About Fetch the Leash! Dog Behavior & Training

Downtown training center

Fetch the Leash is a dog behavior and training center at 85 Pearl Street in downtown Burlington, open by appointment. It focuses on the skills city dogs need, such as polite leash manners, a good recall and the ability to handle people, noise, bustle and other dogs at close range. Services include group classes, day training, puppy camp, private training, separation anxiety training and a dog gym.

Classes

Foundational classes cover puppy, beginner and intermediate manners. Advanced classes add complex cues, off-leash reliability, impulse control and problem-solving, and short specialty courses address reactivity, tricks, scent work and retrieving games. Classes are kept small.

Method and credentials

The team trains with positive, reward-based methods using treats, toys and praise. It is a member of the Pet Professional Guild and has completed education and certification through the Academy for Dog Trainers. Owner and head trainer Maria Karunuñgan, PhD, holds CTC, PCBC-A and CSAT credentials; trainers Yağmur Erdoğan (CTC) and Ursula Walczak (CPDT-KA) round out the team. Fetch the Leash won the Daysies Award for Best Dog Trainer in Vermont in 2025, 2024 and 2023.

What owners say

One client wrote: "As first time dog owners who adopted from a shelter, training with Fetch the Leash has been such a positive and rewarding experience."