Hi Caitlin. I just wanted to drop you a note to tell you how…read moremuch we LOVE Dakota! She just "gets" Bailey and is always coming up with new and different strategies to deal with Bailey's issues. I felt 100% at ease leaving Bailey with her while we were gone for Thanksgiving, and loved getting the daily updates, pictures and videos. Bailey is truly a different puppy than the one that arrived at our home a little more than 2 months ago. She went from a puppy who was scared of her shadow to one who is conquering fears daily and is so much more carefree. Our house is often a revolving door of kids and Bailey is really starting to enjoy the activity! I no longer have to introduce Bailey to new people outside fearing that she will submissive pee or need distance. Bailey may never be the most confident dog in the room, but she is happy and so much more comfortable in her skin now and we couldn't be more thrilled. There's still a little work to do but we have come such a long way and that is in large part due to Dakota. Thank you again. Debbie

Good luck getting a response. I tried calling a handful of times and left at least three messages…read moreabout puppy training and boarding. either they're no longer in business or don't wish for new business, in which case you should probably take down your information. So sad, I was really hoping to get some help training my pup.

Kim Kelly has probably trained six or seven dogs at least in my family, and we've not looked to…read moreanyone else in the last 20 years. When my family has to leave town without the pup, I drive an hour away to drop her off at Kim. Why? Because clearly I have trust issues. And I trust Kim completely. Great guy, reliable in a pinch, and just a wonderful trainer.

We had an amazing experience with Kim! Our chocolate lab puppy was driving us insane and we were…read morestruggling getting him trained ourselves. Having two young daughters treating the puppy like a wild animal made it even worse. We were at our breaking point and considering giving away the puppy, but thankfully a friend referred us to Kim. That man is a saint and a dog whisperer! After 6 weeks of training with Kim, our puppy is the best behaved young lab I have ever seen. I could never imagine a transition this dramatic. The best part is that our dog still has a puppy personality, but has simply learned how to listen and obey commands. I highly recommend Kim!

*NOTE: This review is for a specific groomer, Lexie, and the other friendly staff at the salon*…read more I have taken my pup to several pet grooming business in the Austin area for several years, never quite satisfied with what I get for the cost. It's to the point where I have just started grooming her myself and only going in for nail trims (still scared to do those myself!), which are usually still unsatisfying jobs for the whopping $15-20 they charge (ex: leaving cracks down to the nail bed, snags at the ends, and often drawing blood). However, I took my dog in recently for a simple nail trim and was talked into their current special of a grind, ear, and teeth cleaning for only an extra $2 by a super friendly salon staff member (Why not? It's only $2!). I have to say that I have never seen anyone handle my typically anxious dog so gently and still managed to trim her nails to the perfect length (short enough I don't have to come back within a few weeks), grind them to a pleasant rounded tip with NO snags or cracks, a good ear cleaning and teeth brushing, and at the end of it all: my dog not shaking like a maniac when she is returned to me. And all in a quick 5 minute walk-in appointment. Very satisfied and happy to write a positive review for a chain business that I would usually avoid.

I am genuinely stunned by how we were treated at this location, and particularly by an employee…read morenamed Rachel. We brought our dog, Pippin, in for his appointment with our children in tow. During check-in, we were told his vaccination records needed to be emailed from our veterinarian. Fine -- I immediately called the vet and was placed on hold while trying to get exactly what PetSmart was asking for. Apparently, being on hold with another business was taking too long for Rachel. Instead of showing even basic patience or professionalism while I actively tried to resolve the issue, Rachel was extraordinarily rude, condescending, and openly hostile toward us. I was standing there juggling my phone, our children, and trying to comply with her request while being spoken to in a way that was so unnecessarily nasty that I was nearly in tears. We weren't yelling. We weren't causing a scene. We weren't refusing to provide anything. We were literally trying to do what she told us to do. Despite that awful beginning, we remained polite, Pippin stayed for his service, we were told that he did great, and we even tipped. Imagine our surprise, then, when we attempted to book again and discovered that Rachel had apparently placed us on a DO NOT BOOK status. For what, exactly? Our dog wasn't reportedly aggressive. We weren't told that he behaved badly. We weren't abusive to staff. We didn't refuse to pay. We didn't create a disturbance. In fact, we left believing that, aside from Rachel's astonishingly poor treatment of us at check-in, everything had gone well. I called the store after discovering the ban, hoping there had been some misunderstanding. Unfortunately, my interaction with Rachel only reinforced my impression of how she communicates with customers. If there is a legitimate, documented reason that Pippin cannot safely be serviced, I am completely willing to hear it. His safety and the safety of employees matter to me. But if a customer can be quietly blacklisted because an employee became irritated that obtaining veterinary records at her request took longer than she wanted, that is an alarming way to run a business. I have rarely encountered someone in a customer-facing position who made me feel so unwelcome while I was actively trying to cooperate with them. Management should review exactly what happened here, including who authorized the do-not-book designation, what reason was documented for it, and whether that reason is consistent with what the grooming staff actually observed and told us about Pippin. We were kind. We complied. Our dog did well. We paid. We tipped. And somehow we walked away banned. Absolutely unacceptable.

