The Balanced Lab

08/16/2025

Big welcome to The Balanced Lab’s first vizslas!

I said why not go big or go home and take 2 at the same time 😆

Snickers is 2.5 and Dodger is just over 1. Both of these dogs are here for overall listening skills & manners. After getting to know them over the last 2 weeks, I know exactly what areas I want to focus on with each dog. Dodger is under exposed to the world & lives in his own world. He tries to keep his brain active and entertained 24/7 by chasing bugs, shadows and hyper fixating on a ball. He does not listen (with or without distractions involved) and he is very invasive of your personal space.

Snickers is a lot more “chill” than his little brother but he struggles with anxiety & insecurity. He also doesn’t listen and if you ask him to do something that makes him even slightly uncomfortable, he has a full blown meltdown (fleeing, squealing, jumping all over you etc).

Phew. I’ve had my work cut out for me but I’m happy to report we are on a good track with both dogs. Dodger is becoming so much easier to communicate with - he actually finds value in paying attention to the human which is huge. Snickers is starting to show actual enjoyment in his training sessions as he grows confidence in himself. He’s also become a dream to walk!

We still have 1 week left and a lot more work to do! Thanks for following along 🙌

07/30/2025

It’s been a long time since I re-introduced myself - especially to anyone new to my page.

Hi!!! My name is Laura & these are my 2 personal dogs (Dexter aka Dex aka Sweet Man and Zoe aka Tootie aka Azoula). I started The Balanced Lab in September 2020 but I have been working with dogs a lot longer than that. Here are 10 (potentially interesting?) facts about me 🙃

1. When I was 18, I had a job as a part time nanny for 2 small kids. One day I showed up and they had adopted a 6 month old Toller, and I fell in love. I realized quickly how much I enjoyed being around dogs rather than kids 😆

2. When I was 19, I got my first dog job at a daycare. I loved it so much. I started to get in trouble with my boss for being too much of a “drill sergeant” with the dogs (lmao her words, not mine). I quit soon after.

3. I have a degree in Holistic Nutrition and I am a bit of a hippy. I believe the body is an amazing machine capable of healing pretty much anything if you give it what it needs.

4. I hit my funny bone so hard one time I fainted and gave myself a concussion 🫣

5. I have been bit twice in my life by 2 different dogs. 1 bite was serious and the other was moderate. I have lifelong scars from both. (Both incidents happened before The Balanced Lab started).

6. I love black labs because I fostered a black lab for back in the day. Her name was Frisbee and she was such a special soul. Dexter and Frisbee have the same dad. Dexter was a failed guide dog student and I adopted him.

7. My fiancé Josh is my favourite human. We’ve been together for over 10 years. He has a band and he’s an incredible musician 🤟

8. I love tea. I drink a lot of tea per day. I go through a lot of honey and milk. My entire family on both sides are from Northern Ireland and we had tea in our bubbas growing up 🤪

9. I struggle with neck tension & migraines. It’s been going on for years and I do acupuncture & physiotherapy weekly.

10. I used to live a very unhealthy life - drugs, alcohol, toxic relationships, stupid decision making. I changed my entire life over 10 years ago. I work really hard to protect my peace & do what’s best for me 🩷

06/24/2025

Jack is on his last week of training (but this is not the end of his journey with me).

Jack is one of the most reactive cases I have ever worked with, he has been this way since he was very very young - we know schnauzers are guard/alert dogs but that mixed with poor breeding, makes for a genetic challenge.

Jack has learned how to control himself over the last few weeks. He is not a finished project and I will continue his training journey once I move into my next house. Dogs like Jack require 6-8 weeks of rehab minimum, it is a lot of work to change the way they feel about triggers & after 4 weeks with me, I believe we’re only at the halfway point!

That being said, I believe his owner will have an easier time with him when he goes home next weekend. His reactivity is not explosive anymore and that alone will make working with him a lot more enjoyable. He’s a very fun, young dog that has a lot of potential, time is our biggest obstacle. Jack will be more personal project dog before the year ends - that’s a promise! 🐾

06/10/2025

Welcome Quinn to the pack!

Quinn and her owner Brooke just completed my E-Collar Basics Course!! 🥳 I really enjoyed working with these 2.
When I first met them, I could tell right away what the main issue was - Quinn was a sensitive & insecure dog that needed leadership. Brooke brought Quinn home as a puppy soon after her previous dog tragically died at a young age. She was heartbroken and thought getting a new dog would mend her broken heart (of course it did because puppies are good at that). I explained to Brooke that because she was not in the best headspace when she brought Quinn home, she was not able to provide leadership and instead, allowed Quinn to take over the leadership role. This is where a lot of bad behaviours stem from. Quinn was an insecure dog being forced into the leadership position where she didn’t belong. Behaviours like; reacting to people coming over & “stalking them”, blowing up at the window in the car and biting the seatbelt, barking at dogs & overall anxiety/ stress (from both dog and human).

I kid you not, as SOON as I showed Brooke how to be a more confident leader, Quinn’s anxiety and reactivity just melted away. Her last test was tackling the waterfront and she passed with flying colours 🤩. I might see these 2 back for off leash training in the future but for now, enjoy your new life together!!!

05/23/2025

Welcome this little lady to the pack!

