K9 Academy, LLC

Fritzie’s Fundamentals is the private session track, covering basic obedience, behavior modification, puppy basics, and structured exposure work, often called socialization. Sessions are tailored to the dog rather than run to a fixed curriculum.

Brenneke’s K9 Kamp is a three-week board and train. Your dog stays with a certified trainer, which lets Rudy and Sheri build a personal connection and shape the work around that individual dog. The emphasis is basic obedience and impulse control, reinforced through real-world outings to parks, pet stores, and local businesses so that polite public manners carry back into life at home. The program includes a one-hour handover session with you at pickup, a follow-up session two weeks later to fine-tune anything still rough, and regular photo updates on your dog’s progress. A modified K9 Kamp is also available on request.

Levi’s Overnight Stays are an alternative to a boarding kennel or a pet sitter for clients heading out of town. Your dog stays with a certified trainer in a home setting, current training is maintained rather than allowed to slip, and you get personalized feedback from someone who has taken the time to know your dog.

Pricing Summary

Every enquiry starts with a complimentary phone consultation, because the programs are not one size fits all and the right one depends on you and your dog. Brenneke’s three-week K9 Kamp is $2,750. Levi’s Overnight Stays are $70 per night per dog. Private session pricing is quoted during the consultation.

Policies

For K9 Kamp and overnight stays, bring food, treats, a leash, and a blanket. Health requirements are a current fecal test, distemper and parvo (or titers), rabies, and Bordetella. Let Rudy and Sheri know in advance about any food or treat allergies. Overnight pick-up and drop-off are at 10:00 AM or 6:00 PM unless otherwise arranged. Killian’s does not use shock or static collars.

Killian’s K9 Academy is a husband-and-wife dog training team serving Clayton and the wider Triangle area of North Carolina. Rudy Montalvo brings more than 30 years of dog training experience, and he and his wife Sheri built the business around a single idea: most dog problems are communication problems, and owners can learn to solve them.

Rudy and Sheri moved from northwestern New York to North Carolina in 2011 and adopted four dogs from local rescues, including the Johnston County Animal Protection League, which they still support. One of them, Levi, came to them at two and a half years old with severe resource guarding and reactivity after being passed over again and again. A year of patient, structured work turned him into a confident, social, well-balanced dog, and that experience is what led Rudy and Sheri to reopen Killian’s K9 Academy.

The focus today is personalized private training, with particular strength in reactive dogs and the real-world situations their owners find hardest. The goal is a stronger bond between a family and their dog, and fewer dogs surrendered out of frustration or misunderstanding.

Training here is positive reinforcement only. Killian’s does not use shock or static collars and is openly critical of them, pointing to the pain, stress, and fear they cause and the aggression and anxiety that can follow. The tools are trust, structure, education, and consistency.

Accomplishments

Rudy Montalvo brings more than 30 years of dog training experience to Killian’s K9 Academy. He and Sheri are active supporters of rescue and partner with rescues and veterinary practices across the Triangle, including Pawfect Match Rescue & Rehabilitation, the Johnston County Animal Protection League, Wake Veterinary Medical Center, Clayton Animal Hospital, and Stage Road Animal Hospital. Their own pack, Levi, Brenneke, Fritz, and Annie, are all rescues. Levi’s turnaround from severe resource guarding and reactivity is the reason the academy reopened, and Annie has since taken on a job helping manage the K9 Kampers.

How to Get Started!

Start with the complimentary phone consultation. Call Sheri on 585-203-4610 to get on the schedule, or Rudy on 585-203-4609, and they will help you work out which program suits you and your dog. You can also fill out the Dog Training Intake Form linked from their website. Training hours run Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 AM, with Saturday openings when available.