Do not do business with this company. Please beware. I should have looked them up on BBB before sending our pup here as they have an F rating. We enrolled our dog with Performance dogs for Social Behavior Modification. Our dog was bit on the ear in their care and we were never notified. Mind you he was never "graduated" to off leash and still had a handler at all times. The company consistently does not show up to pickup our dog or offer prior notice that they will not be coming. More than 3 no shows without any notification. We ordered a collar for training and were never given a new collar instead received a used "temporary" collar that was never replaced. They are unwilling to communicate in order to receive monies owed for canceling and not finishing services (written in the contract) or return our personal property (house key). https://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-eastern-pa/business-reviews/pet-training/performance-dogs-in-manassas-va-235848727 read more

My wife had set up a contract with Stephen while I was away on a deployment. He came once for a consultation, and twice more as scheduled, but only to let our dog out and then leave ( i know this due to the security cameras in and around my house). When I called him and asked him why he was not training, he came up with some excuses about his van being broken into and not repaired. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. After another time of him coming and just letting the dog out and not training, we let him know we wanted a refund. He said fine and apologized, then just ghosted us completely. Still have yet to hear from him (not that I ever will). After this, I attempted to sue him for reimbursement. Due to his company being an LLC, I had to call to get info about his corporation. Apparently it was filed under some woman's name. I sent out letters and a summons to the address provided only to receive a returned letter stating the woman no longer lived there and had passed away. Clearly I am out of luck and have to chalk that $1200 up as a loss and a life lesson. DO NOT TAKE YOUR PETS HERE EVER. read more

Here's the link to F Rating Performance Dogs Better Business Bureau page https://www.bbb.org/us/va/manassas/profile/pet-training/performance-dogs-0241-235848727 Please consider other options and do your research before you consider this this company. read more

**SCAM ALERT** PLEASE READ BEFORE USING THIS COMPANY!!! DO NOT USE HIM AND PLEASE CHECK BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHERS THAT HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM!!! Stephen Mace of Performance Dogs completely scammed us out of the money we paid for his training. He does not have this training warehouse with a pool, agility course, place for boarding, and fenced in area for training like he tells you. He works out of his home and uses his garage for boarding which does not have central air! Our dog was boarded for a vacation we had and when we picked her up she had clearly lost weight, she stunk really bad, and was really hyper. He gave us no feedback on how she had been or if she had even eaten the food we provided him. She tends to go days without eating when in a new place so this was very important to us! Her food bag was empty and her treats were gone and I asked him how she did with food he said he would give us a report and never did. For all we know she was sitting in the crate in the heat for 7 days with no food, exercise or water! We also asked her training went and he said he had videos to send and never did send them even after multiple texts asking for videos. Moving on... he will pick up your dog one or two times in and put your dog in a crate in the back of his lifted pick up truck, not in this van he tells you he has. He will not tell you that he did not pick up your dog and when you question him he says he will look into it and provides you with a reason as to why your dog was never picked up. Our dog was picked up twice and was never picked up after that, it clearly states in the contract that we signed a MINIMUM of 15 pick up and drop off sessions which will take place Tuesdays and Thursdays. How do I know my dog was never picked up after the first two? I'm off on Tuesdays and Thursdays so Stephen couldn't even lie and say that he did because I was home! After he stopped picking up our dog he went MIA for multiple weeks, he wouldn't answer phone calls or emails. Then randomly he says he is going to start doing group training sessions and acts like he wasn't MIA for the past month, this is not in the contract we signed! He said he felt really bad for not being able to continue the training for our dog and he would give us half our money back and two free nights of boarding. WE NEVER GOT THIS PROMISED REFUND!!! Also we would never board our dog with him again because he had no air flow in the garage of his home. He used box fans to blow air and had a hose that was running water down the driveway but the dogs were in crates so they couldn't get to the water anyways. To hold these group sessions he uses his neighborhoods play area. You do not get one on one training for your dog, instead you hear a two hour pitch on his background and such... which he says every week! After that you will go on a pack walk and if your dog acts out it's up to you to fix it. He even had the audacity to tell us that we weren't sticking to the training because our dog was acting out. I'm sorry? We couldn't continue to learn how to train our dog because he went missing for a month with no excuse! Training like this needs consistency and Stephen Mace did not provide this! He gave us a collar and told us to turn our dogs butt towards whatever she is reacting to and nothing more! Now he has randomly stopped these group sessions and deleted his profile on the Meet Up app with no explanation! We have not had any contact with Stephen Mace since November, we have filed a Better Business Bureau claim and are looking to move forward in other ways. Stephen Mace you are a scammer and know how to take advantage of people! He targets people who are desperate to have a well behaved dog! Shame on him and karma will catch up with you! DO NOT USE HIM AND PLEASE CHECK BETTER BUSINESS BAURUE THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHERS THAT HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM!!! read more

