The long version: We adopted a very timid, quiet pup at the beginning of October who, once he'd settled in, turned into a smart, energetic, stubborn and barking pup. That wasn't an option as we live in an apartment with WFH neighbors and going potty means walks around town with lots of other dogs. Overwhelmed, I started googling and found so many 5* reviews for Meryl from Bay Area Balanced Dog training. After a very thorough phone consultation where she took the time to talk about her process/our options and answer our many questions/concerns (we were nervous/uninformed about ecollars), we opted to do a 4 week board and train with a few private lessons beforehand. It was more than I had budgeted, but I was upfront about that, and she worked with us on a payment plan leading up to his stay. The private lessons were so helpful, and I highly recommend doing that before your dog's stay. So much about his good behavior relied on me being a good handler. This practice was also like a bandaid before his training, seriously reducing my stress on our daily outings, and made the transition after his stay easy as I already knew the basics of how to ask him for what I expected in a way he understood/had learned with the trainer. The board and train itself was easy, though be aware there's some additional cost to supply all the tools pup will need during his training. That was rough for me at Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, she was happy to keep and train him during the holidays when we would be traveling anyway. Very convenient and saved me additional boarding bills. She provided lots of daily video and picture updates on Instagram which was nice/really lessened my guilt about leaving him with someone for four weeks. He came home the same happy, sweet dog we'd sent away, except now he can walk nicely on a leash without barking his head off at every animal he sees. She also worked on recall training which is such a relief for a high energy dog I just know would chase a bear on a hike as off leash skills are really important to me in a dog. We work daily on everything he's learned and he loves it so much. It's a lot of money for what was an average dog with average bad behaviors, but we really believe that starting your dog off on the right path with the best guidance is the way to ensure a healthy, happy, safe dog. We went on our first hike just a few days ago, and after all that practice, he got to experiment with being fully off leash. He listened to every command, every time, even when there were tempting birds. I want to have a dog that is as fully involved in my family's life as possible, and now that we both have these skills, I know with consistency and practice, that's what I'll get. Tldr: The board and train is expensive, but you get what you pay for. Highly recommend. It truly saved my sanity. read more

I cannot recommend Bay Area Balanced Dog Training and Meryl enough! In November of 2023 my husband and I adopted our adorable 3-year-old Pitbull-mix, Midnight, from our local shelter. Unfortunately, pretty much everything the shelter told us in regards to his behaviors/needs was incorrect. For example: he was over-aroused all day every day, had lots of destructive behaviors with our furniture/household items, did not respond to verbal commands/corrections, jumped on us and on top of tables/counters frequently, had zoomies where he would body slam us and progressively get more aggressive, tried to run full force after any dog/cat/squirrel/bird we saw on walks, tried to redirect bite me on walks and landed one of them (which broke my skin), frequently ate inedible things (like leaves and cat poop - yuck!) no matter how hard we tried to prevent him from doing so, and landed a bite that broke the skin on my husband's hand too when he was resource guarding a treat-stuffed toy. My husband and I have owned and trained pet dogs in the past, but Midnight's behaviors/needs were at a level that was way over our heads. After six weeks of trying to work with Midnight on our own, we were beside ourselves from trying to figure out how to safely meet his needs and began to fear that we may have to try to rehome him or bring him back to the shelter, which we desperately didn't want to do. So, I did some research and found Bay Area Balanced Dog Training's website. I reached out to Meryl and from our first phone conversation she put me at ease and began educating my husband and I about Midnight's behavior and needs. Midnight did a 4-week board and train program with Meryl, during which time she continued to educate my husband and I on how we could be the best owners possible for our energetic, willful pup. When Midnight came back home with us, he and we were finally speaking the same language and understood each other so much better, all because of Meryl's training. My household is peaceful again, Midnight is so much happier/content, and we have been able to bond with him in a much deeper way than we were able to before. Walks are a dream (he even ignores cats now!), my husband and I are doing a much better job of properly taking care of Midnight's activity/energy needs, and we feel certain since Meryl's training that we are a good fit for him and he is a good fit for us. Our little family is going to be just fine, due to the gift of Meryl's expertise and skill. Although things are going so well with Midnight, I still worried about who would take care of him if we have to go out of town and can't take him with us, due to his unique behavioral needs. Meryl boarded him for a week for us recently and Midnight had the best time! The little videos Meryl sent us of how he was doing erased any worries I still had in the back of my mind about him, and I felt so much relief knowing that Midnight was being cared for so well with so much love. Another time we needed to board Midnight was last-minute, and unfortunately Meryl was all booked up and didn't have space at that time. Meryl went above and beyond in suggesting another skilled trainer that she knows well that had space during the time we would be away - that boarding experience was great too, and Meryl was spot-on in regards to the other trainer being a great boarding fit for Midnight. Meryl has been an absolute blessing for Midnight, my husband and me. We look forward to taking more lessons from her in the future and feel lucky to have her support and expertise in our corner. Please, if you find yourselves in a situation even somewhat like ours, don't hesitate to reach out to Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - it'll be the best call you can make for you and your dog. read more

Everything in my first review still rings true, but I want to provide an update of my experience working with Meryl since Deuce's initial Board & Train program in late 2021. Since his first program with Meryl, Deuce has spent time with her for boarding (an option to past clients if there is space available) while I've been out of town and he recently finished a short Board & Train Refresher program. For the most part I've been able to stay really consistent with Deuce's initial training and walks with him are the best and most enjoyable part of my day (the opposite was true prior to his training with Meryl), but I'm really happy that we went through with the refresher program. Meryl was able to spot a couple areas that we could tidy up. I truly appreciate and trust Meryl's professional expertise. She will ask questions, provide her observations, and give you the explanation as to why small specific behaviors you may not have even realized were occurring could manifest into other problem behaviors if not paid attention to and worked on. She will obviously also teach you how to work on improving those specific behaviors. I'll always be grateful to Meryl for giving me the skills to train with my dog and in turn build our dog/owner relationship and enjoy public outings with the peace of mind that comes with knowing I can safely manage his behavior around other dogs. Deuce honestly does so well on our daily walks that I'm frequently complimented for how well behaved he is which makes me beam with pride since it's so far from our starting point when we were harassed in the neighborhood for his serious dog reactive behavior. read more

