Balanced Best Friend, LLC

11/02/2024

Feeling beyond blessed at how business has taken off this year at Balanced Best Friend, LLC! And can’t express how grateful I am for the continued support of my past & present clients, family, and friends. When it comes to small/local business, there’s really nothing like word of mouth — please consider leaving my business a review on Google: https://g.page/r/CdJF9Yp07HbVEBM/review

Bonus points if you post a cute picture of your pup along with it! 🐶 🫶🏼

(Some of you have written me reviews before for my website and I’d love to get more eyes on them, so feel free to copy/paste from there 😂)

Thank you as always for being along for the journey!

15/11/2023

And just like that… we’ve got a ✨ new and improved ✨ website! Huge thank you to my amazing clients, friends, and family — it’s because of your continued support and referrals that I get to do what I love and love what I do. 🫶

Along with Private Lessons, Virtual Sessions, and Puppy 101, I’m offering two brand new services I’m beyond excited about: Board & Trains and Breed Consultation/Adoption Guidance!

If you’ve been on the fence about booking a session, give the website a scroll and book a no obligation consultation. I can’t wait to meet you and your pup, and get you on your way to a more expansive, enriching life together 🤗🐾

www.balancedbestfriend.com

08/11/2023

Life lately! 🫶🏼
Thankful for all of the opportunities I’ve had lately to work with people who are committed to changing their relationship with their dog(s)!

Book a private lesson or a lesson package with me, and we’ll work together to get a training plan in place so that you achieve your lifestyle/training goals with your dog!

https://www.balancedbestfriend.com/consultation

17/10/2023

We had a HUGE breakthrough with Duke last night. Duke has severe separation anxiety (he will break out of crates and mutilate himself in the process) and at our first session couldn’t even be left in the crate with the door closed with us standing next to it much less relaxing in it with people across the room or his owners out of sight! None of this would be possible without owners who are committed and consistent daily, and who worked on the small things like helping his mindset before tackling the crate! Duke is well on his way to being able to be safe and contained while his mom and dad are out or at work! ♥️

05/08/2023

Puppies don’t grow out of bad behaviors, they grow INTO them, which is why training is so important from the very beginning! Wesley is only 5 months old, and luckily his owners have done an amazing job working on the basics with him. They just needed some help with the little details! He’s well on his way to being an amazing adult dog!

During a Puppy 101 session we work through all the basics and any problem behaviors. You also get 10% off any future training services by booking a puppy 101 session for puppies 6-20 weeks old!

20/07/2023

Coco Bean✨☕️

My number one tip for crate training a new puppy is PUT THEM IN THE CRATE. ALL. THE. TIME! If they aren’t directly interacting with you, put them in the crate! Just played? Crate. Just went out to potty in the middle of the night? Right back into the crate! Puppies need much more rest than we think, and an overtired puppy turns into a toe shark reaaaalllyyyy fast anyway! Build a calm/sleep/restful association with the crate early on and crate/house training will be easier than you think!

19/07/2023

Take a deep breath, grab your leash, and get some practice in! Progress is the goal, not perfection!

19/07/2023

Once you experience that place ✨magic✨, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to teach your dog about it!

02/02/2021

The fact of the matter is: dogs are only in our lives for a short period of time, but we are their whole life. I want to help you make the most of your time together. Start now, don’t wait!

22/01/2021

What would your dogs do if you left plates full of food next to them? Teaching automatic food refusal and permission based meal time is so important. It could literally be the difference between life and death if there was a chicken leg on that plate.

***This video was not set up, I saw Dwight get up and started filming.***

27/12/2020

My website is now live! Check it out for more information about the dog training services I currently offer.
Balancedbestfriend.com

Helping owners and their dogs live their best lives together. “IN ONLY THREE SESSIONS, OUR HOME IS NOW IN OUR CONTROL AND WE HAVE THE PUP WE ALWAYS LOVED, BUT CAN NOW ENJOY FOR A LIFETIME.”— SHARON & JIM F. Whatever your canine needs, I’m your girl. GET TO KNOW ME “FROM THE BEGINNING, CAIT...

22/12/2020

Let’s talk E collars ✨

Let me start by saying that I am not referring to the shock collars you can order on Amazon or pick up at your local pet store for $29.99 that has 3 settings called ouch, OUCH and OUCHER on it.

What I am talking about is a tool that uses medical grade muscle stimulation similar to a TENS unit and has 100+ levels. I use the Mini Educator, these run about $180 and can be extremely gentle - think a tap on the shoulder. Majority of the time a dog’s working level which is the lowest level they respond to isn’t higher than a 2-10 ish (although every dog is different). On your own hand you can’t feel stimulation from these until about level 15-20 and even then it’s not painful, just a little bit annoying. Trust me I’ve tried it. On my neck. 😂

So when should you use an E collar? E collars should be added into your training AFTER you have a good foundation in place. E collars can then be layered into basic obedience seamlessly and help you create very clear and effective communication with your dog! They can can be used to gently settle your dog in the crate, create reliable commands and off leash recall, or even to stop unwanted behaviors. Yes I’m going there. It CAN be used to deliver a correction for unwanted behavior when needed. If we don’t make “no” mean something, how will your dog learn right from wrong? Let the collar do the talking for you while you get to remain calm and neutral towards your dog. I also think it’s worth mentioning that this is a very methodical process that must be properly timed. Correcting your dog will NOT make them scared or shut down - physical correction is actually a HUGE part of how dogs communicate with each other! It is something they innately understand.

