Let me preface this review with some back story. A couple years ago I adopted Scooby and I loves him from the day I brought him home from the rescue. He always had behavioral issues, but when I moved back up to Boca because of COVID they really started to show. Worrying about him bolting through a door or snapping at another dog became a major stressor. I wasted thousands in subpar training over the last year and a half with little to no improvement to his behavior. Enter The K9 Training Academy.... Rick was referred over to me by my friend Thomas who had also utilized his school for his dog. I did a ton of research before picking a school to send Scooby to, especially since I knew they would have my best friend for over a month. Before we even stepped onto the journey of obedience training Rick walked me and my sister through what to expect and prepped us for the fact that once Scooby completed his obedience training it was time for me and my sister to be trained as well. Scooby was with them approximately 45 days and I have to say that I could not be happier with the final result. I never thought I would say this, but I now can walk my dog off leash.... He is completely trained. The staff from the academy made sure that we both completely understood how to reinforce the training and a few days later I can now definitely see that these changes are here to stay. Thank you so much to everyone at The K9 Training Academy, I am very excited to have this well-behaved companion that now can join me all over the place. If you are looking for the right training please make this your first stop and avoid the mistake I made wasting time with incomplete training. 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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Im going to begin with I sent 3 dogs to k9 training academy for the advanced obedience program. All 3 were untrained, and out of control. I have 2 German shepherds, and a Siberian Husky. To begin with yes, they do trim down the hair. Considering my dogs are long haired I didn't expect anything differently. It was obviously done with care and attention, and it was NOT shaved. Communication was great!!! It is hard being away from your dogs for 30 days, and not getting constant updates, but it's the only way it works. If you cannot allow this process to work then do not send your dog to board and train. ‍ All calls and texts were responded to in a timely matter. I never felt annoying (I know I am ), and I was thoroughly updated as we went along. I love that I did not pay full until The end. The pricing was extremely fair. The facility the dogs train at is clean, and great! A week after getting my dogs home- My alpha dog is still struggling to remember she isn't the boss, but she knows her commands well, and follows them! She does everything I was promised without hesitation. My Siberian Husky consistently 'heels' with everyone in the house. She loves showing off her new tricks. We've taken her in public crowded places, and she has manners! She has got it! She is confident now and I'm actually able to enjoy her. Sending her to k9 training academy was the best decision I ever made. My last dog has some pretty bad fear. I say pretty bad, but that doesn't even begin to describe it. He is terrified of the world. He did NOT come back advanced trained. Richard wanted to keep him to continue working with him, but due to our family moving and vacation we weren't able to make it work. I do believe Richard could have helped him get all the way there if given the time. Despite him not graduating advanced obedience, he is dramatically calmer. He can walk on the leash now. After 2 years with us, 30 days with Richard and I'm finally able to take him outside of my front door. He goes for walks around the neighborhood and enjoys it. He has met our neighbors now. He gets to Play with other dogs! And most of all I don't constantly feel horrible for him! 30 days and he's finally able to enjoy the things and people around him. They genuinely care. The world needs a lot more places and people like this family. He gave my dogs a chance to enjoy they're lives, and I cannot thank him enough for it! read more

RICK THE OWNER THREATENED TO KILL MY DOG- TWICE. DO NOT GO HERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. We dropped off our Rottweiler for a refresher of obedience training- a 6 week basic obedience training course where our dog would be boarded at his kennel while he trained her. Within 24 hours Rick- the owner- called threatening to kill our dog if she did not behave. When we asked for more detail- i.e. why he would say such a thing- he said that she refused to leave her crate to work with them and was acting defensive. He said that he would keep working with her and would check in with us regularly. We called him just about every day for a week asking for a progress report and he said that she was getting comfortable with his team and responding to his training. Great. BUT THEN a week later we get another, even more disturbing call from Rick saying that my dog "is alive, but..." and that she was misbehaving with a trainer. He then continued on to say that he "COULDN'T GUARANTEE THAT SHE WOULD BE ALIVE if he had been working with her" because sometimes, he "just sees red." He once again THREATENED TO KILL my dog. We immediately requested all training be stopped given our MASSIVE SAFETY CONCERNS for our animal and picked her up early. He held her hostage- refusing to release her back to us- until payment was made. Absolutely petrifying situation with unacceptable behavior from a so-called professional. When we got our dog back she as COVERED IN HER OWN FECES and had a LIMP in her back leg. She looked like she had been through hell and back. We called our vet immediately but as it was a holiday week, he was unable to take us and recommended that we take our dog home, clean her up, and keep an eye on her limp. After a week, her limp resolved but it is clear that the psychological impacts of his training (abuse) are still long lasting. Our dog is now perpetually terrified of being left alone with people she does not know (such as going to the groomer, visiting the vet etc). She is fearful of people touching her hips and hind legs- we assume he hit her or did something highly traumatic to that area to cause this behavior as she was never this way prior to Rick's "training." ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR. THIS MAN IS A DOG ABUSER NOT A DOG TRAINER. If you want to keep your pets alive- and safe- do not take them to see him. K9 Training Academy is no training facility whatsoever. They act with reckless disregard for the welfare and safety of the animals for which they are responsible. read more

Have had my dogs trained and boarded here. Great trainers and facility. They can handle dogs with difficult behaviors, large and small. The price is also very fair for what you get, they train your dog matter how long it takes and they do not charge you extra for it. read more

We have been so blessed to find this trainer! Chris took our Doberman puppy, Bear, and worked diligently with her to help her get basic obedience. Anyone who knows the Doberman breed knows they can be very headstrong and Chris absolutely worked wonders. We have been to the facility many times and think it is a great set up if you want a phenomenal training experience. From immersive training to session training they think of the animals first and absolutely deliver on their promise. I wish I had known about them for my older dogs as it would have been life changing for us. And their service doesn't stop with the day you leave; they will follow up and continue to help you when you hit a rough patch as puppies often do. We love K9 Training Academy! read more

Amazing people friendly and knowledgeable trained my last 3 dogs 2 Rottweilers and a cane corso

I took my American Bulldog to The K9 training academy and was very impressed with the service provided. Rick and his team was very informative about the procedure and expectations of the training. I received daily updates on the progress of my puppy. Originally I had issues of biting up the furniture, digging thru the trash, pulling while taking walks and simply not listening to simple commands. I was told I would have my dog in 4 weeks but because of the stubborn breed it took an extra week. At the end I was very happy with the results and would highly recommend to others about the services I received. read more

I would air on the side of caution with this facility. The trainer Chris is less than truthful. We caught him multiple lies. My AKC 8 month old German Shepherd came home injured, under weight, sores on her legs from being kenneled to long and was COVERED in ticks. You do not know what goes on when you are not there. They use shock collars to get the results they want. My dog was a terrible barker, I was told NO shock collar would be used, yet when I got her home, I saw where they cut her fur around her neck to fit the collar. Granted she no longer barks, but when she does, she twitches her neck as if she was being shocked. The facility is disgusting and Chris the owner will not take any accountability. Please do yourself and your pup a favor and check out other more reputable facilities. read more

The trainers here are absolutely amazing! We just got done with basic training for my dog named Saddi. I have had issues with Saddi jumping up on me and not listening. It turns out that Saddi does listen she just gets confused with me. The trainers were able to work with her and explain to me the best methods. I just need to train myself to say the commands correctly. My dog also has anxiety and i just thought some of the things she does was normal. I am a first time dog owner. I was thoroughly impressed by how much they cared and payed attention to Saddi. They taught me so much also! I am excited to continue training with Saddi. And they suggested one of their trainers that live closer to me so we continue personal one on one trainings. Thank you so much! read more