When it comes to dog training, most people find it a daunting challenge.
However, just ask Lake Shore resident Ryan Butka what excites him most about waking up and working with dogs every day, and it’s exactly that – the challenge.
Born and raised in Pasadena – he attended Bodkin Elementary, Chesapeake Bay Middle and Chesapeake High, Butka discovered his passion for training dogs around 17 years ago while he was working as a subcontractor building decks. “I got my first dog around that time, a German Shepherd,” he explained. “I was taking my dog to work with me, and every break that I got I was training him. From there, it really hit me that this is what I wanted to do, and it just kind of just evolved.”
To further his education and become certified in dog training, Butka moved to Colorado. It was there in his training club he met his now-wife, Ashley. “She had already been through [training] school, had become certified as a trainer, and had started her own business,” he explained. “Then in 2018, we found out we were expecting our son, Jack, and we knew we wanted to raise him closer to family, so we decided to move back to Pasadena.”
It was shortly after moving back to Pasadena in February 2019 when Ryan and Ashley officially established Balanced K9 Services at their home in Lake Shore.
“Coming back [to Pasadena] and starting fresh was a little challenging at first. But once people started recognizing our passion for this, it became easier,” Butka said.
Since going full-time with Balanced K9 Services almost 5 years ago, the Butkas have worked with nearly 1,000 dogs. They offer anything from a two-week-long puppy jump-start stay-and-train, to a six-week complete off-leash advanced training program. Balanced K9 Services also offers a private lesson package, where Ryan comes to the clients once a week for a series of six lessons.
“I am really big on follow-up. After the training is done, I do weekly follow-ups to make sure everything is going smoothly. I don’t go away until you tell me that everything is going well with your dog,” Butka emphasized.
Butka, who competes nationally in dog sports such as French Ring, IPO and MondioRing, says he doesn’t have a favorite breed to work with because they’re all so different in terms of personalities. “Some are goofy, some really want to work. You have to figure out what motivates each dog the best to find out how they’re going to learn from you.”
It’s that personal, one-on-one treatment that Butka emphasized sets his training services apart. “The dogs we work with get integrated into our daily life. Whether we’re camping or going to outdoor restaurants as a family, the dogs come with us. The first step is just building a relationship with the dog. Through having a good, strong relationship with the dog, all the behaviors that you’re trying to get will come easy,” he elaborated. “If the dog stays with me, I follow up weekly. This is not 60-minutes of obedience training and we’re done forever. Our clients get a lot more than what they would at any other training facility – they truly get life training.”
Additionally, the Butkas’ education and training in competitive dog sports gives them a unique skill set. “Us having that understanding of how to get any dog to listen really does transfer to this business seamlessly,” added Butka. “Our goal is to bridge the communication gap between owners and their dogs, so the relationship can thrive and be successful.”
For Butka, returning to his Pasadena hometown to do what he loves has been a dream come true. “I get to build relationships and play with dogs all day. I’ve been super fortunate,”
Balanced K9 Services is located across from Lake Shore Athletic Complex. To schedule your training service, visit their website at www.balancedk9services.com, email [email protected], or call Ryan at 443-782-5460.
