What started with one dog, one trainer, and a leap of faith in Virginia has grown into a network of trainers building businesses around a shared passion for dogs and the people who love them.
Before K9aholics was a training company, it was an Instagram page created by Cam Boyd to document life with his first Belgian Malinois, Draco.
At the time, Cam was a police officer in Virginia. What began as excitement over a new dog quickly became an obsession with learning, training, and working dogs. Eventually, Cam made the decision to leave law enforcement, invest his final paycheck into dog training school, and take a chance on turning that passion into a career.
In 2019, K9aholics Dog Training was born, keeping the name of the original Instagram page and Draco's head as the logo.
What Cam didn't expect was where it would lead. As the business grew, so did the opportunity to help other trainers build something of their own. Today, K9aholics has grown beyond its Virginia roots into a network of independently owned locations, each with its own trainers, communities, and story.
Cam's background spans Division I athletics, law enforcement, working K9s, and competitive dog sport. He attended Tarheel Canine's School for Dog Trainers and completed its Police K9 Instructor Course, gaining hands-on experience in apprehension, detection, and tracking.
His work in the dog community has also included decoying for police departments, training dogs that went on to become active police K9s, and competing as a decoy in Protection Sports Association, where he was selected multiple times as a Regional Select Decoy.
Today, Cam's role in K9aholics goes beyond dog training. He's focused on continuing to build the brand, support its owners, and create opportunities for other trainers to build successful businesses of their own.
Rachel Martin is both a K9aholics location owner and a member of the team helping guide the brand today.
Her path into dog training started with her own German Shepherd. When fear-related challenges pushed Rachel to better understand her dog, she immersed herself in training through seminars, mentorship, dog sport, and eventually an internship with Stateline Canine in Pennsylvania.
After beginning her professional training career in 2022, Rachel joined K9aholics as one of its earliest locations outside of Virginia Beach. Today, she owns and operates the Eastern Shore, Maryland location while also serving as K9aholics' manager and supporting the continued growth of the network.
Rachel remains active in dog sport, competing in PSA with her Belgian Malinois, Maze, as well as hunting sports with her Labrador, Twix.
Our mission is to nurture the bond between dogs and their owners by providing the best possible training. Every dog deserves to be the best they can be.
K9aholics has grown far beyond where it started. Meet the independent owners and trainers bringing the brand to communities across the country.
Where K9aholics started in 2019, serving Hampton Roads.
Serving Fairfax, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria and Vienna.
Bringing K9aholics training to Suffolk and Western Tidewater.
Bringing K9aholics training to the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
Bringing K9aholics training to Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Serving the Triangle and surrounding areas.
Serving Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.
Serving Fort Lauderdale and Broward County.
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