Dog Training

What Dog Training does

K9 Master Dog Training is a sole-proprietor dog training service founded in 2011 by Lena Abuarafeh, headquartered in San Mateo and operating across the San Francisco Bay Area, including the South Bay. The business delivers behavior-focused training to individual dog owners through four formats: in-home lessons, a board-and-train program, boarding, and ZOOM-based remote sessions. The principal is an AKC CGC Evaluator and has continued formal education through programs including the MHS Dog Behavior Academy and the Canine Behavior Symposium (2016–2019).

The operating model is service-only with no proprietary technology platform; revenue is generated through direct service fees quoted on a per-engagement basis, with free phone consultations serving as the top-of-funnel acquisition mechanism. Pickup and drop-off services, blog content marketing, and ZOOM delivery extend the company's reach beyond its physical South Bay base. The firm operates as a private sole proprietorship with no disclosed external funding or investors.

The business maintains relationships with several animal-welfare organizations, including a co-founding role in Go Beyond Rescue (2019) and ongoing volunteer work with Rocket Dog Rescue and Copper's Dream Rescue, alongside a partnership with SF Animal Care & Control. The company was recognized as a Top Best Dog Trainer in San Mateo in 2020 by Expertise.com. A note on data quality: the firmographic record lists 251–500 employees, which is inconsistent with the sole-proprietorship structure described elsewhere in the source data; this is flagged as a likely data error and is not reflected in the analysis.

Name

Dog Training

Legal name

K9 Master Dog Training

Website

https://k9mastertraining.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

K9 Master Dog Training is a Bay Area sole-proprietor dog training service founded in 2011 by Lena Abuarafeh, offering in-home lessons, board-and-train, boarding, and ZOOM training for individual dog owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Training Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Training-Integrated Dog Daycare (Day Training) (HSANAFAE)

Keywords

• Dog training services
• Behavior modification
• In-home pet training
• Board and train
• Dog boarding services

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. In-Home Training Sessions: One-on-one training sessions conducted at the client's home, addressing behavioral challenges and training goals. Also available via interactive ZOOM remote sessions.
2. Board & Train Program: Dogs stay in trainer's home for ongoing training. Includes puppy programs, behavior modification, and obedience training. Dogs train in home environment with access to 1/2 acre property in South Bay.
3. Boarding Services: Specialized dog boarding for dogs with behavioral challenges. Dogs stay in trainer's home and continue training while owners travel.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

K9 Master Dog Training delivers one-on-one dog training and behavior modification services directly to individual pet owners in the San Francisco Bay Area. Core offerings include in-home private lessons, a residential Board & Train program at the trainer's South Bay property, specialized boarding for dogs with behavioral challenges, and interactive ZOOM-based remote lessons. Services span puppy training, basic and advanced obedience, socialization, and treatment of aggression, reactivity, resource guarding, and separation anxiety, with lifetime client support.

Product overview

K9 Master Dog Training offers three core in-person services: In-Home Lessons (personalized one-on-one training at the client's location), a Board & Train Program (residential training at the trainer's South Bay property with field trips to real-world environments), and Boarding (structured home-based boarding with ongoing training for dogs with behavioral challenges). The company also provides remote instruction via interactive ZOOM training lessons. All services emphasize tailored training approaches recognizing that every dog requires different methods, with ongoing lifetime support for clients. The company additionally maintains an educational blog covering topics such as puppy readiness, crate training, and dog psychology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Home Lessons Personalized one-on-one training sessions conducted at the client's home or outdoor locations, providing assessment, instruction, and behavior modification tailored to each dog-owner pair. Targeted at individual pet owners in the Bay Area seeking hands-on guidance for puppies, obedience, and behavioral issues.
• Board & Train Program Immersive residential training program in which dogs stay at the trainer's South Bay home with access to a 1/2 acre property, including field trips to parks and dog-friendly stores. Programs range from puppy basics to customized behavior modification for difficult cases, with pickup and drop-off available across the greater Bay Area.
• Boarding Specialized dog boarding in the trainer's home catering to dogs with behavioral challenges who need structured care while owners travel, with training reinforcement during the stay. Targeted at Bay Area pet owners who need reliable, behavior-aware boarding rather than standard kennel care.
• ZOOM Training Lessons Interactive remote training sessions delivered via ZOOM video conferencing, enabling clients to receive professional guidance and instruction without in-person visits. Targeted at Bay Area clients who prefer or require remote coaching.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Canine Behavior SymposiumminorOthers · 1 January 2016Annual canine behavior conferences attended by Lena in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 featuring leading animal behaviorists from around the country.
• Go Beyond RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit dog rescue in San Francisco co-founded by Lena Abuarafeh. She sits on the board of directors. This is a core partnership reflecting her commitment to animal rescue and rehabilitation.
• Rocket Dog RescuemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal non-profit dog rescue organization. Lena spent nine years volunteering with this organization.
• Copper's Dream RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBay area rescue organization for which Lena has been an ongoing training resource.
• SF Animal Care & ControlmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Francisco municipal shelter. Lena worked with the organization helping many of their toughest behavior cases. She conducts dog temperament evaluations for shelters in her free time.
• MHS Dog Behavior AcademyminorOthersProfessional dog behavior academy attended by Lena for training and education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Camp Bow Wow: National franchised dog daycare and boarding brand. Comparable on the daycare-plus-overnight-care service model, though lower emphasis on behavior modification training.
• Dogtopia: Large franchised dog daycare, boarding, and spa operator with hundreds of U.S. locations. Comparable on the daycare/boarding-with-training dimension, though it does not specialize in behavior modification.
• Petco Dog Training: In-store group and private dog training classes offered by a national pet retail chain. Competes for the same entry-level obedience and puppy-training customer segment, though lacks in-home and intensive behavior modification offerings.
• PetSmart Dog Training: Group dog training classes offered within PetSmart stores nationwide. Competes for the same basic obedience and puppy customer but does not offer in-home or board-and-train behavior modification services.

Direct peers

• Zoom Room Dog Training: Franchised group-class and private-lesson dog training concept with multiple Bay Area and California locations. Direct geographic and service-line overlap with K9 Master.
• Bark Busters Home Dog Training: Global in-home dog training franchise with a similar one-on-one, trainer-comes-to-client model. Closely comparable in service format, customer segment, and lifetime-support positioning to K9 Master.
• Dog Training Elite: Franchise specializing in in-home dog training with emphasis on behavior issues and obedience. Directly comparable customer target, delivery model, and specialty in behavior modification.
• Wag Hotels: Premium pet boarding and daycare operator headquartered in the Bay Area offering boarding with optional training add-ons. Comparable on the boarding and training-integrated care dimension and on geographic market.
• Off Leash K9 Training: Multi-state dog training franchise focused on obedience and behavior modification with private lessons and board-and-train programs. Comparable service architecture and customer profile.
• Sit Means Sit Dog Training: Multi-location dog training franchise offering obedience and behavior modification services, including board-and-train and in-home formats. Comparable in service mix and breadth of behavior modification offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/K9MasterTraining
• Instagraminstagram.com/k9masterdogtraining
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dog-training

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dog Training