Veteran-owned family business offering a board and train program, NePoPo obedience training, fear and aggression rehabilitation, and police K9 training.
Program details are summarized from Balanced K9 Academy's own website. Confirm current pricing, program length, and availability directly with the trainer before booking — and see what to check before you hand over your dog.
Balanced K9 Academy is based in Huntsville, AL. Full details are on their own site at balanced-k9.com. Board and train clients commonly travel from surrounding areas, since the dog stays on site for the length of the program.
Balanced K9 Academy does not publish pricing, which is normal for board and train — most trainers quote after an evaluation. Board and train programs generally run $1,500–$6,000 depending on length and intensity. Request a quote to get their number.
Two weeks is the common minimum for meaningful obedience results, and three to four weeks is typical for off-leash reliability. Serious behavior cases — aggression, severe reactivity, resource guarding — generally need four to six weeks or more, and many trainers set a minimum stay for those. Programs shorter than a week are usually best understood as a jump-start or a refresher, not a transformation.
It works when the handoff works. A good trainer can reliably teach your dog new skills in a few weeks, but dogs do not generalize automatically — the results hold only if you learn to maintain them. This is why the go-home lesson and follow-up support matter more than almost anything else in the program. Ask specifically how many follow-up sessions are included and what happens if the behavior returns two months later.
Ask: How many dogs are in your care at once, and who handles my dog? What training methods and equipment do you use, and what happens if my dog does not respond? Where does my dog sleep? Can I visit the facility before booking? How many follow-up lessons are included? What updates will I get during the stay? Vague answers to any of these — especially about methods and supervision — are a reason to keep looking.
Reputable programs are, but the industry is largely unregulated, so due diligence is on you. Visit in person before you book. Ask to see where dogs sleep and exercise, confirm the trainer carries insurance, ask about staff-to-dog ratios and overnight supervision, and check that they have a working relationship with a local vet. Be cautious of any trainer who will not let you see the facility, or who guarantees a specific outcome on a fixed timeline.
Board and Train in the trainer's home (no outdoor kennels, at most two dogs at a time) using positive reinforcement; packages run 1-4 weeks and cover foundation obedience, leash walking, leash reactivity and service dog public access and tasks.
A Huntsville trainer whose home-based Board + Train keeps dogs with the trainer 24/7 for 2–5 weeks to work on leash manners, impulse control and obedience. Reactive or aggressive dogs are not accepted into the board and train and need a separate behavioral evaluation.
One- and two-week board-and-train where the dog lives with certified trainers for multiple intensive daily sessions, with lifetime refresher courses.
Positive-reinforcement board and train where the dog lives 24/7 in an instructor's home rather than a kennel, from a weekend up to 3-4 weeks or longer, one dog at a time, with real-life household structure, field trips and a private transfer session at the facility or in the owner's home.
Dog trainer at 244 Owens Road in Fort Mitchell serving Fort Moore, Phenix City and Columbus. Offers stay-and-train services where the dog stays on site.
Boarding kennel and training facility at 11800 County Rd. 87 S, Elberta. Offers a Residence Dog Training Program, classes and private lessons led by Dietmar Schellenberg, including work on aggression and biting.