Rooted in science, built on respect, and proven in life.
Trusted for decades by dog trainers around the world.
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Members & Growing
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Years of Teaching
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Major Versions Refined
Enjoy the process. See the results. Feel the confidence.
Be the Expert
Clear steps. Structured lessons. A path built to develop real expertise. No more second guessing your behavior plan. Build the kind of deep knowledge and confidence that lets you walk into any situation and know exactly what to do.
Built for Real Life
At home and in the park, off-leash, in the moments that matter most. Proven across serious aggression cases, working dogs, and shelter dogs with the most complex histories. Field tested, real world proven, and refined over decades.
Science You Can Trust
Grounded in research. No agenda. Just the science that holds up. Our curated knowledge base puts that research at your fingertips so you can dig deeper, verify anything, and back up your methods with confidence.
Aggression Plans That Work
Whether you are developing controlled aggression for a working dog or resolving dangerous behavior in a home environment, we have the experience, the plans, and the proven results to guide you through every case with confidence.
A Global Community
Hobby trainers, working dog handlers, and seasoned professionals all united by one goal. The forums and chats are where that community comes alive. No matter where you are in your journey, someone here has been there too and always has your back.
Always Getting Better
Training knowledge keeps evolving and so do we. When something genuinely works better, it finds its way into the next update. Now in version 6.0, if it is a real improvement, it is already here or it is on its way.
Foundation Style Dog Training
Every reliable skill is built on a foundation. FSDT teaches the science underneath the training, so you understand why dogs behave the way they do before you ever ask them to change. Advanced results become simple when the foundation is solid.
If you just want a great dog
You get a step by step system that works with your dog's nature instead of against it. Clear plans, fair communication, and a dog that listens at home, at the park, and everywhere life happens.
If you train dogs for a living
You get the deeper science: ethology, applied behavior analysis, and quality controlled training blueprints. Stop copying branded techniques and learn to engineer your own plans for any dog and any case.
One standard. Freedom of choice. Zero drama.
There is only one method here, the kind that develops reliability, gives your dog the life they deserve, and brings you closer together. That is the shared goal. How you get there is up to you.
All training tools and approaches are discussed openly and respectfully. Trainers are free to customize their methods as long as they work toward the same standard. There are no "camps." No one is shamed for what they use or not use. The only thing that matters is whether it works, whether it's fair to the dog, and whether it makes the partnership stronger.
This isn't a recent policy, it's the culture the community was built on. Since the forums opened in 2008, fair moderation and mutual respect have been consistently upheld, quietly, firmly, and without drama. People feel safe here. That doesn't happen by accident.
Respect Is the Baseline
Every member is treated with dignity, whether they're brand new or have decades of experience.
One Shared Goal
Reliable training. Happy dogs. A real bond between dog and owner. That is how we define success.
A Safe Place to Learn
Ask anything. Try anything. Make mistakes. This is where people come to grow, not to be judged.
From our members. In their own words.
Real trainers, real businesses, real careers built on this education. Open any story to read it in full.
"Over the years I have taken many training seminars, workshops and certification courses, with the biggest names out there. The Foundation Style Dog Trainer course is more valuable than anything else out there. Without any question."
Read Melissa's full story
"I am not one for all the labels that get thrown around the dog training industry. But I am incredibly proud to call myself a Foundation Style Dog Trainer. Those who know, know what a FSDT education gives you: a solid foundation from which to continue to grow creatively, and learn objectively and discriminately, from a basis of true and accurate science."
"You won't get any secret proprietary magic here. You'll find no obnoxious marketing bs; amazingly no ego on Michael D'Abruzzo. What you will find in Mike is the most dedicated, generous and thoroughly knowledgeable mentor you could ask for."
"The most complete body of Source Material research, history, and science of dog training available in one place. The technicals to engineer, execute and troubleshoot a training plan for any case that is ethically and scientifically sound. You belong here if you know you're a good trainer, but you want to be the best, because you care deeply about dogs, and a standard of quality in all aspects of your training."
"I could never express how grateful I am to Mike, and the incredible body of work he has created. It is by far the most important education I have ever received."
"Your program has changed my life (not hyperbole). I'm making more money than I ever did before and helping dogs and owners."
Read Scott's full story
"I appreciate everything you do for us trainers. Since finishing your program, I started my professional training business last year. Your streams are the most educational stuff available anywhere. It's all because I came across your YouTube videos years ago and then you made the distance learning available."
"It has allowed my wife to stay home and teach our kids while I build a business. Thank you for your mentorship!"
"Thanks to my K9-1 education, I have not since had a behavioral issue or client request that I couldn't ethically and competently address and build training plans for."
Read Allie's full story
"I found Mike and Foundation Style Dog Training during a last ditch effort to find answers. I needed to know if there was a way to do specialty training without breaking dogs, or taking a dog away from its owner. I was so tired of 'this is the way it's done' and 'time in the field' being a substitute for education."
