TESTIMONIALS + SUCCESS STORIES

The Balanced Dog is a dog trainer specializing in behavior modification based out of Fulks Run, Virginia and serving all of the Shenandoah Valley and beyond.

A reformed wild child

Kip was our 70 lbs wild child when Miss Jessica came to our rescue. He would not listen. He was too big to hold back so anyone who came to our door was knocked down. Walking with Kip was not something we could do at all. Two weeks with Jessica and I have a wonderful fun loving obedient dog. What a change! He will listen now and we can have people over without any stress. Walking is now so nice and relaxing for both of us. Kip is learning something new each week and we now have a balanced dog with Jessica Troop to thank.
Pam Weaver, VA

New Beginnings

Jessica was amazing! My dogs have behaved better in just the first time of her working with them then they have their whole life. She is great at teaching and gives wonderful advice. Absolutely great experience!
Kristen Gravely, Roanoke, VA, March 2019

Jessica was very accommodating in doing a home visit on short notice. We were able to get some much needed training for our Australian Shepard before we left for a cross country road trip. She was non judgmental and made us feel at ease.

Thank you, Jessica, for helping us make Raider feel more at ease and giving us the tools to help him and us enjoy our time together. Raider is doing amazing and responding well to the techniques. He did awesome at the campground that was packed with kids, bikes, and other excitement! We are learning just as much as him! Thank you again!

Rachel Shifflett

Waynesboro, VA

May 2019

"Dierks was a stray dog that ended up at the Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA. He was there for some time and started getting depressed and not eating, putting him in danger. A friend of mine wanted to adopt him, but needed him to be housetrained before she could take him. He was a handsome 4 year-old Plott Hound, who had never lived inside of a home before. When I brought him home I realized he had many more issues than just not being house trained (marking all over the house, surfing the counters for food, chasing the cats). Dierks was a ‘bull in a china shop.” He spent several weeks with me in my home and today he lives happily in a town home with his owner. Last year he was selected as an SPCA success story on their website."

Jessica

Regarding Jessica Troop, I believe you would have to have 4 legs and a tail to understand dogs better than Jess does. We really liked our SPCA dog, but the frustration level with the dog was such that we were threatening to get rid of her. The poor dog was a mess of confusion and stress (from what, we can only guess). Nothing was safe from chewing, she didn't listen to the simplest commands, indoors 'accidents' were entirely too frequent for a 2 year old dog. In less than two weeks with Jess, our Annie transformed into the absolute best dog we have ever had. Not only did she respond to every command Jess had taught her, but she was also responsive to our efforts to teach her new ones. I have no idea how long ago the last indoor accident occurred. She is now a delight to have around the house, a totally loyal dog who denies anyone but us to approach the house unannounced. Jessica has the most amazing ability to understand and communicate with the dogs she encounters. We could not recommend her any higher than we do.

William (Bill) Branner

Fulks Run, VA

Puppy Manners 101

We adopted our dog as a puppy, and while we worked with her and taught her the doggy basics, we were unprepared to handle some of Java’s other behaviors. Jessica really worked with both owner and dog. She taught us how to be the leader, which reduced Java’s anxiety and made us better dog parents. Jessica has also boarded Java on many occasions; Java is always excited to go and play and returns to us happy and healthy.
Heather Kowell,
Waynesboro, VA

Jessica is a Rockstar! She came highly recommended and deserves every bit of it. She offers multiple services from boarding for your vacation to boarding and train programs. She is particularly skilled at difficult behaviors and/or challenging dogs. She did a tremendous job with a dog in our rescue program. I absolutely recommend her a thousand times over!

Roz Willis

Harrisonburg, VA

June 2019

Copper

Jessica is amazing. She was here 2 hours and my dog is a more enjoyable dog to be around. Now it’s my job to take what I learned and continue to teach Copper that his behavior is under my control. Thank you Jessica it was such a pleasure working with you!
Tonya Chapman
Waynesboro, VA
November 2019

Jessica is excellent at what she does! She has helped our family and friends tremendously with dog training and boarding, and her approach to not only training the dog but educating the humans works wonders.

