About
Veteran-Owned Dog Training in Eastern North Carolina
Summit Kennels isn't just about dog training. It's about building a better life between you and your dog.
Too many owners are left feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or told to "just manage" behaviors that are actually fixable. Too many dogs get labelled difficult when they are simply misunderstood. Summit Kennels was built on doing things differently: clarity over confusion, structure over chaos, and real-world results that hold up outside of a training session. No shortcuts. No gimmicks. Just a system that makes sense for both the dog and the handler.
A Small Team, Built for Working Dogs
Summit Kennels is a veteran-owned, family-owned training facility based in Rocky Point, serving Wilmington, Hampstead, Surf City, Leland and the surrounding coast. We are a small, hands-on team of certified trainers who have worked professionally with high-drive working breeds, not a franchise running a fixed script from a manual.
Every dog that comes through our doors gets an honest evaluation, a plan built around their temperament, and a trainer who stays involved from day one through the drive home.
How Summit Kennels Started
Our founder, Garrett Watkins, was a Marine Corps MARSOC canine handler. After separating from the military he started Summit Kennels in 2022, bringing a decade of law enforcement and Special Operations canine handling into a civilian training program. Sierra Parks joined as a trainer, became lead trainer, and took over ownership of the company in 2025.
What has not changed is the hiring standard: everyone who works for Summit Kennels is a veteran with years of professional experience working canines. That is not a marketing line, it is the entire staff.
Sierra's Story
I have been training dogs for over ten years. I grew up training and competing in dog agility, taking master titles across Colorado, which led me into the military working with military K9s as an explosive detection dog handler. After separating, I kept doing the part I loved most, teaching owners how to have a better relationship with their dogs. Sharing your home with an animal can be a dream or a nightmare, and the difference is almost always communication.
What We Believe
This isn't one-size-fits-all. Whether it is a family dog learning how to exist calmly in the home, or a working K9 team chasing precision and reliability under pressure, the goal is the same: growth. Growth in the dog. Growth in the handler. Growth in the standard you hold yourself to every day.
Every dog has the ability to learn, and every handler, a first-time owner, or a seasoned K9 professional, has the ability to lead with clarity and purpose. Our job is to bridge that gap and raise the level on both ends of the leash.
It isn't about creating perfect dogs. It's about creating reliable ones. Dogs that can be trusted in your home, in public and in real-world environments. Dogs that understand what is expected of them and have the confidence to follow through.
But more than anything, it is about trust. Trust between you and your dog. Trust in the process. And trust that what you are building will last. Because at the end of the day, training isn't just about obedience, it's about freedom. Freedom to go more places, do more things, and actually enjoy your dog the way you imagined. That's what Summit Kennels is here for.
A brilliance in the basics.
What Makes Us Different
We Train in a Home Environment
House manners are learned in a house. Your dog lives with their trainer, which is why the behavior transfers when they get home to yours.
Real-World Experience, Not Just Military Values
Our trainers have handled high-drive working breeds in military and operational environments, obedience, behavior modification and complex mission-focused tasks. That lets us confidently take on breeds and behaviors many facilities are not equipped to handle.
Nothing Cookie-Cutter
Every program is tailored to the client's dog and to the client's goals. Competitors in this market largely run the same package for every dog that walks in. We do not, and it is the single most common thing our clients tell us they noticed.
A Community, Not Just a Program
Follow-on lessons, group sessions, Stay & Train and lifetime support exist because the relationship is not supposed to end at graduation. We produce dependable dogs, not just obedient ones, and training is an investment that lasts a lifetime
Credentials and Standards
- Fully insured through Business Insurers of the Carolinas
- Member of the International Association of Canine Professionals
- AKC-certified evaluators for Canine Good Citizen, S.T.A.R. Puppy, Urban and Advanced levels
- Multiple professional trainer and master trainer certifications across the team
- Specialized capability in tracking and detection through our GAK9NC program
- Five years in business, serving Eastern North Carolina
Facility and Safety
Our facility sits on Kel Ash Road in Rocky Point, with the space and the ground to train in, not a strip-mall room with rubber flooring. Dogs in our board & train programs live in a home environment because house behavior is learned in a house
How We Keep Dogs Safe
- Fully insured through Business Insurers of the Carolinas
- Current vaccination records required for every dog before intake
- Dogs are assessed individually before any introduction to another dog — we do not run open free-for-all playgroups
- Behavior and bite-history cases are handled by trainers with professional working-dog backgrounds, with safety protocols set before the dog arrives
- Trainers certified in K9 first aid and Tactical Combat Casualty Care
- A signed liability waiver and service terms for every client, provided before you commit
If you want to see where your dog will be staying before you book, ask at the evaluation.
Where We Work
Wilmington, Surf City, Holly Ridge, Hampstead, Leland, Sneads Ferry, Topsail, Wrightsville Beach, Southport, Porters Neck, Supply, Rocky Point, Burgaw, Castle Hayne, Jacksonville and New Bern, New Hanover, Brunswick, Onslow, Columbus and Craven counties.
FAQ
01 How long has Summit Kennels been in business?
Five years. Garrett Watkins founded the company in 2022 and Sierra Parks, formerly lead trainer, took over ownership in 2025.
02 Are you a franchise?
No. Summit Kennels is veteran-owned and family-owned, and we are a small hands-on team rather than a location running a corporate script. It is the difference our clients mention most often.
03 Are all your trainers really veterans?
Yes. Everyone who works for Summit Kennels is a veteran with professional canine experience, that is the hiring standard, not a marketing line.
04 Are you insured?
Fully insured through Business Insurers of the Carolinas, and a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals.
05 What certifications do you hold?
Across the team: AKC-certified evaluators for Canine Good Citizen, S.T.A.R. Puppy, Urban and Advanced levels, military working dog handler and trainer courses, e-collar and utilization courses, tracking and detection certifications, and multiple master trainer credentials. The full list sits on each trainer bio.