This review is for Carmen, who teaches Reactive Rover at Dog Days NW. Carmen is not only extremely abrasive with people, but is unable to organize and run a dog training class. Her poor people and dog handling skills damaged any progress my dog had made on her reactivity and cost me far too much money, time, and goodwill.
I recently adopted a rescue Great Dane who is reactive to dogs on leash. Because of her size and unknown history it was important to me to get her into a class that could teach her the skills she needs to keep both herself and other dogs safe. Unfortunately, Carmen lied about being able to accommodate a dog of her size: the class is in close quarters and set up with low barriers that are so short that she could see the other dogs in class without even standing up, and the walls of the facility are all mirrored so at any given point she was seeing another dog. It's a poor set up for dogs of any size, but it's absolutely horrendous for a tall one. Even a lab would struggle in this class.
Trigger stacking is essentially the first concept Carmen taught -- the idea that you need to manage your dog's exposure to triggers to keep them at a level where learning could take place, because each one you add on makes it harder and harder for the dog to react appropriately. There wasn't a single moment in class where she could escape from seeing other dogs and even the highest value treats were ignored as her fear mounted. When I spoke to Carmen about it, she deflected any blame by claiming that anyplace else that I went would be worse/just as bad. She trash talked all the other training facilities in the area and then insulted my mental health for being upset about having to manage my 115 pounds of nervous dog for an hour each week while she ignored the real issue. The situation Carmen put my dog in is the worse thing you can do for reactivity: trapping her in a terrifying situation and giving her no escape. I dropped her class to avoid doing her more harm and thankfully found another one that is so fantastic that it prompted me to write this review.
In direct comparison to Carmen's class, Reactive Rover class at Oregon Humane Society (the trainers are FANTASTIC and prices are great, take your dog there!) has tall enough barriers that Lucy would have to jump to see other dogs. The space is double the size of Dog Days and each of the six dogs has an area completely enclosed. They can hear other dogs and manage their reactivity in a comfy, safe area. The trainers come prepared to every class with Kongs stuffed with frozen treats and puzzle toys for every dog. They're also encouraging and fun! I dreaded going to Carmen's class with her stressed out vibe. Both my dog and I have a blast at the OHS class! She's made such incredible progress despite her reactivity being much worse after Carmen's class.
My problems went far beyond the terrible physical setup of the class. Carmen and her assistant, Pam, were disorganized. Most of the "training" was done by lecturing each person on what they were doing wrong without any consideration for what each dog needed. It was as though Carmen didn't have any real idea of what to teach and just focused on what she could point to as wrong. For example, when I took more than a few seconds to pull out some slippery treats for my dog before we excited our pod, she spent an absurd amount of time lecturing me about putting treats inside a plastic bag inside my training pouch -- even though it wasn't the bag that was the issue and her lecture did nothing but give my dog the chance to get overly focused on another dog a few feet way.
At the end of a class where she had gotten pushback from frustrated handlers, she spent 15 minutes telling us that no one is perfect and making excuses for how badly class went for everyone with zero reflection on her inability to lead. She or Pam did such a poor job of explaining what we were supposed to be doing and it wasted so much time as everyone needed clarification. It was a bizarre atmosphere that felt like she was suiting up for battle with us every class. The stress level in the class was so high that no dog (or human) could be expected to learn!
I am very glad that I made the decision to walk away from Carmen's class and find another, despite her telling me that my dog wouldn't do well in any class. Avoid her and Dog Days NW and seek out people who find the joy in training dogs and interacting with their humans. Happy to give a plug to the wonderful Brie Blakeman at Noble Woof/OHS and Courtney Bayer at OHS. My dog learns so much from a class that brings in new dogs to help train at a safe distance so that we can practice skills in a real life environment, with a ton of great handouts to keep her on track between classes. It's remarkable how enjoyable a class is with competent trainers! read more
