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Born To Lead K-9 Academy Dog Training As a certified Master Dog Trainer and behaviorist with over 24 years of dog training experience, we provide the most reliable and comprehensive behavior solutions available in Raleigh or anywhere else. We are one of Raleigh's oldest, most trusted and highest rated dog trainers. We pride ourselves on our ability to stand out from the crowded marketplace of cut and paste trainers who have no real behavioral understanding of why dogs misbehave and even worse, how to fix it.Call us today to find out why thousands have entrusted us to help guide them in their journey to create the calmest and happiest dogs in Raleigh!
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I decided to supplement my self-taught knowledge with a formal education. In 2004 I graduated from Tarheel Canine in Sanford, NC. I studied under one of the world's leading canine trainers and completed several months of extensive, hands-on training while also running and maintaining their in-board dog training kennel.
I insist that owners accept responsibility for their dog's behavior and to learn how to engage their dogs with trustworthy and natural communication. My training reinforces that with a clear understanding of expectations. I firmly believe that dog training works best when the owner is educated first.
Born to Lead Dog Training can assist you in all of your canine needs. Our clients require a wide selection of services and knowledge about all aspects of dog ownership. We serve the entire Raleigh NC area.
The Early Window Of Socialization To understand canine dysfunctional aggression you need to understand factors in play when the dog was a puppy. Beginning at three weeks, when their eyes open, and lasting until fourteen weeks of age, puppies develop bonds and sensitivity to the people and animals in their life.
Reviews (21)
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Jamie Ellis
Jun 20, 2022
I really appreciate Ryan's approach to educating dog owner's on their pet's unique needs, psychology, and view of the world. He provides insightful and practical steps to create a relationship and method of communication with your pet that is marked by respect, healthy boundaries, and fun. I have already seen positive change in my dog's behavior patterns within hours of implementing Ryan's advice--incredible. Thanks again, Ryan!
Olivia Weiers
May 06, 2022
Ryan completely changed the way we were approaching about raising and training our 9 month old puppy. He was very detailed, straightforward, and very personable. Already we are seeing a difference in our dog's energy and behavior! I will be recommending him to anyone needing professional dog training!
Rachel Murray
Mar 28, 2022
Ryan is the real deal when it comes to dog training. After a 2-hour deep dive Zoom call, we felt very well prepared on next steps to train our 1-year-old Goldendoodle. After 6 weeks, her walking etiquette has done a 180, she went from being a nightmare to walk and take out into public, to being a great listener, walker and companion when we are out.

We still have work to do but Ryan is just a call or text away whenever we need kind, non-judgmental advice if we hit bumps in the road during training - that is so appreciated!
David Zunick
Mar 07, 2022
Born to Lead has been amazing so far and hasn't empty my bank account. We have been doing the program for about a month and we are already seeing massive improvements in our 3 year old Pitbull/boxer mix. We have done the standard training of sit and go to space, but that doesn't help teach us what we as the owners are doing wrong. Our dog would freak out seeing another dog and we learned we were enforcing that behavior with our actions. We have high hopes that this will truly help our dog become his best self.
Nicole Piccirillo
Feb 24, 2022
Wow! Highly recommend Born to Lead Training. We only had our 1 year old dog for a few weeks when we decided to work with Ryan. One week later, now we have the BEST walking dog on the block. We definitely have some behavior corrections that are a work in progress, but it is clear that the methodology is effective, especially with consistency. We cant wait to see how we progress with our pup in the next few weeks!
Ike Dupree
Feb 17, 2022
Born To Lead Dog training is amazing! Ryan is knowledgeable about dogs and how to train them. I have found him to be understanding and willing to help me with my new puppy. Ryan is available to help and is easily reached with questions and concerns. He cares about the relationship between us and our new puppy and is willing to assist us in any way. I highly recommend Born to Lead Dog Training!
Zeboney Barranada
Feb 06, 2022
Amazing! My puppy and I have made SIGNIFICANT strides in the right direction after a training session with Ryan. He is extremely knowledgeable. He's also amazing about following up and keeping in touch to ensure that training is effective and answering any and all further questions I've had. This is a thorough and effective training and it is money VERY well spent. I 100% recommend Ryan for dog training.
Allisha Cassidy
Dec 16, 2021
Ryan comes across as a true dog whisperer and he has insight into the people issues vs the dogs. His approach is doable but you must put in the work, study, connect, disconnect to lead your pet.the entire family gets to be: happy pet and owners. I genuinely appreciate working with him and we're not done yet. My 1 year old Doodle bad habits will disappear and we're grateful!
Stephenie Clark
Nov 25, 2021
Ryan is very knowledgeable and a clear expert in dog behavior and training. He was insightful into the basic nature of dogs and how we can best provide them structure in our home environment. We have come away with many great new habits as dog owners and are grateful for his help with our two Pit mixes.
Hanna Brantley
Nov 15, 2021
Ryan was just what we needed. He made sure to explain why things were happening and then followed it by how we can fix the issues. He took his time and answered all the questions we had, gave us homework to work on, and followed up with emails to make sure everything was going smoothly. We are four months since our first meeting and our dogs have made major improvements. I highly recommend Ryan!
Jennifer Kebert
Sep 26, 2021
Ryan's insights about having a new puppy is eye opening and spot on! I had a dog previously for 19 years and had forgotten about what it is like to have a puppy! My husband and I reached out to Ryan for help with our new Aussiedoodle pup. A very smart breed, well behaved, but we needed help with setting boundaries and modifying our behaviors to keep our Aussiedoodle pup safe!

