PLEASE READ IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING THIS FACILITY! After giving my dog a month to readjust, I'm leaving an honest review of my experience. I chose this business because of its reviews and proximity. I explained that my German Shepherd puppy had service-dog potential but I couldn't train him myself due to health reasons. The owner seemed knowledgeable, so I invested over $2,400 for their basic obedience board-and-train. From the start, there were red flags. The contract included extra charges--such as several hundred dollars for potty training--despite those services being advertised as included. They also charged a mandatory $55 bath fee. (This is important later on) During his stay, communication was minimal and our dog rarely appeared on their social media until we specifically requested more updates. At pickup, the trainer demonstrated commands using a prong collar fitted far too loosely and incorrectly. When my puppy hesitated, the trainer harshly snapped the leash, making him yelp, cry, and visibly shut down in fear. Despite this, he continued applying hard corrections until he got up from the ground. After returning home, we discovered they never gave back his collar and he smelled strongly of urine and feces, despite the bath charge. While settling him in after bathing him ourselves, we also found a 5-6 inch injury on his thigh. A vet confirmed it was rope burn and that he also had a staph infection--both of which occurred during his time there. None of this was disclosed to us when it happened or at the end of his stay. Previously, they had refused to give me a tour of their facility. After everything that happened, I contacted animal control to get more information. Anyone considering this facility should know that their animal control records are public and free to request. The reports include dogs dying in their care, kennels covered in feces and urine, roach infestations, unsafe kennel wiring, and reports of dogs yelping like they're being hit. From the notes, it looks like they often refuse access to animal control during surprise visits until they can temporarily clean their facility to meet code. The only positive was that my dog came back with a good heel and place. Nothing else with his training stuck despite daily reinforcements of what they taught him since being back. Cons: Collar not returned Returned dirty and smelling of urine/feces despite bath fee Upcharged for services listed as included Came back with a staph infection Came back with a 5-6 inch rope-burn injury Now fearful of men raising their voices Had to provide all his food/treats (You'd think with board and train, the price would cover that?) Pros: Good heel and place read more

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I am totally devastated with the condition my dog was when she came home from the K9 Training Academy/Orlando. Richard was pleasant when we were potential clients and made us feel comfortable leaving our Shepherd in his care. I told Richard that my German Shepherd was skittish and afraid and very leery of men. After the first week I called for an update and his wife was abrupt, sharp and every time I tried to speak, she raised her voice and spoke over me. When I spoke to Richard, I asked for a picture of my dog to see her and they told me there would be a charge for a picture. Richard told me to watch the website and there would be pictures of her regularly. Truth is, they only post pictures of dogs that look happy and my dog, Daisy, was never happy so her picture was almost never on the website. Possibly 2 pictures in 10 weeks? A few weeks later, I got a call that Daisy "broke 2 kennels" and I had to pay for it. I don't believe that happened, Daisy was not aggressive. In the end, they charged me $8,000 for the training, the 2 kennels and an e-collar. I was overcharged for everything but had no recourse, I had to pay. When my dog came home, I took her to the vet because she was alarmingly skinny and more skittish and afraid than ever. The vet put Daisy on Prozac and told me she lost 21 lbs. I shared Daisy's "graduation video" with everyone at the vet's office and everyone agreed that she seems as though she was abused. Richard's training methods may work on some dogs but not all. He was determined to make Daisy comply to his methods and refused to alter, even when she kept losing weight and shutting down. Halfway through her training, he told me she is "stubborn and a bitch and he has had 1 other dog as difficult as Daisy". But even though his methods did not work, he never altered his training methods, and I believe he abused my dog to try and make her comply. He kept Daisy for 95 days, telling me he can't send her home till she "accepts and complies because she is a representation of him". In the end, after 95 days, he gave up. Richard and his wife and children run the business, and I would never recommend him to anyone. read more

The K9 Training Academy - Pet Training Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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The K9 Training team here is amazing!! From the owners to the trainers, they are all such great people who love to help dog owners. We brought our 1 year old German shepherd mix in who was very anxious and skittish. He is a rescue who was terrified of all loud noises and any object he didn't immediately recognize. He would cower at strangers when they came around and bark at people who came to the house until he recognized them. The team here took our Teddy in and taught him so many things! He came out a different dog! After showing us the ropes on how to be a proper handler, Teddy has trust in us and has more freedom than ever. He still has all the same cute and silly traits, but now has some new awesome skills! We never had experience with e-collars, so we were hesitant at first but we admit now that it is an amazing addition to his training. Chris let us put the collar on our arms and feel the tens unit ourselves upon pick up because he knew I was uncertain about it. They talked us through the levels that Teddy used while in training and the level that he is normally at on the collar. They made sure that we were confident as handlers as they know that's how Teddy will trust us. Now, Teddy knows and loves his commands. He knows what to do when it's time to sit, stay, place, and heel and you can tell he is confident with his commands. His favorite being the "free" command (of course!) and his recall when he is on free is immediate and amazing. We loved getting to see the videos and pictures of Teddy on their social medias and we loved getting to see him trust his trainers in the YouTube video. My husband and I cannot thank the K9 Training Academy more. Teddy has freedom, confidence, and trust in us and he is living his best life now! Thank you all! We definitely recommend them!! read more

