Find out how Ryan Wimpey unlocked the secrets to dog behavior
Ryan Wimpey never set out to become a dog trainer, let alone the founder of one of the fastest-growing dog training franchises in the United States. But a dog named Curley changed the course of his life. Find out how one troublesome rescue dog kicked off a series of events that lead to the creation of Tip Top K9.
It all starts with Curley. When Ryan first rescued Curley, the life-long dog lover was excited about the prospect of bringing a new companion into his life. But life with Curley was not what Ryan was expecting. Curley was anxious, aggressive, and seemed almost untrainable. He pulled on the leash, barked incessantly, and had a penchant for running away whenever he got the chance.
Ryan tried everything he could to help Curley. But nothing seemed to work. Curley’s behavior remained as problematic as ever, and Ryan began to wonder if Curley was a lost cause.
“I was at my wit’s end,” Ryan recalls. “Curley had every behavioral issue you could think of, and nothing I tried seemed to make a difference. I started to feel like a failure as a dog owner, and that’s when I knew I had to find a different approach.”
Ryan decided to deep dive dog training. He sought information from all resources, from books and videos to in-person training sessions with experienced dog trainers. But it wasn’t until Ryan discovered the principles of classical conditioning that things began to change.
Classical conditioning, a concept rooted in behavioral psychology, involves creating associations between a particular stimulus and a specific behavior. It’s a method that has been used in various forms of animal training for decades and Ryan decided to try it with Curley.
Ryan found that instead of relying on traditional operant conditioning methods, like rewarding good behavior or punishing bad behavior, he could create positive associations that Curley could easily understand. Ryan was amazed by the improvement in Curley’s behavior..
“When I started using classical conditioning with Curley, I saw immediate changes,” Ryan explains. “He became calmer, more responsive, and the behaviors that had seemed impossible to fix started to disappear. It was a complete transformation.”
With Curley’s transformation, Ryan realized that he had discovered something powerful—something that could help not just Curley, but countless other dogs and their owners.
“I realized there were so many people out there who were struggling just like I had,” Ryan says. “They loved their dogs, but they didn’t know how to handle their behavior problems. I knew I could help, and that’s when I decided to start Tip Top K9.”
In 2010, Ryan officially founded Tip Top K9 with a mission to provide dog owners with the training and support they needed. His approach was simple: use systemized training based on classical conditioning that could be easily transferred to dog owners, allowing them to achieve professional-level results in their own homes.
What began as a small, local dog training business quickly grew as Ryan’s reputation spread. He continued to offer more training services like potty training, service dog training, and Dog Boot Camp.
“Dog Boot Camp is intensive training where your dog goes to live with the trainer for a few weeks. The dogs get intensive hours of training daily. At the end, the owner gets 2 hours of human training on how to work with their dog,” says Ryan.
Tip Top K9 can fix 95% of problem dog behaviors. Over 15,000 families have trained their dogs with Tip Top K9. Ryan realized that his techniques were repeatable and that the costs of starting up were low. He decided to offer franchise opportunities to grow Tip Top K9 throughout the country.
“We had so many people who wanted to do what we were doing,” Ryan recalls. “They saw how effective our methods were and wanted to be a part of it. That’s when we decided to create a franchise model that would allow others to run their own Tip Top K9 locations using our system.”
Ryan ensures that Tip Top K9 franchise owners have all the tools needed to succeed. The franchise system includes extensive training, ongoing business coaching, marketing support, and even a call center to handle client communications.
Today, Tip Top K9 is one of the top-rated dog training companies in the United States, with locations in multiple states and a growing network of franchisees.
“We’re just getting started,” Ryan says with a grin. “There are so many dogs and owners out there who need help, and we’re committed to being there for them. Tip Top K9 is more than just a business—it’s a mission to improve the lives of dogs like Curley and their owners.”
For more information on Tip Top K9 franchise opportunities, visit the Tip Top K9 website.