Brenna Layne

January 2019

Without The Balanced Dog, I would no longer have my dog. When we adopted our dog, Matilda, we were aware that she had some serious dog reactivity issues. We wanted an older dog that would be good with our active children, and she was exactly that. However, we couldn't bring her anywhere in public because of the way she reacted aggressively, lunging and snarling, at other dogs.

Jessica never gave up on us or Matilda. She was always clear with her instructions and reminded us of how best to handle the varied situations that arose as we worked with Matilda. I always felt welcome and comfortable contacting Jessica anytime we had questions. She reinforced the things we were doing right and reminded us of how to address any relapses.

It's been 18 months since we adopted Matilda, a dog who repeatedly bit other dogs while with her former owners and who was facing possible euthanasia had she not met with a trainer who could resolve her serious dog aggression issues. Last night her and I had a leisurely stroll around our local park and two other dogs reacted to her, lunging and barking as their owners walked near us.

Matilda just kept walking.

We are so thankful to Jessica and her dedication to helping dog owners and dogs! We have a dog we adore in our family because of her!

A. Profeta

Staunton, VA

Happier Household

Pippi and I came to your [training] class at Augusta County Parks and Rec in August. I just wanted to tell you how much you helped Pippi and me--I was most concerned about her jumping on people, especially me. I learned from you how to match her energy and how to communicate with my body what she was to do. Two weeks ago I had both knees replaced, and I am thrilled to say there has not been one incident of jumping!! We learned how to keep Pippi in a down stay till I am safely inside the house and seated. She does it perfectly. We're a much happier household. Thank you for giving me some insight into how Pip's brain works!
Susan B.

I adopted Sadie in February 2013. Due to her quiet nature I thought I had gotten the perfect dog. Little did I know that underneath that quiet nature was a dog with many issues, specifically fear issues. I had met Jess at Bridgewater Retirement Community, where I work, with her dog Kayla a month or so before. Sadie was terrified of the car, and would melt into a puddle beside of car just getting close to it. I would have to pick her up & put her in. Many times she got sick in the car. I contacted Jess, and Sadie went to "boot camp" for a week. On her return to me she was getting in the car on her own, and has not gotten sick in the car since. That was only the beginning of my relationship with Jess. It is definitely a work in progress and I have been on the verge of numerous "melt downs." Jess has always been there to give me advice and encouragement, a kick in the butt, and to take Sadie for a couple days so I can re-boot and find a better frame of mind. We have come a long way, as Sadie can now walk by trash cans on the street without freaking out like she did at first. I am so thankful for Jess, I'm really not sure where Sadie might be at this point if I did not have the help & support I received from her. She is my go to person for all things dog.

Cindy & Sadie

Bridgewater, VA

Jessica came out to our house a little over a week ago to work with us in learning to better manage our pack of 8 dogs. Though I knew what she was talking about having been involved with dogs for over 6 decades, my husband and I had failed to teach good manners and had lost control of barking, jumping up, and some other bad behaviors. We sat in amazement as she, in under two hours, had our dogs in a state of calm submission. There are many people in different sectors of the Dog World I have been in for all of my life, that have different talents. Many can train. There are a variety of training methods. Because some of our dogs had experienced traumatic pasts we had been making excuses for them. We could have trained them but we did not as our "feeling sorry" for them had gotten in the way of that. Jessica Troop came in to do a job and she did it. But she did not do it as a trainer. She did it as a true Dog Whisperer which is a unique and rare gift to have. She is worth every penny and I am so very thankful for the recommendation. We HIGHLY recommend her!!! Additionally, she is a real sweetheart! Thank you Jessica!

