Best In Industry
With over 10 years working in the training industry we have worked with thousands of dogs over the years and helped hundreds of families. At Balanced Approach K9 we have the unique experience of having specialized in Aggressive Dog Rehabilitation from the start. We learned to train dogs through hands-on experience and have trained countless dogs, educated hundreds of owners, and even taught a great number of our competitors how to make their start in the trade. We will not sell you cool stories, pipe dreams or fluff. We will help you establish realistic expectations that work for you and you will see immediate results. Our interest is in what is best for your dog and our approach to balanced training is taken with that in mind.
About Us
Sal got his start in dog training working with his brother Haz at Shield K9 and managing training first at the head office in Puslinch, then moving on to manage the Toronto Shield K9 facility. Sal has a natural talent for working with Aggressive dogs and over the years has helped thousands of dogs to learn to be calm and neutral around other dogs, strangers and other perceived threats. Sal tells it like it is and will not dance around the issues. He will clearly communicate with you problems he sees and how you can work to correct them.
Adri has apprenticed both under Sal for the past few years helping at home with his board and trains and more recently at the Shield K9 Puslinch and Toronto facilities as well. She has a natural ability to connect with and establish a relationship with the dogs that brings forth an eagerness to work and she has a willingness to work with any dog regardless of their behavioural issues. She also makes a variety of leashes and toys, many of which you can find on our Shop!
At Balanced Approach K9 you will get a 'No BS', 'No Non-sense', clear and consistent balanced training experience. You will learn to set and maintain realistic expectations, learn to connect with your dog so that you are the most interesting thing in the room for them, and you will learn to clearly and effectively communicate with them in a fair and consistent way that they can understand. Over the years we have seen it all. Our interest is in what is best for your dog and our approach to balanced training is taken with that in mind.
What We Do
Success Stories
A couple years ago an elderly client came to Sal with her dog Norman. Norman lived at home with her husband, herself and their French Bulldog. Unfortunately due to a lack of structure and inadequate management of the social hierarchy between the two dogs they were constantly at odds with one another and eventually the French Bulldog was harmed in the process of Norman defending himself against what he perceived as a threat. During the process of his rehabilitation Norman's owner decided that it would be too difficult to incorporate a new routine into her life and to provide the structure that would be needed to ensure the two dogs who had previously had such success being at odds with one another to succeed. In light of her decision to euthanize instead, Sal and Adri decided to adopt Norman themselves. He now helps teach other dogs struggling with aggression how to be calm and neutral around one another. Due to his couch-potato nature they now call him Hodor.