About us
K9 Cadets is first and foremost a professional dog training facility, specialising in behavioural modification and pack dynamics. With all three services under one roof, We’re your dog's destination for learning, rehabilitation, enrichment, and unforgettable holidays.
The Vision
K9 Cadets was founded by professional dog trainer Kim Lux with a vision to fill a gap in the market for a facility delivering high-quality, experience-led care. While it's easy to start a dog business, doing it properly takes years of knowledge and commitment. We build our packs slowly and intentionally, giving each dog time to learn, build relationships, and grow in confidence within a structured environment. Our staff join with prior experience, complete three months of initial training, and continue ongoing development throughout their time with us.
Today, all services are offered under one roof, with training at the core of everything we do. Our team has a strong understanding of canine behaviour, learning theory, and communication, allowing us to create an environment where dogs can be dogs—while learning, developing, and thriving across our 12-acre farm playground.
Here... are dogs are welcome—some may simply need a little more settle in time and training.
Kim Lux — qualified professional dog trainer since 2009.
Kim has worked as a professional dog trainer since 2009, after completing a dog training certification at Unitec. She spent five years working under one of New Zealand’s leading dog behaviourists and has continued to develop her skills throughout her career, learning from and being mentored by top trainers both in New Zealand and internationally. She considers her greatest teachers to be the dogs themselves.
Kim lives with her partner and their pack of 11 dogs, made up of rescue dogs, failed fosters, and dogs raised from puppies. This has given her extensive hands-on experience living alongside dogs with a wide range of temperaments and behavioural challenges. Dogs for Kim is a lifestyle.
Throughout her career, she has significant experience working with dogs and teaching their owners, ranging from basic puppy foundations and obedience to complex behavioural issues. She specifically enjoys the more challenging cases and specializes in aggression issues.
Kim strongly believes in relationship-based training, focusing on building connection and motivation through structured play and creating a genuine desire in dogs to learn. When working with behavioural cases, she believes obedience alone is not enough—true success comes from changing a dog’s perception of its triggers and finding healthy outlets for its genetics. Only then can we truly be fair to our dogs.
Assessment Day
Compulsory for all new Cadets.
Every dog is unique, so their needs and pace of learning will differ. At K9 Cadets, we work with dogs of all confidence levels, energy levels, backgrounds, and behavioural challenges. Because of this, all dogs complete an assessment day or consultation before starting any of our services. This important step allows us to understand your dog properly and give them the time and support they need to settle in at their own pace.
An assessment day is a one-on-one session with a K9 Cadets trainer at our facility. Dogs attend for a scheduled 3–4 hour session and are dropped off and picked up at set times. At drop-off, we meet with you and your dog to discuss their needs, and where appropriate, we may work directly with you and your dog together. At pick-up, we provide feedback on how the day went and outline the best plan moving forward.
For daycare and homestay dogs, the purpose of the assessment is to build trust and understanding between your dog, our team, our pack, and the environment. We take the time needed to observe each dog carefully and fairly, without rushing the process.
For training dogs, we also safely assess behaviour around relevant triggers. Where needed, we may observe dogs in different environments to better understand how they respond in real-world situations.
Location — The Farm
A 12-acre private adventure playground.
In May 2019, K9 Cadets was lucky to secure its very own private 12-acre adventure playground, located right next door to Riverhead and Kumeu townships. We have 4 large fully fenced dog paddocks, our own mini forest, large ponds, waterways, a doggy playground, and plenty of shelter for rain.
We have a building specifically dedicated to the business — housing our office, staff quarters, washing facilities, built-in dog bath, and our Homestay dogs' "home away from home" headquarters. The building is located right next door to where we live, so dogs are always super close to all of us. We have an audio and visual monitoring system linking the house to Homestay headquarters, allowing us to watch and communicate with the dogs quickly 24/7 — even at 2am if someone needs an urgent toilet break.
Four fully fenced paddocks
Private forest
Ponds & waterways
Dedicated K9C building
Getting Your Dog To Us
Two ways to get your dog to the farm.
There are two ways to get your dog to and from K9 Cadets: our door-to-door school bus service, or owner drop-off and pick-up directly at the farm.
Option 1
School Bus Service
$9 per day, per dog
Our Jumbo Hiace school bus offers door-to-door pick-up and drop-off from your home on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Bus times
Tuesday – Thursday: 7:00 – 9:00 AM & 2:30 – 5:30 PM
Friday: 7:30 – 9:00 AM & 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Access
You don't need to be home — we just need access to where your dog is picked up and dropped off (usually a spare key or code).
Service locations
Option 2
Owner Drop-off & Pick-up
Directly to the farm
Prefer to bring your dog yourself? You're welcome to drop off and collect them directly at the farm.
Drop-off and pick-up times are arranged individually to suit your dog's programme. Please contact us to confirm a time that works for you.
Get in touch