"I had looked into so many training courses, certifications, and organizations. I found a lot of expensive opinions, marketing gurus, limitations, and most of all: a severe lack of standards and ethics."
"Foundation Style Dog Training is absolutely what I was missing. The material, community of passionate trainers, and live question and answer streams are not a training style or new method. They are timeless studies of the industry, the history of animal psychology, genetics, ethology, aggression, behavioral modification, health, LIMA and the highest standards of operations and professional ethics."
"I am doing the specialized training I always dreamed of without sacrificing the happiness of the dog. I no longer just 'train dogs', I coach and educate dog owners. I am forever grateful."
"FSDT teaches everything from understanding the dog in front of you through to the technical aspects of behaviour analysis and developing concise training plans. I will forever be a student of this method."
Read Kim's full story
"I cannot sufficiently express how much gratitude I owe to Mike and his fantastic training team at K9-1, particularly for their time and effort in building me to become a professional in the industry of dog training."
"I was fortunate enough to undertake an international scholarship program in the Foundation Style Dog Training System, working directly with Mike in Dec 2016. Under his mentorship and influence, I've developed and excelled into the dog handler and trainer I am today."
"Weekdays I am an Explosive Detection Dog Handler and Supervisor for the Australian Army. On weekends I'm an avid local dog trainer. The foundation style is literally an extension of YOUR style. Holistically it is an evolution of theory and practice that allows you to remain centered in your approach and technical in your application."
"We would not be where we are today without him and we are forever grateful for the knowledge, experience, kindness, and friendship that he graciously extended to us."
Read their full story
"We started initially as R+ trainers as the company we worked for at the time only trained their employees with that philosophy. We quickly found that while R+ training helped immensely to teach wanted behaviors, it did little to nothing to help resolve unwanted behaviors with clients as well as with our own dog Dante who started resource guarding his food at 16 weeks old."
"We started attending Mike's Sunday classes at the Paladin Center and found that he could fill the gaps in our skill set as well as expand on what we already knew to help us become better trainers. Since that day, we have fully integrated Foundation Style Training into our practice, extend this knowledge to our clients through our business, and continue to learn every day. Foundation Style Training is the best!"
"If you are contemplating this program versus any other, you would not go far into this system before swelling with appreciation."
Read Carlos's full story
"In my past, there was always a doubt lingering in my mind if I should truly accept being called 'Dog Trainer.' This was because my standard was so incredibly high. And I didn't even know what that standard was! Today I enjoy that skillset."
"Something that would have taken me many years to put together through a multiplicity of other programs. From vaccinations to dog-to-human aggression, Mike's given me the tools to create complex training plans for clients. Plans that keep people safe. Using the systems and information, I've learned to troubleshoot the most difficult problems with dogs and what relies on what."
"I truly believe this is the future for the professional dog trainer's education and industry. Whether you are a hobbyist or an experienced professional, you will learn and grow through this course."
Read Davis's full story
"Prior to studying under Mike, I had already attended quite a number of different courses in dog training and behavior. I however always felt that there was something 'missing' in my education and thus I did not feel confident in taking the step into calling myself a professional."
"The Foundation Style Trainer's Course thoroughly goes over not just obedience commands but also learning theory, canine ethology, health, leadership, etc. Everything is backed up with REAL science and studies. Even more important is how the course ties everything together in a logical manner, giving you a solid understanding of how everything is interrelated in the human canine relationship."
"Mike is a person of integrity and I can vouch that he is truly teaching this course for the right reason: to educate and raise the standard of the dog training industry."
"Foundation style training not only provides information and techniques which are rooted in science but also a method which is easy to follow and teach. Foundation training is truly the best out there."
Read Teresa's full story
"As a Veterinary technician and high school animal science teacher with a background in dog training, training methodology that is based on science and ethology is important to me. I use these techniques in my classroom to have my students successfully teach small animals and dogs various behaviors and tricks."
"Using these techniques students have taught fish to swim through hoops, guinea pigs to ride a scooter and push a shopping cart, dogs to have good manners and basic obedience skills and more. This helps them build skills for successful careers with animals."
One of the most qualified dog trainer educators alive today.
Michael D'Abruzzo is a New York State licensed Career and Technical Education teacher, specifically credentialed to teach dog training, husbandry, and animal health. That license, combined with more than 30 years in the field, is the foundation the curriculum and cumminity was built on.
Few people alive have his depth of real world experience across working dogs, aggression cases, and the everyday pet owners who just want dogs they can enjoy. He has done this work himself, successfully, and taught it successfully to countless others through multiple formats, including top tier trainers whose businesses now serve clients worldwide.
That is where the real proof lives, not in his own dog's competition titles, a television career, or a following built on social media, but in the success of the people who have learned from him. The truest measure of a teacher is not how many people watch, it is how many people they have made great. For nearly three decades, that has been the standard here: trainers mentored into thriving careers, and the dogs and owners on the other end who ended up loving the experience together. When national media has reached out, it has been because of that reputation, not the reason for it.
