Hi! I’m Jay, owner of Balanced Canine. A lifelong dog lover, I took on my first rescue in 1992, a Battersea mongrel called Prince. Prince was underweight, nervous and withdrawn. Armed with food, love, patience and a hardback copy of Dr Roger Mugford's Casebook, I set about rehabilitating him. Happily, Prince bloomed into the most wonderful family dog. It was incredibly rewarding to see his confidence grow. He was so loving, and so loved. He helped me through my difficult teenage years and truly was my best friend until his passing at the ripe old age of 16. 

 

Many years and many rescues later, along came my biggest challenge (literally) to date. A three-year-old Caucasian Shepherd x St Bernard called Winston. Winston’s owner could no longer take care of him and was looking for an experienced pair of hands to take him on. I was working as a Kennels Volunteer at Happy Landings Animal Rescue at the time and a friend brought him to my attention, hoping I could help. Winston came home with me, and I soon realised the enormity of the challenge I’d taken on.  He was 52 kilos of pure reactivity. He would lunge towards anything that moved - dogs and people. And where Winston lunged, I followed. No head halter, harness or anything else was going to keep this guy in check. I soon realised that if he was going to have any quality of life with me, I’d have to find training methods that were different to those I’d used with any other rescue. So I went down a rabbit hole that led me to balanced dog training - a consequence-based training approach that's based on behavioural science and grounded in natural dog behaviour.

 

I spoke to trainers in person and online and took Winston through the excellent ‘Reactive to Off-Lead’ programme from Hamilton Dog Training. I trained Winston like it was my job - three times a day, every day. In three short months, Winson was a reformed character. Not only could I walk him easily on a lead (zero pulling, no harness required!) he was totally off-lead trained. I could take him into any environment with confidence. He was not only calmer and more stable, but a much happier dog too. I’d seen for myself the power of the balanced training approach and was eager to share my learning. I gained my Level 4 Advanced Diploma in Canine Behaviour from the British College of Canine Studies and continued to gain practical experience as a behaviourist and trainer. Before long, Balanced Canine was born. Thanks to Prince, Winston and the many incredible dogs that came in between, I’ve been able to turn my passion into my vocation. 

 

Whether you're struggling with reactivity, recall, pulling on the lead or more complex behavioural issues, my goal is to help you build a calmer, happier, more rewarding relationship with your dog. I'd love to help you and your dog enjoy the freedom and confidence you both deserve.