The Balanced Dog

A true dog whisperer Joann changed my route three year old terrier mix baby into an incredibly well behaved member of the family. She also made me a much better pet owner. Beso boarded and trained for three weeks where she not only learn to listen and follow commands, but also learn to love Joanne and all her dogs. She is so encouraging to both dog and owner, but also takes no nonsense when Beso or I try to test the waters. Seeing Joanne conduct a group class at Spring Canyon Park led me to contact her. Best investment I’ve made in a long time. She truly is a gem.

We rescued our dog, Larry, when he was 7 years old from a small non-profit shelter in PA that would take in dogs that were destined for euthanasia in high-kill shelters in KY; it was a high-stress situation, and we noticed pretty quickly that he could be very reactive toward new dogs especially when we took him on walks and would just deal with it, even though it was not ideal and we could not bring him anywhere. Fast-forward to us moving out to Colorado, a very dog-friendly place, and we quickly realized that we could no longer "just deal" with Larry's reactivity. A quick Google search of the best trainers near Fort Collins brought us to Joanne and The Balanced Dog, and very quickly our nearly-10-year-old mutt was enrolled in her program. In the few months that we have worked with Joanne in both private and group lessons, we have learned how to be more confident handlers for Larry, and we no longer worry about him when he walks by other dogs. We can actually take him places now, like brewery patios and to the park because Joanne taught us valuable skills to help us better understand Larry and his behavior, as well as other dogs', too. We are so thankful for the time, care and attention she has given to our family and we cannot stress enough just how worthwhile our experience with Joanne & The Balanced Dog has been. The photo is of Larry (brown dog) and his friend, Jetson. Without Joanne, we would not have been able to load him up in the back of a Jeep and head to the park, especially with another dog. The Balanced Dog has given us so much more freedom and we couldn't be happier with our results!

To say that Joanne is an amazing dog trainer is an understatement - she is sincerely phenomenal. Throughout the entire process of the 3 week e-collar training with our dog, she communicated every step of the way. Joanne first met with us and went over the program and got to know our dog. Then we communicated with her our goals for our dog, and she shared with us exactly what she would be able to accomplish - everything lined up perfectly! While our dog was staying with her for the e-collar training at her home for 3 weeks, Joanne shared videos, photos, updates, and stories. She cared for our dog and loved him as if he were her own. She was structured in her training and she NEVER gave up on him! There was a specific task he was not able to do and so she consulted with a leading dog trainer and then communicated with us our options. Together we brainstormed and she kept trying and 3 days later he was able to do the task we needed him to do! Her joy and care really made us feel so good about his training. In the end, after 3 weeks of our dog staying in her home with e-collar training, he became a completely different dog - new calmness, no more leash pulling, wonderful adjustment to the ease of the e-collar, and in general amazing behavior changes, including no more jumping on people and completely focusing on us when out in public. He has become a perfect gentleman of a dog and we cannot even begin to express our gratitude to Joanne. 5 stars for Joanne's dog training skills, as well as her kindness and support before, during, and even after the boarding training was done. The training price was reasonable and not overpriced and worth every penny for the amazing transformation that our dog has gone through in just 3 weeks of e-collar training. His empathetic personality has remained the same, but he has become a very well-behaved and disciplined dog. We can tell that he takes pride in the work that he is now doing. Thank you, Joanne!!