I took our dog, Bandit, to Performance Dogs after he had attacked another neighborhood dog. Needless to say, I was very upset by the incident, and Steve very graciously allowed me to come for an evaluation of Bandit the very same day. I could tell immediately that Steve knew his stuff regarding dogs, and my dog could tell, too. I signed up on the spot. After completing the training program, Bandit has become a much better companion for us. Much of the training was actually for us humans -- because Steve had to teach us how to provide the leadership that Bandit needed in our household. We really appreciated the Saturday training sessions, during which Steve and his trainers worked with us one-on-one so that we would understand how to use appropriate commands with Bandit. We were favorably impressed with all of the staff members there, who were always friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive to our needs. As a result of the instruction and advice we received at Performance Dogs, Bandit is now a very well-behaved dog, and we can even trust him off the leash for a game of fetch in our neighborhood meadow. Furthermore, the dog-handling skills that we learned at Performance Dogs will help us with any other dogs we might adopt in the future, so the money we spent was a great investment. read more

I think I may be one of PD's longest-time customers. My Shetland sheepdog mix, Murphy, has been going to PD since 2007! We adopted Murphy from a shelter in late 2006 and he was a complete wild child. Had never been on a leash, was snappy around other dogs, had a tendency to chase after cars, and was so hyperactive not even three hours of exercise a day was enough for him. My husband and i were exhausted and at wits end. I found Steve and PD after about five months of struggling to keep this intelligent, active dog engaged enough to calm down. After about two months of Murphy going to PD, there was a noticeable difference in his demeanor. He was somewhat calmer, he no longer went aggressively after other dogs and I could walk him without being pulled around quite so much. Now, nine years down the road, I still have a spirited dog, but one who I can honestly say benefitted greatly from spending two days a week under Steve's and PD's care. So thank you, Steve - I appreciate all you've done for Murphy (and us). read more

WE SUED PERFORMANCE DOGS AND WON. The owner, Stephen Mace, lied to my husband and I about losing our dog who was being boarded/"trained" at their Manassas facility. Our dog escaped the facility around 8:30am because she was not being supervised by the staff while her crate was being cleaned (the staff member admitted this to my husband and I). The staff member attempted to catch our dog after she escaped but could not. Stephen Mace was informed immediately by his staff but chose to wait TWELVE HOURS before calling me to inform us our dog was missing. When he did call us, it was 9:00 at night but he told us she had only been missing for 4 hours (lie #1). My husband and I searched for our dog for 3 days in the woods of Manassas. During that time, Stephen Mace lied to us countless times about the details regarding her escape and their efforts to locate her. I cannot count the number of flat out lies we were told. Stephen first told us he had not been told by his staff that she had escaped (lie--his own staff member told us that he had called Stephen the moment she escaped). The business owner next door to PD also told us that he had personally confronted Stephen telling him he needed to call the dog's owners only an hour after he saw her get loose around 9am. Stephen then told us that it is Performance Dog's policy not to contact the owners because "they had the dog in their sight" (lie --they had no clue where she was). On the third day, my amazing husband found our dog by some train tracks nearly 5 miles away. She was scared, dehydrated, and could not walk. She would have died without a doubt had we not found her that day. Stephen Mace told us he'd give us a refund of the $1200 training fee (lie--he had no intention of giving us a refund). He also told us he would pay for her vet bill of $1000 (lie--he had no intention of paying her vet bill). We sued Performance Dogs. We won over double what we sued for because the judge also saw through Stephen Mace's lies. Be warned. This man is dishonest, immoral, and will take advantage of you he thinks he won't get caught. We had the resources to not let him get away with this but God knows how many other dogs they've lost, how many other people have been taken advantage of because they couldn't take him to court. read more

