Dog Training Testimonials in Hamilton, Norfolk County and Surrounding Areas

“Katherine at The Crunchy Canine is great! She understands that every dog is different and not all dogs are cuddly balls of fur.

Our rescue dog Lexi responded to her very well. She is not the most accepting of new people or other dogs in certain situations.

We were given tools and instructions that suit her personality and needs.”

Kristen with Lexi

Rosemary contacted us because Maggie, her 5-year-old Cairn Terrier, was so reactive towards vehicles that people had made comments suggesting Maggie should be put down, as she appeared extremely aggressive.

About a month after training, we received this update from her owner:

“Maggie is doing very well, and we haven’t had a ‘blow up’ since you finished her training.

I can see that she still tenses up, but all I need to say is ‘It’s just a car Maggie’ and she relaxes and looks for her treat.

Thank you so much again Katherine, you’ve made my excursions out with Maggie so much more pleasant, and I can enjoy her so much more.”

Rosemary with Maggie, Cairn Terrier

Ashley contacted us for help with her young Boxer, Bowie. He was the definition of an out-of-control dog—jumping on guests, mouthing, pawing for attention, extreme leash pulling, and no manners.

Over 6 weeks, we taught Bowie what was expected of him so he didn’t need to be crated all the time and could actually enjoy walks.

Before our final session, we received this update:

“Last night I had work friends over and they had never met Bowie before. He was very excited, but instead of jumping all over them he stayed down and was still his loveable self.

Usually he sniffs around, knocks things over, and tries to eat everything. Instead, he lay down next to my chair the entire time. When my friends called him, he walked over calmly and let them pet him without mouthing or getting overly excited.

We had NO accidents and he got MANY compliments on how well behaved he is. I didn’t feel the need to crate him, which usually happens when we have guests. I wanted to cry!”

Ashley with Bowie in Hamilton

If your dog sounds like Bowie, we can help you build the same kind of calm behaviour at home.

Jennie and Curtis came to us for help with Jax, whose fear was so severe he would almost refuse to go for walks. Even when they managed to get him outside, he was terrified of everything.

We worked on building his confidence and addressing his reactivity toward other dogs. He is still a work in progress but coming along nicely.

“I have a very nervous dog who wouldn’t even leave the house and would react aggressively to other dogs.

Katherine has taught all of us how to deal with many situations and he is now more confident in his day-to-day life.

It will be a long road for him but he has improved a ton. Thank you for everything Katherine!! So helpful and always quick to help us if we had questions.”

Jennie with Jax and Hudson, Binbrook, Ontario

Black Lab mix training in Binbrook

Meaghan contacted us for help with Bear’s jumping on guests, separation anxiety, and overall obedience training.

Bear is now reliable off leash, no longer jumping on people, and doing much better with his separation anxiety.

“Bear needed a lot more structure and consistency than I initially understood due to my own lack of experience with anxiety-based behaviour challenges.

Katherine helped me understand that Bear is different, so I couldn’t expect him to learn the same way as other dogs.

Once we figured out what worked for him, he became a much more confident and well-balanced dog, and we are both much happier for it.

He has turned into an obedience machine—so reliable and awesome all around.

He always had it in him, I just had to learn how to access it, and I definitely could not have done it without Katherine’s help!”

Meaghan with Bear, Burlington, Ontario

Shirley contacted us for help with Dexter’s barking in the apartment, reactivity toward dogs, and intense prey drive.

We focused on desensitizing Dexter to noises in the building, teaching him how to walk past dogs without barking and spinning, and how to manage his prey drive so he can walk calmly without overreacting to small animals.

“What I thought was a barking problem has turned into a dog that just needed a little guidance and leadership from me to understand I am here to protect him.

Dexter was a little disruptive to our apartment neighbours, so we worked on building our relationship so that he can be less anxious with all the noises.

Katherine also worked with me on ‘critters’ and teaching Dexter distraction techniques to help him handle high-energy situations.

I feel much more confident now when we are walking that I can handle any situation without getting into the dreaded red zone.

Katherine is flexible, down to earth, relatable, and knowledgeable. She teaches practical exercises that are simple to follow.

I am sad our sessions are coming to an end, but I look forward to continuing training through Canines In Balance. I definitely plan to do more training.”

Shirley with Dexter, Burlington, Ontario

Megan and Larry contacted us to help with their two female littermate Bulldogs, Jo and Lucy, who were reactive on leash and showing unwanted behaviours at home that were causing fights between them.

Training is ongoing for Jo and Lucy as they continue learning how to better get along in the home, but since starting training, their fights have gone from weekly to very rare.

“I just wanted to say thank you so very much for all your help with the girls!

I was very nervous about moving to a busier neighbourhood and having to walk them, but they have been amazing on walks.

I had both dogs out and accidentally walked through Gage Park when the holiday train was there. There were hundreds of people, dogs, and loud noises, and they were great!

The other night I had both dogs out again by myself for a walk. We passed 12+ dogs and didn’t have one outburst, growl, or pull.

We actually have the better-trained dogs in our new neighbourhood. It feels so good to be able to walk them and not feel nervous or stressed!”

Meaghan with Jo and Lucy in Dundas, Ontario

Thanks for making me want to take my dog out in public again!

Marlene contacted us for help with her two dogs, primarily Moxxie, her 3-year-old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel mix.

Moxxie was dealing with intense anxiety, which caused excessive barking and made her struggle whenever her environment changed. It reached the point where Marlene couldn’t comfortably walk her, and Moxxie’s behaviour was creating stress at home.

We worked on teaching Moxxie how to calm down, providing structure and boundaries, and helping her become more confident in stressful situations.

After training, Marlene shared this update:

“Just wanted to let you know about the awesome walk we had today. Moxxie is doing good. We met two dogs on the sidewalk and moved over as much as I could, but the other dogs were on long leashes. Moxxie let the other dog come right up to her and she didn’t even freak out. We just kept walking.

Later, two dogs were barking at us through a fence. One bark and I gave her a little pull on the collar. She stopped just like that and kept right walking.

We also did some sitting on the bench downtown. She sat down even before Dante.

Thanks again for making me want to take my dog out in public again.”

Marlene later shared another update:

“I actually took Moxxie into the pet store this morning. The last time I took her she was just crazy. I still can’t believe how good she was.

She waited at the door before we entered, then we did a walk around the store. No pulling or jumping on my legs, just a nice calm walk around.”

Marlene with Moxxie in Grimsby, Ontario

“Highly recommend Katherine at The Crunchy Canine.

We have a 3.5-year-old Aussiedoodle who was very hyper and struggled with separation anxiety. While she is a very friendly and loving dog, she did not respect boundaries.

We were not able to leave or enter the house without her screaming and jumping at the door. Taking her in the car was difficult because she would not sit still, and walking her was a challenge because she did not walk nicely on a leash.

There were many areas of her behaviour that desperately needed improvement, so we contacted Katherine and started 8 training sessions.

She suggested remote collar training and off-leash training as well. I didn’t initially see the point of off-leash training because I thought most of her issues were inside the house, but I now understand how everything was connected.

Katherine is extremely good at understanding each dog, their personality, and what works best for each family.

After 8 weeks, our dog is happier, healthier, and more relaxed. She was quite the challenge, but we can honestly say she has changed for the better.

She is now a big part of our everyday activities, and we love being able to have her around small children and outdoors whenever we are.

Thank you Katherine for your knowledge and support!”

Amanda with Layla in Hamilton, Ontario