TL;DR: Meryl has made a huge difference in both our and our pet's life. We went from having an anxious, reactive dog that we couldn't take anywhere, to a happy, engaged pup that we can confidently walk around lots of other dogs. We loved working with Meryl because of how honest, professional, and effective she is. The long story: Before working with Meryl, our adopted 5yo pit/sharpei/chihuahua Piper was really reactive to other dogs to the point where walking her basically involved running from car to car and hiding behind them when other dogs went by; she would lunge and bark and make a huge scene. We tried a group class and even worked with another trainer 1:1, but did not see any lasting change until we started working with Meryl. Through lessons and a board/train, Meryl introduced us to the proper equipment that worked for Piper and taught us how we could use it effectively to manage her reactivity. The board and train process was very organized and efficient. We had a clear checklist of what to do/bring beforehand, and Meryl provided updates with photo/video right on schedule every time. While Piper's reactivity was the main thing we wanted to work on, as an added bonus Meryl also helped Piper learn how to stay calm while getting her nails trimmed (something I had been working on unsuccessfully on my own for months), really improved her recall, and got Piper comfortable wearing a muzzle when needed. I cannot emphasize enough how big of a change we have seen in Piper. She is a completely different dog that is engaged with us on walks, and stays calm even with many other dogs around. Meryl's balanced approach to training is so effective and allowed me to feel so much more confident in handling our dog. Owners have to put in the work as well as the dog, and I appreciated how direct and realistic Meryl was with us. She is so knowledgeable, is fantastic to work with, and clearly loves what she does - anyone looking for help with their dog would be lucky to work with her! read more

Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - Piper paying attention in a new location/environment - Pet Training Near Me

Meryl is amazing!!! We have a 3-year-old Aussiedoodle who is super alert, anxious, and has exhibited some reactive behaviors toward other dogs in the past. Determined to nip those bad behaviors in the bud, we signed up for a fear aggression course based on only positive reinforcement, which did absolutely nothing but confuse all of us. Why are we throwing treats on the ground and walking in circles?! How will we ever take an actual walk? What if dogs are coming from both directions? We knew we had to find something better- enter MERYL! From the minute you meet Meryl, you know she means business (everyone, dog and humans included) and she knows her stuff. We saw improvements after one session with new gear (replaced harness with prong and e-collars). After 5 sessions, our pup no longer pulls on walks, and can walk past multiple reactive dogs without exhibiting any concerning behaviors. He can even walk on crowded paths, which is something we never thought he'd be able to do! He also no longer barks excessively at noises, and actually stops barking when told, "Quiet." Mind. Blown. A couple recommendations before working with Meryl: - Have realistic expectations about where you'd like your pup to be. Jackson is anxious. Will he ever want to go to a farmers market? No. Should he be able to walk down a relatively quiet street. Yes. - Get their food drive up. Meryl likes a dog to work for their food, not treats. We never really got there which was okay, but it definitely helps her do her best work if your dog is hungry for their food. THIS WOMAN IS WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! read more

Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - Jackson on the right, walking next to (!!) our friend's dog! Never thought we'd see this day! - Pet Training Near Me

Meryl is an exceptional professional -- from the first interview with a client to the follow ups after the program. She is a subject matter expert, but more importantly, she's curious about your dog and asks lots of questions. I'd met with other dog trainers, worked with one or two as well, who were prescriptive in their training - but every dog has a unique set of experiences and qualities and I didn't feel that my lab-pit mix (under 2) was really learning with other trainers. The opposite is true for the board & train program that we did with Meryl. My dog had reactivity issues, leash pulling, and was overall just a high-energy 58lb chaos being. Our goal was to give her skills to help channel that energy into positive behaviors and help her be more responsive in off-leash conditions. She gave us homework before drop-off (I had ~8 week lead from committing to the program before I dropped Muffin off.) She demoed loose leash walking, heel position, and place command, and let me take videos of her doing it for reference. Even after that first evaluation, her training helped me set Muffin up for success in the program. After the 5week B&T, Muffin was still her same happy self, but was more confident and attentive during walks, and everyone comments on the difference between pre-Meryl Muffin and post-Meryl Muffin. She was always a good dog, now she's the best. And I'm a better owner, thanks to Meryl's honest and clear feedback! I'll also just say this, Meryl might be Muffin's favorite person. No better review than a dog who can't get enough of her trainer! I try not to take it personally. read more