When I was at the end of the line and I thought there was no hope for Bunker and his sudden change in behavior at about 1 1/2 year old, I stumbled across Performance Dogs and of course Steve Mace and his amazing team of trainers!! .... bunker is now 5 1/2 years old and as responsive as ever to command! After weeks of searching, one expensive BS "consulting"session with a referral from my previous Veterinary clinic and many tears of frustration later, Steve welcomed us to come out for a complimentary preview (with my dog) to his facility to get a feel for the place, the environment and his training style. I was absolutely floored and amazed with the way they conducted their program. You see, many places claim they can take your dog and in 6 weeks, BAM, the dog is perfectly behaved. Well, my friends, that's just not enough. Yes that dog is a changed dog but who do you think he's going to respond to? The trainers, eventually they might perhaps go back to their behaviors. Training a dog isn't a One man show, it takes both parties, the owner and the dog. Owners need to be trained just as much as the dog does. To learn from each other. You as the owner are alpha, not that dog in your household and out! You're in control, and Steve taught me just that, how to respond to my dogs pre-aggression cues so we can avert the behavior. We do this now by sound, and other verbal commands. No shock collar, prong collar or other somewhat invasive collars were used. Steves mentality in training is "pack" mentality and pack society. Dogs establish their nature best when in a pack environment, they learn who they are in the pack and what their role is. Every dog I saw and every dog I was training with when I went to the facility can co-exist in a pack life. No matter what their level of aggression threshold, and Steve and his team can help you guys get there! If you're ready to put in the time, then get out there for a pre-consulting session! I should take advantage of the facility more often now that they've moved! Looking forward to boarding Bunker with PD again! It's about time I picked up some more sessions with PD for Bunker! read more

Performance Dogs - Bunker!! - Pet Training Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

I took my one year old Siberian Husky to Performance Dogs as a last resort in June of 2012. At the time Kody was exactly 1 year old. I had previously owned other dogs as well as Huskies, and considered myself to be an "experienced" dog owner. Kody was food aggressive, dog aggressive, extremely rough with my young children, and seemed to be untrainable. We took training classes at Doptopia which helped him learn to sit for a treat and leave it. He was evaluated for play time so he could be socialized with other dogs and he wasn't friendly with the staff or other animals. How could I socialize my young pup when he wasn't allowed to be with other animals? After biting our babysitter, I called our veterinarian desperate to figure out what I needed to do. Kody was becoming more aggressive by the day. My veterinarian suggested we use a behaviorist. The behaviorist was a joke and gave us no direction other than to expose Kody to more children at playgrounds and parks and put a pheromone collar on him as well as a pheromone air diffuser by his kennel? After getting no help from the behaviorist, my husband and I began having tough conversations about giving Kody to a rescue or even putting him to sleep. We didn't want him to hurt anyone else, especially our own children and he was headed in that direction. On one last late night Google search, I found Performance Dogs. I liked that Performance Dogs would pick up Kody up for individual training as well as coming to our house for a home visit to see Kody in his environment with our family. They also said WE needed to come for OUR training with Kody. It seemed like this was a well rounded approach that would address every aspect of his issues. We signed up for SBM, social behavior modification program. Kody was picked up by a trainer twice a week for training with Stephen Mace, the owner or Performance Dogs, as well as his staff. He did pack walks with other dogs to get exercise, socialization and learn basic commands. The home visit helped them get to know Kody more as well as the members of our family. They wanted to see his interactions with us and showed us what boundaries we needed to set in order to help Kody understand his place in our family. Our family also participated in just a few Saturday training sessions with Kody at Performance Dogs. We were amazed to see Kody peacefully interacting with other dogs at the camp, and we were also trained in how to handle Kody around the people and dogs there and elsewhere. This one on one time we had with the staff was such a great learning tool! Kody was behaving well for the staff according to reports but seeing it for ourselves was the proof we needed! He quickly learned that we were "all on the same page" in terms of what he was allowed to do, and our commands and training were consistent. We had command and control of our dog for the first time! The Saturdays were a real bonding experience!! The more Kody went to Performance Dogs, the better his behavior was. We looked forward to Saturday training sessions because it was so rewarding for us to see the change that had taken place. We also continued to get guidance to ensure we were being the leaders that Kody needed us to be. Within months, Kody was a well behaved, well loved part of our family. He graduated from the SBM program and he has continued to go for workouts over the past 3 years as well as boarding when we go on vacation. We would never consider boarding Kody with anyone else! Kody enjoys pack walks and swimming outdoors while he is there. There are other facilities that offer boarding with play or swimming but they are indoor. Kody loves going and sometimes doesn't want to get in the car when we pick him up! I highly recommend Steven Mace and Performance Dogs! After being a client for 3 years, it is without hesitation that I tell everyone I know about our experience. Kody is the most well behaved dog we have ever owned. He is actually a sweetheart! What a change from where we started. Stephen Mace puts his heart into his work every day and gets such satisfaction from helping dogs and their owners find that special human/animal connection and bond. He goes above and beyond to help you. (Example going to the vet with us for an appointment) If you want to own a well behaved companion that your dearly enjoy and love, Performance Dogs is the place to help train YOU and YOUR DOG! read more