Action Pack is always our go-to for boarding our dog. They're incredibly accommodating and…read moregenuinely care about the pets they look after. Our elderly dog can get anxious and nervous when she's away from home, but she always seems relaxed and comfortable at Action Pack, which gives us great peace of mind. The staff is friendly, caring, and always wonderful to work with. Thank you for taking such great care of our girl--we truly appreciate everything you do!

I was quoted $100 a day for boarding when I went to pick up my dogs it was almost $200 a day! I…read moreeven asked for my one dog to have a bath and he's dirty is dirty ugh My last time to use them

UPDATE: Owner called, was very understanding and supportive. We're going to give them another try…read moreand do a re-do review once appropriate. On 8/9/2020 our puppy went for the 1st time in his 3 short months of life to puppy socialization classes at the S. Lamar location (12 noon slot, as he's 17 pounds). We were so excited for him, taking his first step into puppy training/dog training which we're big supporters of. Both of our other dogs have had training including getting their AKC Good Citizen Certificate, but we lived in a different state at the time, hence our quest for a new trainer in Austin. Well, we were so disappointed with the quality of the experience we had to share this with others. We returned to pick him up about 10 min early and, like many others there, we looked through the glass at the puppies playing. What we observed were two very frustrated employees dealing with out of control puppies. The pups were given no guidance, they were knocking plastic dividers down (one fell on our pups head), and given treat after treat with no command- just stuffing them in their mouths. The "class" is finally over and we go in to speak with the employe and the conversation was shocking- She first said our dog cried at the door for 20 minutes "his separation anxiety needs to put under control". Well, we realize he's scared to be left alone. He was rescued at 5 weeks from a bad situation, we're all working from home and he see's us all day and the fact that we took him there indicates we realize there's a problem we'd like to help not get criticized about. Secondly, and this was the part that really, deeply saddened me. She said "he seems to have a short fuse, you know how his breed is". He's a pit bull, we have 2 others. No, we don't know "how his breed is", we don't make breed generalizations, we know it's the owner not the dog and I'm shocked a 'dog trainer' would say something like that. All with a look of 'I hate my job, hurry up and leave. so I can get on with my day' look on her face. Needless to say, it was a tough first experience for our puppy and even tougher for us to sit through when someone is making ignorant remarks about a dog's breed because of frustration or dissatisfaction in her job.

As a new puppy owner, this was a dream come true! For the past 6 weeks, my puppy Woody and I have…read morelooked forward to these classes. I first took him to these classes when he was about 10-weeks old, so it's a great way for him to socialize with other dogs while he's still in the midst of getting his vaccinations. The trainers are great. They are always open and eager to answer any questions I may have. Just knowing that I have the team in my back pocket helps ease any anxiety I may have about being a new puppy mom. Kate has been especially fantastic! I had to go out of town for a work trip pretty last minute, and she was able to watch Woody for a few days while I was gone. She even gave him a little nail trim :) I felt completely at ease and comfortable knowing that my puppy was in good hands. Thank you so much for everything you do!

