Leash Free Living

07/08/2025

This past 4th of July weekend, several of our LFL crew competed at the AKC Rally National Championships at Purina Farms, in Missouri. We had a great time and are so proud of how our dogs performed overall!

Sam competed in the Excellent class with Coaster and in the Championship class with Lemon. Both girls worked their hearts out and qualified every run! Coaster (Pumi) finished 18th out of 97 dogs in Excellent -- She had two beautiful 100 point runs and her third run was also worth a 100 in our book, but a handling error at one sign cost them 10 points (side note: if they hadn't lost those points on a particular exercise, they would have finished 2nd!! 🤯)

Lemon (schnoodle) was really just there for fun, but she still finished 74th out of 171 dogs in the Championship class. She got so many compliments after each run because she is SO darn cute to watch! ❤️

Jacqui also competed with her Standard Poodles -- Hercules in the Excellent class and Lance in the Championship class. Hercules was on point and he finished in 8th place! Finishing in the top 10 is always a HUGE honor at this national events. Lance was also ready to work and he finished 63rd (out of 171)!

Our admin Kali drove up from Texas to compete with her Airedale Terrier, Gamble, in the Intermediate class. Gamble was ready to prove that terriers are both terrific AND trainable, by winning 2nd place out of 83 dogs! Good boy, Gamble!

Dog sports like AKC Rally or Obedience are one of our favorite things to do with our dogs and build into our training goals. The bond you build while working to get ready for competing is unlike anything else. We hope to return again next year!

06/30/2025

New blog post just in time for the Fourth of July holiday!

With the 4th of July just around the corner, we thought this would be the perfect time to give you some strategies and management tools for surviving the holiday with our dogs who might not appreciate “the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air”! Fear of fireworks, thunderstorm phobia, ...

06/28/2025

Our Student of the Week is Ellie! Ellie has been attending our Day Training Daycare and our Dog School program for a few months now.

Ellie was recently adopted by her family after they suffered a very tough and unexpected loss of their previous young dog, Johnny, who was a regular training client at LFL and we all loved so very much.

Ellie obviously had some big paws to fill, but she’s already gone from being a shy girl to now being really fun and playful! She’s become one of our go-to girls for temperament tests and duos (dogs who only can have one playmate at a time). She’s known for her crazy play bows and big smile! She genuinely believes everyone is her best friend! But if she were to pick a bestie, she really loves spending time with her boys Boomer and Jax.

Ellie has also been crushing her training lately! Her "Place" skills are improving to where she can hold on Place for all of the group training activities while waiting her turn to go, and she also did great at the staff cookout last week with all the distractions around.

We love to see how much she has come out of her shell after being brought into a new home -- she now jumps right out of mom’s truck and is waiting at the door for us with a smile and a tail wag!

06/13/2025

Today's Annapolis student of the week is Rip the Dalmatian!

Rip started with Leash Free Living as a puppy back in November and from day one he certainly was a big personality. Rip is our class clown, always sure to make his trainers laugh and smile. He can be seen in training videos tap dancing on place; he also sings and has the cheesiest smile. 😁

This big goof ball is a lot of work and has a ton of puppy energy, but he is worth it because he is just the sweetest, silliest boy! We absolutely love our Rippy Dip! 🥰

06/12/2025

This post is your sign to stop doomscrolling for just a moment and share gratitude for the dogs in our lives!

06/03/2025

A LFL Alumni is available for adoption by her owners! Please share -- we are big fans of Nova and think she is a wonderful dog for the right person. She is very trainable and played great with her appropriately-sized friends while at Dog School! More details from her owners are below:

"Nova is a super sweet 2 year old lab mix! She came from a neglectful household and has been slowly learning how to be comfortable in a caring home. This girl is the best of both worlds — she’s got energy to burn when it’s time to play outside, but the moment you sit on the couch, she’s curled up in your lap like a 60-pound teddy bear.

She has been through basic training (3 week Dog School program with Leash Free Living in March/April of this year) and needs an experienced pet owner to help out with some of her more averse behaviors. Nova needs a home with a fenced in yard and either no dogs or a dog that is larger than her (>70 lbs). She engages in a lot of mouth play, which has resulted in some accidental injuries to our smaller dog.

She is extremely food motivated- great for training, but she has to have a slow feeder to avoid stomach aches. She does not show any aggression towards kids, but she has not had up close interactions with many kids. She isn't the most spatially aware dog, so kids 12+ would be better for her."

https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/44760670-glen-burnie-maryland-labrador-retriever-mix

05/31/2025

Our Student of the Week is Johnny the Australian Shepherd!

Johnny's got it all going on -- stunning good looks, a winning personality, and whip-smart. He's only been to our Day Training Daycare 4 times and he's learning everything at lightening speed! Like a lot of Aussies, Johnny lives to work and loves to please -- this is not a breed for the average pet owner, as they crave having a job and Johnny is no exception!

Because he picks up on things very quickly, he's already made great progress with his heeling, recalls, and staying on Place. He's also very social and he loves to play with Poppy and Indy. One of the things he does that really melts our hearts is when he leans into you all sweet-like when sitting at heel, as if to say, "Aren't I just the best boy EVER?" Yes you are, Johnny, you're a very good boy! 😘

05/30/2025

It's time for another Boop the Snoot! How can you pick a favorite??

Give some love to these perfect creatures who make our days so much better!

05/23/2025

If we could make every potential dog owner understand one thing, it would be *where* to get a dog or puppy. Training is critical for future success with your family or working dog, but you have to start with the right foundation and the right genetics. That starts with where you get your dog and what kind of dog you select.

Remember, if you are thinking of getting a new dog or puppy, and would like professional help with what to look for, we are always happy to help guide you in the right direction!

A common source of the behavior problems our clients come to us for help with is that they have chosen a dog that either was a poor match for their lifestyle, or has health or temperament problems due to genetics and/or their litter was not raised in an ideal environment. It’s easy to understand h...