Unleashed Freedom K9 Academy

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Where Obedience Earns Freedom

📍 Serving Lapeer, Oakland and North Macomb County
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We’ve got a pretty fun crew around here right now. 🐾💙 Luna is back for a refresher! She’s a 14-month-old Poodle who has ...
09/30/2026

We’ve got a pretty fun crew around here right now. 🐾

💙 Luna is back for a refresher! She’s a 14-month-old Poodle who has officially entered the teenage “I know what you said, but do I have to?” stage. 😂 We’re tightening everything back up and reminding her that training didn’t disappear just because adolescence showed up.

💙 Lottie spent a few days with us last week for boarding! This sweet, slightly wild-eyed little Aussie/GSD mix is 5½ months old, completed her puppy lessons with me, and will be starting her adult in-home lessons soon. I LOVE getting to watch them grow up.

💙 Mac is here for a much bigger reason — helping him keep the home he found. He’s a 10-month-old GSD/Pit mix who came from rescue and has an adopter who loves him, but nipping at the children in the home has become a serious concern. So we’re working on boundaries, impulse control, communication, and helping this young dog learn how to successfully live with his family.

💙 Abe is just living his best vacation life with me while his parents are away. 😂 Sometimes you come to Unleashed Freedom because you need training… and sometimes you just come because your humans went on vacation.

💙 Kya officially started her program today, so you’ll be seeing plenty more of her as we get to know each other and start putting the pieces together.

And then there’s Chachi. 😍😂 Chachi is the little brother of Fonzie, who completed a board-and-train with me a few months ago. First of all, Fonzie and Chachi?! Their family wins the naming game. I’m obsessed.

A lot has been happening over here even when social media has been quiet — dogs learning, families getting support, old students coming back, and new ones just beginning.

Welcome to the crew, kiddos. Let’s get to work. 💙🐾

09/13/2026

Millie and Maggie have officially graduated! 🎓🩵

These two teenage besties came to us needing help managing their excitement, settling their minds, and making better choices around distractions. During their time here, they learned how to slow down, follow clear direction, work calmly together, and carry those skills into real-world public environments.

Now it’s their parents’ turn! They’re beginning their lessons so they can learn how to communicate with the girls, maintain everything they’ve accomplished, and continue building on this foundation at home.

Training doesn’t end at graduation—the freedom begins when the whole family learns how to use it. 🩵

09/12/2026

Before training, Waldon’s mom was ready to surrender him to the rescue. He was uncontrollable, dog reactive, had no recall, and with three young children in the home, she was worried he was simply too much dog for their family. The day he escaped the yard, ran to the neighbors and charged their dog was their final straw. She told me vet day was always the worst day of the year—just getting him out of the house and into a place where there might be other dogs was an ordeal. She wasn’t even sure training would ever be enough.

Waldon is seven years old. He completed his board-and-train program, went home, and Mom worked hard in her lessons to learn how to use his training in real life. Today his mom walked him through Woods-N-Water at the Imlay City Fairgrounds.

Crowds. Other dogs. Noise. Activity…. And there he is—just walking with his mom. After today, he’ll be allowed to go to drop off and pick up with his kids, enjoy family vacations, go on walks and to dog friendly events. His world just got so much bigger. 🥰

The dog she couldn’t take anywhere, now gets to go everywhere. 🤩🐶

Congratulations, Waldon and Mom! You’ve so worked hard, now go enjoy the life you’ve built. We can’t wait to see all your adventures 🩵

Three dogs. One mom. And an update I was thrilled to receive 🤩🐶Harvey, Hank, and Henry’s mom has put in the work to conf...
09/08/2026

Three dogs. One mom. And an update I was thrilled to receive 🤩🐶

Harvey, Hank, and Henry’s mom has put in the work to confidently lead all three of her boys, communicate clearly, and give them the structure they need to enjoy the world together.

Because the goal was never three dogs who simply behave for the trainer. The goal was this: three boys out on an adventure, calmly enjoying life with their mom. This is what freedom looks like. 🩵 And I could not be more proud of them 🩵

09/02/2026

Well, get it, Panch! 😂

This girl is miles away from where she was just 10 days ago. Did you see the belly rubs? 👀 🥰

This is what happens when trust and respect meet clear structure and calm leadership. We didn’t force confidence—we gave her consistency, accountability, and the safety to make better choices.

There’s still work ahead, but Panchi is finally starting to feel comfortable in her own skin. And that is a beautiful thing to watch. 🩵

09/01/2026

Week 2 Check in! Panchi, Hazel, Maverick, Maggie and Mille have all been putting in the work. Let’s see how everyone is doing!

08/28/2026

It’s the end of Week One, and most of these babies are heading home for the weekend! 🩵
They put in some serious work this week—learning, building confidence, practicing calm, and laying the foundation for everything we’ll build on when they come back.

Check out what they accomplished this week and see if you can spot our special guest, Ribs, who joined the crew for some boarding while his parents were out of town. 👀🐾

These dogs worked hard, and now they’re headed home for some very well-earned rest, snuggles, and probably a little bit of spoiling. 😂🩵 We’ll see everyone back next week for Week Two!

08/27/2026

Two days ago I shared Panchi using a kiss to dismiss while I was petting her — a subtle piece of body language telling me she was uncomfortable and wanted the interaction to stop.

Yesterday, she gave me the opposite answer. 🥹 In this video, I’m petting her all over her body and her body language is completely different.

