Bark 2 Basics

Bark 2 Basics We are a small business offering personal one-on-one Private Sessions in home or our facility. We offer large & small group classes. I have two dogs I adore.

Contact us about Positive Reinforcement Training today! ABC-DT, AKC- CGC Certified, Therapy dog training & more. Marla Nunley ... Head Trainer
I was asked in 2014 to be an assistant for a friend's positive obedience classes. Which lead to me wanting to become a certified trainer. I graduated from Animal Behavior College as a Positive Reinforcement Trainer (PRT) in 2017. I am certified in animal CP

R / First Aide, as well as a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club (AKC). It’s so rewarding to teach others how to communicate with their dogs and so much more. It’s been over 10 years, and I still love what I do. Molly, my youngest (3 years old) is a golden retriever. She’s training to be certified as a D.A.D. (Diabetic Alert Dog). Molly is my amazing canine partner who helps preform demos in my walking classes and clinics. Molly is learning to also be a Therapy Dog. She loves meeting new people and cuddling with them. Then there's Rowan, my 8-year-old Fox Red Labrador, she is a retired therapy dog with Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Rowan is also a D.A.D for my diabetes. Rowan is my first canine partner and the best partner ever. She does demos for special clinics. I am so proud of her. Rowan and I have obtained our Novice Trick Certification and working towards Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI). I love sharing my passion with others what I have learned and still learning. It’s the best feeling when you can help a human and a dog feel comfortable and safe together, while showing them how to build a strong trusting bond with one another. I love seeing them learn to live together with unconditional love. Brooke Kosanic ... Assistant Trainer
I am a graduate of MSU and enjoy outdoor activities with the amazing dogs that I’ve rescued. I started attending Bark 2 Basics classes with my dog Letty in 2017. She needed some positive obedience training with her puppy antics. Letty went through all the classes and special clinics. Honcho was adopted in September 2019; he’s taken classes on socializing and walking manners. Honcho has been used as a demo dog in many of our classes and clinics. I’m so proud of him every time he shows off what we’ve learned. When Marla, asked me in 2019 if I was interested in helping her out part-time as an assistant, I was happy to step in with any help I could. Which turned into me being a full-time assistant in all the classes & clinics. In the summer of 2024, I adopted a Shepard puppy mix, Benny. He is going through as many classes and clinics with us at Bark 2 Basics, LLC. He is learning so much in each class he takes that I feel like a better trainer for it. It has been fun helping clients and dogs learn the way I learned and more. I’ve shared what I have learned from Bark 2 Basics, LLC, and all the classes and clinics with family and friends. It makes me excited and filled with pride on taking the title and position of assistant trainer with Marla. I cannot wait to see where this all takes me and my dogs.

05/24/2026

Molly loves these two. 🐶😆🤣😅 Enjoy this Sunday Funny 😂😜

The weather changes so quickly so, please pay attention to your dogs when out enjoying the warm sunny days. Just like yo...
05/19/2026

The weather changes so quickly so, please pay attention to your dogs when out enjoying the warm sunny days. Just like you need to stay hydrated so does your dog. Make sure they have water inside the house and out. Make sure they have a shady area outside to hang out and cool ground to lay on.
Pay attention to the pavement you are walking them on. Feel it with the back of your hand. If you can't hold it there for 5 seconds, they cant walk on it with bare paws. 😎 👍🏻🐶

05/17/2026

🐶🥎🩷

Rowan and Molly say Happy Mothers Day to all the mommies out there of human babies and furry babies. You are all amazing...
05/10/2026

Rowan and Molly say Happy Mothers Day to all the mommies out there of human babies and furry babies. You are all amazing for all you do.
Have a beautiful day mommies 🩷 🐶 ❤️

Humans always put our emotions on our dogs. 🐕❤️  But these are a few feels that they may have from time to time.
05/03/2026

Humans always put our emotions on our dogs. 🐕❤️ But these are a few feels that they may have from time to time.

I don't know how many times I get calls from clients that need help with the 'Red Zone' who have already had 1 or more r...
04/20/2026

I don't know how many times I get calls from clients that need help with the 'Red Zone' who have already had 1 or more run ins with reactivity. When I really wish they would contact a trainer in the beginning to help with self control and knowing their threshold.

There IS a missing link here ➡️Frustration

Yet we’re still so laser focused on the actual reaction.
The barks, the lunges, the spins.
The behaviour that makes us wish the earth would just open and swallow us up when others are around.

Frustrated dogs can tumble into reacting very, very quickly.
Frustration IS a major driver of unwanted behaviour.

Imagine it for a minute.

You want to get somewhere and you’re prevented.
You want to get closer to something interesting, but can’t.
You’re trying to have some fun, and you’re stopped.

Look, I do get it.
Some dogs are an absolute challenge, especially reactive dogs.

But what if that frustration is the actual starting point?

Can you trust them more in certain areas?
Give them more choice and agency?

Frustration is often reduced by giving them more appropriate choices.
Yet we hold on tighter because we feel we have to.

Living with a reactive dog can be scary.
So we add safety. We add rules.
But are we taking away too much and causing more of what tips them into reacting?

What if that behaviour is, at least in part, shaped by how much control we’re actually trying to grasp onto?

04/16/2026
Good morning,It's a rainy start to the weekend so let's have some fun! Post below your FAVORITE breeding group and a pic...
04/10/2026

Good morning,
It's a rainy start to the weekend so let's have some fun! Post below your FAVORITE breeding group and a pic 📸 🐶🩷

I'll start us off ...

04/06/2026

This is something I have found very interesting in dealing with such a variety of dogs in their training.
NOW I'm not saying this is the answer to dogs that are just stubborn. It's something to discuss with your veterinarian or behavioral / trainer.

Happy Easter to everyone from me and my girls 🐰🩷🐣We wish you a beautiful day of celebrating this day and what makes it s...
04/05/2026

Happy Easter to everyone from me and my girls 🐰🩷🐣
We wish you a beautiful day of celebrating this day and what makes it special to you with all those you love ❤️

Address

28806 Groveland Street
Madison Heights, MI
48071

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

(248) 506-3516

Website

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