Lounge & Lead is a small, home-based dog care and training practice in East Freehold, New Jersey.
Not a kennel, not a facility — a home, where only a few dogs at a time stay and train, and every one of them is looked after like my own.
Hi, I'm Liia
With Jack, one of our board-and-train fosters — now happily adopted.
My Story
I grew up loving animals — dogs most of all. What ultimately drew me to training, and to opening my home for boarding and care, was seeing a real need in my community: people who love their dogs deeply, but for whom the big boarding facilities and conventional training methods just aren't the right fit.
I also saw a gap in foster-based rescue. Sometimes a loving foster family isn't enough on its own for a dysregulated, high-drive dog — the dog needs more structure and support than a home placement alone can give. I wanted to be a resource for local rescues, and, more importantly, to offer a safe, structured, home-based environment where a dog learns to feel safe first — and is set up to succeed from there.
My approach
I train using positive reinforcement and marker-based methods, grounded in a nervous-system lens — which is a technical way of saying I pay attention to how a dog is actually feeling, not just what they're doing. A dog who's over threshold can't learn, no matter how many treats you have. So we work at a pace the dog can handle, build trust first, and let the behavior follow. It's relationship-based, and it holds up because the dog is a willing participant rather than a controlled one.
My one-on-one training and behavior support is offered virtually — I coach you through your own home over video, where the behavior actually happens and where new skills need to take hold. Working this way also means I can help owners well beyond my corner of New Jersey.
I've completed my GoodPup Certification and I'm currently working toward my CPDT-KA credential — the national standard for certified dog trainers. I take continuing education seriously, because the science of how dogs learn keeps getting better, and I want to keep getting better with it.
Meet Lucky
Also known by his full government name: Luctavius Maximus Rex.
Lucky is a 4-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with a big heart and an even bigger prey drive. He's the resident demo dog of Lounge & Lead, and the first to greet any newcomer and make them feel welcome and right at home.
I brought Lucky home when he was 9 weeks and 5 days old and started working with him on day one — introducing the "yes" marker and hand-feeding him every meal while teaching him to follow the lure. By six months, Lucky was the youngest puppy the evaluator had ever passed for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate.
To channel that big prey drive, I use breed-specific enrichment — “find it” games, work, and outlets to what his instincts are actually asking for, so all that energy has somewhere good to go. We work together every day and keep it fun and engaging. Almost everything I teach my clients is something I've first worked through with Lucky.
Why home-based
I keep Lounge & Lead small on purpose. A real home and a half-acre fenced yard mean every guest gets my genuine, undivided attention — not a spot in a row of runs. It's calmer, it's more personal, and honestly, it's the kind of place I'd want for my own dogs.
Let's talk about your dog
Every dog is different, and every good relationship starts with a conversation. If you're looking for care or training that meets your dog where they are, I'd love to hear about them.