STAY AWAY STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE AND THIS TRAINER!!!!!!! My dog went to The K9 Training Academy to stay for a board and train. After being there for 4 weeks I received a video update showing them "training" my dog and my dog was scared to death in this video which prompted us to call and after an unfriendly and unprofessional conversation with the owner we told him we were going to pick him up . The condition our dog came home to us from their facility was appalling. He had several open sores on his body, he lost 15 lbs and was severely dehydrated and made well as having a urinary infection and sores inside and on His mouth . $900 later we have our dog home and are still livid about the treatment he received. Look elsewhere for training for your dog if you don't want to have your dog neglected. read more

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Richard trained my Doberman Gotham, and rather than give me a set date to finish training, he kept the dog in the academy until he was sure that the training was completed correctly. Everyone has different experiences mines has been a positive one. Everyone that I have referred has been extremely happy with there service and I will continue to use him in the future for all of my fur babies read more

Let me start this review by saying that Richard and his team are AWESOME, and I HIGHLY recommend their establishment for your obedience training needs! We have a Husky known for being intelligent, loving, hardheaded, and destructive when bored. Richard had previously trained my parent's chocolate lab, so we knew firsthand the results that his team produced. When I first called Richard, he was warm, knowledgeable, and accommodating. We were able to set up basic training for our puppy, with advance to be completed once the puppy turned six months old. As stated before, Husky's are known to be hardheaded, so basic training did take a little longer than I anticipated, but Richard said he would let us know when Arctic was ready to come home. Communicating throughout the process was light and to the point. Richard is a man that will get right to the point and is honest and fair. But if you are looking for daily or weekly updates, that will not happen. If you text him, he will respond and give you updates; but I tried to reach out only bi-weekly as I realize that they are busy training dogs and running the company's day-to-day operations. I only say this because it is a little challenging to put yourself in the mindset that you will not be getting a play by play each day as a puppy owner. So prepare yourself for that before sending your dog off. That was a minor price to pay for the peace of mind I have with Arctic being fulling trained. I am now comfortable when my son takes him to campus after level one and can't wait to see how he is once he returns home from level two. One of my main concerns with having an untrained dog is my liability if the dog nips or jumps on someone in public; that thought no longer keeps us awake at night. Arctic has gained so much freedom since he is obedient, and he knows exactly how to behave in both public and private settings. My family's massive fear when we first began this journey was that the dog would become some militant zombie dog, and I can tell you firsthand that could not be further from the truth. Arctic's personality is still there, he loves his tummy rubs and playing outside, but he knows when he is "on the job" and how to follow commands to keep him safe. Richard, I cannot thank you and your team enough for the professionalism and dedication you all provide Arctic and our family. The ball is now in our court to ensure that we are consistent for the long haul. read more

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I got my Dutch Sheppard from The K9 Training Academy in 2021 and I still can not say enough great things about the experience. Not only was there a thorough interview process before even discussing what dogs they recommended for me, but during our first meeting with my Dutch Sheppard they made sure that I knew what to expect for training and handling him. Two years later, my Dutch Sheppard still displays impeccable manners and adheres to his training. He gets compliments on his behavior everywhere we go and has been instrumental in training the Belgium Malinois I rescued last year. If you are looking for a well trained companion that fits your needs and lifestyle the K9 Training Academy Orlando is the place to go! read more

Richard and his team have been a godsend to my pitbull puppy! Before sending to the academy she was not potty trained and would not listen to any command. After training she is a changed pup! She responds to commands, is potty trained and has great behavior! This facility took excellent care of my puppy and I could not recommend them enough! read more

I usually don't leave reviews for business as I understand how hard it is to run a business. However based on our experience with K9 training academy and Richard Lherisson we do want to share the bad experience. They only want your money, nothing more, they don't care about the pets or customers. Once deposit is made, it becomes very difficult, almost impossible to schedule the actual training as they either don't return your calls or all dates are suddenly not available. So it starts looking like scam. read more