TL;DR: Meryl saved us and our dog! I'm thankful for her every day and her impact on our family has been transformative. She's an incredible trainer and a true professional. Because of Meryl, our dog is happier, healthier, and safer, and we live more peaceful lives. If you're lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with Meryl, take it! Our Story: We have a male Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (Arlo) with generalized high anxiety. He is an incredibly sweet and very intelligent boy, but his temperament makes it difficult for him to remain calm and focused around other dogs, people, and sometimes in very basic and routine situations. From the day we brought Arlo home at 8 weeks old, we noticed that he seemed nervous nearly all the time. His vet also noted at his first puppy exam that he had an anxious demeanor. To socialize him and help with the nervousness, we immediately enrolled Arlo in puppy socials, hired trainers for private lessons and group classes, and took him to as many new places as we could. We did this for months and his anxiety and reactivity slowly got worse. Trainers would ultimately "pass" Arlo through their classes and programs, we believe, because they recognized him to be a difficult case and they weren't equipped, or interested, to engage with him further. Arlo was able to be very obedient when in the right state of mind, but so quickly he'd become overly anxious and high-strung to the point that he was overwhelmed and impossible to train. He also started to display significant gastrointestinal issues and food sensitivities, which meant almost all training treats were off-limits. As Arlo grew to 120 pounds, managing his anxiety and reactivity became a true test of mental and physical strength, and we simply didn't have the experience to know what to do. We felt hopeless and very alone, and we could see the frustration in Arlo climbing. We were desperately scouring the internet one day for someone that could help us, and found Bay Area Balanced Dog Training. We read everything we could about Meryl that day. It was clear that she has extensive experience with working dog breeds, difficult behavioral cases, and has worked with Swissys before (see the "Cali" review below). It was also clear that she's incredibly passionate about what she does and executes with a tremendous amount of thoughtfulness and intention. Meryl was one of the few trainers who didn't start off by making us feel inadequate or doing a "shock and awe" bit where they show you that THEY can make your dog behave. What she did show us was that she could establish a strong working connection with both us and our dog and communicate in a way that is constructive for all involved. She immediately demonstrated that she cares about Arlo and us. She asked questions about our experiences with him, listened intently, and paid close attention to his stress signals and his specific reactions to situations. Arlo completed a 5-week Board and Train program with Meryl and we continue private sessions with her. Our lives are forever changed. With Meryl's guidance and support, we've laid a new foundation and maintained the right structure for Arlo to condition behaviors that lead to a calmer state of mind. We've learned how to be Arlo's advocates so he continues having positive and safe experiences that he can trust. We now take him for enjoyable walks multiple times a day, have safe interactions with people, and our house is calmer. Arlo's physical health has also improved as his controlled anxiety and stress levels have led to fewer gastrointestinal flare ups (now officially diagnosed as Inflammatory Bowel Disease). Our work with Arlo will never be done, but our days with him are now rewarding and fun and we have a much better understanding of how to help him and ourselves. We wish Meryl had been our first call when we brought our sweet boy home two years ago. Despite our best efforts, we didn't know how to properly socialize and train an anxious dog and were very likely flooding him with experiences that made things worse over time. We're thrilled to know Meryl and will continue to work with her for as long as we can. read more

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I reached out to Meryl after a co-worker recommended her to me after their successful experience and I cannot say enough wonderful things! I appreciate how direct she is - she knows what she's doing and and helped me understand realistic expectations that were unique for both me and my staffy mix, India.  The behavior issue of my dog I came to Meryl for was primarily leash reactivity with other dogs which she was able to quickly correct while helping me understand the "why" behind the behavior. We were also able to implement so many more commands and desired behaviors such as heel, off leash recall, and cleaned up India's manners overall. I had never worked with a remote collar before, and Meryl was really patient explaining everything so I felt more comfortable using it on my own. I think my biggest take away was learning the importance of engagement and seeing firsthand how establishing that with my dog has helped her essentially choose me over anything that would have previously created unwanted behaviors. So many more doors have opened up for me and my dog to enjoy life together and I would tell anyone looking to improve the relationship with their dog that has behavior concerns to contact Meryl ASAP. India and I can't thank her enough! read more

Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - Taking a break during an off leash stroll :) - Pet Training Near Me

We completed a board and train with trainer Meryl in early November 2019 and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for anything from small training refinements to resolving major issues. Our one year old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Cali, while sweet and loving, was in serious need of help. Her behavior on leash as well as her extreme anxiety in high traffic places like city streets or playgrounds was making it hard to bring her out with us. The more she stayed home, the more unhappy and anxious she became. She is a working breed and was completely bored. My husband and I have always had big dogs and have handled training ourselves successfully, but we knew with Cali we needed professional help to get her back on track. Cali stayed with Meryl for a 2 week board and train, and we followed up with a few additional sessions. Cali came back a completely new dog. Still the same sweet, loving nature, but relaxed, focused and confident. Meryl taught us how to better work with Cali and set us up for long term success. We can now bring Cali anywhere, malls, playgrounds, busy sidewalks, and she will remain under voice control the entire time. She can calmly and happily take part in all of our family activities - and that is what we wanted from our family dog, a companion to join us on our everyday adventures. I bring Cali hiking several times a week now. I am completely confident in her off leash recall, her ability to heel even with distractions on the trail. Even on close encounters with coyotes, we can keep Cali safely under voice control out hiking. Cali has become the dog she was meant to be and is so much happier now. We are exciting that with the amazing foundation Meryl built, we can continue layering in new skills for Cali to keep her adventuring with us wherever we go. read more

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I can't express how incredibly grateful I am for Meryl's assistance in training our corgi, Artoo. My husband and I used to try avoiding other dogs as much as possible because Artoo would just bark and lunge at any dog within sight. We scheduled private training sessions with Meryl, and it was incredible to see how his behavior changed in just the first session. She taught us how to pick up on Artoo's visual cues/reactions and what actions to take next to correct his behaviors. She also gave in-depth explanations on how to utilize both physical tools and verbal commands to effectively communicate with him and instill good habits/behaviors. Artoo went from being a terror on walks to being complimented by others for being such a good boy! All thanks to Meryl and her expert coaching, this experience has been lifechanging for us and our pup. We look forward to continuing our training at home and reaching out for future board and train to keep Artoo in tip-top shape! read more

