The evolution of a balanced dog and owner has arrived.
Building trust and respect between you and your dog!
Balanced K9 Training
RENO K-9 ACADEMY
(775)-437-3232
Live A Happier Life With Your Dog.
About Your New Favorite Dog Trainer
Alicia De Santiago
Founder/Owner of Reno K9 Academy
At the early age of 16 Alicia started walking the neighborhood dogs and ever since then she knew that she would have a future in helping rehabilitate and train dogs that always get the bad wrap.
She knew from a very early age that it was never the fault of the dogs and started on her journey to find out what the inner makings of the dog mind were. She read mountains of books that had taught her quite a lot but she knew that if she really wanted this to be her life's work she needed to "get hands on experience". It was at that point were she started her first job that included the handling of animals.
As the years have gone by, she has shadowed and Mentored under tremendous Canine Behaviorist's and Trainers. It took years of just watching the Canine Body Language and Rehabilitation process to really hone in on her own approach on the Psychology of Dogs. She has trained under both sides of the dog training community and found that balanced dog training has found to be the most effective and efficient way with the 1000's of dogs that she has handled over the past 7 years.
Her life's goal is to give you every little detail that she has learned knowing that not all dogs respond to the same cookie cutter training style and that is why she would love to help you build that healthy and dependable relationship between you and your dog.
Hazel
Rest In Peace
2013- November 3rd 2021
Behold! Alicia's secret weapon when it it comes to training dogs who need help either coming out of their shell or need help with Behavioral Rehabilitation. This is Hazel, she is Alicia's best friend and business partner! Hazel's story is one for the books.
When Alicia was just coming out of high school hazel was a dog her and her family saw often around the neighborhood and she was what's known as a "Feral Dog". It took Alicia over 24 hours to get her to trust her through resources that were scarce for her. She then took her into her home and she became Alicia's "work in progress" dog.
She was shy and reserved and would react out of fear. She was not polite when it came to other dogs and did not want to let go, but through years of dedication and consistency that Alicia has provided for her you can now catch Hazel out in the community help train other dog's that were just like her!
Hazel is now 9 years old and has been diagnosed with Cancer, but with how happy go lucky she is you would be able to tell at all until just recently. She slowed down quite a bit and was holding onto more pain than she could handle. Hazel has now crossed the rainbow Bridge and will NEVER be forgotten! Hazel has helped so many client dog's in her life I know she was happy to leave all her knowledge behind. May she Rest In Peace.
Passionate. Patient. Consistent. Dog-lover. These are just a few of the characteristics that describe Alicia
She knows each Dog is different, and she will work with yours to give them the specific guidance they need. Whether you’re thinking about Obedience Training for your new puppy or already own a pup with behavioral problems, she is here to help.
Most clients can say that she pushes owners to be the best they can be for their furry loved ones.
She believe that being an advocate for your dog is very important and with structure, balance and boundaries you and your dogs life will be so much more enjoyable.
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Hazel
Alan De Santiago
This amazing person is someone you may not see very often but when you do he sure does get these dogs goin!
He does a lot of the behind the scenes work, you may see him in a lot of our videos! He is someone these dogs rely on! he helps get them exercised so that Alicia has more time to help as many dogs as she can. This most recent picture of with one of our dogs that has come for a 5 week Rehab Stay-Cation and boy do they have a good bond! He not only helps with exercise but he also helps with working dogs through human aggression and sometimes dog that only have men isssues! Alan grew up on a ranch with livestock, in Juntura OR. Since he was 15 he has been working with cattle and always had cattle dogs on the ranch. When working with cattle he also took his dog Chico with him to help him herd.
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Chico
This little guy really isn't so little. Chico has the mentality of a bigger dog always. He got his brave heart from herding cattle. He is 10 years old still runs like he's a puppy. The one thing that he truly scared this dog is fireworks he goes from being our big scary chihuahua to our shaking chihuahua.
Ember
This sweet girl was brought to me at the best time. Ember who looks surprisingly similar to Hazel . Ember has been with us since she was 3 months old and is now in the great hands of a great handler and is now a Fully Trained Service dog that provides amazing tasks such as Deep Pressure Therapy and Alerts to stress signals for her person!
This person is part of my family and I was extremely happy to able to provide her with a companion that can hep her get through this world. The great partnership they have can attest to all the training that has been put into Ember.
The dynamic duo are now living happy together and enjoying life as they should!
Ember is enjoying being able to help her handler in the everyday life by accompanying her to work, outings and so much more!
Katos
This isn't your regular puppy. Katos is a Belgium Malinois puppy that means he needs a ton of mental stimulation as well as alot of physical conditioning.
K9 Katos is currently in training to earn his PDC title is PSA with Outkast K9 PSA club.
This dog is by far the sweetest, most crazy filled puppy I've ever worked with! but he is the most rewarding. His drive is immaculate. The amount of work I can get out of him with food is amazing. We are still working on building drive and I cannot wait to see how he turns out!
Chico
Pharaoh
Ember
