To improve the lives of both dogs and owners by giving them the information and tools they need to succeed.
After working in the pet industry for many years, I thought I knew everything I needed to know about dog ownership. I realized quickly how little I actually knew when I started to battle with my own of pack of three and their unmanageable behavioral issues.
After conquering my own journey with my unruly dogs, I'm on a mission to help other owners who are in the same position I was in - struggling to manage an unbalanced relationship with their dog.
My name is Natalie Lambert and I am the founder and head trainer at Balanced Beginnings K9. I live in Corning, NY with my boyfriend Li and our pack of animals that includes our 3 dogs, a cat, a flock of chickens, and a Flemish Giant rabbit. At Balanced Beginnings K9 our programs are designed to improve the quality of life of both the dog and the owner and focused on teaching dogs how to become the best versions of themselves.
I’m a life long dog lover who previously spent many years working in veterinary offices, daycare and boarding facilities, as well as my local humane society. I thought I knew everything about dogs and quickly ended up with my own pack of 3. Our relationship was based exclusively around positive reinforcement and an over flux of treats, toys, and affection. Little did I know how much this was actually hurting our relationship and in return creating a recipe for disaster.
After receiving my Bachelors in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky I made the move to upstate New York. Shortly after moving I began to struggle heavily with my dogs and their behavioral issues. I had to keep them separated after they began to fight regularly and I could barely walk them due to their poor leash manners as well as all of them having varying levels of reactivity. Our unbalanced relationship had finally caught up to me and was taking a toll on my own mental health as well as the dogs quality of life. I knew something had to change and I dedicated endless hours to research on the internet trying to find solutions.
I eventually located and reached out to a trainer in Rochester, NY (Pat Curran with Regional K9) who offered to let me shadow him in order to assist with the rehabilitation of my own dogs as well as allow me to explore dog training as career path. After spending 3 months with Pat I applied and was accepted to an internship with The Good Dog Training and Rehabilitation Center in Los Angeles, California.
This position offered a 3 month immersive experience alongside internationally renowned dog trainer, author, and teacher, Sean O’Shea and his team. Here I learned from multiple amazing trainers while getting hands on experience with more challenging dogs who suffered from bad manners and behavioral issues just like mine.
With everything that I have learned I was able to flip my own relationship with my dogs and today they get to enjoy life alongside each other and join me on walks and off leash hikes. It’s hard to believe they were once so badly behaved and out of control. It’s my goal to share this balanced approach to training with others in order to improve the quality of life of the dog and give the owner an opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest with their four legged friend.
