Head Trainer & Owner

Wayne Thormeyer is a certified Trainer who has been working with/training dogs, in some way, shape or form, for most of his life. Through the years, Wayne has competed at club, regional and national levels and has trained or titled dogs in conformation, competition obedience, Schutzhund, IPO, tracking, nosework, hunting (field and water) and Search and Rescue.

Wayne has also volunteered his time to rescues and shelters doing “good manners training“ with dogs waiting for adoption. He has worked off site adoptions, pet expos, fundraisers, competitions, dog washes and as Santa Claus for charitable photo shoots with your dog.

In 2018, Wayne’s passion for tracking and scent detection dogs led him to the In Situ Foundation in Chico California, where he became a Certified Bio Dog Trainer. A Bio-Dog is a dog who is scientifically and systematically trained to detect any biological substance, particularly dogs that are trained to detect human diseases, such as cancer.

Wayne’s love for all dogs, and the relationships and bond created with them through training. is contagious. He is excited to share it with everyone.

Classes & Locations

• In Home – Wayne will conduct in or outdoor classes at your home, with you and your dog, depending on the weather and type of service.
• Private Lessons –Wayne will work with you and your dog, or alone with your dog at your home, our location in Homer Glen, or a select off-site location.
• Walk and Train – Your dog will receive training while walking on leash. Leash cues, heeling, loose leash walking and handler skills are some of the subjects covered.
• Board and Train – Your dog will stay with Wayne and his family at his home in Homer Glen for 2, 3, or 4 weeks. Your dog will receive multiple daily training sessions, including exercise.  Our Board and Train program is limited to one client, so your dog will get exclusive training tailored to his individual needs.  Upon completion, Wayne will meet with you, the owner, for 3 follow up lessons to maintain and continue the training process.
• Group Classes. Group classes (and some private lessons) will be held at our location in Homer Glen, IL or, on occasion, at a designated location nearby.  This includes Obedience, Nosework, Tracking, and some Behavior Modification classes.

Puppy Classes- Private/ In-Home Training

• Weekly Practice Sessions – one hour each week
• Crate Training
• Puppy proofing your home
  • Creating feeding and potty routines
• Housebreaking/Potty Training
• Socialization – exposure to people, dogs, objects, sounds, etc.
• Beginning Obedience Commands – Heel, Sit, Down, Come, Stay, Leave It
• Proper ways to play
• Learning Theory – how dogs learn
• Handling Skills
• Behavior Problem Solutions: Jumping on furniture/Mouthing/Nipping/Biting/Chewing (shoes, table legs, etc.) /Resource Guarding/Food Aggression
• Boundaries (areas off limits)
• Introduction To Agility Obstacles

Obedience Beginner/Basic Obedience

• Basic Obedience Commands – Heel, Sit, Down, Come, Stay, Leave It, Place
• Socialization – exposure to people, dogs, objects, sounds, etc.
• Stop Leash Reactivity/Aggression – extreme cases will require private behavior modification training
• Intro To Training Collars
• Learning Theory – how dogs learn
• Proper On-Leash Greetings – no jumping up
• Proper Dog-Dog Greetings (optional)
• Building Drive and Motivation – through rewards and positive reinforcement
• Handling Skills – how to use physical touch and leash communication for guidance and correction
• Training Techniques
• Behavior Problem Solutions – short discussions only, may require private training
• Intro To Agility Obstacles

Intermediate Obedience

• Fading The Lure – food lures become hand signals to avoid a “Show me the money” dog.
• Petting & Praise – stronger emphasis on verbal praise and affection with less treats.
• Sit – with increased distance and duration
• Down- with increased distance and duration
• Recall – come when called from a distance of 100 feet
• Pack Walk – heel and loose leash walking while out with multiple dogs
• Finish – after a formal recall has been completed we “finish” by signaling the dog to move from the front position to the heel position.
• Stand – dog moves from sit to a stationary standing position
• Up-Sit – dog moves from down position to sit position
• Push Ups – dog moves repeatedly from sit to down to sit to down, etc.
• Distance Down – down command from a distance of six feet away or more.
• Cafe Down – long duration down command by your chair in a simulated coffee shop experience –
• Leave It – can be used to stop many unwanted behaviors from eating poop to barking at other dogs
• Wait – boundary training exercise to stop your dog from bolting through doors.
• Distraction Proofing –using other dogs, cars, bikes etc.
• Fluency In Sound, Sight and Touch – Dogs will learn verbal commands, hand signals and happy, non-resistant yielding to physical pressure and leash communications.