Vicki Soles

Harrisonburg, VA

January 2019

Confidence is Learned

Jessica is confident and unflappable, and she is good at instilling confidence in those of us who are unsure and clueless! :)
She clearly knows and understands dogs and has a sixth sense for the situation at hand, what is wrong and what will improve it. She is dependable and trustworthy. I trust her!
M. Barlow
Dayton, VA

I adopted mama dog (a fostered dog from Jessica Troop) on August 3, 2013. Knowing what kind of life this dog had before Jessica found her, and seeing how awesome she is now, just shows how well Jessica understands these dogs. Mama dog was exactly what we needed during such a sad time after one of our other dogs passed away. She is so well behaved and you can tell how much work Jessica put into her. Mama dog is a blessing and we would not have found her if it hadn't been for Jessica’s kindness and determination. She took her into her own home and helped her become the dog she is now. So thank you Jessica!!

Kelly Bliss Plume

Elkton, VA

Jessica did a fantastic job with my Border Collie, Louie. About a year after we rescued him, Louie started showing herding behaviors. We dismissed them as cute; they escalated quickly and he started getting aggressive when we tried to leave the house. What started out as growling and following us (and our guests) to the door turned into barking, snarling, lunging, and eventually culminated in him knocking me to the ground and sinking his teeth into my leg.

Louie stayed with Jessica for four weeks and came back a different dog. He seemed much more confident and secure and he ACTUALLY LISTENED to us. No more herding behaviors, no more freaking out, no more getting followed to the door. I highly recommend Jessica's board and train program, it is worth every cent.

Jessica also worked with a foster dog of mine who had major issues with fear aggression, Lila the German Shepherd. Lila went from borderline dangerous to adoptable in a matter of 4 weeks. She stopped lunging and growling at strangers and is actually completely people friendly now. She is living happy and safe in a great home thanks to Jessica!

Emma Klein

Waynesboro, VA

May 2019

Jessica's techniques and tips have helped me understand my dog better. With her help, my dog's behavior has greatly improved. Watching her work with my dog and other rescues is truly amazing!

Arianna Doss

Albany, NY

Reliable, dependable, helpful

"Jessica does all she promises and more. Is totally reliable, dependable, helpful, and certainly knows what she is doing when dealing with dogs. I would hire her with any needs, without hesitation."
Lucy Deyerle
Bridgewater, VA

Juggernaut (or Jug for short) got his name because when we first rescued him he pulled so hard on walks (with his entire muscular shelf enthusiastically behind it) that he really felt like an "unstoppable force." But even worse than that, we were told that he was an aggressive dog and would always have to be the only dog in our family. So, we had ourselves a dog that had a fantastic personality and who we ADORED when he was inside, but one who turned into an uncontrollable dog when we took him outside and who would never be able to come home with us on holidays (because my family has pets) and who would never be able to hang out with our friends' dogs.

Before resigning ourselves to this kind of life for Jug, I called Jessica of The Balanced Dog (who I had found online). When I asked her if she could help us with an aggressive pit bull that was a maniac on walks she said that of course she could. Honestly, I don't think I fully believed her.

One hour into our first training appointment with Jessica, Jug was relaxed around her dogs (not in the full attack-mode that I had expected). We were impressed. After that we dropped him off for a week of board-and-train at Jessica's house. Within only a couple days he was walking with, living with, and eating right next to all of her dogs. We couldn't have been more thrilled.

We have continued to work on his training and now he can meet other dogs easily. He has had weekend "sleepovers" with other dogs with not even a hint of aggression. In fact, I would say he's quite good with other dogs! Additionally, he walks right next to us when we walk him - I even get comments on how well trained my dog is from people I pass on my walking route (who would have ever thought!).

I truly believe that had we not found Jessica we would still be sheltering Jug from other dogs and only walking him when we were up for an hour long tug-of-war. But Jessica gave us the tools, training, and expertise we needed to allow Jug to be who he was always meant to be - a fantastic companion. Now Jug gets long walks every day and has several dog friends. Not only is our quality of life better (because we get to have what we consider is the best dog around) but his quality of life is FAR better than it would have been had we not found Jessica. She believed in Jug when we didn't have the vision to.

She is absolutely our trainer for life!

Emily M.

Harrisonburg, VA