At about 18 months of age, we decided we needed professional help with our adopted coated German Shepherd, Linus. A great temperament from the get go, he was surprisingly reactive on leash, fence-fighting other dogs, going after crows and squirrels and cats. Twice he pulled down my wife on walks. Then we decided to add a baby to the mix. That's a lot of stress for a dog we love in an environment he didn't exactly ask for. A quick internet search and a call to Meryl, and we never looked back. Right away, she wasted no time setting our expectations and recalibrating our mindset. There are dog lovers for whom their dogs are people and there are no boundaries. There are dog lovers who understand and respect the human-dog boundary and work with and appreciate their canines within that structure. We were the former. Meryl, I think, is the latter, and we've come to see that as the healthier approach - for dog and human. We so appreciate her no-bull!@#& approach, her professionalism, her responsiveness, organization, and above all, her care for the animals with whom she works. And then there is, possibly most importantly, the training of her clients' humans. We're still a work in progress, but Linus did excellently. Linus boarded with Meryl for six weeks with a focus on leash reactivity, recall, confidence building, and basic obedience. It was a hard six weeks to be separated, but when he came back, he checked all the boxes. Meryl showed us how to use equipment like e-collars and prong collars safely and effectively, how to structure our lives and Linus's environment to set him up to succeed, and was not shy about giving us homework and showing us our shortcomings as owners/ handlers. Every day, from now to forever, is training. And Linus is aloof from other dogs and distractions on walks, responds to commands, is comfortable in his "place" and his crate, heels like a dream, is food-motivated, and generally more comfortable in his own skin. And we are somewhat more confident and competent handlers. We will hopefully get to work with Meryl again in the future as Linus grows and matures - Meryl is invested in the long term health and well being of her students. We would recommend Meryl and Bay Area Balanced Dog to anyone invested in their canine companion - it's an investment that will reap benefits for a lifetime. read more

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This review is long overdue!!!!!!! I found Meryl via instagram and began following her and the biz insta. I was already following an account of a prev board & train with her and was completely draw to the success it had on the dog and handler. After my dog Domino's first board & train was a nightmare, I was a bit hesistant to send him off with another trainer. Domino had been sent to the other biz for 2 weeks for reactivity and was going to be conditioned to an ecollar. When he came back, Domino was now redirecting on us and the reactivity seemed worse. We went back to the drawing board for a year and I did my best to figure other ways to train and help. I gave up and decided to look for help again. Reaching out to Meryl was the BEST decision I ever made. (I should've done it sooner!) After my initial phone conversation with her, I felt like this was going to be a good thing, she was honest and I felt that she really listened. So we decided to move forward, Domino was going to do a B&T for 4 weeks. I was so nervous and probs had more seperation anxiety than he did about it. Off he went, I was always looking forward to getting the twice a week updates, posts, and stories on instagram. I've kept them all. I loved seeing his progress! 4 weeks passed quick. The go home session was here FINALLY! But i knew Meryl was going to set me up to continue the work with him. I was so happy and grateful, Domino was happy and willing to work and so much more engaged. My turn came around and we came across me having to handle him super close to another dog. Dont get me wrong it was nerve racking BUT we did it. Meryl walked me through it and I swear I wanted to cry. Since then we've had a follow up session that Domino did great with. Not only did Meryl help Domino with reconditioning the ecollar and working with him with his reactivity. But she helped ME! I know feel more confident, I hold myself accountable and make sure I dedicate time to train and enjoy my time with Domino. Domino is loving it! If you are looking for help with training your dog or puppy, I totally recommend contacting her! Thank you again, Meryl and BayArea Balanced Dogs!!! I cannot thank you enough! read more

TLDR: Doing a board and train with Meryl was the best decision we've made to improve the quality of life for us and our dog. Meryl is an incredibly professional, dedicated, and experienced trainer. On top of that you can tell she truly cares about the dogs she trains. If you are having behavioral issues with your dog and are out of your depth, I highly recommend asking her for help. Our rescue border collie mix, Peanut, struggled with the chaotic environment of city living, and the lack of personal boundaries from both people and dogs made life difficult. Like many other reactive dog owners we exhausted all of our options trying to minimize his reactivity triggers: walks very early in the morning or late at night, taking side alleys to avoid the crowds, and crisscrossing the street any time we saw another dog coming our way. However, completely avoiding the stressors of everyday life was untenable and not a realistic way to live. We needed to teach our dog to cope with the stress of the real world so that he could live the fulfilling outdoor life a border collie deserves. We had strict criteria when looking for a balanced trainer, and Meryl checked all of the boxes: 1) Someone who only works with a small group of dogs at a time. We didn't want our dog competing with 15 other dogs for training time and cycling through different trainers who we've never met, which is what you might get at a big or franchised board and train operation. She treats your dog as her own, which was important to us. 2) Someone with extensive experience training dogs with behavioral issues and results to back it up. Meryl has an educational background in Animal Science and many years of hands-on experience training her own competitive working dogs and client dogs with serious behavioral issues. We specifically wanted a balanced trainer, but what gave us hesitation was the difficulty of finding a trainer who we could trust to properly use the e-collar with our dog. We specifically asked Meryl what her method is regarding e-collar training and in response she wrote us a detailed breakdown of her overall balanced training philosophy and walked us through how she gradually conditions a dog to an e-collar over time through layering. There are no "instant results" when it comes to e-collars and you should be wary of any trainer promising you that. Meryl puts in the time and effort to ensure that the dog understands the meaning of the e-collar and how to make the correct choice when it is being used -- that's how you know she actually cares about your dog and doing it the right way. One of the things we appreciate about Meryl is that she was honest and realistic about expectations before we committed to a board and train. You cannot eliminate a dog's behavioral instincts that are inherent to its breed. Our border collie is never going to become a golden retriever-like social butterfly who loves meeting every dog and stranger that walks up to him on the street, and expecting this as an outcome of training would be unrealistic. However, a feasible goal for our dog was to be able to ignore other dogs and people on the street while walking on a loose leash. Our dog spent 5 weeks with Meryl. During that time she helped him build confidence that he didn't have before and gave him the foundation he needs to deal with the stressors that used to trigger his reactivity. At our midway session she taught us how to use the prong collar to walk in a proper heel position and how to use the e-collar to correct any escalating behavior before it lead to reactivity. She provided lots of useful feedback on our handling which helped us see what we needed to improve on. The details she pointed out in-person (i.e. the importance of accurately timing verbal markers, when to reward/praise, when to correct, body language to look out for, etc.) are things we never would have seen by ourselves due to our inexperience; these critiques made us much better handlers. At our go-home session we were able to confidently walk past lots of oncoming dogs on a path at a crowded public park, which is something that used to be impossible. You will have to make serious structural changes to your daily life and relationship with your dog post-board and train, but if you commit to it your lives will be much better. The board and train was a game changer for us -- we really cannot recommend Meryl enough. PS: Meryl gives pre-board and train homework. If you want to get the most out of your investment you have to be diligent about doing the homework. She gives updates once a week on Sundays via email. It usually takes her a couple of days to respond to any questions but there's no need to follow up, she always gets back to you -- remember that she is not only taking care of your dog, but also her own dogs, several other board and trains, meeting with prospective clients, and doing private lessons, so it's understandable that it takes time to respond. read more

