The Balanced Lab

The Balanced Lab The Balanced Lab is a balanced dog training program located in Barrie, Ontario.

We are able to offer dog owners the tools they need to create a harmonious and fulfilling relationship with their canine companion.

Welcome Bruin to the pack! This young cockapoo started working with me in November to address some major puppy attitude ...
01/09/2025

Welcome Bruin to the pack!

This young cockapoo started working with me in November to address some major puppy attitude and increasing naughty behaviours. When I first met him I could tell he was a bit more of a dominant/ pushy young male so I needed his owners to prove themselves as the confident and consistent leaders (aka parents), Bruin desperately needed, before things got worse.

I am blown away by how much work his owners put into his training and how seriously they took the advice I gave them. He is a dream to walk on leash, he stays on place calmly when they eat meals, he drops things instead of stealing them and he is overall way more enjoyable to be around. His owner told me today he was recently mistaken for a senior dog because of how chill he was!!! šŸ˜šŸ„³

All of this was accomplished via my E-Collar Basics course which consist of 5 weekly sessions. Today we had our final session and he even got to practice around my dogs (see the 2nd picture). Congrats on your success Gabriella, Jamie & Bruin, let me know if he ever gives you any more trouble šŸ˜œ

Welcome Bodie to the pack! This 2 year old Bernedoodle is actually my neighbour and I have seen him give his owners a ha...
12/19/2024

Welcome Bodie to the pack!

This 2 year old Bernedoodle is actually my neighbour and I have seen him give his owners a hard time over the past couple years. I was so happy when they finally reached out. Fun fact: Bodie is from the same breeder as one of my board & train graduates, Beau! My neighbours saw me working with Beau this past summer and got inspired to reach out šŸ˜ƒ

We just had our final session today and wow he has come leaps and bounds since session 1, 6 weeks ago. Over the course of 6 sessions, we taught this goofball how to walk politely in a heel command / following the human vs/ dragging them to p*e on trees. He learned a place command which has completely shifted his arousal towards the front door when guest come over and basically all of his annoying ā€œnuisanceā€ behaviours are gone. I remember how little his owner trusted him 6 weeks ago, just getting her to stop using 2 hands to hold the leash (because heā€™s tried to run from her before), was a challenge, but they have all grown so much and the trust is back!

I will probably have them come back in the New Year for off leash training but for now, my work is done! šŸ¾

To end the year off, we have Betty joining us for a 10 day puppy program. This cutie is here to learn some basic puppy m...
12/10/2024

To end the year off, we have Betty joining us for a 10 day puppy program. This cutie is here to learn some basic puppy manners, stop the biting & jumping and intro to basic obedience. Sheā€™s a smart high energy Labrador mix (possibly border collie in there) so I am eager to see her in the near future for more advanced e-collar training!

Welcome to the pack, Betty!

I felt this deserved a spot on the home page šŸ„° Dex and Zoe practicing threshold manners with Oakley.
11/28/2024

I felt this deserved a spot on the home page šŸ„° Dex and Zoe practicing threshold manners with Oakley.

Willow update:My little friend is doing really well in her training program so far. She was supposed to go home this wee...
11/21/2024

Willow update:

My little friend is doing really well in her training program so far. She was supposed to go home this weekend but her family and I made the decision to keep her 1 extra week. I am always very transparent with my clients and I explained that although she is progressing beautifully, we are still working through some flighty moments. She can be unpredictably jumpy in certain situations and I simply need more days to work her in various environments.

I know her family misses her but I am happy to keep her a little extra longerā€¦ sheā€™s my good pal now! ā™„ļø

Thanks for following along so far!

Welcome Mr. Oakley! This handsome boy is a 3 year old Shepherd/Border Collie mix and he is a few days into his 4 week bo...
11/14/2024

Welcome Mr. Oakley!

This handsome boy is a 3 year old Shepherd/Border Collie mix and he is a few days into his 4 week board & train program.

Oakley has a really nice temperament, heā€™s soft and sensitive & has a desire to please his humans. Heā€™s a really nice dog. The main goals his owners have are the following:
- Recall (especially around high distraction areas; heā€™s a cottage dog!)
- More confidence. He has some irrational fears (the tv to name one), as well as being jumpy and spooked easily with noises.
- More manners and impulse control around the front door and guests coming over. He is a love bug but heā€™s also huge so we donā€™t want jumping!