Junebug is a 1 year old miniature poodle and she is almost halfway through our Advanced E-Collar Program. Her owner Allison wanted to fix her leash pulling/ mild reactivity/ impulse control (chasing everything) and unreliable recall. I’m happy to report we have already fixed 80% of those issues and now our focus will be on off leash for the remainder of the program!

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love poodles, standard, miniature or toy, I’m not picky 😆. They often get overlooked because of their appearance but these dogs are AMAZING! If you think you want a doodle, you probably should just get a poodle hehe.. I love their temperaments, they learn quickly, they are super athletic & up for any adventure! Junebug is no exception, this kid is absorbing information like a sponge and I can’t wait to see her off leash living her best poodle life 🥳💃🏻

05/22/2025

Barrie’s Gold Winner 2nd year in a row!

Thank you to anyone who voted 🙌🏆

05/19/2025

Marshall is officially back home with his family after his 2 week board & train!

Marshall is only 7 months old but he was causing his owners a whole lot of distress & anxiety because of his behaviours.

Extreme mouthing that was escalating to actual biting, barking in your face, mounting your legs, SUPER destructive to their home and had zero off switch. Now imagine this going on all day every day and only being able to rest at 10pm, just to wake up and do it all over again 😫🤪. Marshalls owners tried everything they could to discipline his behaviour but whenever they tried, Marshall would escalate and become even more mouthy, snarling & jumping at your face. Tsk Tsk Marshall.. I’m happy to report that those days are long gone!!!

Marshall not only learned on and off leash obedience, but he also learned how to be respectful & well mannered around humans, dogs & a cat! His owners were a dream to work with, they did their part by being prepared for our sessions, ready and willing to follow my instructions and put in the work. Marshall definitely tried his old antics while working with his owners (it will take weeks before they can fully repair their relationship with him) but with clear & consistent e-collar communication and a calm/confident energy, Marshall was on his best behaviour for his final session. His owners know that it’s up to them to follow through with their homework so they can repair their relationship with him and be the pack leaders they were meant to be!

I posted some of my favourite videos and photos of some Marshall moments over the past 2 weeks, enjoy! 😊

05/19/2025

Only a few more hours to vote for The Balanced Lab for Barrie’s Best Dog Trainer 2025!!!

Every vote counts 🩷

Official 2025 Community Voting Awards Platform for Barrie, ON. Where the community votes for their favourites every year.

05/18/2025

Sundae the doodle puppy went home after her 10 day puppy program!

This cutie will be back for e-collar training later on but for now she is back home to continue growing & maturing. Sundae learned how to respond to leash pressure, how to go into the crate without a tantrum, basic obedience & manners around food/ dogs.

And most importantly, she learned the word “No” 😜 see you again my little sundae sunshine🩷

04/19/2025

Say hello to the newest private session dog, Otto!

This golden boy is only 9 months old and he is nearing the end of his advanced e-collar program. This program takes 2.5-3 months to complete so it’s a big commitment but the results are so worth it!!! Otto was a wild child during session 1, he pulled like a freight train, jumped on everyone and could not sit still. His family lives on a quiet road with very little distractions so every time he came to my neighbourhood (which is fairly quiet), he struggled with maintaining focus. Otto is a very excitable dog and I warned his owner to watch for any moments of over excitement because it can often be mistaken for being happy-go-lucky. Happy-go-lucky energy and over-excited energy are very different and you need to be able to tell them apart so you can nurture the right state of mind.

Otto was definitely a handful a couple months ago but he has come sooo far and I’m really glad his owners decided to do my program 😄 keep up the good work guys! (Swipes for cuteness).

04/17/2025

It’s that time of the year again!

Please take 60 seconds out of your day to vote for The Balanced Lab for Barrie’s best dog training! 🙏🐾

Official 2025 Community Voting Awards Platform for Barrie, ON. Where the community votes for their favourites every year.

04/05/2025

Official welcome to Lily the frenchie!

Lily’s owner originally reached out to me for help with house breaking/ potty accidents and general obedience, but we quickly realized things were a lot more serious than that. Lily is a sensitive and fearful dog and because of this, she has a really hard time with strange people or strange dogs in her intimate space. It takes her a while to warm up to someone organically and because of this, if someone tries to pet her or get in her intimate space before she is ready, she is lunging and showing aggression. Lily does not want to be acting this way, she simply doesn’t know how else to express herself so human beings understand. I suspect she used to try more subtle body language cues when she was feeling uncomfortable (whale eyes, lip licking, turning away, cowering dog etc) and if the human invading her space didn’t read those signs correctly, she felt misunderstood and ignored. When dogs like this have their boundaries pushed one too many times, they often up the ante to make sure it doesn’t happen anymore (cue the lunging). When Lily first met me, she lunged at me twice and then when her owner left, she went into total flight mode. This told me right away she is fearful & doesn’t want a fight, she just wants to feel safe.

Over the last 3 weeks I have worked extensively with Lily’s ability to tolerate more discomfort while also showing her she doesn’t have to protect her space anymore, I will do that FOR her. She’s gotten tons of exposure out in the crazy busy world and has met lots of new people. I’m happy to report we have not had any aggression attempts since drop off day which tells me there is a lot of hope for her family to be successful!

Now the real success will come when I work with Lily’s family and especially with her mom as she used to be very obsessive and possessive around her. We will need to establish very clear boundaries with her while also teaching the family how to advocate for her and have new rules for people that come into her life. I love this sweet & silly little dog and I’m happy I still have her for another week.

Thanks for following along her journey so far! 🐾