About Freedom Canine LLC

Freedom Canine is a residential dog training business in New Cumberland, West Virginia, at the top of the Northern Panhandle in Hancock County. Almost everything it does is built around one format: the dog comes to live with the trainers for two or four weeks, and goes home knowing how to work off the leash.

Who runs it

The About page is direct about who is behind it: "Freedom Canine is owned and operated by Dante DiJirolanio and Hugh Tate", described there as "both experienced and active law enforcement dual purpose K9 handlers". They say they have trained alongside some of the top dog trainers in the country and keep building on that foundation. That background is worth reading for what it is – it is a working history, not a training certification, and the business claims no credential beyond it.

How they train

The stated approach is a middle path rather than a purist one. The site's own words: "Freedom Canine's mission is to provide a balanced reward-based training program." The stated goal is to work with a dog's natural desire to learn, and the framing throughout is about what a well-mannered dog lets an owner do – go more places, take the dog along, stop managing the situation.

Board and train

The programs are residential and run out of a home rather than a kennel block, "where your dog lives and trains in the home with our experienced trainers". The business argues this is the point rather than a convenience, because a house is where the behavior has to hold. During a stay dogs are taken on "field trips to parks, stores, and congested areas" so the commands generalize to places that are not the training yard. Crate training is included, and at the end the trainers sit down with the owner to hand over the skills so the work does not decay the week the dog gets home.

Two packages are published. The two-week board and train is $1,200 and covers basic obedience – "Graduates of Freedom Canine's board and train program will understand basic obedience commands (Sit, Stay, Down, and Come)." The four-week advanced obedience board and train is $2,400 and is described as refining and advancing those skills. Both include a 6-foot lead, a 20-foot lead and a treat pouch; an Educator ET300 e-collar is an optional extra at $180. The site also states that "All of our programs are customizable to meet your needs" and invites owners with a specific behavioral problem to call and have a program built around it.

If you do not want to send your dog away

Two lighter options are published: overnight boarding at $40 per day, and one-hour private lessons at $80.

Getting there

The business lists New Cumberland, WV 26047 and gives an email address and a phone number; the number carries a 412 Pittsburgh area code, which is normal in this corner of the state – New Cumberland is closer to Pittsburgh than to almost anywhere in West Virginia.