FYZ Academy
Our Academy Has It All!
• Obedience Training
Sit, down, recall, leash manners, stays (even around distractions), fun tricks, and much more!
We work with each dog at their level to help them build reliable, real-world skills
• Daily Exercise
From outdoor playtime to treadmill sessions, flirt pole, and enrichment games, we make sure every dog gets the physical and mental activity they need to go home fulfilled and tired.
• Confidence Building
Our confidence courses help dogs learn to navigate new obstacles and challenges, building resilience and self-assurance along the way.
• Basic Grooming
Short on time for daily grooming? We’ve got you covered! Nail trims and daily brushing are included to help keep your pup looking and feeling their best.
• Supervised Playtime
Your pup will have the chance to make friends and practice good social manners. Dogs are carefully grouped with others they get along with best so everyone can socialize without feeling overwhelmed.
• Kennel Training & Structured Rest
We include a midday “nap time” while we clean and work dogs individually. Each dog relaxes in their own kennel.
Quality rest is essential for every dog, especially growing puppies.
And the best part? It's all individualized.
We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. One dog may be working on the basics, while another practices long bed stays under heavy distractions. An active hiking companion may need tons of exercise and brain games, while a young puppy may need more rest for their developing joints.
Every dog is an individual with unique needs. We listen to you and your pup, and tailor their training, care, and enrichment accordingly.
Experienced, Knowledgeable Staff
All of our staff members have experience working in dog daycare, training, and veterinary environments.
We value skilled, hardworking, and confident team members so every dog can learn and grow in a safe, structured, and well-supervised environment.
FYZ Academy
Days Open:
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays
Hours: 6:30am to 6:00pm
Drop off: 6:30am-9am
Pick up: 4:30pm-6pm
Cost per visit:
$70 Dog (6 months and older), second dog $60
$50 Puppy (6 months and younger)
*Packages Available
*Dogs must be approved before signing up!
To set up an evaluation, click here
*We accept a limited number of dogs per day, don't wait to get your pup on the list!
*NO aggressive dogs will be accepted for safety reasons.
*Pups need to be up to date on parvo/distemper and rabies.
*We also highly recommend doing monthly treatments for lice/ticks/fleas.
Our Staff
Dani Karatzas
Academy Attendant and Trainer
We'd always had pets growing up, but I don't think I was ever truly serious or gave training much thought until I got Rueben. He was the very first pet I had saved up and paid for myself. After always watching the dog shows and related sports on TV I was really inspired to have a dog I could do that with. He was my first serious attempt at training a dog, and he learned anything I set before him. He had really intense herding instincts, but seeing as we couldn't have sheep, we settled for herding ducks instead. He and I worked all the time on transporting them to different areas of the property and training together. It worked in our favor because when I went off to college, he got to come work with me on the campus farm.
Tragically I lost Rueben when he was 3 years old, and I couldn't bear to own another dog.
It was another 5 years before I’d own another dog. A co-worker ended up gifting me with a lab/gsd mix puppy. Aspen was an adorable little teddy bear of a pup that was 4 weeks old when I got her. I know that this was way too young, but the person of the litter was going to get rid of them one way or another. She took me on the wildest ride I've ever been on with a puppy. Being so young, having every bad trait from the parent breeds, and me being out of practice with pups definitely gave us our struggles. I did the best I could, but around the time she was 8 months old I thought it best if I meet with local trainers to try and do better.
We were doing great with training, and eventually I met Leah a couple years later when she first started teaching classes with baby Zender.Being in classes introduced me to so many likeminded people, and they were involved in a lot of dog sports! I was glad to be exposed to everything and wanted to pursue these things with Aspen. Watching everyone do IPG training made me want to attempt it. She wasn't the typical breed for it, but it never hurts to try! We worked hard and did our homework, but it eventually became apparent that Aspen didn’t have the drives to continue pursuing the sport. She was happy to be a pet and to go hiking, which was totally fine! She is a great hiking buddy unless you are near a cliff, then her happy labness might try to push you over the edge.I still went to all the training and meet ups I could to watch everyone who could participate. It might not have been in the cards at that moment, but I wanted to still watch and learn.
I was allowed to work dogs for people during some of the training sessions which was awesome! I wanted to compete, but to do that I knew I would have to get a more suitable breed.
Eventually Tenno, my spicy little heart dog, entered my life! I knew a Belgian Malinois would be a breed that never said no and was always up for a challenge. Tenno is true to form! I have fallen in love with the breed, and I am super proud of the team Tenno and I have become. She's allowed me to delve into so many sports and opportunities to become a better trainer and work on my dog handling skills. We have dabbled in dock diving, fast cats, and barn hunt. We have competed in AKC Rally and Obedience, earning first place in both. We have earned two titles in IGP so far with ambitious plans to continue forward in competing in it next year!
My passion for dog training started at a young age.Growing up, I was always drawn to working dogs and fascinated by their intelligence, drive, and partnership with their handlers.
For my 10th birthday, I asked my mom for a Belgian Malinois, but instead I got a Boston Terrier. While it wasn’t the dog I had envisioned at the time, she became the first dog I ever truly trained. I spent countless hours teaching her every trick I could think of and began exploring the foundations of engagement, drive building, and even playful bitework games. Looking back, she was the dog that first sparked my love for training.
When my 15th birthday came around—after years of asking—I finally got my first Belgian Malinois, Felix. From the moment he came home, we began training together every day. Felix quickly became my first true working dog and the dog that taught me the foundations of everything I know today. Together we explored several working dog sports, beginning with Mondioring and later training in IGP and PSA.In addition to sport work, Felix and I also began training in scent work and detection, which opened my eyes to another incredible aspect of working dog training. Felix had incredible drive and versatility and excelled in every challenge I put in front of him.By the time I was 17, Felix and I were given the opportunity to spend about a year in Georgia being mentored by an experienced trainer.
During that time I was able to expand my knowledge tremendously, gaining hands-on experience in sport work, detection and scent work, behavior modification, pet dog training, and modern e-collar training methods.
That mentorship helped shape the trainer I am today and gave me invaluable experience working with a wide variety of dogs and behavioral challenges.Unfortunately, before returning home, a tragic accident occurred that forced me to make the incredibly difficult decision to euthanize Felix. Losing him was devastating, and for a time I truly questioned whether I would ever pick up a leash again.However, I realized that walking away from training would be a disservice to everything he had learned and everything he helped teach me.Eventually, I returned home and made the decision to continue pursuing my passion for training.
Not long after, I welcomed Tango into my life. Training Tango has been an incredible journey and has pushed me to grow even more as both a trainer and handler.Last summer we achieved our BH title together, and we are currently actively training and competing in both PSA and IGP.Through my experiences with working dogs, sport training, and pet dogs alike, my goal is always to help build clear communication between dogs and their owners while developing confident, well-balanced dogs.Training is more than teaching commands—it’s about building a relationship, understanding each individual dog, and creating a system that allows both the dog and handler to succeed.
Find Your Zen Dog Training
Based in Mat-Su Valley and classes in Anchorage
Alaska, USA
findyourzendogtraining@gmail.com
(907) 521-1606
Taylor Unger
Academy Attendant and Trainer