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Finding Balance Dog Training

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Novato, CA
Finding Balance Dog Training

Professional Dog Training in Marin County We offer private training, day training, and board and train programs in Marin County.

09/07/2025

We entered our first AKC obedience / rally trial today 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

Despite making a few rookie handler mistakes in novice obedience we had a great qualifying run in the on and off leash portions. My proudest moment was seeing Basha recall into a perfectly straight front (and not defaulting to heel from thousands of retrieves) and hold a PERFECT STAND FOR EXAM without smiling, wiggling or moving her feet…just a cute little tail wag at the judge. In the group sit exercise two wasps were swarming the grass near her tail / feet which was just enough for her to decide that she was over sitting and slumped into a down stay which awarded us a NQ. We were SO CLOSE!! Next time!

That being said, we somehow managed to pull off a perfect score of 100 in Rally! I incorrectly entered Novice B class and got third place - had I entered Novice A we would have placed first. So proud of her!

Basha passed her canine good citizen test, trick novice and intermediate today.

Thank you and for being the best dog sport trial gal pals! Ribbons are cool and all, but training and trialing with good friends is ✨

04/08/2025

Over the weekend I entered Basha and Legend in our second AKC hunt test together. Basha passed both junior tests and earned her JH!

Legend, the goodest boy, also passed both senior tests. He already has his MH, but it feels as though we earned *our* SH together by passing these 4 senior tests as a team.

I would love for the 3 of us to be ready to enter SH and MH tests together this time next year. We will be training hard to get there!

These rad photos were taken by at one of the many days we’ve spent at Denverton doin the birdy things with our retrievers 🦆

03/22/2025

Last weekend I entered my first akc hunt test with Basha and my favorite golden retriever, Legend. We passed all 4 tests and came home with 2 Junior and 2 Senior ribbons!

📸:

12/23/2023

Meet Rhubarb. I absolutely adore this sensitive floof of a baby dog!

12/06/2023

I’m absolutely heartbroken to share that I said good bye to Leroy today.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words just how wildly devastating it was to watch Leroy’s cognitive function deteriorate within days of finally recovering from his knee surgeries. So much of my life this last year was spent scheduling work around checking on him, driving all over to different specialty clinics, canceling vacations, missing close friends weddings, and really just holding onto that glimmer of hope that Leroy will get better.

Today our neurologist at UC Davis told us that Leroy’s sudden decline is most likely the result of a brain tumor…quality of life was no longer an unanswered question. Hearing those words was the closure that I needed. Finding the strength and courage to relieve him of his pain and suffering was undoubtedly the most difficult and loving decision that I could’ve made to honor the incredible dog that he is and how much he means to me.

We went to one last park together, he had a double double from In n Out, and when the neurologist walked back into the room he excitedly presented Leroy with a chocolate truffle. Leroy shriveled his face with disgust. I found myself laughing and apologizing to the veterinarians that my dog was so rude through the tears streaming down my face. To have such a beautiful and peaceful goodbye to the bestest boy filled with love, laughter, and maybe some ugly crying is something that I will never forget.

I have so much sympathy and love for those of you who are struggling with caring for your senior or health compromised pets. When our dogs are young and healthy: going on hikes, training together, playing at the park…we are so blissfully unaware to what we might endure or how quickly things can change. We tell ourselves that we would never let them suffer, but how blind we become when we are in the thick of it searching for answers and trying to make them better. Sometimes, they can get better…and other times they can not. My takeaway from this gutting experience is how important it is to cherish the time we have with them, as this might be the better we will once wish we had.

Love you, Leroy.
1/7/2012-12/5/2023 💔

11/01/2023

Tove did a board and train with me a few months ago. When we began training together she struggled immensely with arousal and impulse control. She could not be trusted off leash due to her social exuberance and prey drive but also wasn’t able walk calmly on leash without darting every which way. Tove was so wildly over stimulated around toys that even the sight of a tennis ball across the field would immediately send her into over arousal. She would then have trouble settling the rest of the day and as a result, playing fetch at the park was not an enjoyable experience for her owner.

