My dog recently completed her second obedience course at Karma K9, staying approximately four weeks…read morefor off-leash training. To be fair, after her first course, we did not consistently reinforce the training at home, and she lost some of what she had learned. That was our responsibility.
I did see a difference in her after this course, and I'm grateful that she has that foundation back. They demonstrated commands such as "heel," "let's go," and "place," along with training markers. She responded really well in the controlled training environment. Out and about, however, she has difficulty following those same commands when there are distractions. We will continue working with her to build that consistency.
My main concern is communication and follow-through. We did not receive any training videos during her stay. When I called to check on her, it was sometimes difficult to reach someone, and responses could take a while. Regular updates would have helped while she was away.
We received a seven-page follow-up guide outlining commands, but without videos showing how our dog was trained, it has been difficult to put those written instructions into practice with her at home. Videos of the trainer working with her would have made the guide much more useful.
We were also supposed to have follow-up sessions, but those have not been scheduled. I now have to call to get them arranged, especially since we need help carrying the training over into everyday situations.
Owners should also know that the dogs sleep in crates at night. If your dog is not accustomed to that, ask about the sleeping arrangements before booking.
Overall, I appreciate the foundation she regained, but better communication, training videos, and follow-through on the follow-up sessions would improve the experience.
