Local dog boarding center to add K-9 training division

[bigdoglover]

Austin Business Journal

Triple Crown Dog Academy, a large dog boarding center in Hutto that specializes in training for dogs and trainers, is getting into the law enforcement business.

Triple Crown is adding a police K-9 training division that will offer extensive handler and dog training for police departments. The training will focus primarily on the areas of patrol and tracking, and detection of narcotics, explosives and cadavers.

According to Triple Crown, the demand for well-trained dogs and handlers in the area of law enforcement has grown significantly at both the local and national levels.

Heightened security concerns in homeland security, border protection and drug trafficking have led to an increased need for effective detection, tracking and patrol teams, the academy says.

Triple Crown's 80,000-square-foot facility is situated on 350 acres, and includes a 32,000-square-foot indoor climate-controlled training center, 200 luxury indoor/outdoor kennels, and extensive tracking and search facilities. The center has a staff of certified trainers and behaviorists who have more than 20 years of combined experience in the area of K9 training.

Triple Crown's police K9 division will offer training courses in the core areas of detection and patrol. Classes range in length from four to eight weeks and are designed to train both the handler and dog as a cohesive team. Triple Crown will also train and sell detection and patrol dogs directly to pre-screened law enforcement agencies who have established K9 programs.

The 12-year-old academy, which began as a six-kennel center in the Tucson, Ariz., backyard of CEO Jerry Wolfe, also recently announced its plans to franchise its concept nationally. The company's five-year goal is to establish more than 300 franchises across the country.

Triple Crown Dog Academy is the largest dog training, behavior and event center in the world. Triple Crown's training and behavior programs use a range of techniques that provide dog owners with results-oriented ways to communicate with their dogs.

Additionally, Triple Crown has a pet products division and an academy for dog trainers, the Triple Crown Academy.