ABOUT NAK9
North American K9 was founded by Tristan Tyler, a Marine veteran and Law Enforcement Officer whose operational service defines our standard of excellence. Our team offers more than 25 years of combined K9 handling and training experience in real-world environments. We have trained and worked with K9 teams for specialized military units, private security organizations, and both federal and local law enforcement agencies. Our backgrounds include patrol, detection, tracking, proactive policing, criminal interdiction and advanced obedience work, with a focus on reliability, control, and mission-ready performance.
Our Mission
We forge elite partnerships through battle-tested training protocols, empowering law enforcement and dedicated civilians with tactical excellence. Our mission is to deliver uncompromising reliability where performance is non-negotiable.
Meet the Instructors
Our elite team consists of seasoned law enforcement professionals and tactical K9 trainers dedicated to delivering mission-ready results for agencies across North America.
Tristan Tyler
Owner | Chief Instructor and Dog Trainer
A Marine veteran and distinguished graduate of American K9 Interdiction (AK9I), Tristan brings over a decade of operational K9 experience supporting Special Operations Command, federal and local agencies. He currently serves as a Law Enforcement officer and instructor, specializing in criminal interdiction where precision is paramount. His unwavering commitment to excellence ensures that every K9 team he trains is equipped for the most demanding real-world environments.
Hammer Thundercloud is a top K9 handler, K9 therapist, U.S. Army Veteran, and owner of Paws Down Best Dog Training. His experience includes advanced obedience, behavioral rehabilitation, Service Dogs, detection, protection, and military K9 development, with a primary focus on training and developing Service Dogs to save lives. Through his work alongside military K9 teams, Hammer has helped strengthen both dogs and handlers for greater control, confidence, and mission readiness. His relationship first approach combines discipline, psychology, precision, and compassion to bring out the highest potential in every K9 and handler.
Hector Hammer-Thundercloud
Lead Instructor and Dog Trainer