We weren't sure what to do with our young rescued pit bull Dalia. She was leash aggressive with us and with other dogs and becoming more aggressive off the leash. We tried many training techniques that didn't really work. After several bites to us, we were at the point we thought we may have to at the very least give her away (impossible with a bite-prone dog) and possibly put her down. She was a sweet and happy dog when we weren't having this issue, so this was not a choice we wanted to make. I found Performance Dogs when searching for ways to deal with aggressive dogs. I brought Dalia into Steve for an evaluation a few days later. Immediately he took control of her and brought her into submission. She was able to walk around other dogs without freaking out and attacking anyone. He told me she wasn't aggressive at all; she just needed a strong hand since she was a juvenile. It was amazing to see and I was totally sold. We started out with the 5 day a week daycare/training, and then switched over the board and train format. Steve kept working with her for many weeks. Now, she is still a sweet, happy, and very excitable dog (she is a pit bull!), but we no longer worry about aggression. She's come so far; now we can enjoy her and not be stressed out by her. We know how to communicate with her and dominate her when needed. She has become a joy in our lives. As another reviewer said, this training is not just for your dog, but also for you and other humans in your household. The training format includes a weekly training session at the PD training facility on Saturdays, which is a great way to leave the techniques and set aside special time to work with and train your dog. This is really the most important part of the training, because you must keep up with the rules in your own household to maintain your dog's training. This training is perfect for pit bulls and pit bull-like dogs, and really teaches you how to be a good and responsible pit bull pack leader. Steve is a great trainer, and you can tell he loves dogs and especially pit bulls more than anything. Luckily he also offers boarding, so when I have to go out of town and leave Dalia, I can leave her in his capable hands. read more

My dog never listed to me until I came to this place. They take the time to explain not only how to train your dog, but why their suggestions work. They understand your dog and how his brain works. Highly recommended. read more

I adopted a dog from the pound last September while living in another state. I had been struggling with aggression toward random dogs while on our walks and with strangers at home. My dog is a sweet, goofy and lovable dog with me, but not with everyone. This place has been an answer to our prayers. We consulted other facilities and training places and they just didn't make sense. Performance Dogs knows dogs, loves dogs and are a wealth of patience and knowledge. They not only have made a HUGE difference in my dog and his reaction to other dogs and strangers, most importantly they also taught me about the root of his behavior and how to control and modify it in a way that is healthy for both of us. We did the 15 day behavior modification training and continue to go on Saturdays. I can't say enough great things about this place, the people and the difference that they've made with my dog Boaz. read more

So many problems with this company. They are disorganized: They promised pick-up and drop-off at certain time ranges. For example, they promised to come after 7 and before 8 AM. Then, they show up at 6 or 10. They claim our dogs would be there for a set minimum number of hours and leave after 3:30 to come home, then the dogs get home at 3. Their employees don't follow their method: Their driver that would pick-up and drop-off the dogs never had the dog wait to walk through doors after him, which is a cardinal rule of theirs. We'd comment and he'd brush it off. We'd tell the driver issues that were persisting with the dogs...and shocked us when he said he doesn't think their method works. Oh, so that's why he didn't follow their rules. They don't keep their word: We were promised training on certain days of the week and 2 home visits. They never came for the second home visit, which was to be half way into the training so they could reassess home concerns. When I questioned this, they told me that they had added the second visit for us specifically, yet they wouldn't come back. They closed early some days- whenever the owner had to get his kid from daycare. I get that emergencies happen, but my dogs got about 2 hours out of a full day of daycare because of this. We were not offered or given any additional days. Another example is the collar they want you to use. One of our dogs, an Australian Cattle Dog, has too small of a neck for this collar. Odd since she's not exactly tiny (she's about 35 lbs). We asked to have them adjust the collar ASAP as it was too loose to properly train her with it. The owner promised to come out in a couple days and handle it. He didn't. After many calls, he finally said I could drive to them (about a 30 minute drive for us) in a week and a half and he'd handle it. Great, except for about 3 weeks now she's not getting the training through their method. And the most frustrating part: The owner wastes an inordinate amount of your time telling you he's an expert. Out of our initial 2ish hour visit, he spent over one hour telling us how many hours he's spent learning, about his upcoming book, etc. Ok, so he's selling us, I get it. But then on our subsequent meetings he continued selling himself. We left the second visit (my wife and I) and looked at each other and laughed. We couldn't believe how much time he wasted promoting himself instead of answering our questions. For example, we'd ask what we do when a certain issue arises. He'd respond by telling us, yet again, how much experience he had and that he wrote a book that's coming out soon. Ok, great- so, can you answer our direct question? He'd reply yet again reiterating his experience and that he can fix it. We'd ask a third time how we should handle it while the dogs are being trained at home. Still more self promotion- so we'd stop asking. So basically, they lie about what they will do, how they'll do it, when they'll do it, and don't hold up to their promises. We were promised by the owner if we followed his method and rules he'll guarantee results. When I asked for a refund as the results lacked AND they didn't do all the sessions we paid for, they said no. Stay away from them. read more

