Free State K-9

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Hey folks! An email is going to go out today but since you follow me you get the news first! Go you!A few housekeeping t...
04/17/2025

Hey folks!

An email is going to go out today but since you follow me you get the news first! Go you!

A few housekeeping things-

1. I am closing consultations for the time being. I am booked until August for boarding and board and trains and for the foreseeable for starting new lessons. I will announce when I am reopening consultations here and in my mailing list. I dont like closing consultations but my therapist keeps reminding me that a “work life balance is important” and that my “children and wife” love me and wish to see me sometimes plus there’s the whole farm thing I’m trying to run.

2. It is TICK SEASON! This isn’t actually news. It’s tick season 9 months out of the year. But the tiny evil arachnids are up and they are active. PLEASE use a prescription strength flea/tick preventative on your dog and use bug spray for yourself. The Farm is literally in the woods. The ticks here will laugh in the face of generic strength preventatives. They are organized and strong.

3. Please PLEASE have your dog leashed and the leash IN YOUR HAND when letting them out of your vehicle at the farm. Even if your dog is reliable off-leash, even if they “go to the dog park all the time and never run off,” even if you don’t think it’s an issue, it is. For the safety of your dog and for the sanity of your trainer please don’t just let your dog out. We have invested in electric fencing strong enough to turn bears around to protect our animals out here and I have seen dogs who have never run off at the dog park run directly into the fences upon seeing a goat for the first time. These fences are strong. They do hurt (ask me how I know). The only dog that I trust 100% not to touch my fences is the hypothetical dog who touched them yesterday.
Leash. Your. Dogs. Until I instruct you that it is safe to remove the leash.

That’s all for now! Love you! Thank you for taking the time to read this. For attention here is a picture of a cute dog named Marble enjoying the freedom of his remote collar in the meadow. Hi Marble!

04/04/2025

Hey all!

My summer vacationers got on the ball early this year! I am BOOKED SOLID through August. I do not have kennel space during any of the summer holidays. If a spot opens up I will post it here and it will be first come first serve.

If you are traveling and want to check with me, just in case, you are welcome to! Ive had folks get lucky before. But fair warning my calendar is packed.

Another note: when you scheudle please PLEASE schedule for not just the days you travel but for the days you plan to drop off and pick up the dog. It is not a simple thing to text me the week of your boarding and ask to drop off the night before because your flight is at 5am. I am stacking dogs one right after one another and included in the scheudle is time to bleach and dry the kennels. I will accommodate changes if I can! I know things happen with traveling. But please don’t plan to drop off the day before but only schedule for the actual days of traveling. If you know you will want to drop off early or if you get back at 11pm please include that when you scheduled. With how packed my calendar is it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that I just have to say no to owners wanting to tack on that extra day. 😬

I know it’s hard to believe that winter is on the way out. We still just want to be like Clementine and hibernate! But s...
01/24/2025

I know it’s hard to believe that winter is on the way out. We still just want to be like Clementine and hibernate! But spring is fast approaching and my calendar is filling up even faster! I am currently COMPLETELY booked for boarders/board and trains until May. Currently I am very behind with my weekly lesson people whose plans had to go on hold due to the weather the last few weeks so current wait for new lesson clients to start is around 3 weeks. Stay warm everyone! Be like Clem.

The farm is gorgeous right now and…no- Lessons are not possible. Stay warm everyone! Snuggle your dogs. Keep walks short...
01/07/2025

The farm is gorgeous right now and…no- Lessons are not possible. Stay warm everyone! Snuggle your dogs. Keep walks short. We will see you after the thaw. Happy 2025!

