I signed up for group training classes with my puppy. She knew one of the other dogs in class, and the two of them were very aroused and wanted to say hello, which understandably is not allowed during a group training class. My puppy spent much of the class barking, and it was frustrating.
The trainer separated the other dog into another room at one point and also tried using a wall as a barrier, but I did not feel there were many suggestions for how to handle the situation or help us make progress. The trainer herself was unable to help the situation, which did not instill confidence. I spoke with the trainer after the first couple of sessions because I did not feel like I was getting much out of the classes and my puppy was barking through most of them.
After that conversation, I was essentially told it was not working to have my puppy in the class and that we should not continue. I asked for a partial refund, but one was not provided. They would not budge on that, even though we were being asked not to come back. After some back and forth, I was offered a private session, but my dog then had health problems that prevented us from training for a period of time. Ultimately, I decided not to go back.
There is also judgment around people who use e-fences. I was told they would not even do private training with a dog that has an e-fence at home, which I do. In my conversations with employees, I was not offered best practices for people who already have e-fences, only disapproval.
The space itself is nice for a small group setup, and it is clean.
My dog and I are working toward AKC Canine Good Citizen and eventual therapy dog certification, so I have stayed consistent with training and have had better experiences elsewhere, including NK Petco and Mischief Managed. When I explained the scenario of the dogs being aroused in class to trainers at these other facilities they offered a list of solutions and things to try that worked. read more