Our family used Christie to train our two Olde English Bulldogs back in 2013 and I have to say that…read morethose were the best dogs ever so, when I brought a new Oldie puppy into the home, I knew that I wanted to start training early. First of all, before even meeting or corresponding with Christie, the website gives a plethora of information. She details out the training methodology as well as options for training - board and train, group classes, etc. She also outlines her beliefs on training and dog ownership so there is no doubt what to expect when you arrive, but don't jump in the car just yet. There's an application process to sign up for training. Once you've completed your applications, additional information will be provided around what's expected of you as part of the training and it is very detailed as well. Right after our first lesson, I had a clear understanding of the first lesson, clear instructions on my homework, and expectations were set. I opted not for the board and train program but the group lessons. There were two other first-timers there and Christie was able to give all of us and our dogs the attention needed to make the session worthwhile. I look forward to our weekly Saturday morning training classes and already notice a difference walking with my Sadie. Whether you choose to board and train or attend group classes, you cannot go wrong here. Training your dog is part of responsible pet ownership and setting the groundwork early is one of the best decisions I've made, but there are plenty of older dogs in training too so if you have an older dog that lacks the behaviors you want, I can't recommend Christie ENOUGH. Just take a look at the videos on her website to see the effects of proper training in action.

If there was a lower rating to give for this experience, it would be warranted. I emailed Christie…read moreabout behavioral training for my dog, and all of her correspondence was rude, condescending, and exceedingly unprofessional. There was an obvious spelling error in addressing my name, and she was completely comfortable with being impolite with a possible customer she has never met. When her behavior was addressed there was complete denial. After I decided (and stated) that her services would be unnecessary she continued to email & explain how my pet and I no longer qualified for any of her programs. If you would like to be spoken to in an unprofessional manner and berated with emails after calling it out, this is the place for you. And after reading her response to this review on Google, where she states information about my application out of context, is another example of her character. It was too long to read completely, but I am so grateful I went to someone else who met with me, explaining my dog's nervous behavior, not aggressive, and was a professional. My terrible interaction with this "professional" led me to a real one.

Julia is impressive! Our dogs were experiencing anxiety because of our recent move. She worked…read morewith them and us and the problems were resolved. We were so grateful.

Julie is genuinely a dog and people lover! You will not find anyone more trustworthy, punctual,…read morereliable, loving, or smart. She is a wealth of knowledge and has so many tools in her bag to accommodate different temperaments. She is great at answering questions over text and providing resources. She is extra good with kids! I have already referred her to 2 other friends. Julie is amazing and compassionate. Her prices are a real value! Love her!

I cannot recommend Conscious Dog Training enough. Our pug Hemingway is the best dog ever, but he is…read morealso a pug, and if you know anything about this breed, you'll also know they are stubborn to a fault! I picked Conscious Dog Training because the reviews show they have experience with pugs, and when Hemi had some naughty behavior that needed to be nipped in the bud, CDT stepped in and helped my husband and I better understand what was going on. I love the attention to detail and the customization done with these guys. Our trainer was Rebecca, and she showed up to our house ready to take on Hemi, who we learned, just needed boundaries and more structure in his routine. Training your dog is primarily the effort you make. So if you're ready to do the work, CDT is ready to take you on. They have a zero tolerance policy with electric shock therapy/shock collars, or anything leaning towards negative reinforcement.

Jennifer was a life saver. I had a very aggressive French bulldog that was attacking my other dog…read more It was a highly stressful living situation and didn't know where to turn. By luck, I found Jennifer and she was the perfect fit. She was patient with me, was always upbeat and practiced rewards based training that I could actually repeat on my own and really helped me understand my dogs. She's honestly not just a trainer, she's a shrink for the whole family. She was able to figure out our dynamic and tell me what the dogs were thinking just by their body language and signals and taught me how to read their signs too. The aggression took not only training but meds too. Jennifer helped with so much input and advise on that too. I honestly could not have gotten through the stress of two dogs in the same household not getting along without Jenn keeping everything in perspective for me. She would remind me where we started, the plan we were on and where we were going. I clearly am beyond thrilled with Jennifer's training!! Fast forward two years and I now have more to thank Jenn for! I no longer have my Frenchie but I do have two amazing Pugs. Jenn has reminded me of the basic training I've already been taught and we are back to using our magic mats. They have been great at getting the puppy to settle as one crazy dog usually leads to two crazy dogs. We have also started our amazing loose leash training again and see how the little bit of structure helps the dogs calm down and helps us build a closer bond. This is Jenn's calling as she is an amazing dog trainer/therapist for both dogs and humans...and don't kid yourself, this training is really for you, not the dog!