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Serving Myrtle Beach and Nearby Communities
Professional Training for Real-Life Results
For more than 15 years, MLK9 has helped owners develop confident, responsive, and manageable dogs. Our experience includes farm and working dogs and thousands of family pets with different breeds, temperaments, and training needs.
Our Myrtle Beach team provides practical programs focused on skills owners can use at home, on walks, and in public. We begin by understanding your dog and goals, then recommend the program that provides the right level of training and support.
- More Than 15 Years of Experience
- Training for Puppies and Adult Dogs
- Programs Based on Your Dog’s Needs
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Our Team
Meet Our Myrtle Beach Dog Training Team
Aaron Hans
Co-Owner & Lead Trainer
Aaron Hans is a co-owner and lead trainer at MLK9 Myrtle Beach. His passion for dog training started at a young age and has grown into a career built around working dogs, handler communication, structure, and helping owners build a better relationship with their dogs.
Aaron first became interested in dog training in 2004, when he was just 11 years old. His father was a K9 handler, and Aaron always wanted to tag along to training sessions whenever he had the chance. Being around police K9 work at a young age sparked a lasting interest in dogs, obedience, and the relationship between a dog and its handler.
In 2014, Aaron got his first Belgian Malinois, Reechi, who went on to have a successful career with a sheriff’s office. By 2016, Aaron became a K9 handler himself with another Malinois named Biko. Since then, he has worked several K9s and attended numerous training seminars, events, and programs, learning from experienced trainers across the country and continuing to sharpen his skills as a handler and trainer.
Aaron currently works with a Malinois/Shepherd mix named Nero. K9 Nero is trained in Narcotics, tracking and article searches. His experience with working dogs has helped shape the way he trains pet dogs: with clear expectations, consistency, patience, and a focus on helping the dog understand what is being asked of them.
In the spring of 2025, Aaron and co-owner Zach met Mike Lilley at a conference and were impressed by his K9 tracking methods and overall approach to training. Later that year, they met him again in North Carolina at K9s United. After several conversations and a shared interest in bringing structured, real-world dog training to pet owners, Aaron and Zach decided to move into the pet dog training industry and open MLK9 Myrtle Beach.
At MLK9 Myrtle Beach, Aaron focuses on helping dogs and owners through training that is practical, reliable, and designed to carry over into everyday life. His training approach is structured and clear, while still being fair to the dog and focused on building confidence throughout the process.
Aaron understands that every dog and owner come into training with different needs. Whether working on obedience, puppy development, off-leash reliability, leash manners, or behavior challenges, his goal is to give owners a dog that is easier to live with and a training system they can confidently maintain at home.
Outside of training, Aaron enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. He brings the same values he developed through his K9 and law enforcement career into his work at MLK9 Myrtle Beach: professionalism, accountability, patience, and a commitment to doing right by both the dog and the owner.
Zach McDermott
Co-Owner & Lead Trainer
Zach McDermott was born in Newburgh, New York, and raised alongside his brother. From an early age, Zach developed a strong appreciation for teamwork, discipline, and accountability through baseball, a sport he played throughout his childhood. His interest in law enforcement and working dogs began during a school career day, when a police K9 handler gave a demonstration on how police dogs work alongside their handlers. Seeing that relationship between handler and K-9 left a lasting impression on him.
Zach later began his law enforcement career in South Carolina. During his time in local law enforcement, he developed a strong interest in police K9 work and eventually became a K-9 handler. He started working with his K-9 partner, Gass, while assigned to the Traffic Unit before quickly moving to the Street Crimes Unit under Narcotics.
K9 Gass was trained in narcotics detection, article searches, and tracking. Together, Zach and Gass worked in real-world law enforcement environments where structure, communication, consistency, and trust between handler and dog were essential. Through this experience, Zach gained a deeper understanding of working dog behavior, obedience, problem-solving, and the importance of clear communication between a dog and its handler.
Throughout his K-9 career, Zach attended numerous police K-9 training seminars and events, continuing to build his knowledge in detection, tracking, obedience, and real-world K-9 deployment. His law enforcement background helped shape his training style: structured, fair, clear, and focused on helping each dog understand what is being asked of them while building confidence through the training process.
Zach met Aaron while they were both working at their previous police agency, where they quickly built a bond through their shared passion for K-9 training and working dogs. After meeting Mike Lilley at several training conferences, Zach and Aaron became interested in bringing that same level of structure, professionalism, and real-world training experience to pet dog owners. With Mike’s encouragement, they started MLK9 Myrtle Beach in 2025.
In 2026, when K9 Gass retired Zach moved over to MLK9 full time. Now serving as co-owner and a lead trainer of MLK9 Myrtle Beach, Zach brings professionalism, accountability, patience, and hands-on K9 experience to pet dog training. He is passionate about helping owners build better relationships with their dogs through clear communication, structure, and trust.
Outside of training, Zach enjoys spending time with and continuing to train his chocolate Labrador Retriever, Maverick. His goal at MLK9 Myrtle Beach is to help dogs become calmer, more obedient, and more enjoyable companions while giving owners the tools and confidence to maintain that training at home.
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How Training Works
Start Your Dog’s Training in Simple Steps
Schedule a Consultation
Tell us about your dog’s behavior, daily routine, current challenges, and the results you want to achieve.
Select the Right Program
Start Professional Training
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Real Clients, Real Results
What Our Clients Say About Us
Start Your Dog’s Training Journey Today
Talk to us and see how we work together
(854) 300-2367
Myrtle Beach, SC