12/06/2024

It's that time of year again! I am going to be texting the morning of your lesson with the expected windchill (or whatever the scientists call it now) for the hour I have you slated for. I have always done well in the cold and have invested in high tech layers but I don't expect that of all of my clients. I also don't expect a whippet to tolerate the cold the same as a husky. I send these texts to encourage my owners to set ambition aside and keep in mind theirs and their dog's safety and comfort. Would I like to push through and have the lesson anyway? Sure...but if the dog (or owner) is miserable they won't learn a thing and then all I've achieved is wasting my dog owner's time and money! Please don't feel guilty for asking to cancel, cut short or reschedule a lesson for a warmer time slot.

11/14/2024

Hi guys!

If you have sent an email this week I promise I am trying to slog through my mail today. I lost control of my inboxes this week and plan to tame them again before the weekend.

However! I thought I’d just make an announcement to everyone that I will be closed the week of Thanksgiving and probably part of the week before (it all depends on when family starts trickling in). In order to be present with siblings that I rarely get to see my notifications will all be turned off.

Please remember that the week after thanksgiving is a huge week at the vets treating pancreatitis! Please enjoy the holiday’s rich food yourself and don’t risk your sweet pups getting sick. Your dog will guilt trip you but your wallet and possibly your carpets will thank you!

I am going to try to be better about publicly posting the cuties who come for training, like this sweet juvenile shepher...
11/09/2024

I am going to try to be better about publicly posting the cuties who come for training, like this sweet juvenile shepherd girl! From working lines she is has intensity knitted into her every fiber. She has gusto that’s for sure but like any good working shepherd she is also has a good “off button” (I mean she is a baby so she has the potential for a good off button) and is very sweet. She is here for a week of basic vocabulary building. We have high expectations of high caliber puppies but they are still babies and so we keep in mind that her very first job right now is to play and explore her world and learn not to chew on her brother quite so hard. Check back for an update on this cutie!

Hey folks! Schedule update!Board and Trains: I am booked through December for board and trains. If we have not yet spoke...
09/13/2024

Hey folks! Schedule update!

Board and Trains: I am booked through December for board and trains. If we have not yet spoken about your board and train please be forewarned that we will be looking at January.

Boarding: I have zero kennel space for boarding until after the first of the year. All holidays are either full or I will be traveling myself.

Weekly lessons: current wait to get started is 3 weeks. I am borderline overwhelmed but trying to get everyone taken care of that I can. Your patience is appreciated!

Emails in general: I think I am locally famous for this now but please understand that the turnaround for email response is days. Not hours. I get to my computer a few times a week. Texting is faster but these days even that isn’t super fast. My days are absolutely packed. Again I appreciate your patience with me.

If you have sent a message and you’re worried it got lost in the shuffle please put a bug in my ear (or inbox).

Also Wesley turned 4 last week!

This sweet petite shepherd girl is named Birdie! She is here for a week and some days to see how far we can get on her o...
08/07/2024

This sweet petite shepherd girl is named Birdie! She is here for a week and some days to see how far we can get on her off-leash obedience. She is actually very well trained and responsive on a prong collar but she is flighty and easily startled. She and I are slowly forming a trusting bond and so I hope we can get to the point that it is safe for me to let her off the leash. Right now she is coming when called but if the long line wasn’t there I am not sure. I can tell that running back to her kennel is still the first thing that occurs to her. But I got a little kiss this morning and she was a little excited for our morning sniff about. I believe in you, Birdie!

This sweet cloud sheep (Labradoodle) is Cookie! Cookie has been here for a week of basic obedience. He was a STRONG pull...
08/03/2024

This sweet cloud sheep (Labradoodle) is Cookie! Cookie has been here for a week of basic obedience. He was a STRONG puller and he has done very well learning to walk and not treat his handler like a dog sled! I think the real issue with his was simply not understanding the boundaries. He has been tractable and willing to please but it will be interesting to see how he does back on his home turf. He is a friendly guy and I will definitely miss chilling with him. Good job Cookie!

