My friend suggested I take my dog to Blue Ridge Dog Training Club for some classes. He was a…read moreshelter dog that had a lot of issues and problems that needed to be worked through. All of the instructors were great at giving me ideas and working with me to help him over come most of his problems. I guess it is like PTSD he may never get over all of his issues, but he is now a happy well behaved dog. He seldom reacts to other dogs and men now. You would never know he was the same dog that I brought to the first class! I would highly recommend anyone take their dog to Blue Ridge for training!

I can't say enough good things about Brandi and Perry Bailey of RSK9. Their work has given my pup…read moreand I so much freedom and balance. Pebbles (blue heeler, 1.5 years old) would never listen to me, would not sit or lay still, and had a lot of other obedience issues that caused her to be stressed or confused. She was a TOUGH dog to train and I was concerned I couldn't find the solution for her to get basic concepts. This view has completely changed since working with RSK9's 3 week program. I would HIGHLY recommend them and their methods - you can tell they genuinely love working with dogs and it's made a huge difference in giving my dog the chance to find real rest at home. They send DAILY updates with photos and videos which was so nice. This isn't a regular class or something you just pay for; it's truly an investment that you and your dog will be using for the time you get to share together. Side note: it's worth doing 3 weeks versus 2 weeks. At the 2 week mark is when Pebbles really started to understand her marks and cues. From here there is so much more that can be refined and Brandi/Perry really capitalize on that threshold being crossed!

Brandi & Perry were amazing! Highly recommend working with them…read more We adopted a one year old mixed breed, Tuck, a few months ago. He's very sweet but started to get rambunctious to the point that my remote work felt challenging. He also started jumping or freezing when he saw other dogs on walks, and he occasionally barked or growled and men. We weren't sure if it was the start of aggressive behavior or just the result of a shelter dog that hasn't been exposed. After doing our research, we decided to do the 3 week behavior modification board and train program. We were really impressed from beginning to end. They shared a ton of information upfront, walked us through their facility (we opted to drop him off) and sent pictures and updates every evening. It became clear right away that they both have a very deep understanding of dogs, as well as a real respect and love for them. Tuck loved them! The best part was the "transition" day when Perry brought Tuck back and spent the day teaching us everything they've worked on together. We are first time dog owners so generally going in pretty blind. Perry gave us a 101 on dogs and the importance of clear and consistent communication. He talked through all of the layers of training and how/why it is effective. We felt this part was SO helpful for us to understand how to be better owners. Then we walked Tuck around the neighborhood with Perry guiding us and then spent time addressing indoor behaviors too. He was flexible and stayed until we felt comfortable with everything. This is a long review so the TLDR: finding a trainer is a big decision and investment so we wanted to get it right. Brandi & Perry were really incredible and beyond our expectations!! Truly worth every penny! Tuck has been doing really great at home and outside since being home. I've been able to work full days with him holding "place" on his cot, which would have been unheard of before!

This place is awesome... we moved from San Diego to Virginia and our golden turned 12 years old…read moretoday. She was used to us going to Fiesta Island on weekends and paddle boarding and swimming her little heart out. We haven't heard her whimper for joy in the last year since having our baby. This was such a sweet way to celebrate her 12th birthday and have. Whole hour dedicated to her. They say there's a 7 to 1 rule with dogs: one hour to us is 7 hours to them since they have such a shorter lifespan. We absolutely will come more often hoping she has a lovely rest of her time here on this side of heaven with us!

Our boy, Remy, loves this place! As he excitedly burst through the door in the morning, the staff…read morealways welcomes him by name, and when we pick him up, he is thoroughly played out. The pool is always a great treat, and it's relaxing to know he's having fun while I'm working.

We sent our 3 year old golden to Controlled K9 for a board and train program because we were having…read morechallenges with her on walks and when guests would come over to the house. From the initial consult with Kenzie, we felt very comfortable with how she approached training and her experience. When Charlie came back after 4 weeks, it was such a big change! No longer did we have to worry about leash pulling, picking up trash on walks, and being overcome with excitement whenever guests would visit. We can now enjoy our dog all of the time. We take her on long walks, she joins us at restaurants and events around the neighborhood, and overall is a much better behaved dog without losing her personality. We could not be happier with our experience with Kenzie.

My husband and I can't say enough good things about Controlled K9! We recently adopted a two year…read moreold German Shepherd who was well behaved in the house but a true terror to walk on leash (pulling and severe reactivity towards other dogs). Controlled K9 came to our home to evaluate her and recommended a four week board and train to work on basic obedience, leash manners, and off leash recall. We loved that she was taken in as a member of the family during her "boarding school," and they provided regular photos and updates on her progress throughout. She returned to us her same happy, sweet self in the house, but basically a new dog on leash! The Controlled K9 team trained us on how to continue her training, and remained super responsive to our follow up questions. It's incredible to see the transformation and we're so grateful to the Controlled K9 team for changing our lives - and Zoey's - for the better!

