Balanced K9 Services

We rescued a 2-yr old male Doberman (his name is Rome) that was kept in a crate the majority of the time and had very little social skills or manners. When attempting to go for walks he would pull so hard that it felt like my arm was going to pop off, and he would not listen whatsoever. So, with him being such a big boy, I decided that we needed a professional to make sure he would be trained right. I reached out to Ryan/Balanced K9 Services to set up an initial meeting and assessment. When Ryan first came to our house, I thought Rome was going to rip him apart. Ryan assured us that it was okay and to let him be so he could see “where Rome’s head was at”. During all of the barking and growling, Ryan, with a very calm voice (how could he be so calm with a Doberman barking & growling at him!!??!!…I have no clue, but he was!) talked us through it all and told us that his behavior was not aggressive at all, and that it was just him being fearful. We decided it would be best for Rome to go with Ryan for the 4-weeks board and train so he could learn manners, basic commands, and to help socialize him. During this time, we were sent videos and quick updates on his progress. When Rome came home it was like we had a different dog. We are now enjoying our walks, he responds to his name, and we can see a huge improvement in his overall behavior! Even after the 4 weeks, Ryan is continuing to provide us humans the training, knowledge and confidence we need to continue his training at home! Ryan is just amazing! He has that special gift to understand dog language and their behaviors. He truly is a dog whisperer. He is very patient and clearly explains what is going on and how to handle situations and teaches the proper way to correct any unwanted behavior. He has a passion for training, and it shows in everything, from training the dog to explaining and training us humans, you can clearly see that he knows what he is talking about, and he loves what he does! I cannot say enough good things about this experience. Give Ryan/Balanced K9 Services a call – you won’t be disappointed!

Our vet recommended Ryan from Balance K9 and we are so glad she did. We have had our dog for over a year and have been to 3 prior trainers. Our dog has severe prey drive and high anxiety and excitement when outside. We met with Ryan in a local park which was great to give us real world situations and stressors for our dog while training. Although we know prey drive will not go away, Ryan provided us with many ways to manage. Ryan has great experience and is a great listener. We look forward to working with him again. Don't hesitate to hire him!

My experience with Ryan and Balanced K9 Services has been awesome from the beginning. I contacted Ryan 3 days after I adopted my first puppy, a chihuahua/rat terrier mix named Atlas (11 weeks old). Despite my research, I was way out of my depth, and I was incredibly anxious that I wouldn't be able to raise my dog well. Atlas was not eating consistently, was very stubborn when I tried walking him on the leash, and was having serious issues with potty training. I would take Atlas outside consistently, but even when we stayed outside for 1-2 hours, Atlas refused to go to the bathroom. As soon as we would go back inside, Atlas would relieve himself both ways in the house. Not to mention I was waking up multiple times each night to avoid accidents in the crate. I was very quickly at my wits end. I emailed Ryan on a Wednesday morning and received a response within 20 minutes. We were on the phone less than 1 hour later, and I was dropping Atlas off at Ryan's home/training facility by that Friday. I opted for a 4-week board and train, and it was a great decision for Atlas. Ryan was constantly in contact with me throughout the program to fill me in on Atlas's progress. He would send long videos of actual training sessions he conducted with Atlas where he would provide instructions in the videos to teach me what he was doing. He also sent great photos of Atlas for me to enjoy, which helped make the time apart easier. Atlas recently finished his last day with Ryan, and we've transitioned him back to our home. Ryan brought Atlas to us after the last day of training and did our first training session together at our house. A huge perk that Ryan offers that I'm not sure is offered by other board and train programs is up to 6 months of in-home training to help with the transition. This has been really important for me and Atlas because it ensures I can continue to build on Atlas's progress as he grows older. Ryan has also kept up his communication with me as we transitioned Atlas home, answering questions and offering advice when needed. Because of Ryan, Atlas (now 16 weeks old) is: consistently eating two meals a day; fully potty trained and relieving himself outside within minutes of starting our walks; walking with me on a leash; dropping toys when instructed; sitting, lying down, and using a place mat; and (most importantly for me) sleeping in his crate from approximately 9:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. every night without accidents (even though he's less than 6 pounds in weight, which I've learned is rare for such small dogs). Ryan and Balanced K9 Services was a life saver for me, and I am incredibly happy with my decision to work with them. I am now loving my time with Atlas instead of being anxious when I'm with him, and I'm looking forward to building on the strong training foundation Ryan created. If you need help with your dog for any reason, Ryan is your guy.

Ryan has been a huge help for our dog. Our dog would have outbursts out of fear and it made us nervous to take him in public or introduce him to people. Ryan quickly diagnosed our dog’s fear and gave us the tools to manage it. After just a couple sessions, we’ve already seen improvement and feel more confident now that we know how to handle different situations. Ryan has a positive attitude to training and we’re so glad we called!