My dogs have been going to Performance Dogs for 4 years. When I first brought my male there, it was really our last stop. He had become so dog aggressive that I could no longer keep myself or him safe. Performance Dogs changed all that by socializing him with other dogs. He now interacts off leash with all the other dogs three times a week with no issue. Both of my dogs love going there - they run lure course, do weight pull and swim. The owner Steve is the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to dogs. He studies them, lives with them and is totally committed to understanding them and training them. Every week new people come with dog aggressive and human aggressive dogs deemed hopeless by other trainers. Steve educates the owners and socializes and trains the dogs and as a result has changes many lives. I trust Performance Dogs absolutely with the care and training of my dogs, I have learned a great deal from them and my household family is a much happier, peaceful and balanced one because of Performance Dogs. I don't know what we'd do without PerfDogs and most clients feel the same way. read more

Best overall training facility. I've owned dogs all my life, several different breeds and most were adopted from shelters so i know dogs and i know that a tired and happy dog is the only way to go when it comes to behavior issues. When our AmStaff puppy came along we wanted to make sure she was trained properly because of the bully breed stigma (neighbors, kids on street, etc). Performance dogs had her for longer than the 18mos, and almost 2yrs. later she still goes at least 3x/week. She's the most affectionate, sweet, cuddly, well-behaved dog I've ever had and people ask me about training all the time. We also had a POLICE OFFICER TRAINER and a prize-winning trainer who were very good but one-on-one isn't how your dog will learn when he's off-lead at a park full of dogs running around-he NEEDS OTHER DOGS. One thing you MUST understand though,which is obvious the other reviewers didn't, is that you MUST detach yourself from "my child is going to kindergarten" syndrome: your DOG is going to learn how to socially behave with members of his/her SPECIES so he can then learn from humans (like they learn from their mama dogs before they get to you). Yes she came home with a bite one day but that was rationally explained and even our vet agreed; it's hard-you want to shout at the "teacher" because your baby was hurt at school but you learn to treat the situation as not human. Today, she's EARNED her place in the pack, and she helps teach other new dogs the same; she's full of muscle and happy and would miss not getting her workouts. Please read "Inside of a dog" for how to stop "anthropomorphizing" your dog- we love them to death but they're dogs, not children. They need to socialize with other dogs-that's where they learn, like kids at school. And Mr. Glenn C. - a Dobe is a huge dog with a ton of inherited behavioral problems, which you knew, that's why you took him to Steve right? and if you didn't want him to come home dirty and muddy (which is what dogs DO, btw, like our kids when they play outside isn't it?) you should not have taken him to an outdoor facility... read more

Do Not , I repeat Do Not hire Stephen Mace of Performance Dogs. He is a crook and a sham. I hired him to train my dogs and he kept cancelling on me. My adopted dog was at his home which is what he claims to be a boarding facility which is really a dilapidated trailer with duct tape holding it together. He cancelled our appointments time after time with excuse after excuse. My breaking point was when he phoned me again to cancel and told me that his dogs were in a vicious dog fight, his girlfriend was injured and in shock and he was on his way to the ER because he was injured. Working with Deepwood Veterinary Clinic, they rescued my dog from his home and sent me photos. My dog was emaciated and according to Deepwoods, had not received any training whatsoever. I just received records from my bank because I had a dispute claim which Stephan Mace was able to convince B of A that he honored my contract. Upon review of the records, I now know that he won the dispute because he had someone else (probably his girlfriend) write up the report. It was falsified and inaccurate detail with no mention whatsoever about the dogfight. DO NOT HIRE THIS MAN TO TRAIN YOUR DOGS! read more

Performance dogs helped me not have to put down my dog. I am super thankful for Steve and his crew. They specialize in aggressive dogs and will help the owner to be able to control an out of control dog. This was my last resort and I am very happy with the results read more