Balanced Canine Academy Reviews

Meg Foulk 2026.04.29

     

We can't recommend Ryan and Balanced Canine Academy enough. Our dog Kona had serious aggression issues, and we sent him to Ryan for the 6-week aggression boot camp program. The results have been incredible. Walks are no longer stressful, and his guarding behavior is now manageable in a way we honestly weren't sure was possible. Ryan clearly knows what he's doing and genuinely cares about the dogs in his program. If you're struggling with a reactive or aggressive dog, this is the place to go!

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2026.04.29

Thank you so much for your kind words, Meg. We’re thrilled Kona’s aggression boot camp made walks and guarding manageable — it’s exactly why we do this. Ryan and the whole Balanced Canine Academy team appreciate your trust and are proud of Kona’s progress. We’re here for continued support whenever you need it.

B Skinner 2026.04.03

     

Ryan's next victim: Your Dog I used Ryan in 2021 when I used to live near. I stumbled across his social media again (thanks fyp! Now I can actually block you) after seeing his videos and I see he's still up to his old tricks. Abuse after abuse. I even remember old videos of using whips on a dog when I still followed him. This man knows nothing of training. His qualifications are lies - he is not a behaviorist, not a qualified dog trainer, and does not specialize in fixing any dog's aggression or reactivity. He's a liar and a scammer. His only goals are to steal a LOT of your money, hurt and scar your dog, ruin your relationship with your dog, and turn your dog into a walking liability. My dog is gone forever thanks to him. Save yourself and your dog. Seek an actual, boarded veterinary behaviorist.... Something I wish I was able to do for my B. I might know better now but it won't bring her back. I'm just hoping this saves other families from my fate.
Date of experience: 24 June, 2021

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Kayla F 2026.03.28

     

Ryan is an amazing dog behaviorist and really knowledgeable in what he does. Our dog Boba was EXTREMELY reactive towards other dogs. We had spent over a thousand on another trainer and still no change. We began to feel hopeless with what to do. She attended Balanced Canine’s 4 week board and train, came back a completely different dog. Ryan was so thorough and really took the time to educate and help work through her behaviors. He had great communication, updates, and also was receptive to any questions. A month after training we reached out with some issues we were having and he was super responsive to help out.

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2026.03.28

Thank you so much, Kayla — we’re thrilled Boba responded so well to the 4-week board and train and that Ryan’s expertise, clear communication, and ongoing support made a real difference. We appreciate you trusting Balanced Canine after a tough experience and are glad we could help restore hope. Please reach out anytime if you need further support as Boba continues her progress.

Janice Smolen 2026.03.18

     

My experience here with Ryan was definitely not as expected and definitely worth the thousands of dollars I paid.

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2026.03.18

I'm very sorry your experience with Ryan fell far short of expectations, especially after the significant amount you paid. That is not the level of service we strive to provide and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Please contact our office at the phone number on your invoice or email the support address listed on our website so we can review what happened and work to make it right. Thank you for letting us know.

Alissa 2025.09.29

     

DONT GO HERE! I would never trust this guy with my dog. There’s videos going around of him punching, jabbing, and choking dogs as training. It’s disgusting and horrible to still have him hired. He is a danger to all dogs and animals and should be fired. It’s truly disgusting and horrible to watch the videos.
Date of experience: 29 September, 2025

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Gerardo Hernandez 2025.08.07

     

He helped my dogs aggression problems and is not the sweetest he deserves this for his hard work and dedication to helping our dogs

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2025.08.07

Thank you for your kind words, Gerardo! We're thrilled to hear that we could help with your dog's aggression issues. Our team is dedicated to providing the best care and training for all dogs, and it’s rewarding to see that our efforts have made a positive impact. Your support means a lot to us!

Maddy Birks 2025.07.28

     

Ryan is nothing short of a life saver… quite literally. His love for animals is evident through his training and I truly believe he is one of the most talented trainers in the industry. I shadowed Ryan for a week, along with lessons for my dog. Each and every day, I learned SO much and it’s an experience I will always cherish. I’m so happy I decided to work with Ryan, he is a fabulous teacher and created an incredibly effective gameplan to work through my dogs reactivity. If you are searching for top tier dog training and guidance… look no further.

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2025.07.28

Thank you for sharing your experience, Maddy! We're thrilled to hear that Ryan made such a positive impact on you and your dog. His passion for animal training truly shines through, and it's wonderful to know that the game plan he created has been effective. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to continue supporting you on your dog training journey!