Meryl has helped me so much with my golden retriever! I have worked with her for over a year solidifying his tasks (as he is a service dog) and essential skills such as his heel. She explains everything so clearly and outlines what steps we can work on after each session to reach our goals! However the thing she most helped us with is identifying how I can change my lifestyle and have a better overall relationship with my dog! Following a car accident, my dog became too nervous to go into a car again, and I thought his working career was over as I assumed he may never be comfortable in the car again. Meryl helped us identify that it wasn't that he was scared of the car, but he had built up too much anxiety around it for other reasons and once we were able to address those with more structure and lifestyle changes, we were able to see changes almost immediately! He now jumps into the car without me having to drag him in each time! She has also helped my parents with their leash reactive dog! They were having trouble walking him around the neighborhood and she helped us figure out how to communicate with him and better understand him a little more. She explained everything very clearly to my parents who have never worked with a dog trainer before!! read more

Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me

I reached out to Meryl in 2019 when I was proofing obedience with the e-collar for my 1 year old Weimaraner. Meryl taught me how to be confident as a trainer and build a lasting and engaging bond with my dog! Now a year later my dog is confident, happy to work, and we get complimented almost everywhere we go!! I cannot recommend Meryl enough, if you're at all hesitant DO IT!!! read more

Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - Dog - Pet Training Near Me

Meryl is a amazing trainer that really takes the time to understand you and your dogs needs. She was instrumental in helping us build a great relationship with our boy Luka. He recently did a board & train to focus on his recall and we couldn't have asked for better results! We will continue to use Meryl and Bay Area balances dog training for all of our needs. If you are looking for a great trainer with lots of experience and knowledge give them a call! read more

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I've never been able to recommend a dog trainer until I met Meryl. I've had dogs my whole life. Over 50 years. I started with rescues & have bred, showed & have as family pets now beautiful pedigree standard poodles. About 2 years ago, during Covid, I had been wanting to breed my champion poodle to a specific poodle show dog. My wish finally came true & I had beautiful poodle puppies. All went to their perspective homes. Due to Covid, one future owner was in Canada & the border was closed to ship or drive a dog across the border. I kept my male poodle puppy & his sister & one of the puppies that went to a show home decided she didn't like being a show dog. So I took her back. Now I had 5 standard poodles. 3 poodle puppy litter mates! Oh my! I work full time with 3 out of control poodle puppies. I finally reached out to Meryl, but the damage had been done. Almost no training, no respect & mayhem at home. Never have more than one puppy at a time! That has always been my motto. If it wasn't for Meryl I would be lost. She trained me & then she trained the poodles. I can honestly say Meryl saved me & my dogs. I am eternally grateful to Meryl & her training techniques & her dog whisper ways. Meryl, you simply are "The Best". read more

Meryl is amazing. I have worked with her with my two German Shepherd mix rescues. I moved to Southern California and am driving back to the Bay Area every two weeks with my newest dog because I don't trust anyone else after working with her. My two dogs are so different but the results have been the same. I feel much less stressed and more confident now. She is very transparent and direct and obviously loves what she does. She cares about her clients and is always available if I have any questions read more

Meryl is a tremendous master at her craft. I am not exaggerating that I almost filed for divorce over a dog we adopted 2 years ago that ended up with intolerable issues that made my life extremely stressful. I was miserable since I had worked at training our dog for 2 years but he only got worse. Fortunately, after my husband did extensive research, he chose Meryl Cohen with Bay Area Balanced Dog Training. Meryl saved our dog from being relinquished back to his foster mom. After a month's board and train program, we didn't even recognize our dog because he was so well behaved, calm, engaging and overall a very happy and loving dog. Prior to Meryl's training, not only could we never take him out for even a walk, he continued to bolt out the door if we didn't catch him, whined and screamed and jumped at door handles if I didn't accommodate his whims; while also destroying furniture and refusing to do his "business" outside. Now, I take him everywhere with me as we calmly walk by dogs pulling and barking to get to us. Now, we don't have time for any of that. Yay! We have no issues at home anymore as we continue to do our homework to make sure our dog never goes back to being so unhappy and insuring that we follow our training as well. I highly recommend Meryl and feel she's worth her weight in gold! read more

Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me

Meryl is an incredible dog trainer. 100% would recommend her if you need help training your dog. She has been training my dog for the last couple years. We started with private lessons, and more recently he went to a board and train with Meryl for reactivity issues and anxiety issues at the vet. The amount of progress Meryl has made with Chance over the last couple years is massive. Before his board and train, my dog had to be sedated just to get vaccines at the vet because he would freak out and run around the room. After a couple sessions at the vet with Meryl, he sits totally still and lets the vet do whatever they need to do. It's insane the difference before and after the training. She has also taught me how to handle Chance when he is around skateboards and scooters. Before working with Meryl I had no idea what to do when Chance would react to them. Now, after working with Meryl, I can get my dog to focus on me even when there are triggers around. Thank you Meryl for everything you've done for us!! Look forward to learning more from you. For anyone who needs training help, definitely contact Meryl!! read more

I came to Meryl for help when my 8yr old German Shepherd became dog reactive, and ended up deciding to add my terrier mix in to training for her inconsistent recall. I felt completely defeated trying to work on the reactivity on my own, and I was no longer able to hike my terrier mix off leash. Meryl was consistently clear, confident, and knowledgeable. She was able to quickly see what made my dogs tick, and explain the "why" behind both their behaviors and our training plan. This has been a game changer, since she gave me the tools and understanding of them to continue the work successfully even after our final session. I had been nervous about conditioning my dog to an e-collar, but Meryl had the patience to build my confidence and educate me about using it properly. It ended up being an extremely positive experience that has completely changed my dog's life for the better, and I'm so grateful I put my trust in her. My dog reactive dog now remains engaged with me around other dogs, and he is still improving every day as we continue to work from the foundation Meryl built for us. I finally feel safe, confident, and capable taking my dogs anywhere, it has truly opened up the world to us again. I highly recommend Meryl's services to anyone with a dog! read more

We sent our 1 year old dog for a 2 week board and train with Meryl and had an amazing experience. Our pup accomplished all of our training goals and, most importantly, retained all of her training skills when she got home. She no longer pulls towards other dogs, stays in her bed at home based on our command, and is a dream off leash (comes sprinting toward us when called). We have a much better relationship with our pup now that she can hang outside of her crate more (since she's not getting into mischief!), run around off leash, and walk nicely with us on leash in the city. Our dog loves Meryl and had a great time. Meryl is wonderful to work with: she provided clear pre- board and train instructions, kept us updated on our pup's progress throughout the 2 weeks, and provided handover instructions that were easy for us to implement. She's incredibly responsive to text and checked in frequently after the board and train to trouble shoot any adjustment period for our pup. Meryl loves dogs and knows how to motivate them to do obedience training. She is very in tune with each specific dog's mannerisms and quirks, and what they will be most responsive to. I highly highly recommend working with Meryl (and have to many of my friends). It's well worth the investment and will pay off for years to come. read more

If your looking for dog training there is no better place than Bay Area balanced dog training! We started our training with Ken about 8 months ago, just prior to Meryl and him starting their own company. We wanted to achieve a solid recall, leash heel and consistent responsiveness to all commands plus some fun tricks. I can truly say Ken totally transformed our dog without making him lose his personality and has made our relationship with our dog better than ever. These are fantastic trainers who really put you and your dog first! Don't look anywhere else they are the real deal! read more

We adopted a dog from a local rescue that at first seemed so shy and mild-mannered. Time went on, he got comfortable and more confident in himself, and some troubling behaviors started to emerge. He became possessive, leash reactive, darted at other dogs (a herding breed that couldn't break focus), and started barking at guests. We tried tons of highly-recommended positive trainers (spending thousands in the process), but while our dude was food-motivated and a fast learner, we couldn't get him to make the right choices when faced with distractions and adrenaline. Like most people commenting and maybe many of you reading this, we were at our wits end. We are so happy to have found Meryl. Over the course of 5 in-home and outside sessions, she taught us how to keep our dog happy while still being responsive and respectful to us. For those of you wondering if the e-collar is overkill, all we can say is that it is an absolute game-changer and gave us the confidence to trust our dog off leash in a bunch of different situations. It is a godsend - as is Meryl! Meryl helped us get past the tough early months and build a bond with our dog that didn't seem possible at times. She had a plan for every new behavior we threw at her - even the really tough ones like resource guarding. We look forward to a couple brush up sessions a year for maintenance. Thank you, Meryl!! read more

Working with Meryl was life changing for both our dog and us! We hit our breaking point when it became impossible to take our dog (a Great Dane) on a walk without reaction to both people and other dogs. It was even hard to have guests over without him growling and lunging. It was making me majorly anxious. Now, I have my walk buddy back and our walks are stress-free and relaxing! After our initial consultation with Meryl, it became clear that we needed to make a lot of changes in our relationship with our him. Meryl figured him out quickly and helped us understand him better too! We stuck to the program, spent a lot of time working with him in between sessions, and now he understands our communication and respects our boundaries a lot more. He is polite around the house, has been appropriate with our guests, and ignores people and other dogs on walks - every goal we had was accomplished! He seems a lot happier and more relaxed in general and was even able to take a walk with Meryl's beautiful Cane Corso (which would have been unthinkable before we started). Meryl was wonderful! Even though we were stressed at first because of how difficult our dog had been, she made our sessions fun and something we looked forward to. We can't thank Meryl enough for giving us the life we wanted with our big boy and are so glad we've stayed in touch!! read more