Advanced Obedience

• Reliable Recalls
• Reliable Stays
• Elimination of Leash Pulling, Leash Aggression or Leash Reactivity
• Off-Leash Obedience –
• Advanced Motivation
• Canine Good Citizen Training – practice for all 10 items on the CGC test
• Rally Obedience Exercises
• Major Distractions – people, dogs, bikes, skateboards, bouncing balls, food, umbrellas, etc.
• Frogger Recalls – calling your dog through a crowd of moving dogs
• Focused Off-Leash Heeling
• Various Degree Heeling Turns – 45’s, 90’s, 180’s, 270’s, 360’s – both left and right
• About Turns – aka schutzhund turn
• Distance Training – commands given off-leash from long distances
• Load Up – teaching dog to get in car from a distance and stay in, even with windows down and doors open
• Multi-Angled Finish – calling to a sit in heel position from the standard front position as well as any other angle or from a distance
• Three-Way Puppy Push-Ups – moving through Sit, Down and Stand positions in all six possible combos.
• Drop On Recall – down command from a recall
• Go out or send away and drop- send away with down command
• Cafe Training – dog holds a long down at your feet around a table of other dogs doing the same. Dogs, skateboards and other distractions provided along with coffee and donuts.
• Pivoting Auto-Sit – sitting in heel position automatically as you pivot in place to varying degrees – 45’s, 90’s, 180’s, 270’s, 360’s – both left and right
• Hand Signals – giving commands silently, only using hand signals
• Motion Exercises – sit, down and stand commands given while heeling – without stopping your forward motion – calling back to a moving heel position
• Reverse Heeling – maintaining the Heel position while walking backwards.
• Intro to Remote Collars (optional)
• Tug O’ War – proper use of tug as a reward for obedience and a command for releasing objects from their jaws.
• Agility Practice-
• Retrieves- on flat surface, over the 1 meter jump, over the A-frame

Competition Obedience – IGP, AKC and Rally

• Private classes at our location and select off site locations

Nosework – AKC, UKC, NACSW

• Private, Group at our location

Tracking-IGP 1,2 ,3 / FH 1,2 and AKC

• Private, Group at select offsite locations

Training Methods

What works well for one dog may not work as well for another. Sometimes you just need to improvise on the fly to get the results you are seeking.

At Freedom K9 Services we believe in a balanced approach to dog training. We combine positive reward-based marker training, with traditional methods of Dog training. We incorporate your dog’s natural instincts and drive for food, play, problem-solving and more into the learning process. These methods are ethical, fair, fun and are proven to get results.

Audible markers and high value rewards (specific to the individual dog) are used in the training process. After a cue/command/behavior has been learned, occasionally, some pressure or correction may be required to polish what has been taught. We also incorporate the science of operant conditioning in our training methods. Force, pain or harm is never a part of our training methods.

Behavior Consulting And Modification

Some dogs can acquire certain behaviors that can be annoying, and at the worst, downright dangerous to themselves or others. This can become a roadblock on the path to a happy life for both dog and owner.

Freedom K9 Services can help eliminate these unwanted behaviors. We provide behavior counseling geared toward identifying, assessing and then creating a course of action (tailored to your dog) to eliminate the behavior issue.

Desensitizing, redirection, focus, engagement, environmental changes and obedience are just some of tools we use for modifying or eliminating behavior problems. Some mild behavior issues can be addressed during obedience class while more serious issues will require private training sessions

Some of the behavior issues we address are:

• Mouthing, nipping
• Biting
• Destructive Chewing
• Barking
• Jumping up/on people furniture
• Counter surfing
• Leash pulling
• Separation anxiety
• Resource guarding
• Food aggression
• Reactivity to dogs, people, vehicles etc.
• Fear

Fitness & Exercise

Dogs need regular exercise, just like people. If your dog isn’t getting enough physical activity, he may gain too much weight, get bored or frustrated, or release his pent-up energy in undesirable or destructive ways.

At Freedom K9 Services we can assist you in assessing whether or not your dog is getting the exercise he needs based on his age, breed, size and health status.

We can then provide services tailored to help with the individual exercise/fitness needs of your dog. Some training may also be needed and included with certain types of exercise. Sessions are located at your home, locally or at a designated location depending on the service.

Some of our exercise options are:

• Urban/neighborhood walks
• Wilderness walks/trail hikes
• Trail running
• Bicycle running (next to a bicycle-requires gradual conditioning program to reduce risk of injury)
• Treadmill
• Swimming
• Frisbee/fetch/games
• Agility/Obstacle course

Custom Leashes and Portrait Photography

Custom Leashes

We offer a variety of custom leashes made to order.

• Training, tracking, show, tabs and more
• Nylon, polyester, polypropylene, paracord.
• Any length, various widths and gauges from 1/8” to 1”
• Brass, chrome, black, stainless hardware
• Various colors and prints

Prices vary

Portrait Photography

While your dog is training we will photograph your dog in action, or do a photo shoot with him to get that perfect portrait shot that’s suitable for framing. Photos are available in digital format and in print. We also do the framing!