Meet the head trainer
Hello!
My name is Laura Collins and I am the creator and head trainer of The Balanced Lab. I have been working with dogs for over 10 years now and I continue to learn more about these amazing animals every day. This passion of mine started in 2007 when I found The Dog Whisperer show and became fascinated with Cesar Millan. This is when I was int
My name is Laura Collins and I am the creator and head trainer of The Balanced Lab. I have been working with dogs for over 10 years now and I continue to learn more about these amazing animals every day. This passion of mine started in 2007 when I found The Dog Whisperer show and became fascinated with Cesar Millan. This is when I was introduced to dog psychology and the importance of calm, confident leadership and energy. I started applying what I was learning onto my family dog and saw results right away. I became a regular volunteer at my local dog shelter before I got my first paying job. Over the years I have worked at various kennel/boarding & training facilities working with 30+ dogs at a time. I was the head dog handler at a huge 60-acre ranch and I was responsible for teaching other employee's the importance of canine body language, pack energy & dog psychology. I am constantly learning and growing as a trainer by attending workshops, seminars, online classes and following the work of some of the best trainers in the industry. A few years ago, I decided to invest in some further training and completed a shadow program with the head trainer of The Structured Canine. This program taught me the principles of remote collar training & other balanced training methods. I also had an opportunity to shadow an extremely skilled dog trainer, Todd Langston, this past year. It is my personal mission to combine modern day e-collar training with a big emphasis on dog psychology. Speaking the language of Dog is my personal skill set and I want to empower owners to learn the same language!
Meet Dexter
Say Hello to the true face behind The Balanced Lab. Dexter is a 8 year old black labrador retriever who was raised in the guide dog puppy program but unfortunately failed the program due to behaviour issues. When my first foster puppy graduated I was eager to find a dog of my own and I knew I wanted another labrador. Within a few months o
Say Hello to the true face behind The Balanced Lab. Dexter is a 8 year old black labrador retriever who was raised in the guide dog puppy program but unfortunately failed the program due to behaviour issues. When my first foster puppy graduated I was eager to find a dog of my own and I knew I wanted another labrador. Within a few months of searching, Dexter kind of fell into my lap and I knew I wanted to adopt him as soon as I met him. He was a classic labrador; goofy, playful, sociable & hilariously clumsy; but I knew if I wanted him to be the dog of my dreams, he would need to be properly trained. After 2 years of owning him and getting past 80% of his behaviour issues, it wasn't until I was introduced to e-collar training that he really started to become the dog I always wanted. Today, Dexter is fully off-leash trained, he has perfect recall, house manners, car manners and an overall respect for his human handlers (myself and my boyfriend Josh). Taking Dexter's training more seriously is the reason The Balanced Lab exists today. I wanted to give owners the same joy I have that comes with owning a dog that not only loves you, but also trusts and respects you.
Meet zoe
Zoe is our newest team member. She is a 2 year old labrador retriever and her training journey started off very young. Zoe is fully on and off leash trained and she is also everyone’s favourite social butterfly. Zoe helps nervous dogs come out of their shells and keeps everyone entertained 24/7.