Iā€™m enjoying having him so far, heā€™s learning lots everyday and I canā€™t wait to show his family everything he has learned by the end :)

Welcome our first boxer to the pack! Willow is just over 1 year old and she is 1 week into her board and train program. ...
11/11/2024

Welcome our first boxer to the pack!

Willow is just over 1 year old and she is 1 week into her board and train program. Willow is a sweet, affectionate, goofball who has a family that absolutely adores her. She has a fantastic personality & temperament but her high energy mixed with some insecurity and attitude has created some issues for her family.

Top goals that Willowā€™s family has for her:
- no more jumping/ pulling or biting at the leash
- more confident in busy environments
- strong recall & a strong stay command

We are working our butts off over here trying to make those goals a reality so wish us luck! šŸ¾

Warmest welcome to miss Maple šŸ„°This doodle is only 8 months old and she just had her 5th private session today. We are h...
11/06/2024

Warmest welcome to miss Maple šŸ„°

This doodle is only 8 months old and she just had her 5th private session today. We are halfway through my advanced off-leash program. Mapleā€™s first session with me was TOUGH! We barely got anything done because she fought me every step of the way. Intense leash biting, intense whining and panicking, intense frantic/ spastic behaviours. I was very upfront with her owner Brittany about how difficult she was. At such a young age; I was taken back by how much attitude and anxiety she had (a hard combo).

Each week Brittany has taken my advice and followed the homework to a T. Each week I have seen their relationship get healthier and today, I was absolutely blown away! Maple calmly laid by her owners leg while we chatted with NO whining and she gave so much effort in everything we asked of her. I was genuinely amazed and pleasantly surprised. Her progress is a testament to her owners dedication and hard work!

We still have work to do but I am so happy with her progress so far šŸ˜ƒšŸ™

Happy 3rd Birthday to one of the best decisions I ever made, picking you out of all your litter mates šŸ„° Today shall be f...
11/06/2024

Happy 3rd Birthday to one of the best decisions I ever made, picking you out of all your litter mates šŸ„° Today shall be filled with lots of sniffs, snacks and free access at my sock drawer! Love you forever Tootie ā™„ļø

Welcome Millie to the pack! Millie is a 9 month old Irish Setter and she is almost done my E-Collar Basics course. This ...
10/29/2024

Welcome Millie to the pack!

Millie is a 9 month old Irish Setter and she is almost done my E-Collar Basics course. This 5 session course covers on leash skills as well as the place command, impulse control and for Millie specifically, prey drive & reactivity. Millie was showing some pretty intense reactivity at a really young age so I wanted to spend majority of the time we had together, focusing on that. Her owner has done great work applying everything she learns each week into her daily routine. Thatā€™s the KEY in dog training, consistency!!!

Who doesnā€™t love a cute golden retriever? Welcome Emmy to the pack! Emmy is a 8 month old Golden Retriever and she is ap...
10/24/2024

Who doesnā€™t love a cute golden retriever?

Welcome Emmy to the pack! Emmy is a 8 month old Golden Retriever and she is approaching the halfway mark of our advanced off leash program! I worked with this family a few years ago with their other golden, Boomer, and according to the family, his training has held up all these years!

When I first met Emmy she was pulling super hard on leash, chased every single leaf and could not sit still for .2 seconds. It is safe to say she has come far in only a few weeks!

These 2 deserve a spot on the main feed šŸ‚šŸ
10/15/2024

These 2 deserve a spot on the main feed šŸ‚šŸ

Welcome to the pack, Willow!Willow is an almost 2 year old golden doodle and she is halfway through my advanced e-collar...
10/14/2024

Welcome to the pack, Willow!

Willow is an almost 2 year old golden doodle and she is halfway through my advanced e-collar program. Willow has an amazingly committed family that comes to every session with a good attitude and always asks great questions.

Over the past 6 weeks, we have worked on Willowā€™s leash skills and her dog reactivity, we taught her a place command & her family is now able to utilize that for doorbell reactivity, and we are now starting recall work! The most important part of dog training is the owners relationship with their animal, private sessions allow me to see owners grow their own confidence each week and it is so sooo rewarding!