Reba the Fastest Cutie in the West has been here for a week of basic training and some work in those brakes! She is an a...
07/18/2024

Reba the Fastest Cutie in the West has been here for a week of basic training and some work in those brakes! She is an active, healthy, young lab so there is no training her to not have a ton of energy but we have gotten her to understand that sometimes it pays to chill. She has done well and has truly been a blast to work with. One of the most endearing Lab qualities is their desire to just get the answer right. Good girl Reba!

07/10/2024

Hey hive mind! A number of my clients have been asking for recommendations for pet sitters this summer while they are on vacations. If you love your pet sitter would you mind leaving a comment below. The most helpful info along with name would be if they are willing to stay overnights or just drop-in care and if they are comfortable using training collars for walks.
Thanks!!

06/21/2024

Board and Trains are BOOKED until September. I have zero openings until then. Thanksgiving boarding is also full.
Current wait for one on one lessons to start is 2 weeks.
Stay cool folks!

06/13/2024

Dun dun dunnn…it starts! First heat advisory of the season. Luckily this one isn’t impacting things too much but since it’s the first one let’s just review the excessive heat policy at Free State K-9!

Because I do not have an indoor training space if we are in an excessive heat advisory or warning or if the heat index is over 101 degrees outdoor lessons will be canceled. If we aren’t under an advisory or warning but it’s still Hell’s Front Porch outside I might make the decision to shorten lessons to 30 minutes. If at any time the owner feels it is too hot for themselves or their dogs individual comfort levels please let me know and we can postpone lessons.

Safety first! I would rather you not hit your practice quota for the week than risk your or your dog’s health and safety. If it sucks outside wait to practice until it is safe.

Drink water. Walk on grass. Wear sunscreen. Embrace AC when necessary.

Cozy vibes. See that red bed in front of the grey one? That is where Ollie is SUPPOSED to be on Placemat but he keeps oo...
01/15/2024

Cozy vibes. See that red bed in front of the grey one? That is where Ollie is SUPPOSED to be on Placemat but he keeps oozing over to Crash’s mat to cuddle with his buddy. 😑 (I finally felt bad enough continuing to force him to do Placemat alone with cuddles so close by that I released him and placed him on the mat with Crash so this is actually sanctioned tandem placemat)

Hey folks, most of you know by now that Dana and I both scoff at the “If You’re Cold They’re Cold” alarmist rhetoric and...
01/11/2024

Hey folks, most of you know by now that Dana and I both scoff at the “If You’re Cold They’re Cold” alarmist rhetoric and mostly think people need to leave husky and Pyrenees owners alone because I promise the owner likely knows their dog is outside being a jerk and refusing to come in. BUT! Y’all this weekend it is going to be legit cold. Please don’t work your dogs in subzero temperatures. Please be mindful of sidewalk salt on paw pads. Please keep your own dogs safety and comfort in mind and don’t expect your dachshund or Pitbull to walk their normal walk (again to those owners of Nordic dogs I salute you for walking your dog at all but also don’t judge you for throwing the dog a boredom buster and staying indoors). Remember, we’re pretty chill over here and understand that it’s just dog training and not worth the frostbite. Stay warm everyone! I’ll update this weekend with the actual temperature measured in lengths of time Dana is wanting to stay out.

Unlike his kennel neighbor, Crash, Ollie prefers a more refined approach to the snow. After all, no one likes snow balls...
01/11/2024

Unlike his kennel neighbor, Crash, Ollie prefers a more refined approach to the snow. After all, no one likes snow balls between the toes! This sweet doodle fellow is here for two weeks and he wins Trooper of the Month for putting up with all this white stuff. We have been giving him (and his buddy Crash) extra indoor playtime because he just doesn’t love the snow after a few minutes. His workouts haven’t suffered if we work on the driveway though and his indoor manners are improving greatly. I haven’t told him about the temperatures this weekend but since he seems to prefer indoor cuddle time anyway I don’t think he’ll mind keeping our outdoor excursions short for a few days.

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Lawrence, KS
66044

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Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
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