Andrew Ballantyne, KPA-CTP

Andrew is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner and a Fear Free Certified Trainer.

Growing up Andrew always longed for a dog but his situation didn’t allow for it. When Andrew was nineteen and living on his own, his first dog Y-Lee came into his life. They had a phenomenal 11 years together. Andrew lucked out! Y-Lee was an amazing, well trained, and socialized pup (though Y-Lee would regularly find new ways to get into the garbage can).

After Y-Lee’s passing, Andrew found himself spending more time with his “nephew” dog, Bludger. Working with Bludger was his first introduction to clicker training. When Bludger’s new sister Tonks came along, Andrew attended Tonks’s training classes with his sister-in-law (Dr. Kelly Ballantyne) since he was thinking about getting a new puppy too. Andrew was blown away by the class headed by Laura Monaco Torelli of Animal Behavior Training Concepts. The welcoming environment and explanation of positive reinforcement really clicked with him (pun intended). He was hooked and attended the next Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional class in 2013. It was an amazing learning experience and solidified the next phase in Andrew’s life: dog training and working with dogs. After graduating from the Karen Pryor Academy, he apprenticed with Laura Torelli and Kiki Yablon.

As a professional dog trainer Andrew continues to gain knowledge of training and animal behavior by attending conferences, taking courses, and working with veterinary behaviorists. Andrew’s love of animals and his commitment to education and force-free training makes him an a perfect fit with Insight.