I highly recommend Ryan. He is very responsive and holds an open line of communication throughout the training. Since our first session Ryan has reached out several times to see how his modifications were working, sent recommendations for collars etc.asks for videos to help any way he can. It's been less then two weeks and we have already seen such a change in our pup since we have implemented the techniques Ryan suggested!
Julio Somohano
Sep 20, 2021
Ryan was very informative and helpful and getting us ready on how to train and communicate with our new pup. My wife and I look forward to continuing to work with him and I highly recommend him to anyone looking for assistance with dog training.
Alexandra Whitehead
Aug 17, 2021
We were so pleased with our meeting with Ryan! Ryan gave us so much information, practical suggestions, and insight into how we could help our dogs get more manageable.we love them, so. We are still in the early stages of training, but we can tell that consulting with Ryan will result in our enjoying our dogs even more.
Tyler Cross
Jun 21, 2021
Before taking our Australian Shepherd home we knew that educating ourselves was essential for us to provide the best possible life for her. I'm glad we made this decision because it laid the foundation for the awesome dog that she is today! Using the concepts we learned from Ryan we were able to quickly potty and crate train Kona. While a tiny puppy she only had 8 accidents in the house and they were all our fault.

We get compliments all the time for how well behaved she is for a puppy. I'm proud to say she's more well behaved than many of the adult dogs we know in our life. Everybody getting a dog should make sure to train virtually with Ryan up front. You'll see the huge reward when your dog comes home. Thank you Ryan!
Brenden Moody
Apr 21, 2021
Best money i've ever spent honestly. The day after our first session i was already getting compliments on how my dog seemed a lot more chill, just because i had a completely different mind set on things. I'm very happy and excited to see the progression i make with my dog because of this course. Thank you very much! I highly recommend contacting Born to Lead! Extremely affordable and professional.
Lisa Hines
Jun 09, 2020
Ryan Douglas is great! He really took the time to explain things in a way that clearly defined the cause and effect of the issues we were having as well as the solution to fixing them. We learned so much in such a short period of time and even saw pretty immediate results in some areas. We are excited to see all of the future improvements in our boys' behavior and are going to work diligently to follow Ryan's instruction in all of our interactions with them. He is an amazing resource! We highly recommend!
Russ B.
Jul 29, 2018
Money well spent. Impeccable trainer that I would highly recommend. Trainer came to us for a couple hours and within just 1 or 2 days saw incredible results. Do yourselves a favor, and have Ryan fill you with the knowledge and confidence needed to lead your k9.
Sherif F.
May 27, 2015
Ryan is such a great teacher! But it wasn't my dog he taught, it was me. Its not easy as a dog owner to be told that you are the one responsible for your dog's behavior but the quicker you believe that, the easier your life will be. And Ryan has such a tactful way of being direct, honest, and respectful at the same time. I am a wellness coach and I have always taught that the body makes a great servant but a terrible master so don't let your indulgences drive your choices regarding food and exercise.

It was interesting when Ryan taught me that those same principles apply to a dog. When Ryan explained subtle nuances that put the control back in my hands, I was much happier. and more importantly my dog became much happier. Thanks Ryan!
Amy M.
May 20, 2015
Ryan was terrific. We are only a few days into our new 'pack training' (=People Training) and slowly seeing results. How human actions affect our dogs is fascinating and make sense when he goes through and demonstrates it. May have a follow up in a month or so, just to show him how well his training worked. Really great experience!
Alison H.
Feb 02, 2014
We just had our initial appointment today with Ryan and wow, what a great experience. I admit, I was nervous for him to come into our house and point out all of the bad habits we had created with out dogs, but Ryan is very understanding and such a down to earth guy. It makes taking constructive criticism about your dog owning abilities much easier.

I will be the first to admit that my husband and I did not know the first thing about owning and properly promoting good behavior with a dog. Much if it was because we just didn't understand the way dogs perceive our body language and reactions. Ryan listened to our concerns and diagnosed the problems and symptoms with ease. He explained things in ways that made sense with comparisons related to our real lives (and were often humorous!).

He tried many exercises with our dogs (who are very rambunctious and curious) and I never dreamed that they would respond to direction and commands in the way he got them to. After our appointment, we learned some great and simple tips that will help our dogs behave better around company and our baby due in June. That night, we a had friend come over just to initially try out our lessons.

It almost blew my mind how quickly the big issues were disappearing right before our eyes. We were able to control their jumping and hyper approach to new people in the house and I know with even more practice, our dogs will be superstars! After having misbehaved dogs for so long (which we realize now was our fault) it is so liberating to know that out dogs have potential to be well behaved. We owe it all to Ryan!
Avi W.
Sep 12, 2011
Ryan has really, really helped us with our dog. He was a rescue, and our first dog, and we were a bit overwhelmed. Ryan has helped us feel confident in our training, our dog has calmed down considerably at home, and he feels like part of our family instead of a troublesome house guest. We still have a ways to go, but I couldn't recommend Ryan enough.