We just recently hired Scott to work with us and the pooch we rescued in January. Our dog is a…read moreHusky mix, and is a little over 4 years old. While basically a good dog in many respects, Riggins displays anxiety and shuts down during walks, which manifested in his past as fear aggression. This is not something we had dealt with with our previous pets, and knew that we needed to ensure against any kind of dangerous situation. We understood when we adopted Riggins we'd need to work with him on these ingrained bad habits. Shortly after we adopted him, we tried out group training sessions. It was clear the group training was for working on basic stuff, a lot of which our dog already knew. We felt the best option was to go with 1-1 training. And so glad we did. It was worth every penny. Scott gave us the tools to work with Riggins, as well as manage our expectations and learn how to deal with a variety of situations. We signed up for five training sessions with Scott, and as others mentioned in their reviews, the training started as soon as Scott entered the house. He made an immediate connection with Riggins and so amazing to see how the dog just snapped to attention for him. Such a great talent to have. Basically Scott told us we need to completely reprogram our dog. We're continuing to work on that, and probably will for the foreseeable future. But there's been a definite improvement in the way we deal with Riggins, and I see daily 'baby step' progress on walks. We've also been bike riding with Riggins, which he seems to enjoy and is great at draining his energy. The bike rides also ensure that the dog is following me, I'm in the lead and have control over the situation. So thanks to Scott for his help. We may well call him again for a tune-up, but for right now, we're putting his recommendations in place and are seeing a difference.

My fiance and I are new dog owners. We had only been relying on online puppy training videos to…read morehouse break our 8 week old goldendoodle pup, but still needed some more in-person guidance. I researched many different dog trainers in my area and ultimately decided to contact Scott. We first spoke over the phone to see if the training would be a good fit. He asked me what my goals were and then explained what his style of training was. We booked a double day session for 2 hours and it was intense, but so helpful, educational, and so rewarding! Our puppy's nipping has really lessened and she definitely is paying more attention than before. Scott taught us various ways to walk a dog and the importance of keeping them safe in different environments. He also gave us great insight on the dogs' point of view which really helped us understand our puppy's behavior more. Scott made sure my fiance and I were highly involved with the training and it helped boost our confidence for when we'd continue training our puppy on our own. Although the training already made a big difference, Scott also reminded us that our puppy is still so young and that we need to remain realistic and patient. The reassurance, constructive criticism, and encouragement created a very positive environment for the session. I am overall very impressed! Thank you so much, Scott!

New owner! Great experience. Wonderful staff. Attractive pricing. My dogs were well taken care of.read more

We've boarded our dog several times in the past year at Shenandoah Valley Boarding & Training…read more(formerly Creature Comfort Inn), The staff is friendly and reassuring and there's lots of room for the dog to run and exercise. Our dog always seems happy to arrive and see her caretaker. Highly recommend. Would love it if they had cameras so we could just see her occasionally while we're away.

We achieved total understanding of our dogs' behaviors in, literally, one home visit after one two…read moremile walk with our dogs. Jessica is extremely knowledgeable, personable, funny, and clearly loves what she does. My daughter was so enamored with Jessica and her training that she and our lab, Korra, went through her therapy dog training with Rockingham Rec Center. My daughter now uses the training techniques and insights that she learned from Jessica on the dogs that we foster for local rescues. Adopted families are amazed and thrilled when they adopt a rescue dog that already knows basic commands and is leash trained. I do not hesitate to recommend The Balanced Dog to anyone who either needs help with their dog or wants to take their dog to a higher level of training. I trust this company so much that I recommend it to dog rescues when a dog needs some manners in order to be adopted.

We have had our rescue dog for 5 years now. He has always struggled with being calm and polite…read morearound strangers. We tried some other programs that helped a little bit, but nothing gave us the confidence that he really could be able to meet new dogs and new people and be ok. We recently had our first baby, and things got worse as he became depressed and disobedient. When Jessica came, she explained to us that how he acts has much to do with how we treat him and what we let him get away with. Within an hour of her being here and talking with us, our dog had met her two dogs and was walking around the neighborhood with Jessica and her dogs. We were amazed and very thankful. She gave us practical tools we could use with him to help continue what she had shown us. We greatly appreciated her big heart for dogs and her desire to see them become well adjusted members of their families. We highly recommend her!