About
Our Philosophy
Unleashed is a Montessori school for dogs offering high-quality early education that focuses on the whole student: their social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.
We work with dog owners in the Toronto core who value proactive care in the social integration of their canine companions and access to a personalized support system of certified dog trainers with CPDT-KA and/or KPA designations.
Our team follows the Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive (LIMA) code of ethics and Positive Reinforcement strategies in all our programs; customizing our curriculum to the individual dog and holding lessons in an immersive day school experience centered around enrichment, education and exploration in nature.
Our Team
Kate Ferguson, CPDT-KA
Kate is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and the founder of Unleashed in the City. She leads our team with 20+ years of experience teaching group dynamics, puppy foundations and wilderness skills to the Unleashed community; coordinating education opportunities for our trainers and continuously expanding her own.
In merging her passion for the great outdoors with a life-long dedication to dogs, Unleashed has grown into a guiding light for owners who appreciate the benefits of off-leash freedom and nature-play in their dog’s development, and an education system that’ll help them thrive.
Having raised five dogs from puppyhood to end-of-life care, Kate is a wonderful source of knowledge, comfort and support for dogs at all life stages. In addition to guiding Unleashed through its incredible journey, Kate shares her love of hockey, cycling and hiking adventures with partner Chris and daughters, Forest and Scout!
Our Mission
Unleashed in the City is on a mission to enhance relationships and quality of life through a strategic, science-informed approach to canine enrichment and education. Through our programs, we lead a community of compassionate dog owners in co-creating a new standard of care for dogs growing up in the city.
The Unleashed Manifesto
We’re a new generation of caregivers: patient, empathetic — the teachers. A community of compassionate dog owners co-creating a new experience and honouring an unspoken commitment.
We’re past band-aid solutions. We believe in proactive education that focuses on the whole student. We celebrate their unwavering efforts and heart-warming innocence. We light the way of milestones, adventures and resilience.
We see them.
We live life Unleashed.
Our Values
Ethical anchors to our offerings and the way we do business:
Quality
We’re caregivers at heart and driven to help others. We value continuing education and the opportunity to share accurate and impactful information with our community.
Compassion
We’re attuned to the challenges of sharing our lives with dogs and lead our programs with patience, empathy and compassion for both ends of the leash.
Community
We pursue collective support and collaboration in all that we do; driven to co-create a new standard of care and a greater quality of life for ourselves and our pups.
Join our mission!
(This is Sprout. He was a puppy mentor extraordinaire, cancer survivor, tripaw, Unleashed ambassador/ chief sniffing officer/ Kate's heart dog for 15.5 years).
