A woman with blond, wavy hair smiling outdoors, wearing a blue T-shirt with a colorful dog logo and the text 'UPALA LEVEL K9 ACADEMY', with a stone wall and greenery in the background.

As the owner of Upper Level K9 I am obviously a passionate animal lover.  I currently have two German Shepherds (Boris & Shanty Girl), Buella a Belgian Malinois and an Old English Bulldog named Bob....and three cats. So I understand the challenges of fully integrating pets into your family.

I spent the first fifteen years of my professional career as a Critical Care Nurse.  Almost a decade ago I chose to pursue my own education as a dog trainer, combining my passion for helping people and dogs to live their best lives. As I considered the future, my vision included independently running my own small business and being my own boss. Thus, Up a Level K9 was born in Anchorage Alaska in 2015. My mission is to teach you and your dog a clear and consistent language that leads to a calm mindset, nurturing a happy coexistence for you and your entire family.

In 2019, I returned to my roots in the Midwest and found the perfect property for Up A Level K9. A beautiful, 20 acre rural farm site surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmland in Door County, Wisconsin. I have trained over 1000 dogs here at "Dogville" and now enjoy living in a community of my human and dog clients who I see around town every week on our outings. A large part of my reward is being able to stay in contact with clients and follow their dogs for a lifetime.

I still attend continuing education programs every year to continuously improve the way we integrate our pets into our surroundings.

I help people discover the greatness in their dogs.

- Karen Wannemaker, Owner/Lead Trainer


Training Credentials:

  • Whose A Good Boy Industries (2024)

  • The Good Dog Training Aggression Rehab Intensive (2023)

  • Solid K9 Training (2022)

  • Dream Come True K9 (2018)

  • Mountain State K9 Academy (2015)

Monthly Mentorship:

  • Brett Bailey (Whose A Good Boy Industries) - Current Apprenticeship & Mentorship

TRAINING STAFF

A young man with curly, light brown hair in an outdoor setting with blurred trees in the background, wearing a black sweatshirt with a graphic of a truck and the words "Up A Level".

Cohen, Trainer

I’m Cohen, one of the trainers at Up A Level K9. I started out my journey in the dog world by working at a kennel in my hometown before attending Kennelwood Academy. I graduated with my two dogs, my Golden Retriever Taiyo, and my Black Lab Cudi. I’m a young and enthusiastic trainer who strives to make sure the dogs and owners have a strong and happy relationship.

OTHER STAFF

Cali, Admin

I support Up A Level K9 on the administrative side of the business. My work focuses on bookkeeping, client support, Paw Partner app assistance, scheduling coordination, and other behind-the-scenes tasks that help keep things organized. I like being the person who helps keep things running smoothly behind the scenes so clients feel supported and the business can do what it does best.

I first connected with Up A Level K9 as a client through the 21-day board-and-train program with my rescue dog, Auggie. At the time, I was navigating reactivity, separation anxiety, and resource guarding specifically around me, which made even simple, everyday things feel overwhelming. The training gave both of us a shared, common language, but more importantly, it gave Auggie the confidence to navigate situations that used to scare him. He’s not a super social dog, but he now knows how to move through situations that once felt unsafe instead of reacting out of fear. That confidence changed everything for me, too- I can now enjoy doing things with him instead of constantly dreading them. After the program, our connection continued to grow when I played live music at one of Karen’s client celebration events, which is a big passion of mine and helped deepen our friendship. Because this work made such a meaningful impact on my life, I knew I wanted to be part of it in a way that played to my strengths. If you ever have questions about the program or want to talk through life with a reactive or overly attached dog, I’m always happy to connect!

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Camille, Media

Hi! I’m Camille Orgel, the media brain at Up A Level K9. I have a passion for creativity, storytelling and thankfully DOGS. After exploring the entertainment scene in Los Angeles for a while, I came back home in 2021 bringing with me a wealth of experience from the worlds of reality TV, YouTube, eSports, film/TV, brand marketing, social media, and the vast expanse of the world wide web.

I got connected with Karen in 2022 when we soon hit the ground running on our first video together. The creating hasn’t stopped since. I’m thankful to be apart of the team and further the excellence that is Up A Level K9.

A small, fluffy, cream-colored dog with dark eyes looking up at the camera, standing on a light-colored concrete surface.

Franklin, R.A.

Meet Franklin, the resident advisor of Dogville. He leads with an iron paw and demands strict order in the kennel. Legend says that a cheerful bone exists in Franklin’s body but none has been discovered to this day.

When he’s not busy keeping his fellow canines in line, he can be found demanding order with Karen and her staff. Fearless is his middle name, order is his game.

We are privileged to have such a stoic talent amongst us. Under Franklin’s watchful eye, your dog will surely know their proper place in the kennel.