Meet your trainers
Get Your Dog Trained by Freedom K9!
FREE CONSULTATIONLindsey Tkaczyk
Trainer/Owner
Lindsey started her dog training career as a young adult by seeking out and gaining canine experience through various jobs, such as doggie daycare, boarding, working as a veterinary technician and training. Her most rewarding training experience was while she was living in Nashville, TN, and had the opportunity to work with a local men’s prison and a greyhound rescue where they would teach the inmates how to train basic obedience to the retired greyhounds so they would be better suited for adoption to loving families. It was so exciting to see the bond between these dogs and the inmates through positive communication!
Most recently, Lindsey has become obsessed with elevating her skills by immersing herself in the sport of PSA (Protection Dog Association). She has achieved her Level 2 Title with her Belgian Malinois, Aero, and is now training in the Level 3, which is the highest level that PSA offers. In 2023, Lindsey and Aero competed on a National level, achieving Vice Champion and earning their 3rd leg of their Level 2. She has also been ranked as a coveted Certified PSA Decoy, which allows her to travel around the country and internationally to test these dogs at trials. She has decoyed in South Africa, as well as the U.K. There’s just something exciting about being a strong female who can catch dogs, but mainly she is excited to continue learning how to develop a dog in, what she believes to be, one of the toughest dog sports there is!
Lindsey is an IACP Member (International Association of Canine Professionals) and continues to further her education through weekly training amongst other peer professionals, online courses and in-person seminars.
Adalee Huba
Trainer
Adalee has always had a passion for working with dogs and their owners. Her goal is to help owners understand how to best communicate with their dogs using modern, cutting-edge methods.
Adalee started her career at the young age of 16. She started by apprenticing under other professional trainers, shadowing their daily routines, lessons, and client interactions. During those several years, she also spent time studying various methods of training, landing on a unique approach combining the technical skill and intuition handed down by other professionals, with her own passion and understanding of the individual dog in front her. She continues to expand her knowledge by frequently attending dog training seminars and taking various courses.
In her spare time, Adalee enjoys hiking with her dogs, traveling, and training her dogs for the sport of French Ring — a dog sport testing a dog’s obedience, agility, and protection skills. This precision-based sport that includes trialing, judging, and constant feedback from peers allows her to expand her approach to not only highly trained working dogs, but pet dogs, too.
Tristan Tate
Trainer
Dogs have been a staple in Tristan’s life for as long as he can remember. Having grown up along side German Shepherds, his love for dogs not only as pets but family members is something that’s deeply rooted in him! From the young age of 16 his training experience began, as he worked under a trainer at a local German Shepherd rescue! In 2018 he made the move to California where he joined a training business there and his knowledge really began to grow. He learned the ins and outs of dog behavior and body language, expanded knowledge on training tools and methods, and began his journey in taking lead in training programs and sessions. In 2019 he took a leap and officially began his own training company. He worked hand in hand with local rescues and shelters to help human aggressive/human reactive and dog aggressive/dog reactive dogs find forever homes. His cliental really bloomed working with dogs from every background, age, and end goals get to where they needed to be to help them thrive with their families. In 2021 he made the move back to his hometown in South Carolina where he joined the FreedomK9 Family!
In his free time he trains his 2 Belgian Malinois in a vast amount of sports including; PSA, WDA, Dock Diving, Competitive Disc and lure coursing! The rest of his dog crew (4 other dogs) loves enjoying hiking, swimming, Bikejoring and just being couch potatoes.
Sarah Ruhs
Trainer
Sarah has always had a passion for animals, especially dogs. Her childhood dog, Kaya, sparked this interest which led Sarah down a path to discovering her true passion for dog training. Kaya was a very fearful and anxious dog, but Sarah was determined to build her confidence and even taught Kaya some tricks!
Sarah’s career began with her very first job as a kennel tech at a dog boarding facility. While there, Sarah gained experience with a variety of dogs, and her passion grew. Sarah also volunteered with a psychiatric service dog program. There, she helped raise and train service dogs by working on obedience in public settings and starting task training. Sarah enjoyed the experience so much that she went on to make her high school senior Capstone project about dog behavior and training.
After graduating from high school, Sarah attended the prestigious Kennelwood Academy for Professional Dog Trainers where she learned everything from basic obedience to specific odor detection. Sarah graduated from this program in December of 2023, and she is now helping dog owners develop a better understanding of, and bonding with, their canine companions.
Sarah spends her free time with her young German Shepherd. Together they enjoy hiking and training competitive obedience as well as specific odor detection. Sarah hopes to compete in one of the many protection dog sports, American Schutzhund.
Mary
Trainer
Mary has been passionate about animals since childhood. Growing up in Maine, she spent all of her time outdoors learning about wildlife or training with horses at a competitive level. In 2014 she moved to Mooresville, North Carolina where her love for animals drove her to volunteer at local animal shelters while also managing a restaurant full time. After purchasing her Cane Corso, Atlas, she quickly developed a true passion for dog training. She gained knowledge as a client and chose to further pursue her career in dog training by seeking out mentorship and employment with a local training company! She has also completed the Obedience Intensive program through Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers and is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator! In addition, she is committed to continuing her education by attending more workshops and seminars each year!
In her free time, Mary enjoys being outdoors, spending time with her personal dogs, training for PSA and traveling to Ohio so she can volunteer her time partnering with her breeders to help other owners be successful in their training!
Please ask us about our Military Discount TODAY!
In addition to being passionate about equipping owners and their dogs with the skills necessary to achieve more FREEDOM, we are also very passionate about the freedoms we have been given in this country. Without the men and women who serve our country, that freedom would not be possible, therefore we want to be sure that we take part in honoring our Veteran & Active Duty Military and First Responders.
Contact us TODAY to discuss your specific needs with a professional trainer so we can create a CUSTOM program for you and your dog!
Freedom K9
Freedomk9dogtraining@gmail.com
Charlotte, NC