Willow is a star student and truly makes everything look easy (sheā€™s a bit of a show off) šŸ˜œ I canā€™t wait to post her graduation video next month!

Billy the 4 month old Havapoo is here for his 10 day puppy program! This little fluff is here mainly to work on his pott...
10/06/2024

Billy the 4 month old Havapoo is here for his 10 day puppy program!

This little fluff is here mainly to work on his potty training and excessive mouthing, but heā€™s also going to learn all of his basic obedience, manners, appropriate socialization around other dogs and people and over confidence boosting!

Iā€™m absolutely obsessed with him and Iā€™m so glad heā€™s here. Heā€™s also coming back for his big boy board & train at the end of November!

Welcome Harvest to the pack! Harvest is halfway through our off leash program together and she (and her owner) are makin...
10/03/2024

Welcome Harvest to the pack!

Harvest is halfway through our off leash program together and she (and her owner) are making steady progress each week.

Harvest has always been on the insecure side, it takes her a while to warm up and she can be sensitive. Her owner is learning that calm confident leadership is exactly the type of energy she needs to come out of her shell and gain more confidence. Her owner Cassie is doing a great job practicing their homework each week and coming to each session ready to learn and grow. Dog training is really about the owner as much as it is the dog so Iā€™m loving watching their bond grow each week. We still have lots of work to do but weā€™re on the right path!!!

Welcome Chance to the pack! This little guy is a 1.5 year old miniature cockapoo. His owner and I started working togeth...
10/01/2024

Welcome Chance to the pack!

This little guy is a 1.5 year old miniature cockapoo. His owner and I started working together a few months ago when she started to see worsening behaviours creep up. As a first time dog owner, Chanceā€™s owner wants to get it right so they can live a wonderful life together.

The main issue with Chance is his constant whining & barking. My assumption when I first met him was that he was going to be an anxiety case, but I could tell after the first 24 hours of boarding him, that heā€™s actually just very demanding (lol). The constant whining and barking is his way of demanding resources (affection, attention, food etc). He maaaay have been slightly spoiled before meeting me so there is not a clear leadership/follower role in his home resulting in a demanding/ pushy attitude.

Iā€™m glad heā€™s here so I can show him how the human/dog dynamic is supposed to look and feel which will ultimately open up his world. His owner doesnā€™t feel comfortable taking him into super busy places because of how vocal he is, so I am eager to change that. He is ridiculously cute so I can see why itā€™s hard for his owner to be assertive with him, but no matter how adorable a dog is, they are still a dog with a very specific psychology that needs to be honoured.

Your world is about to change Mr. Chance ā™„ļø

Hiiii Charlie! This cutie girl is a 6 month old Golden Retriever and she is a few days into her board and train program....
10/01/2024

Hiiii Charlie!

This cutie girl is a 6 month old Golden Retriever and she is a few days into her board and train program.

Charlie is here to learn all things manners, impulse control & obedience training. She has a really hard time sitting still unless sheā€™s asleep in her crate so the place command is going to a game changer for her family. She lives with 2 small children so being able to control her excitement is crucial! Charlieā€™s family calls her a ā€œHoover dogā€ because she eats everythingggg off the ground.

Iā€™m so glad Charlieā€™s family booked her in when they first brought her home. They knew I had a waitlist and wanted to get a spot when she was the perfect age. Charlie is already showing some undesirable behaviours so nipping things in the bud now is ideal.

Watch my stories to see her learn alll the things šŸ„°

Welcome Cali to the pack! Cali is a 11 month old French Bulldog šŸ¾ This young lady has been causing some trouble back hom...
08/21/2024

Welcome Cali to the pack!

Cali is a 11 month old French Bulldog šŸ¾

This young lady has been causing some trouble back home with some unwanted resource guarding that has resulted in some pretty serious bites towards her family. Her aggression has progressed as of late so this board & train program couldnā€™t come sooner. I actually had her booked in for October but I knew she needed help ASAP!

In addition to the resource guarding, she also bites at her owners feet during walks, eats everything off the ground and has very selective recall (only comes when she feels like it) šŸ¤Ŗ

Bulldogs are known for being extremely head strong, intense dogs that require a confident owner, these dogs can become quiet dangerous when they are ā€œbabiedā€ and my girl Cali is a good example of that. We have lots of work to do but sheā€™s in the right place!

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Barrie, ON

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