Meet the Trainer
Emily Goddard was born in Lawrence, KS. She grew up on the very farm that is now home to Free State K-9. In 2010 she graduated with a BA in English from the University of Kansas. In the summer of 2010 she attended the National K-9 School for Dog Trainers (NK-9) and completed their Master Trainer Course. Along with her certification as a dog trainer she received the following endorsements: Basic Obedience; Advanced Obedience; Behavior Modification; Utility; Breed Identification; Puppy Development; Tracking; Scent Detection; Personal Protection; and Retrieval.
After graduating from the National K-9 School for Dog Trainers she returned to Lawrence, KS to start up Free State K9 in order to provide the community she loves with the best in dog care and dog training.
Emily lives south of Lawrence with her wife Teresa and their three young children as well as her Akita, Dana and her Old Time Scotch Collie, Wesley. Emily is an avid baker, gardener, and enjoys hiking at Clinton Lake.
After graduating from the National K-9 School for Dog Trainers she returned to Lawrence, KS to start up Free State K9 in order to provide the community she loves with the best in dog care and dog training.
Emily lives south of Lawrence with her wife Teresa and their three young children as well as her Akita, Dana and her Old Time Scotch Collie, Wesley. Emily is an avid baker, gardener, and enjoys hiking at Clinton Lake.
Where We Work
Free State K9 is located south of Clinton Lake. Training takes place at local parks, clients' homes and at The Farm. The Farm is a family owned, 25 acre property equipped with fenced areas, open pasture, and wooded hiking trails. Most often it is the dogs who are being boarded and trained by Emily who get to utilize the property to its fullest. The large property allows the exercise demands of most dogs to be easily met and it also comes ready made with distracting smells and distracting wildlife (not to mention horses, chickens, and pigs!) to test a dog's obedience prowess after the basics have been learned.
The Farm offers a distraction free or a controlled distraction area for training dogs who cannot yet handle every day distractions. The kennel room is also home to Emily's coworker, Angela the kitty. Angela is an extremely dog savvy cat who trained herself how to safely distract dogs who need to be tested with cats. Don't worry though, if she is too much of a distraction for your dog she is happy to chill in the garage during your lesson.
If your dog will be staying with the family for a Board and Train s/he will be staying in an indoor 4'X4' expanded metal kennel run. These offer enough space for the dog to relax comfortably during down time but are also extremely strong and difficult to climb to deter any would-be Houdinis.
If you decide to do one-on-one lessons with me instead of a Board and Train we will likely use the training meadow at the farm, however sometimes it is more convenient to meet in town. We utilize many public parks in Lawrence depending on the level of distraction desired. Walking down Massachusetts street is often a "final test" because it offers the widest array and most realistic everyday distractions.
If you just need a few lessons to modify unwanted behavior (counter surfing, potty training, etc) training can be done in your home. However, when basic obedience is desired it is often useful to remove the dog from his or her comfort zone at first.
The Farm offers a distraction free or a controlled distraction area for training dogs who cannot yet handle every day distractions. The kennel room is also home to Emily's coworker, Angela the kitty. Angela is an extremely dog savvy cat who trained herself how to safely distract dogs who need to be tested with cats. Don't worry though, if she is too much of a distraction for your dog she is happy to chill in the garage during your lesson.
If your dog will be staying with the family for a Board and Train s/he will be staying in an indoor 4'X4' expanded metal kennel run. These offer enough space for the dog to relax comfortably during down time but are also extremely strong and difficult to climb to deter any would-be Houdinis.
If you decide to do one-on-one lessons with me instead of a Board and Train we will likely use the training meadow at the farm, however sometimes it is more convenient to meet in town. We utilize many public parks in Lawrence depending on the level of distraction desired. Walking down Massachusetts street is often a "final test" because it offers the widest array and most realistic everyday distractions.
If you just need a few lessons to modify unwanted behavior (counter surfing, potty training, etc) training can be done in your home. However, when basic obedience is desired it is often useful to remove the dog from his or her comfort zone at first.
Commitment to Intersectionality, a letter from your trainer
Hi, it's your trainer speaking! Free State K9 is a queer-owned company. As such I am invested in working towards creating a community free of homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, and other forms of oppression of marginalized people. I am very committed to providing a safe space and environment for any and all marginalized people who may seek my services. When you enter my home or my work space you will be safe and respected regardless of your race, sex, gender or gender identity (or lack thereof), sexual orientation, religion, country of origin, age, or ability. There may be times that I have to ask questions about any disabilities in order to best understand how I can help you train your dog but I assure you my questions are coming from a desire to best adapt your training if you need it to be adapted at all. Your privacy will always be respected.
At the same time, I would hope that my space would be respected. Any hate speech used on my property will result in immediate discontinuation of services. Any mistreatment or oppression of other clients during group activities will also result in immediate and permanent discontinuation of services (with no refund). I'm strict about this and I mean it.
At the same time, please know that if you welcome me to your home for in-home training I will respect your space and right to safety as much as I expect mine to be.
Lawrence is a wonderful community. That's why I stay. But it comes from a place of privilege to say we don't still need to improve. Rose colored glasses can block the racism and homophobia that still exists here and I hope we never stop working towards bettering ourselves. By saying Black Lives Matter, Trans Lives Matter, Queer Lives Matter I am making a promise to not fall back to the comfort of my own privilege and stop fighting for those who still feel oppression in our city, state, and country.
At the same time, I would hope that my space would be respected. Any hate speech used on my property will result in immediate discontinuation of services. Any mistreatment or oppression of other clients during group activities will also result in immediate and permanent discontinuation of services (with no refund). I'm strict about this and I mean it.
At the same time, please know that if you welcome me to your home for in-home training I will respect your space and right to safety as much as I expect mine to be.
Lawrence is a wonderful community. That's why I stay. But it comes from a place of privilege to say we don't still need to improve. Rose colored glasses can block the racism and homophobia that still exists here and I hope we never stop working towards bettering ourselves. By saying Black Lives Matter, Trans Lives Matter, Queer Lives Matter I am making a promise to not fall back to the comfort of my own privilege and stop fighting for those who still feel oppression in our city, state, and country.
