“Don’t Shoot the Dog!” – Karen Pryor
Gayle Ballinger, CPDT-KSA, AKC CGC Evaluator
“Trainer, Instructor, Coach and Friend”
“Nothing breaks my heart more than to see an animal be euthanized, sold, given away or turned into a shelter because their family did not seek help to change a behavior.”
-Gayle Ballinger
What do you want from your dog?
Gayle Ballinger is fiercely committed to guiding family pet owners everywhere to achieve a fun, trusting relationship with your pets so you can enjoy the type of unique relationship you originally dreamed of when you first considered adopting a companion animal. If you are looking for a proven professional who can guide you to address puppy raising and house training, settling a new rescue dog into your home or overcoming separation anxiety or aggression issues you’ve come to the right place.
Making Dreams Come True…
With over 12 years of experience working with amazing clients with similar worries and concerns and guiding them to acheive remarkable success, Gayle’s mission and commitment is to help you reach your specific goals and dreams of living happily with your dog and enjoying activities together. Gayle’s path to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator became clear at an early age. One of her earliest memories is sitting on a curb in front of a market petting two Dobermans who were tied up to a mailbox waiting for their owner. Decades later, she still says “Hello!” to every dog she meets and passes on the street.
Clients say remarkable things about the impact Gayle’s work has on their life. Read some of her Testimonials.
When we first got our dog, we were so afraid that we wouldn’t be able to keep her because of her behavior, but now we can!
Lucy is now walking on-leash (with the help of the Wonder Walker and the clicker training, which has truly worked a miracle on her) without pulling. She is doing great and I wanted to let you know and thank you for your advice and help.
Although I was skeptical when the Wonder Walker was suggested as a tool to control an exuberant and somewhat unruly large dog I had adopted, I was truly amazed at how well it performed. It saved my back and changed our frequent walks from contests of strength and will into mutually pleasant excursions.
Similar benefits await when you decide to invite Gayle to serve in the powerful ways that she can help you reach your dreams. Read some of her testimonials.
What makes Gayle light up about her work is knowing that every day she may potentially save a dog’s life while helping her clients to enjoy their dogs more.
What sets Gayle apart from other trainers…
Gayle approaches each of her clients with an open mind, she listens to your needs and desires, and then works with you to custom-tailor a training plan that will accomplish your goals while respecting your schedule and budget so that you can feel confident in engaging her to guide you through assessing, preventing and solving behavior problems. Over the years, Gayle’s expertise has been honored with remarkable and notable accolades including being named Pasado’s Volunteer of the Week, Vice Commodore of the Yacht Dogs Yacht Club, and being chosen as the Official Trainer for Brookside Elementary School’s Special Education Animal Assistant Therapy Dog-in-Training, Brooke. Her work, articles and perspectives have been featured in the Shoreline Enterprise Newspaper, The Bothell/Kenmore Reporter, The Dog Service Network, The Yacht Dogs Yacht Club, Dogwise.com Forums, BoatUS Forums and as guest speaker to the Snohomish County C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team) Team Leaders group. Gayle enjoys public speaking on a variety of dog-related topics and most recently gave a talk at Molbak’s Nursery on Gardening with Your Dog in Mind (so they may enjoy it – not destroy it!)
Five things about Gayle and her experience that might surprise and delight you –
- Gayle grew up “on-stage” performing in plays such as The Miracle Worker (Helen Keller), The Sound of Music (Brigitta Von Trapp) and The Diary of Anne Frank among other productions, musicals and skits. Gayle still participates in local theater productions with the Acts of God Drama Troupe where her favorite performances are the Improv Nights. Being on stage has helped Gayle be a better public speaker and has taught her to project her voice over barking dogs in class without shouting.
- The first animal Gayle ever trained was a squirrel, with the help of peanut butter sandwiches and Grandpa.
- Gayle trained her first Golden Retriever, George, to fetch toilet paper, paper towels, the mail and cold refreshments, among other things.
- Gayle trained a chicken to peck only on a red square (while ignoring blue and yellow squares) then reversed the behavior to pecking only on the yellow square in spite of the presence of the red and blue targets – all in one weekend!
- Gayle is active in the Women’s Business Exchange, volunteers as a Behavior Coordinator for Evergreen Golden Retriever Rescue where she served on the board in 2009 and was an instructor for the Seattle Humane Society and a volunteer for Pasado’s Safe Haven, while gladly donating behavior assessments/evaluations to shelter/rescue organizations that call upon her for help.
Ready to see positive changes?
To engage Gayle to speak to your group, organization or community, get in touch with Gayle by email or call her at (206) 799-0521. Use the same contact information to enroll in one of her informal, family-oriented classes, behavioral consultations, workshops or private training programs.
Gayle has developed several programs, each designed to achieve specific results. Her approach is not one size fits all. Some of Gayle’s programs include:
Off Leash Reliability
Polite Dog/Human Greetings
Overcoming Fear and Aggression
Overcoming Separation Anxiety
Behavior Modification
Behavior Management
Puppy Raising
Heeling and Loose Leash Walking
Reliable Recalls
House Training
Basic Manners Every Dog Should Know
Kids, Babies and Dogs
Day Training Services
Boomer (right) came to Gayle’s family as a 3 year old foster dog in 2007 from Evergreen Golden Retriever Rescue. The next day, the move became permanent.
Dancer (left) was adopted in October 2009 at the age of 12 weeks from a family that could no longer keep him.
Gayle is currently enjoying and remembering the excitement and joys of puppyhood to the fullest. It has been 16 years since Gayle last adopted a baby puppy. She feels that raising Dancer is a great reminder of what puppyhood really entails and will help her to be more empathetic and understanding with her clients.
Follow Dancer’s progress by visiting our Blog and read about his adventures as well as some of the fun we have with clients and class students.