While Tove may look like a Chesapeake, she has the intensity and motivation of a working line Malinois in bird dog form…which makes for a very fun sport dog but a far cry from the easygoing labrador retrievers that she lives with. We worked hard to teach this drivey lady how to *find chill* in the house and on leashed walks, but also how to remain level headed when working for toys so that we could give her more freedom through fun and fulfilling outlets. Tove’s family has done an amazing job at keeping up with training in the months that have passed since her board and train. Now that she has a solid recall she has the privilege of hiking off leash, playing retrieve games at the local field, or swimming each day.

We are continuing private lessons to focus on the fun stuff like advanced obedience, dock diving and detection sport so that she can live an even more fulfilled life! I’m so happy for Tove and her family…I hope to see them a nosework trial some day!

10/11/2023

Meet Boo 👻

Boo’s family put a lot of thought and research into what breed would best fit their lifestyle and environment…and reached out to me long before they landed on a breeder! We discussed what they were looking for in their future family dog, and what to look for in a reputable breeder. It was amazing to finally meet Boo today…who shows all of the qualities that I would want to see in a puppy!

I’m really excited to help Boo’s family set her up for success. She’s off to a great start ✨

10/08/2023

Meet Aya! I’m not sure she could get any cuter.

This australian shepherd puppy lives with an active family who would love for her to be reliable off leash when hiking together…while also being calm and polite in the home and neighborhood. She is well on her way, but the world is a very exciting place for a baby herder so we have our work cut out for us. I’m looking forward to helping her family meet their training goals…and am doing my best to avoid catching a debilitating case of puppy fever along the way 🥲

10/06/2023

The last couple months have been a whole lot of cuddling on the couch and spending quality time with Leroy. I’m not sure exactly what is wrong with him, if he will get better or how much time we have left together.

My life has been on a bit of a stand still since the day Leroy suddenly lost cognitive function in July. It was quite heartbreaking to see him unexpectedly fall apart after such a long recovery this last year from two TPLO surgeries - I wanted nothing more than for him to be comfortable in his final years only to watch him deteriorate two weeks after healing. We didn’t know if he had a stroke, vestibular disease, a brain tumor, dementia…the onset was so sudden and his lab work came back normal. There were days he couldn’t walk or get up on his own, others where he was constantly circling and pacing. Some days he needed appetite stimulants to eat, and others he couldn’t hold down his food if he did eat. He lost 10% of his body weight in 6 weeks.

In one of Leroy’s countless recent veterinary visits, I was told that “if he doesn’t have an inner ear infection, he has a brain tumor”. I held my breath during his ear exam - and felt a huge wave of relief in discovering that he does in fact have a ruptured ear drum and an inner ear infection. I’ve been cautiously optimistic ever since, and at this point we are waiting to see if this long round of antibiotics helps him get back to his normal self. Deep inner ear infections can put a lot of pressure on the cranial nerve and cause all of the vestibular symptoms that he is experiencing.

Needless to say, it’s been a difficult time waiting this out to see if he can make a recovery, and I’ve been a bit quiet on here as a result. Navigating that fine line between doing all you can and more for your best friend while trying your best to always selflessly prioritize their quality of life amidst the guilt of it all is my least favorite place to be.

All that I can really do at this time is reflect on the 11 incredible years we’ve had together and cherish each day we share. I’ve been so lucky to have this unicorn by my side all this time, and I’m hoping to be lucky enough to see him feel better. Love you, Leroy 💔

07/25/2023

It’s hard to believe it has been a year since crossing paths with this magical little creature. Watching Edie go from being a feral nervous wreck to my adventurous shadow and bouncy sport dog has been such a rewarding experience.

Throughout my time training Edie and getting to know her…it always felt like for every one thing I taught her, she taught me two. She wasn’t the dog I planned on getting but was definitely the one I needed…and that’s just how it works out sometimes 🤍

Thank you to .co for capturing these ✨

06/03/2023

Theres a lot of new faces around here, and Tucker is one of them! I’ve been enjoying exploring a variety of hiking trails and parks in Mill Valley for our day training sessions.

05/25/2023

Today is my birthday! I spent it doing nosework with Edie, playing with all the dogs, taking this scruffle puff that I sprung out of the shelter last weekend to his forever family, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

I will be out of the office from Friday - Monday to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Can’t believe it’s been a whole year! Here’s to another trip around the sun full of all the adventures and all the puppies and always surprising my husband with more 4 legged creatures when he leaves town 🤍

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Novato, CA

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