Asia Aleigh 2025.07.24

     

I just know if my dog were aggressive, I’d take it to this professional. I watch his work all the time on TikTok. He’s gentle and CORRECTIVE w what is needed. Never abusive. Calm and patient X God bless and I wish all animals under his care see how he just wants to HELP. Thank you!!

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2025.07.24

Thank you so much for your kind words and support! It means a lot to us to know that our approach resonates with caring pet owners like you. We strive to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all animals in our care, and your recognition of that is greatly appreciated. We’re glad you enjoy our content on TikTok and hope to continue helping pets and their owners. Your positive feedback motivates us to keep doing our best!

J. Wolfgang 2025.07.24

     

Ryan’s methods have been a life saver for me and my anxious/aggressive rescue. If it wasn’t for the patience and willingness to find new methods of understanding dogs and how to rehabilitate them, someone would have euthanized my boy, without a doubt in my mind. Ryan is saving lives. Thanks!

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2025.07.24

Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your experience. We’re thrilled to hear that Ryan's methods made such a positive impact on you and your rescue dog. It's our mission to help dogs in need, and feedback like yours truly motivates us to keep doing what we do. We're glad to have been a part of your journey and your dog's rehabilitation. Thank you for trusting us with such an important part of your life!

som 2025.07.23

     

Ryan posted a tiktok showing him hit the dog he was training so hard you could hear it from several feet away. He called it a touch but the dog flinched and pulled away from him. In the rest of the video the dog shows visual signs of fear and discomfort with whale eyes, his ears pinned back, heavy panting, attempting to avoid Ryan. I use balanced training methods with my dogs, but regardless of training methods, they should be based in gaining a dogs trust and respect to build a bonded relationship. not scaring them into submission & ignoring their fear and discomfort.

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2025.11.07

This is a fake review. It’s a lie being spread by a competitor… a dog trainer trying to get business.

Rachel Douglas 2024.11.16

     

I brought my 6-year-old mix, Charlie, to Ryan at Balanced Canine Academy for a board and train program, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Charlie has always been a great dog, but he struggled with selective listening, separation anxiety, leash pulling, leash reactivity, and reactivity toward other dogs and people. Life before Ryan was full of anxiety, worry, and constant planning around his unpredictable behavior. Ryan took the time to truly understand Charlie’s challenges and address the root causes of his fearfulness, anxiety, and stubbornness. The transformation has been incredible—both Charlie and I are more confident, happier, and able to do things I never thought were possible. This program was worth every penny for the peace of mind and freedom we’ve gained. I can’t thank Ryan and Balanced Canine Academy enough!

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2024.11.16

Thank you for your wonderful review, Rachel! We're thrilled to hear about Charlie's transformation and the positive impact it's had on both of your lives. Ryan is dedicated to understanding each dog's needs, and we're glad he could help Charlie so effectively. Your satisfaction means the world to us, and we appreciate your trust in Balanced Canine Academy!

Xtreme Jetski Watersports (Xtremejetskiwatersports) 2024.06.02

     

Such amazing people! The instructors training is top notch and out of this world. My German Shepard game in with aggression problems and now we no longer have a care in the world!! If your looking for a trainer who truly knows what he's going to this one. Two trainers before with no results.

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Abby McKinney 2024.03.26

     

Ryan was incredible with our two year old, EXTREMELY anxious and reactive springer spaniel. She was fearful of other dogs and most people, especially when on a leash. She also had horrible anxiety when we would go in the car. We did the four week board and train (he talked us through what would be best and said she would be fine with boarding or private lessons), we ultimately decided it would be best to board her so she could spend more time with other dogs and learn to play/at least be comfortable around other dogs. She also was bad on a leash and didn’t know many commands. After one month we got back a completely different version of our dog. She now loves other dogs, can tolerate car rides without shaking and trembling and understands when it’s time to focus on us when we are on walks/need her to listen to us. She can hold a down stay in a busy setting (cafe, brewery, mall) Walks well on a leash Doesn’t jump on people Doesn’t bark at people to dogs on a leash anymore Started to work on off leash recall and doing much better with this in public places like beach or park etc Big things to note: he has an outside area where all the dogs that are dog friendly are able to play together and socialize so your dog isn’t locked in a crate all day when they aren’t training He teaches you how to be successful and keep up with training after your dog is done He sends you pics/updates a couple times a week to let you know how things are progressing He understands that dogs are animals and he doesn’t just want to beat or scare “bad” behavior out of them-he takes his time and focuses on building trust with them and teaching them what he expect. This isn’t as common as you’d think Overall, we had the best experience with Ryan and would recommend him for dogs with any issues (he also trained my friends extremely aggressive husky). He has made my life and my pups life so much better 🫶🏻 Added some pics he sent us below to show what kind of updates we got

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2024.03.26

Thank you so much for this review and bringing Roo to us! If you need anymore help, let us know!

