Stay away
I would like to start by saying that everything I will say here is backed up by written evidence. Except for one phone conversation, I can back all claims with screenshots or copies of what was actually written to me.
My only intention is to write the kind of review I wish I would have read before leaving my dogs at K9 Training Academy. And just a clarification, all this was triggered by me daring to make a grand total of two enquiries about their progress in 25 days.
The issue that triggered all these below was Rick saying that he needed to use a “stubborn dog collar” for one of my dogs. I have been using an ecollar on her to correct chasing. Level 25 out of 100 will stop the chase immediately and she would vocalize at 40. This is a dog that spends 2 hours daily at an unfenced dog park with children, bikes, skateboards, BBQs and goes to the off leash beach every weekend. What does he use with an aggressive, red zone dog? The electric chair?
I would like to think that this was just a dishonest sales gimmick to sell me a new $500 system I do not need. I really do not want to think he has been shocking my dog at level 100 and higher. But made me concerned enough to want to take my dogs back, or at least see in person how they were doing. Well, his reaction to this was literally “it is my way or the highway” and the options were: a) leave your dogs here until I decide their training is finished or take them with you after paying the balance in full.
A long story short, I took my dogs out after 26 days and after thousands of dollars, I asked Rick to please update me on what he had done with them and which commands he had taught them. After 3 tries I finally got a response. I will copy his exact words here as I believe they deserve an exact quote: “Susana, sorry for the delay, we are real busy here. Your dogs were worked in the following commands (it's on your contract): Heel. Sit. Down. Stay. Come. Crate. Place. No.” Not only I paid thousands of dollars for this but: The dogs were already trained on Sit, No and Down and had a 99% come response. They do not respond at all to Place and Crate after the 25 days. One of the dogs was already leash trained, in all honesty, the other one is marginally better on her leash manners, none can do heel. Maybe they were not shocked enough or with enough force.
This profile is public, this is not an anonymous review, please feel free to contact me if you would like evidence or more information before making a decision on dog training. I am sure there are plenty professional services in the South Florida area, you do not need to subject yourself and your dog to aggression and bullying.
Before you leave your dogs there and pay thousands you should know:
- They are too busy to answer your requests for status or updates.
- They will provide zero feedback on how your dogs are doing, only after insisting several times while they make clear is not their job to do so.
- If you are concerned and ask to see your dogs, they will ask for a $100 charge per dog per visit.
- If you are REALLY concerned and what to take your dogs out of there, you will not be able to do so during their normal business hours, but only at their convenience. If you insist because you cannot meet their schedule they will answer “this is not Burger King”
- They will try to sell to you an e-collar system for nearly double their retail price (this is the one claim I cannot substantiate with evidence, but I know they sold a Mini Educator model ET300 for $300, retails at $179 and can be found cheaper)
- If you take your own e-collar, they will lie, saying that it is an old system and cannot be used with your dogs. (FALSE, the model is an Einstein ET502 from November that can be bought currently at the manufacturer’s website)
- If you ask to speak to the trainer (after the dogs were there for 25 days) they will answer that you can have a 10 m update conversation (that was for 2 dogs, so I am presuming it is 5 minutes per dog per month)
- You will be bullied, with aggressive, rude and violent responses to any enquires.
- You are asked to pay for half the cost of training when you leave your dog. After that, no matter how dissatisfied you are with their services they will only return your dog to you if you pay the balance in full and in CASH.
- They will make your dogs collar wise; mine never identified the collar with the correction until they returned from there.
- If you ask for an estimate on the timing they think you can take your dog back they will not answer and just say they will keep them for as long as it is necessary.
- Any disagreement or question will be answered with “I am the professional”. Well, Rick Lherison is certainly the most unprofessional professional I had the misfortune to meet.
- Just think, if he shows this lack of control, this aggressiveness with a paying customer, what would he do with the dogs?
I also left with them $200 worth of medical treatment, just in case one had a food allergy case, I know she did not have it or she would have the scars from the bumps still visible. I have already requested the pills back four times with no answer.
As a final attempt at humor, I am sure that I you are looking to be condescended upon, bullied and attempted to be humiliated, there are cheaper places you can find. They do not operate under the pretense of a legitimate business, though.
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