What are the benefits of using an E collar?
MORE 👏🏼FREEDOM👏🏼
E collar training done right leads to more freedom and a full life for you and your dog! Imagine hiking/camping trips, trips to coffee shops, restaurant patios and more! The possibilities are endless, and I want everyone to be able to live this kind of life with their dogs!

17/12/2020

Did you know I offer virtual owner coaching? Via zoom or FaceTime we can chat about your specific concerns and come up with a training plan and routine moving forward to help you start seeing some real changes in your dog’s behavior while staying safe and healthy in your own home! I can even show you some techniques using my own dogs as a visual aid! Visit balancedbestfriend.com to learn more!

15/12/2020

Working hard to slow down that puppy brain going 1 million miles a minute! 🧠💨

What are you patterning into your dog’s life?

A constant state of arousal?

Are you always making a big deal of it when you leave/come home? Constantly hyping your dog up with key words (you know the ones) before going for a “W-A-L-K” or playing “B-A-L-L”? And then wonder why your dog pulls and is reactive to other people and dogs while on leash?

OR

Are you patterning calmness into your dogs life?

Scheduled crate time even when you are at home? Place time (or crate time) before and after your walks to make sure you are taking them out in a calm state of mind? Going on regular ✨structured✨ walks? Not greeting your dog when you get home until they are calm? Waiting for permission from you to go through thresholds and to begin eating their meal?

Create a routine of calmness and it will just become habit for your dog. Teach them it is OKAY to relax and simply exist sometimes without having to be in the middle of whatever is going on.

15/12/2020

Want to supplement your dog’s diet but don’t want to commit to feeding raw? There are several things you can add to your dog’s kibble to fill in some nutritional gaps!

This morning I topped my dog’s kibble with Advita powder probiotic, a dollop of Greek yogurt and Drooling Monsters salmon cubes!

A few other things you can add are
•Sardines (in water)
•Coconut oil or salmon oil
•Freeze some goats milk or yogurt mixed with turmeric in a small ice cube tray or mold and add one or two to their food!
•A raw egg or two depending on your dog’s size
•Freeze dried organ meat (even a few small chunks of raw organ meats if you want)
•A good splash of water - don’t underestimate this one; most dogs don’t get enough water and it will make kibble easier to digest!
• Even little pieces of fruit like blueberries, banana, and strawberry are fine to give your pups in moderation! 2-5 small pieces depending on the size of your dog!

Remember to do some research on your own first, and start diet changes slowly and introduce things one by one. Watch your pup for any signs they aren’t tolerating something well and find what works for you!

[email protected]

13/12/2020

Dog training is not going to go smoothly every time you work with your dog. Some days are just going to be a little bit off - don’t feel bad when it happens! Watch me struggle to simply give my dog a treat for stopping with me and giving me focus and a nice auto sit on our walk this morning!

[email protected]

12/12/2020

This video may not look like much to you, but Riley’s owner sent this to me with a text that read “We just walked past a bunch of people and she didn’t pull or bark!” This is huge for her! Most of the time leash reactivity stems from insecurity and a lack of trust that you will advocate for your dog’s space! Teach your dog that as long as they walk calmly at your side, you will take care of everything else! Without this understanding, dog’s tend to take things into their own hands and “handle” the situation themselves when they see other dogs or people with barking and lunging at the end of the leash!

12/12/2020

Client update video! One of the main reasons Chewy’s owner wanted me to work with them was his crate behavior! From the second she shut the door of the crate he would immediately begin screaming/digging at the crate etc. for at least 20 minutes before he would finally give up and settle. This did not bode well with roommates! I have her doing kennel drills like this during her training sessions to make going in and out of the crate no big deal, as well as adding in more structure/crate time throughout the day even when she is home. She is now only dealing with very minimal whining at times, but knows how to shut down the nonsense and bring his state of mind back down to calm! Dog training is more than teaching your dog obedience commands. Your dog’s state of mind is first priority. Once we pattern calmness into your dog’s life, then we are able to get into the fun stuff!

06/12/2020

This couple took the training they were working on with one of their dogs and implemented it across the board with all three! Talk about going the extra mile. I love getting to see how drastically things change in people’s daily lives session to session!

18/11/2020

Welcome to Balanced Best Friend, where we don’t just focus on dog training; we make sure owners are educated, too! This page will be a place for lots of free dog training content, client updates and much more! Thank you for following along and I hope I get the chance to work with you and your dog some day soon! Now, enjoy this picture of my little girl, Gigi. ♥️