Outstanding Dog Trainer! The progress Blu has made is truly remarkable, and my brother now feels much more confident in handling him. (He’s still a work in progress, as he’s continuing to learn how to read Blu’s signals.) Maleah’s approach is not only effective but also compassionate, ensuring that both the dog and owner feel comfortable every step of the way. We’re incredibly grateful for her guidance and expertise. If you're looking for a trainer who truly cares about the well-being of your dog, I highly recommend Maleah. Thank you for all your hard work, and we definitely will be coming back to work on off-leash training!

Even though I am a seasoned dog owner, hiring Maleah right when I adopted a new puppy into my family was a wonderful decision! Our pup needed to integrate into a bustling household with two young kids and a very sensitive senior dog who was skeptical of the new addition. Maleah trained our puppy to be comfortable settling down on a tether/ on place while I go about my to-dos, taught me strategies to deal with her jumping on people, barking at the tv, nipping, how to avoid chasing her around the house if she grabs something she shouldn’t. Maleah also was successful breaking my 9 year old dog of her fear of toe nail trimming, which was such a pleasant surprise! I hired her in hopes of creating a peaceful environment where we can enjoy our dogs and not feel frustrated all the time by willful bad behavior (as was the case with a previous dog). She definitely has helped so much to create that sense of control and calm. Thank you Maleah!

If you have a dog, are getting a dog, or or dog adjacent– you need to hire Maleah at Playful Balance Dog Training! We had our re-homed red heeler for about three months, and I thought there was no way we could keep him. I was at the end of my rope, overwhelmed and had lost all hope. Maleah brought knowledge, structure, compassion, and most of all a plan to turn things around—which she did! She came to our home to see the real dynamics at play and took the time to observe and know exactly what was going on. It's amazing how much our dog has changed and how much more confident I feel with him. On top of her dog handling expertise, Maleah followed up every lesson with a detailed over view with homework and next steps. Every interaction with her is so polished, professional, yet approachable and kind. Working with dogs and their owners is clearly her super power. I cannot recommend Playful Balance Dog Training enough. It will be the best thing you ever do for your dog.

Maleah was amazing! She does more than just dog training, she understands the behavior and the dynamic of the whole family and supported us and our almost ten year old dog who was acting out! She went above and beyond, writing out detailed instructions and review of our sessions, was beyond patient with our busy schedules, and was responsive, communicative and a really awesome human to work with! I don’t know what we would have done without her but calmness and happiness has been restored in our household! Our dog is so much more confident and calm!

Can't overstate how amazing working with Maleah was! Our rescue Australian Cattle Dog/Pit Bull mix had very little structure when he came to us and was leash reactive to the point of nipping or lunging during walks. After little success with other trainers, I decided to give Playful Balance a try, and I'm so glad we did. Maleah was comfortable training our pup, despite his initial reactivity and handled him with ease which gave us so much more confidence in executing her instructions. Our dog went from constant pulling and reactivity to loose leash walking and handling busy walks with relative ease in just a few sessions! Maleah was great about providing feedback through a variety of methods that really helped us learn. Definitely would recommend Playful Balance for anyone struggling with a reactive pup!

Maleah is fantastic! She's the fourth trainer we've had come out to our house for our puppy that's been aggressive. She provided actionable items for us to do to address the problem. I feel like we're actually going to make some progress now. I would highly recommend Playful Balance Dog Training!

Maleah is THE best of the best in dog training! She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in obedience training. More importantly, her love for dogs and commitment to success/ positive training techniques is evident in every aspect of her work. We have two border collies that have very different areas to grow in and have been looking for a dog trainer who really understands border collies and our boys individual needs. We are SO happy we found Maleah. She was extremely patient with our dog who is reactive to strangers and really helped us understand our dogs behaviors with certain triggers and how to deal with it in a calm environment. We are now at the point where a stranger can walk into our house without our dog barking or growling. We never thought we could get to that point again! We can’t express how grateful we are for all the help!    10/10 would recommend!!

I cannot recommend Maleah more! I came to Maleah needing a lot of help with my border collie and she has been such a great resource. She provided detailed notes and action items / plans for me to do in between our sessions, which was so helpful. She was also always willing to answer my questions, provide feedback / advice and was always available to help. I cannot thank Maleah enough for all her help and support.  

Maleah is AMAZING! Holy moly I am mind blown at all she can do. Maleah had my Border Collie/Aussie Willow for a board and train and I am totally impressed with the work she was able to accomplish. Willow now walks on a leash with total control and focus. Willow has learned how to settle and control her emotions. Willow continues to grow in her separation anxiety and feels so much more comfortable and confident in her crate. Maleah has created an amazing baseline and training plan for us to solidify all Willow has learned and continue growing into a better pup. Will 1000% recommend Playful Balance and we hope to continue with Maleah as time progresses. We can’t thank you enough, Maleah!! THANK YOU!

Maleah worked with us and our 3 Golden's (age 7, 5 and 8 mos) for 8 weeks in our home and neighborhood. The older dogs had some bad habits and new puppy needed some new good habits.  Maleah was amazing in teaching us how working with our dogs to positively correct their behavior and reward good behavior. She gave valuable suggestions for better tools to use and showed us how to use them appropriately. It was super convenient to have her available to come to our house as that was where the 'action' is. The dogs love her and so do we!

Maleah helped my puppy grow into a well adjusted member of the family and a joy. She answered all my questions and went above and beyond the norm. She follows up with us all the time and is always available to answer additional questions. I will always contact her for any trainings that I need.

Maleah is simply amazing! She is the dog whisper. She helped us with our rescue Thor, a 6 yr old German shepard +100 lbs so walks are fun, not tug of wars. Thor really showed what can be done with effective, fun, relational, and sensitive teaching. I learned, "it is not the dog, but it is what I am doing that is creating the situation. She helped me set and reinforce boundaries. Thor performed perfectly with her direction. Showing me again it is never the dog. Her approach is excellent. Thank you Maleah! You have no idea! 

Maleah was a great trainer, probably the best I have used. My dog Rayna was very reactive on leash when encountering other dogs and it was a battle to get her to not lunge and bark. After Maleah's training, Rayna walks quietly on leash and doesn't lunge or bark at other dogs any more. It is a dream come true and I enjoy walking Rayna now!

Maleah did a great job with our dog. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience with all types of dogs and their personalities. She was able to teach us ways to keep our dog from reacting to house guests and dogs/people on leash. She quickly identified his triggers and the things we had been doing incorrectly and put us on the path for success. Her techniques were easy to follow and worked well for our family. I highly recommend her! Our dog is much better behaved with visitors and neighbors than he was a couple months ago thanks to the techniques she taught us.