Tanece Miles 2024.02.11

     

I found their info on TikTok, and immediately came to the website. I completed the info and never received a callback. I completed it twice. I’m still looking for a training program for my dog.

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Reply from Balanced Canine Academy 2024.02.11

Good afternoon Tanece,

You submitted a contact form on my website on January 27th at 8:29am. You received a call from me that same day at 10:39am, just a little over 2 hours after you submitted that contact form and you did not answer the phone call as it only lasted 20 seconds.

I would greatly appreciate it if you’d delete this review as we did attempt to contact you.

Thank you,
Ryan Olson, Owner

Helene Roberts 2024.01.14

     

Ryan helped me to change my difficult dog Daisy into a well-behaved dog. She started as a highly leash-reactive, territorial, aggressive animal, and all of those negative behaviors have been turned around. People who knew Daisy before training say she is a different dog. She used to scare people and she caused a serious injury to me while I was walking her. I don’t have to worry about those things anymore. I am so appreciative of Ryan and his training technique. I thought it was really cool when we were walking three leash-reactive dogs at North Shore park and they were behaving perfectly. Thank you, Ryan.

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Hannah Randall 2024.01.13

     

Ryan has changed my dogs life. When I got chai 4 years ago I had no idea all the issues she came with. She was not house trained, leash trained, or socialized at all. She had a fear of people, over corrected other dogs, had severe separation anxiety, and resource guarded food and toys. After having had her for a year and doing a million google searches for training and trainers. I finally found Ryan. Even though I lived 5 hours away I wanted to get chai the best training I could. After a 4 week board and a 1 week refresher. She was a different, calmer, more confident dog. Ryan taught me how to handle her and continue the training. I am so grateful for the work he did for her and with chai and his inspiration I have decided to pursue and degree in animal science and behavior and train dogs as well.

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Darian Nelson 2023.11.09

     

Ryan was amazing with helping train my dog! I did the 4 weeks behavioral boot camp for my 1 year old gay poodle, Lestat. Due to separation anxiety I was unable to leave him home. It was to the point that I was starting to have arguments with my roommates as this was effecting the entire household. Now he's able to be left home alone without fear of my neighbors complaining about his screaming! Using the training and techniques Ryan gave I've been able to redirect him and improve our relationship. He's still crazy and obsessed with old male dogs so nothing about his personality changed, he's just more confident being alone and listens better to commands. On top of doing the training to help with his separation anxiety Lestat was treadmill trained as I struggle to walk him with my back injury! If anyone is lost and feels like other trainers just aren't working with your individual needs I can assure you Ryan would be a perfect fit. He kept me up to date on everything and made it a pleasant experience even for my dog.

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Jen Busciglio 2023.10.01

     

We used Ryan to rehab our dog who had major aggression/guarding issues. He spent 6 weeks with Ryan and the difference after his training is absolutely amazing. We still have some issues we are working thru but Ryan has given us the tools and training to better manage our dog. I would highly recommend him !

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keighla lalala 2023.05.26

     

Ryan and Balanced Canine Academy have worked wonders for Kashe, my husky-mix. He worked with Kashe on her energy, behavior, and commands- as well as training me to become an ideal dog owner for her. Their boarding for when we have out of town matters is always amazing and Kashe comes back to us better than we left her.

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Allison Chess 2023.04.09

     

I don't think I can truly communicate how impactful Ryan's training expertise was. Close to eviction from my community, due to my dog's separation anxiety and his reaction to golf carts and other dogs . Something that he's never encountered before, and was very reactive to. I had gotten him at 8 weeks old in the middle of the pandemic. It was just me and him and very little socialization. My dog was very strong and sometimes hard for me to control. Which only made it worse. I had him through another training program. But it didn't address the bad behaviors. Ryan saved us! I enrolled my dog in Ryan's 5 week training program, staying at Ryan's facility. Ryan had to be the disciplinarian that I couldn't be with my dog. He has the perseverance that I lacked. At weeks three and four of training, Ryan would come here to my community and train me in the new behaviors he taught my dog. Eventually the training ended and my sweet dog came home. I understood how critical was for me to follow up and hold my dog accountable to his training. We are a few months out now and I feel confident. My neighbors in my community approach me and comment on how well-behaved my dog is. Those that knew of the issues I was experiencing commented on how great his training was. And I couldn't agree more. Life is good for me and my pooch, thanks to Ryan and balanced canine academy!!

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