Her mouth is open and relaxed instead of closing tightly. Her body stays soft instead of stiffening or leaning away. She isn’t freezing, avoiding me, turning her head away, or throwing stress signals asking for space. Her ears are still tense, showing me we still have a lot of work to do. But… she’s simply standing there, relaxed, while I scratch her.

Then I stop… and this is the part I love. Panchi turns her head back toward me, brings her nose directly to my hand, and initiates contact herself.

That nose touch is communication. She isn’t just tolerating me touching her. She’s asking me to continue.

When I’m working with an anxious dog, I’m not only watching whether they allow me to touch them. I’m watching the entire picture:

Is the mouth soft?
Is the body loose?
Are they choosing to stay?
Are they moving closer or creating distance?
And when I stop touching them… what do they do next?

Sometimes one of the easiest ways to see how a dog actually feels about physical affection is simply to stop.

If they move away, let them.

If they stay but don’t reengage, give them a moment.

And if they turn around and put their nose back into your hand like Panchi did?

That’s a pretty clear request for more. 🩵

Two days ago, she communicated “that’s enough.” Yesterday, she communicated “why did you stop?”
Good girl, Panchi

08/25/2026

Not every lick is a kiss!!!

One of the behaviors I really want people to notice in this video is something called “kiss to dismiss.”

I called Panchi to come to me, and she came. She stood close, but she was still clearly nervous—head low, big eyes, panting, unsure.

Earlier this morning, we had practiced me touching under her chin, so this wasn’t our first physical interaction. In this clip, I reach to pet her head… her mouth instantly closes and she licks her lips twice. This is her telling me she’s uncomfortable. So I slide my hand from her ear toward her jaw in attempt to step back to a relaxed chin scratch.

Then she licks my arm twice.

A lot of people would see that and say, “Aww, she gave you kisses.”

But in this context, those licks mean something very very different.

Kiss to dismiss is when a dog uses licking as an appeasement or distance-increasing behavior. In simple terms:

“I’m trying to be nice, but I’d like this interaction to stop.”

That distinction matters.

If we mistake every lick for affection, we can accidentally ignore a dog who is very clearly telling us they’re uncomfortable.

Panchi didn’t growl, snap or bite.
But that doesn’t mean a bite wasn’t possible if I had continued pushing.

Her body was already giving me information before she ever would have needed to escalate. So when she licked my arm, I removed my hand.

If a dog learns that a subtle signal gets respected, they’re less likely to feel like they have to escalate to freezing, growling, snapping, or biting to make the interaction end.

A few minutes later, Panchi stepped closer to me again, and we tried once more. This time, I was able to scratch her head for several minutes while she continued relaxed, open-mouth panting. I listened when she asked for space, and because that communication worked, she was willing to re-engage on her own terms a few minutes later.

Context and body language are everything.

And learning to recognize the difference between “I love you” and “please give me space” can prevent a lot of bites and help a lot of dogs learn to trust. 🖤

Meet the newest crew at Unleashed Freedom 🩵🐾We’ve got a really fun mix this round — from two teenage besties who need to...
08/24/2026

Meet the newest crew at Unleashed Freedom 🩵🐾

We’ve got a really fun mix this round — from two teenage besties who need to learn how to turn their brains OFF, to some much bigger behavior and confidence work.

Millie & Maggie Mae are both 10 months old and already best friends. 🥹 Millie is an Akita/Pit mix and Maggie is a little pittie girl. They went through puppy classes together, and their families decided they might as well keep the party going and come train together too. 😂 Both girls are incredibly sweet, but they live life at about a 12/10 and have a hard time settling, regulating that excitement, and just existing calmly. We’ll be working on giving all that teenage energy some structure and an off switch.

Maverick is a Malinois/Great Pyrenees mix who is here for behavior modification and confidence building. He’s had traditional obedience training before, but obedience alone didn’t resolve the underlying insecurity. When Maverick becomes scared or uncomfortable, he has learned to use his mouth and nip at people. Our focus won’t just be “make him listen” — it’ll be helping him feel safer, make better decisions, and learn how to work through pressure without feeling like he needs to defend himself.

Hazel may be seven years old, but apparently nobody told her she’s allowed to relax. 😂 This little Havanese struggles with confidence, barks at just about everything happening in the house, and has a very hard time settling. Her little sister Junebug also started in-home lessons today, so while Hazel works with me, her family will be building the same structure and communication at home with Junebug. I LOVE when we can get the whole household speaking the same language.

And then there’s Panchi. 🩵

Panchi is a Malinois/Husky mix and she’s my bigger behavior case this round. After moving here from out of state, her anxiety escalated significantly. She resource guards Mom, nips at Grandpa inside the home, struggles tremendously to settle, and overall just doesn’t seem comfortable in her own skin right now. She’ll be staying with me for the full three weeks.

With Panchi, the goal isn’t to rush through a checklist of commands. We’re going to slow things down, build clarity, work through the insecurity underneath the behaviors, create healthier boundaries with Mom, and help her learn that she doesn’t have to be responsible for controlling everything around her.

Five very different dogs. Five very different training plans.

And this is exactly why training is never one-size-fits-all. 🩵

Welcome to Unleashed Freedom, Hazel, Maggie Mae, Panchi, Maverick & Millie. Let’s get to work. 🐾

Address

Attica, MI

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18103585144

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