I cannot say enought about our experience with Ken. He has been working with our 3.5 year old German Shepard for a year. We started working with Ken to help us with our dog's anxiety, fear aggression and general obedience. We had previously worked with a couple of other trainers and were dissappointed with the lack of a structured plan and understanding of German Shepards. Ken is not only highly skilled as a dog trainer, but he is incredibly patient, professional and passionate about his training. He worked with us to develop a realistic plan that included private training as well as a board and train sessions to get the results we desired. Ken has a special gift and we are grateful to be his clients. We have a completely different dog after a year and could not have done it without Ken. We look forward to now focusing on sport training with Ken this next year. We don't trust anyone else to work with our Shepard. If you want to work with someone that tailors a plan to your dog and your family and actually gets results, then I would highly reccomend Ken. read more

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Meryl is an intelligent and experienced dog trainer who can teach everything from basic obedience to advanced training for dog sports. In spite of years of experience with canine companions, I've discovered through my trainings with Meryl how much was yet to learn about dog behavior, how they learn and communicate. She excels at teaching all these things. Meryl was very patient and encouraging and helped me to quickly understand not only what works, but also what to expect from my pup so that I can build a healthy and loving connection with my dog. The training classes are dynamic and fun, with demos, repetition, and a list of "homework" for me and my pup. Meryl is an endless source of tricks no book will tell you. I am very happy with the results so far and surely I'll continue to use Meryl's high quality services. read more

Meryl is magic. That's the short of it. lol I found Meryl when I was looking for someone to help me with my mini schnauzer who looked like she was heading towards biting strangers. So I put her in a board and train with Meryl, and she came back much calmer and so well behaved. It's been about five months now and her heel is still pretty spot on despite all of my inconsistencies. We did have some issues about a month or so in, but Meryl came and spotted the problem right away. This was when I saw her really work her magic. I had tried for weeks to get my dog to stop barking at strangers in my house, and she just made it stop in a split second. Since then my dog has been a rockstar. She still has some issues, but she understands better what I'm asking, and tries her little heart out. Meryl is super clear on why something is happening and how to fix it. I am so happy I found her. She's magic, and my dog is so much happier for it. read more

Meryl is an absolute master dog trainer and even helped us decide on the right dog for our family. She has a very strong no nonsense approach that I find to be charming and helpful. As other reviewers have said, she is professional, honest, knowledgable, highly effective and offers a commanding presence that leads to an immense amount of dog training success. We paid for the puppy board and train session and it was worth every penny. Meryl gave us all the tools to be a good trainer and owner for our dog. Noodle, respected Meryl and worked so well with her. If Meryl is in budget, look no further for a dog trainer. For us it was worth it since we knew Noodle was going to be a roommate of ours for hopefully the next 10-15 years and this gave us the foundation to be successful. Make sure you as the dog owner are just as committed to training as it is important to reinforce all that Meryl teaches. My only slight complaint would be that Meryl's response time over email can be slower than I'd hope for. read more

This is a long awaited review for the awesome Meryl! I have a (now) 1 yr 4 months old Maltipoo who developed food aggression when he was about 7 months old. After working with several trainers, I decided to contact Meryl to learn the benefits of an ecollar. I am so glad I did! Meryl gets straight to the point and within 5 sessions, we are able to get Tako to leave his meal while feeding, drop a duck feet while feeding, and overall a less anxious dog. It's been a while since our last session but I can say that Tako has improved on leash walking, listening to corrections (like a No), and most importantly, he waits for his food until given the command. Of course, he is not a perfect dog and training needs to be done for his whole lifetime to give things a refresher. I will recommend Meryl's training for and puppy or older dogs experiencing behavioral issues. read more

i worked with Ken on a weekly basis from last October through June, at which time he graduated us out to different training classes. Like a good therapist, he will release you when the chunk of work you are doing is ready for the world. Our shepherd husky mix has reactivity issues with other dogs, which started when she was about 4 months, culminating in very stressful and unmanageable city street walks, zero belief in her recall if other dogs were around, a few fights at dog parks, and ultimately getting "kicked out" of a group class as the trainers rightly saw that the group environment was too stressful for her and making her reactivity worse. I was at my wits end and negative fantasized about having to give her up. Keep in mind, i had read many training books before adopting her, socialized and trained her from a young age and was even in puppy classes starting at 3.5 months and was going to 1-2 classes a week and doing daily training. we hired a private trainer starting around 4.5 months to work on her reactivity. That trainer sadly moved, and we found another. she was great, the classes were great, but it was positive reinforcement training only and Miku did not improve much at all. After working our butts off for months only to get kicked out of class, i was desperate and a friend told me about Ken. I was very opposed from all that I had been exposed to in literature and classes in the Bay area to the full range of operant conditioning. Ken had me read another book before we met and then did a great assessment with Miku and outlined a plan to train her to the prong collar and eventually the e-collar. he explained that this gradual and safe and "fair" training would produce a dog that could earn more freedom by being dependable and responsive. I said HELL YES lets DO this!. He is a very thoughtful and kind trainer and creative in his approaches. After about 7 months, Miku was ready to go to Canine Circus class to continue learning how to work around other dogs, was having great off-leash outings at Point Isabel, and is doing really great on the leash. Go work with Ken!! read more

I adopted our dog Blake in April 2019 and found out I was pregnant a few weeks later. We had no idea what we were going to do with a what we thought was two year old wild male Malinois and a baby. My boyfriend found Meryl and she changed our life as well as Blake's. She worked with us on leash training and feeling confident walking him through neighborhoods and parks. At first he was somewhat dog aggressive and would pull and pretty much do his own thing on walks, he would jump on us when we would walk in the front door, jump on the coffee table and dinner table and after working with Meryl for a couple months and doing a week of board and train we have an amazing new and improved pup! Now on walks he stays right next to my left leg and does not pull or control the walk. Blake also is no longer aggressive with other dogs and since gained a baby sister and two dog brothers. Meryl helped with calming our high energy dog and transitioning from a shelter dog to a family dog. She made the whole process so smooth and gave both my boyfriend and I the confidence to train him with and with out her. Meryl is absolutely amazing and we thank her so much for all of the hard work she put into Blake! read more

Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me

Ken is so incredibly amazing. We worked with Ken for our 8.5 month old German Shepherd male, Maverick, who had leash reactivity and other obedience issues. We were feeling really lost at the time, despite seeking out other trainers from early on and staying very diligent with what we learned. We were referred to Ken and immediately felt comforted and knew that he knew what he was talking about. From the moment we met with Ken at our home for an evaluation, I knew he was the guy for us. He is calm, assertive, can read a dog so well, and really just knows how to handle some of those "tougher" breeds. We did a 2 week board and train with Ken and Maverick came back a completely different dog! He went from pulling on his leash to the point where I couldn't walk him anymore because I wasn't strong enough to literally being the most obedient and graceful walker. He does not pull anymore. Ken taught him "heel" and is completely perfect with it - it is the most useful command we have now as it re-centers him into his perfectly obedient self. He went from barking at every human and dog to not barking AT ALL when we go anywhere. Maverick is more confident and calm now that he has trained with Ken. On top of that, he went above and beyond to ensure that we were on the right track with transferring the obedience from Ken to us and worked with us multiple times along the way - this made us feel so comfortable and at ease. Last but not least, Ken is responsive and willing to answer any questions we have now that Maverick is home. We plan on sending Maverick to Ken again, if only to let Maverick hang out with his new best friend and to brush up on his obedience skills! Thank you so much, Ken! You are our hero. I highly recommend anyone who has a puppy or dog that could use training to use Ken and Bay Area Balanced Dog Training. You'll be so glad you did! read more

Bay Area Balanced Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me

My dog Obi needed a little help obeying commands, tolerating people and other dogs, and walking nicely on leash. We were from out of state but linked up with Meryl via a mutual Cane Corso contact. He did a board and train session with Meryl and the overall experience was fantastic. Obi has always been apprehensive towards strangers but Meryl was cool, calm, collected and confident when meeting him. He warmed up to her faster than anyone he had ever been introduced to. From the get go he responded so well to Meryl. We got daily questions, comments, and updates. We discussed goals and how to achieve them. When we picked him up he was such a happy boy, both to see us and to show us he was ready to work. Once he was picked up, Meryl emailed us a very detailed summary of all he had learned and how to maintain his new skills. The communication was so important here with us being out of state and Meryl was just great at keeping us involved. It's now almost 3 months later- and Obi is still doing well. He holds his spot without getting up, he leaves people alone when he knows he's not supposed to pay attention, he's more relaxed and at ease, we walked 3 miles this morning and the leash never got tight. Thanks Meryl and BABDT for all the help, training, communication, and overall great experience! read more

I can't say enough good things about our experience working with Meryl! My husband and I worked with her in 2018-2019 to help us with our puppy Bernese Mountain Dog and it was not only a great investment but also a lot of fun. Meryl is passionate, driven and energetic about training. She gave us exercises to implement on our own with our dog and we saw improvements in our puppy's behavior almost immediately. She also was available via text or phone support and would go above and beyond by sending us links for new training equipment, food recommendations, articles, etc. She is also lovely to work with and a lot of fun, we always enjoyed our training sessions with her. If you're looking for an excellent and committed trainer definitely hire Meryl for your training needs. read more

I can truly, undeniably say that Meryl is THE dog whisperer. I haven't had a puppy for 30 years so when my ill granddaughter started asking for a puppy I maintained my stand of saying no but finally caved in. The family wanted a male Golden so off we go to look for a breeder and found our "man's best friend " Dexter. Of course the puppy stage for a few weeks was the honeymoon, but then reality set in & I was totally distraught having this dog in my small condo. I dragged my feet to find a trainer, went to a worthless group puppy trainer, dragged my feet some more as life got in the way & then when I dreaded taking him for walks as he was now 75lbs & 1 yr old, dragging me along I had to take action. Meryl was referred to us & the person swore her dog was a different dog in 2 sessions, VOILA!! exactly two sessions. We couldn't believe the transformations, of course having all of the proper training tools were a must. Going on the trails with other dogs with Meryl for one of the sessions we received numerous praises from strangers on my well behaved boy. I now love having my dog, I love his companionship & look forward everyday to long walks. Meryl is truly amazing, a no nonsense, knowledgeable trainer & well worth the money!! Thank you, Meryl for putting peace & tranquility into my life! read more

Meryl did an amazing job with my dog. Denver did a 3 week board and train to help her with extreme on leash reactivity towards other dogs, and when I picked her up it was like she was a different dog. Meryl taught her how to cope with her surroundings appropriately, she channeled Denver's drive to work, and she made it possible for me to have a more fun relationship with my dog. She kept me updated every step of the way, with pictures and texts and phone calls. We had 2 go home lessons after the 3 weeks and Meryl did an amazing job of teaching me how to handle Denver and help her continue to practice everything she'd learned. She still follows up with us even after the board and train and lessons, and it's very obvious how much she cares about her clients. The board and trains get constant training, live in extremely safe conditions, and even get the chance to relax and be respectful dogs with Meryl when they're not being worked. It really is like sending your dog to a summer or boot camp to help press that reset button. Meryl makes it very clear that everything she does will not work if the owner doesn't continue to put in effort when the dog comes home, and she does everything to make sure that you as an owner understand what to do. Basically, I could not recommend Meryl and Bay Area Balanced Dog Training enough. read more