The Balanced Dog

Our chihuahua mix has had puppy obedience training but we wanted to reign in her reactivity towards the doorbell, strangers in the home, barking, and also behaviors towards our cat and child. We enrolled her in Joanne’s two week boarding and the difference is astounding! She hasn’t chased a squirrel since coming home and she’s much better at tolerating the doorbell. She’s also a lot more independent. We have loved Joanne’s communication throughout this whole process- text updates with pictures and videos and she answers any questions we have. She has taken the time to teach us how to best help our dog in our home and it’s really helped us reinforce everything that our dog has learned. We’re excited to continue the reinforcement by joining the group classes this summer. Thanks, Joanne!!

Don't know where to start!! Roughly a year and a half ago I needed help with our dog aggressive and very anxious rescue dog named champ. I didn't know where to go and who to ask for! Luckily I came past her page one day and decided to contact her because why not! She came over to our apartment and introduced herself and took time to understand our concerns with champ. Not only did we get the best plan for him but we also enrolled Charlie as well. He was apparently the good one out of the two! Lol we started with private classes and every night my boyfriend and I after private classes would say "I am so glad there is a person out there that takes the time she is giving us to help train the mess of a dog we have". Joanne never once at the end of when class was done said "ok it's time I have to leave". She made 100% sure we understood the material that was given during our private classes!! She stayed after the class many times 10-15 minutes longer just because the dog was either not getting it or she wanted to continue with a topic!! We then decided to get Charlie going on group classes (he's the typical dopie happy go lucky self that always wants attention). She explained agian that the best option was for him to do group classes! I've never done obedience training and it could tell. I was scared out of my mind I trained hours on end with him and it shows!! Charlie is now training off leash and can do it with distractions! This is a year and a half later! She will never give up on what you want to accomplish with your animals!! She is the best of the best and you will never regret signing up for her classes!! Your dogs will go home exhausted and ready for the next class!!! Thank you Joanne for everything you do!!! I appoligze this is so long but it just goes to show how much I reccomend her as a obedience trainer!!

Looking for help training your dog? I highly recommend Joanne with ‘The Balanced Dog’! My two puppies and I have absolutely LOVED working with Joanne! We have participated in 8 weeks of private lessons and one 6 week session of group obedience classes…. and oh my, what a difference it has made in my pups behavior (mine too – LOL)!! Joanne helped me work with my two super high energy puppies - girls that have very different personalities. When we first started lessons, one puppy was afraid of her shadow and was quite reactive, the other loved everything and everybody. After 3 months of training I have two beautifully behaved girls! They are still young and have lots more to learn, but I’m thrilled with their progress in just a few short months of training. I have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Joanne’s training methods/principles/philosophy. She promotes and practices kindness, patience, gentle, compassionate, logical, firm, no dinkin’ around, and consistent training techniques….. all of which worked beautifully and effectively for both myself and my two wild child pups. I learned a ton! My pups learned a ton! She helped me figure out each pups specific training needs and how to continue growing our positive, fun, loving, and well-behaved relationship! Best of all… my puppies ADORE her! You should see their waggle butts whenever she is around. Thank you Joanne!

I rarely write Google Reviews (maybe 4 in my lifetime), but Joanne is deserving of an outstanding one. I cannot express enough how grateful I am to have found Joanne as my dog trainer. Before Joanne, my dog Fiona was completely out of control. I had tried every training method I could find, but nothing seemed to work. Fiona never listened to me, and her recall was so terrible. Fiona was very aggressive towards other dogs, and I could not go anywhere in public with her. She comes everywhere with me now- even with food/ other dogs. Joanne is an incredibly talented trainer who knows exactly how to get through to dogs. She has a deep understanding of the science behind dog behavior, and she focuses on helping you build a relationship with your dog based on mutual respect. After taking Joanne's class, I decided to do private lessons to work on recall and walk obedience. Joanne was patient, kind, and extremely knowledgeable. She provided me with practical, effective strategies and she worked with me every step of the way. She was SO patient with me. I asked her so many questions and she went above and beyond with answering every single one. Eventually, I decided to go even further and have Fiona trained with an E-Collar. I was hesitant at first, but Joanne reassured me that it was the best option for my dog's needs. Fiona spent two weeks in board and train with Joanne, and the results were truly amazing. When Fiona came home, it was like she was a completely new dog. She was attentive, obedient, and responsive to my commands in a way I never thought possible. Even FURTHER- (if thats not enough already) she continues to follow up after, to make sure training sticks both in- person and over the phone. I was originally was on the fence about investing in training, due to being on a very tight budget this year. I am so thankful I decided to because it was worth every single penny. I saw investment rather than purchase, since it is really is an investment in your dogs safety, your peace of mind, and your relationship with your dog for years to come. She also has the most reasonable prices of all the others I explored. Joanne didn't just train my dog--she also fixed my relationship with my dog. Before Joanne, I felt like I was constantly battling my dog for control. But after working with Joanne, I feel like we're a team. I'm in charge, but Fiona respects me and trusts me. It's an incredible feeling, and it's all thanks to Joanne's expertise and guidance.