We’re so excited you’re here and would love to share a little bit more about what we do!
Our ultimate goal at Unleashed Canine Obedience, LLC. is providing owners and their dogs the ability to live an extraordinary life together, free from frustration and anxiety.
A lot of us bring dogs into our lives for companionship and adventure.
At Unleashed, we strive to facilitate a bond between you and your dog that goes beyond basic obedience training and encompasses a sense of both freedom and fun. Our training paradigm renders clear communication between dog and human, creating a partnership that is about enjoying life to the fullest with confidence and reliability.
We can help you not only have a well mannered pup, but a dog that can happily adapt to any situation. We focus our attention on a number of gentle training techniques that work from the inside out, addressing behavior at both the emotional and behavioral level. Learning to process and release excess stress, whether that be in the form of eustress or distress, can lead to remarkable changes in behavior, which is ultimately what affects US at the human level!
Imagine taking your dog for an off-leash walk and never having to worry they will run off, or letting your dog greet someone politely without having to micromanage them with a sit or place command? You can absolutely develop your dog’s ability to calmly make good decisions using clarity and consistency, all while keeping it fun.
Dogs perceive our world differently in many ways and might even have very different goals than us. Sometimes these goals align perfectly with ours and sometimes they don’t. The question to ask is “is this a people problem or a dog problem?” Designing a training program where we align our goals with our dog’s will help us quickly build strong associations with the behavior we are looking for and create a supportive environment for our dogs to really learn in, which brings about permanent change. This is inevitably what leads to better behavior down the road and, as a bonus, behavior that won’t require a lot of micromanagement on our part after a while. An optimistic and resilient dog offers real companionship and is a delight to both you and your family. Our training programs aim to help and support your dog as they learn to be present, optimistic, and emotionally resilient.
To learn more about how this business got started, check out the details below!
Virginia began her professional career in dog training in 2005, providing in-home training for the clients of the Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP), a 501(c)(3) foster care program that helps find homes for displaced animals. Through her experiences with SAAP, it quickly became apparent that the number one reason dogs are given up, hands down, is a lack of OR improper behavior training.
And so began a passion to educate dogs and their owners.
Virginia received her professional dog training certification from the Animal Behavior College and officially opened Unleashed Canine Obedience, LLC. in July 2007 and has since received her advanced training certifications in the use of E-Touch™ and the ForceFree™ training methods for a variety of aggression issues in dogs, and the implementation of the natural retrieve and forced-fetch at the International School for Dog Trainers with Martin Deeley in Montverde, Florida and Marc Goldberg of Chicagoland School for Dogs.
She later went on to train with Robin MacFarlane of That’s My Dog! in Dubuque, IA and learned some amazing skills with more advanced obedience results. Virginia attended a couple of Heather Beck’s K9 Lifeline seminars with Chad Mackin at the 3D Workshop: Dealing with Difficult Dogs and in 2016, then took a course with Michael Ellis and learned motivational training skills that bring an exciting and fun flair to teaching basic obedience commands for both the owners and their dogs.
Virginia Simpson has also studied Chad Mackin’s Pack to Basics program to learn how “to use a dog’s naturally strong social behavior to reduce stress and fear; build confidence and language skills, and allow for many common behavior problems to slip away.”
In 2019, Virginia and Alayna began implementing the Training Between the Ears (TBTE) methodology into their programs and continually work to deepen their understanding of these tools by attending seminars in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
In addition to in-person training, Virginia, Alayna, and Kate have also invested countless hours in online training courses including, but not limited to, the Happy Rescue Dogs Online Course with Rhonda Bilodeau, the My Service Dog and Me course with Kate Olsen, participated in webinars hosted by Kayce Cover, as well as completed numerous online courses offered by the makers of TBTE, Mark and Stephanie McCabe.
Additionally, Virginia holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Arkansas, while Alayna and Kate hold degrees in Entrepreneurship and Anthropology, respectively, from Northern Kentucky University. Virginia and Kate have also gone on to study at the graduate level where their studies included seminars in psychology, anthropology, sociology, and museum studies, to name a few.
Due to the ever-changing landscape of dog training, the Girls at Unleashed continue their education in dog training techniques and dog behavior through seminars, collaboration with other trainers, and workshops on a regular basis.
Virginia has spent thousands of hours working to incorporate a number of balanced training methods into her own personal techniques to help our clients enhance their relationships with their dogs. She has been featured on the DIY Channel for a Pet Friendly Landscapes show and was a regular writer for the Cincinnati Dog Pages for a time. Virginia is a veterinarian recommended dog trainer and has trained hundreds of pet dogs of all different breeds as well as dogs for psychiatric service.
Virginia Simpson provides our clients and their dogs with the absolute best balanced training approach, including off-leash obedience solutions. She believes that a happy, well-trained, and social dog can learn to navigate our human world without having to be physically tethered to us all the time and be the joyful addition to the family you dreamed of.
To learn more about our programs, head to our contact page and fill out the contact form to get in touch—we can’t wait to hear from you soon!
Best,
Virginia, Alayna, & Kate
The Girls of…
