I reached out to the owner, Cory for help on leash training.  He was quick to respond and we scheduled right away.  Cory is full of knowledge.  He was so kind and patient with us.  I had some learning to do for the best outcome for our dog, Bao.

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Bao was responding to him on day one.  he was fantastic all all around.  He doesnt push for extra sessions, but I know who to call if I need additional help. 

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- Jamie F., New Kensington

We contacted "The Balanced Wag" when our two sibling Bernese Mountain Dogs were 6 months old. After spending the first session with Cory we knew we made the right decision. The first thing Cory asked us was what expectations do we have of the dogs. The training is then geared for what we wanted the dogs to do or not do.

After a short period of time, we quickly realized that we humans were more of the problem with the training than the dogs! You see Dogs have their own language, and Cory understands it and is training us to understand their language as much as training the dogs to understand our commands.

With Cory's Guidance and instruction we found ourselves working in harmony with our pups. His patience, knowledge and guidance are invaluable.

The Balanced Wag approach to training is repetition and reward based. This was extremely important to us that punishment is not part of Cory's training methods.

My wife and I highly recommend the Balance Wag for anyone wanting to have a better relationship with their Dog!

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Stacy and Steve J., Kittanning 

We couldn’t believe how well and how quickly our

German Shepherd pup learned not just tricks but behaviors under Cory’s guidance. We just got our puppy and we’re looking into training options when our daughter told us of a friend who had started a dog training business.  We were a little skeptical with him being new to the business, but he proved himself quickly.

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His preparation was obvious when we met.  He had done extensive research into the German Shepherd breed beforehand.  He had answers to the questions we had from our own research and made us aware of many things we missed.

 

Our puppy was very responsive to his training and learned commands quickly.  All we had to do was reinforce what he had taught, and our wish list of behaviors was fulfilled.

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The best part of working with Cory was he taught us the Do’s and Don’ts of training and taught our puppy how to learn which has enabled us to continue training her on our own.

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- Sandy H., McKeesport

Cory is, in my opinion the quintessential "personal" dog trainer.

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I had previously worked with other trainers who were primarily giving me general information and asking me to train my dog by myself.

 

I find Cory to be a "teacher" of people AND an actual "trainer" of dogs.

 

After intense discussion and consultation with me, Cory designed a personalized training program for my dog. 

 

Cory is a very "hands on"  instructor.  He is willing to personally work with my dog alone if need be.  

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All of Cory's methods involve positive reinforcement. 

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Cory is calm, respectful and dependable, but most of all, Cory is trustworthy.  He is a gem! 

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-Joanie and Buddy, Hampton

Several months ago I was fortunate to bring my fourth Cavalier King Charles Spaniel into my home...Johnny is his name. He was almost 5 months of age at the time and his loving, very intelligent, outgoing personality was quite obvious and I made the decision to do the best for him that I could do and in turn he would do the same for me.

 

Enter professional canine trainer Cory Winwood and a match was made in heaven as soon as they saw each other.  Instantly Johnny focused all his attention on Cory and the bond was made.

 

We see Cory on a weekly basis and he will work with Johnny at my home alone or with me observing, he might take him to O'Hara Park for socialization, there are walks way up the street to acclimate Johnny to car traffic and occasionally a trip to Lowes...again for socialization....and always with obedience  in the forefront of the training method.

 

Aside from normal training components of stay, sit, down, go pee or whatever, Cory will include "hand signals" which dogs are very adaptable to because they are watching you every minute.  It's like magic but it works.  Cory has that "dog whisperer" relationship almost immediately upon meeting one's pup and watching how willing Johnny is to please Cory is a wonderful thing to see.

 

I too was referred to Cory by a friend and making contact with him has been and will continue to be an ongoing experience for both Johnny and me.  Dogs, like people, need "refresher" courses now and then.  The balanced young dog is a work in progress and I appreciate Cory training me at the same time he's working with Johnny.

 

I would definitely recommend Cory to anyone who needs his experience and expertise to develop a "balanced wag".  It's an investment in man's best friend and money very well spent...plus it's fun!  

 

-Heidi F. - Fox Chapel, PA

 

 

 

Cory worked wonders on Libby, our high energy, 4 year old Labrador Retriever.  He spent one-on-one time with Libby to understand her current behavior.  He developed a plan that worked for Libby as well as our lifestyle.  We gained invaluable knowledge on how to maintain the skills she learned. We couldnt be happier with the outcome.

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-Kevin M., Wexford 

We are so grateful for Cory at The Balanced Wag! Bo, our very energetic golden, absolutely adores him. Thanks to Cory's training, Bo has become incredibly well-behaved and now we are excited to go on walks and have company over. Recently, we took a trip to the lake where Bo was able to be off-leash and listened to me which I would not have trusted before training with Cory. His methods are effective and compassionate, and we couldn't be happier with the results. If you're looking for a trainer who gets results and genuinely cares about you and your dog, Cory's your guy!

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-Susie H., Pittsburgh

My 6-year-old female rottweiler-hound mix, Dakota, joined our family about a year ago from a family member who could no longer keep her. Her training had fallen to the wayside leaving her with issues with eating, barking, pulling on the leash and socialization. During our first session Cory talked about general dog training philosophy and he recommended I read a short book. I read that book and two more by the same author. It was remarkable the turnaround we experienced in just a short amount of time. One of our biggest hurdles was socialization. We arranged a meeting where Dakota met Cory’s dog and I was impressed with how well it went. Cory has such a calm demeanor and relaxed approach to his trade. As a result of his coaching, our family’s relationship with Dakota has improved immensely. The biggest test of Dakota’s new behavior was a large gathering at our home with Dakota meeting strangers including children. With Cory’s coaching we were able to navigate that event with ease. I highly recommend The Balanced Wag training. Our lives have truly changed for the better.

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Beth Z,. Pittsburgh

Cory came to help us with our dogs Louie and Lady, but more than anything he helped us understand why they were behaving in certain ways.  We never felt like he was judging us for the way we were with our dogs, but showed us easy ways to make improvements. He has come to our home and did the work with us in our own space which we felt was the best way for us to learn.  It has been a great experience, and we have some many lessons we are taking with us and continuing to use.  We would recommend Cory to anyone. 

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-Kristen and Drew D., Pittsburgh