We picked up a happy and healthy dog after 6 nights of platinum boarding. We were extremely pleased…read morewith the professionalism and experience of the kennel techs. The kennels were spacious and my dog was able to keep her own silicon toy with her for comfort. We did do a few days of daycare beforehand per Starmark's suggestion and feel it really helped prepare our nervous dog for the new-to-us facility. We will be using them again!

I have had two experiences with board and train at Starmark and want to CLEARLY separate the two…read morethough my overall review stands as a reflection of the overall experience with the business not just with the trainers. My first board & train was with my male Belgian Malinois and stayed for 4 weeks with Bella as the trainer. This experience was phenomenal. Great updates on progress with commands and socialization (which was the biggest issue for him). When I picked him up the take home lesson clearly demonstrated the effort Bella and Baz had put into training and showed clear positive results. Demonstration of heel, basic commands and bite were very nice. Because of this experience I traveled from Alabama were I am staying temporarily to have my female Belgian Malinois stay for a 6 week board and train. Bella apparently wasn't available so Paige was the trainer this time around. Through email a command list was provided as well as the request for off leash obedience and intro to trail tracking if possible. The updates started and stayed positive but extremely generic. This was a statement in an update 2 "Saphira has made a lot of progress this week, and we just started e-collar conditioning today! She's already mastered the basics, " and updates such as this continued until it was time to pick her up. 6 weeks later and another trip from Alabama I was looking forward to seeing my pup and the progress she had made. The take home lesson was a DISASTER!!! When first bringing her into the room her level of excitement was clear so I was prepared for more mistakes and issues because she is younger than my male Malinois was during training previously and it had been a while. Paige demonstrated a heel and place which honestly were quite good and I was happy with the on leash demonstration. Off leash heel was less than desirable but a good introduction. The issues became clear when off leash the sit and down command demonstrations were worse than her performance of those commands prior to entering the board and train. The demonstrations became so problematic off leash that I requested her to be put on leash. With some more demonstrations with terrible results it was time for me take the lead/leash. Performance was not good but it was helpful to get the introduction to E-Collar and off leash handling before reverting to on leash. The commands that supposedly were taught (requested via email and confirmed via later email that they confirmed "All of the commands you listed below are the ones she was taught." Continuation marker - yes Terminal marker - free Sit - sitz (seetz) Down - platz (plahtz) Stand - Steh (sh-tay) Heel - foos Recal / come - Saphira Heere Leave it - lass es Out - Aus Only sit, down, heel were demonstrated with the incorrect word (English being used by Paige on several occasions paired with stimulus from E-Collar) in addition to place which I had not listed but was discussed. Out, Leave It do not result in the intended behavior (not sure if trained at all... definitely not "mastered") recall on leash requires her to see a reward recall off leash ineffective sit and down are slower, sloppier, and confusion around which to do that was not the case before training. Stand - saw no change either positive or negative prior to the training. Paige said she worked with her on trail tracking and gave me an intro to continuing that and no demonstration was provided as I am sure that would have been difficult in the time allotted but I have not worried about the trail tracking since she has been home as all of the focus has had to be on the basics that were "mastered". While continued training for the basics is always important with continued training it is as if she is starting where she was 12-18 weeks ago for sit and down. I believe too much focus was put on off-leash training rather than staying committed to the quality of training for the basics. I would have preferred honest updates and feedback with a redirection on the focus of her training to a much higher standard than broad training at a very low standard. if Bella isn't available I definitely won't be going back to Starmark for board and train as my faith in the business and other trainers has been impacted by this experience and through the email exchanges since.

I have never been to Dog Joy with my dogs so I went today. The people were nice, but the prices…read morewere ridiculous! I have two schnauzers they don't use the splash pad and all they did was walk around. They did have some Obstacles for the dogs to jump over, but I just threw away $60.. then I wanted to get some popcorn so I could give some treats to the dogs when they did their training that tiny sandwich baggy cost me $5.. It was a total rip off! Will never go back again!

I took my dog to the initial Tryout day & she passed. I then took her probably 2 or 3 more times…read moreto REPS Daycare dates. Andi seemed to have a great time. Their location is quite a drive for me and it's pretty expensive. For example, the last daycare visit was $84. It's 49.50 for a REPS day, then I added $20 so she could play in the splash pool, and finally, I pay $12 for her to have a lunchtime Kong. You also don't get photos unless you pay $20 for a Facebook updates pics. I didn't pay for that and therefore got no pics of her at the Splash Park and incidentally, she was not in any photos with other dogs who played (and had a ball judging by the photos on the FB page) in the water that day & who's pawrents did pay for the FB update. I'm happy to pay for my dog to have fun but the way she was apparently separated out because I didn't pay, obviously disappointed me. So, needless to say, I'm looking for another daycare that is perhaps a little closer.

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!

Loved being able to see our dog on camera while on vacation. The staff were very caring and the…read moreplace is very clean.

