Community Highlights: Meet Eden Keeling Baker of Willow Tree Dog Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eden Keeling Baker.

Hi Eden, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hello! My name is Eden Baker, and I was born and raised on the West Coast of California. I started my journey working with dogs in Santa Ynez, CA, at a boarding facility and knew I wanted to dive into the world of training as I started shadowing my colleagues. I then worked with one of my favorite trainers and good friend Lucy Esparza (Owner of Oak Valley Dogs), at Old Yeller Ranch, where I learned to work with dogs pulled from the E-list. There is where I fell deeply in love with balanced dog training and the therapy that goes with helping, understanding, and being around these misunderstood dogs. I also worked at K-nine Solutions in Santa Barbara, working with puppies to behavioral cases. When I moved to Arizona, I knew I was ready to start my own small business doing board and trains, daycare, and regular boarding.

I plan to continue expanding my business and create a place where we can all enjoy, raise and help our beautiful 4-legged friends. I specialize in behavioral cases, public obedience, off-leash training, puppy training, and basic obedience. I want to give these dogs that have been recycled in and out of homes a chance to stay in their home and thrive. State-of-mind dog training is super important to me and sets the tone for the whole training process. We want to share a better state of mind with our dogs. I teach people how to have a healthy relationship with their dogs by bringing in respect, trust, and boundaries within the loving relationship. To truly vouch for our dogs, we must love them by leading them. In the following year, we are planning on expanding by purchasing some land and creating a ranch where we can train, work dogs around other animals, host pack walks, and create a home where other small businesses can collab and connect as well as a community to introduce meditation and different therapies including the dogs and animals. We are excited to meet more Willow Tree members and clients who will become friends and family. Our dedication and consistency with our clients set us apart from other trainers. Once you work with us, we support you and your dog throughout their life to ensure they are successful and have a place to come and feel comfy working with them.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
I thank God for all my blessings with my business, but I struggled with imposter syndrome the first year. I had to learn confidence and trust my intuition that I knew what I was doing business-wise. I hired an amazing business coach who taught me so much about how to carry myself and how to strengthen everything from speaking with clients to posting on social media to my everyday schedule. This year Willow Tree Dog Training has hired its first-ever employee! I still, at moments, struggle with imposter syndrome, but that means we are right where we need to be; once that imposter syndrome settles, it’s time to expand.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a balanced dog trainer. Balanced dog training teaches a dog desired behaviors using reward-based techniques and aversive corrections, which the dog will be introduced to once it associates a behavior with a command. The intent of the correction is not to punish the dog but rather to change the dog’s behavior. I specialize in behavioral cases, public obedience, off-leash training, puppy training, and basic obedience—state-of-mind training with dogs. What sets me apart from other trainers is that we offer support for your dog’s life and so forth. Clients are always included and invited to any events we have, like Pack Walks and Sound Bowl Healing for dogs, and are always welcomed back for boarding if their dog needs somewhere to stay while you are out of town; we work on refreshing your dogs training while they board which is better than the dog staying somewhere where they may pick up bad behaviors like nuisance barking or ankle biting. Once you work with us, we are here for you and your dog and hold you accountable to maintain the training we set in place. We may message you a week after training and ask for a brief video of you working with your dog or a brief message update. We truly care and give 100% Communication and updates every day your dog is with us. I am proud of our honesty and dedication to our clients and dogs; we truly go above and beyond. I want the readers to know that even though their dog may be away for training for a couple of weeks, we will make sure they feel connected and comfortable while their dog is in our care and that a few weeks of training seems long but truly gives our dogs the time and consistency we need to work through their issues and create a new routine. A few weeks is worth the time to have a lifetime with a balanced trained dog with a new amazing relationship added with their dog. In the words of my favorite trainer Sean O Shea “Off-leash trained dogs to have the biggest, fullest, safest, and flying monkey-free lives.”

What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see Willow Tree Dog Training within the next 1-3 years having the ranch property to do even more off-leash training, having the room to board and train more dogs, adding more amazing employees, and creating a place to be able to train our dogs around other animals. Host events for our clients and dog lovers. We plan on also having a rescue and rehabilitation center for e-listed dogs to be fully trained and put into the best fitting home. We plan on teaching group sessions and classes as well. We also plan on hosting meditation with puppies, rescue dogs, etc. Healing with animals and creating an awesome community and safe place for dogs and their owners who are serious about dog training to thrive.

Pricing:

• We offer free in person consultations, to find what program fits best for you and your dog.

Contact Info:

• Website: willowtreedogtraining.com
• Instagram: @willowtreek9training
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willowtreek9training
• Other: Willow Tree Dog Training on Google