One of our dogs had fleas They called when we were 6 hours out of town. Said they would give them…read morea flea bath. They didn't. Kept them locked in small confinement for FOUR days and they didn't eat a bit of their food. Just picked them up and they are covered with urine. Not happy

Gave estimate of price for training. Does in-home training ---willing to focus on our needsread more

From the owner: Focused K9 helps owners achieve on or off leash control with their dogs. We focus on developing a…read morerelationship with you and your dog that leads to your dog being responsive to commands through clear communication, your dog will learn to be calm while at liberty, you will learn to fulfill their biological needs through training and they will have functional obedience in a variety of real life applications both at home and in public spaces.

I went to another trainer this weekend because the facility was closer and they offer a…read moresocialization class for adult dogs (Ruck has no issue with people, but he is a little intense about other dogs) and it was not the same. The trainer was knowledgeable, but she made me feel dumb through passive-agressive comments and treated me like I was a terrible owner. It made me really miss K9HQ. I took Ruck there earlier in the year for agility and he was always so excited to see Dave, Karen, and Kevin -- and they allowed him to have his "moment" of joy. I just really appreciate how much they genuinely love my dog and how great they are with me. Dave's never made me feel like I was an idiot or a shitty owner and when I started doing agility with Kevin, he was super patient with Ruck and I. I know that I'm kind of crazy about my dog, which K9HQ understood. They get that I could just let Ruck act like a toolbag, but that I want him to be better than that, so I sought out training and they've always been very supportive of my decisions. So, since he hasn't imploded yet (fingers crossed, especially since now I have a male roommate -- who Ruck is in love with), here's your 5th star, Canine Headquarters.

I have been researching and visiting dog training facilities for one month. To say the least, I…read morehave been to A LOT of places. What took to me Canine Heaquarters was the trainer, Kara. She has an outstanding reputation with not only other trainers, but with local veternarians. So we went to Canine Headquarters to visit with her and see the facilities. Our visit to Canine Headquarters was WEIRD! The trainer, KARA, was knowledgeable, friendly and more than willing to answer ALL of our questions. The owner, KAREN, was actually rude to us and wouldn't allow us to see the kennels where the dogs stay when not being trained. The dogs, from what I could see, stay in kennels in a backyard with not a lot of weather protection. We were only allowed to stand at the fence and try to look in though. KAREN also talked down to her employee, KARA, in front of us which made both my wife and I very uncomfortable. The facility itself is acceptable, at best and we give it 2 stars. The treatment from the owner was flat out, unacceptable and we give it 1 star. The trainer, KARA, was awesome and we give her 5 stars. Problem is, at the end of the day, Kara goes home and what you are left with is an unacceptable facitlity. For that reason alone, we sadly chose NOT to use Canine Headquarters.

I genuinely cannot believe I've never written a review for Paw-Paw's Catfish House because we have…read morebeen coming here for YEARS and I love this place so much. There are restaurants you try once because they're trendy... and then there are places like Paw-Paw's -- the kind that become part of your family's story over time. From the fried deviled eggs, to the seafood platters, to the chicken tenders, to the genuinely wonderful staff, there just isn't a better spot for this kind of old-school comfort food experience. And the staff? Always SO friendly and welcoming. Every single time we come in, it feels less like "customer service" and more like old friends excited you finally stopped by so they can catch up with you awhile. That kind of warmth cannot be faked, and it makes such a difference. Now let's discuss these fried deviled eggs. Because respectfully... who allowed them to be this good? You think deviled eggs have reached their final form and then Paw-Paw's comes in like, "Hold my beer." Crispy, crunchy, creamy, flavorful perfection. We start most meals with them because not ordering them would simply be poor decision making at this point. I usually get the chicken tender basket and LISTEN -- these aren't sad little freezer tenders pretending to be a meal. These tenders are literally as big as my hand. Juicy, tender, flavorful, cooked perfectly every time. My adult kids are obsessed with the seafood platter: three pieces of fried catfish and three jumbo fried shrimp with fries, pinto beans, slaw, hushpuppies, and homemade tartar or cocktail sauce. And when I say the catfish tastes CLEAN, my fellow seafood people will understand exactly what I mean. No muddy taste, no weirdness -- just fresh, crispy, perfectly fried fish done right. And the portions? Paw-Paw did NOT come to play. Nobody is leaving hungry unless that was a personal choice. What I love most, though, is the feeling of the place. The small-town care. The heart that clearly goes into the food. The old-school comfort vibe that feels increasingly rare these days. Places like this matter. And Paw-Paw's is absolutely one of them.

One of my favs in Bastrop. Always friendly, quick service and great catfish! It's decorated with…read morecatfish, fisherman photos and everything else you'd expect from a small Texas town (although growing and not so small any longer). It is hit or miss with lines. Typically busier during the church crowd window on Sundays. Upon entry, someone will seat you so be patient and kind. There is both indoor and outdoor seating available. Ordered the fried catfish platter. Plenty of food. The catfish is battered and fried to perfection. Always my go to when craving catfish.