Update: The owner Michele, reached out and listened to my concerns. We scheduled a make-up lesson, and the experience met more of my expectations.We built a personalized plan for Archie, practiced reactivity scenarios and received real-time body language insight, Michele also re…Read full reviewClose full review
Update: The owner Michele, reached out and listened to my concerns. We scheduled a make-up lesson, and the experience met more of my expectations.We built a personalized plan for Archie, practiced reactivity scenarios and received real-time body language insight, Michele also recorded the session for me to observe his body language. I appreciate the follow-through and wanted to reflect the improvement. I’m giving 2 stars because I felt like my expectations did not match the service provided. Let me first say that I think this company has a really great mission and I wholeheartedly respect their passion for wanting to help every dog and owner, no matter the circumstances. That being said, my own experience fell short of what was advertised and expected. First the website describes a 60–75 minute consultation with a personalized training plan for your dog, but my consult was closer to 45–50 minutes, and no clear plan was provided. During the initial consult a lot of background information was collected about my dog, but a few times I found myself repeating details I had already provided. While the trainer did explain some things during the consult, I asked if she could provide a bit more structure to help me get started, like homework or a what a long term plan might look like. She did suggest some games and enrichment, but I emailed afterward to give her more context letting her know that many of the recommendations were things I had already tried or was already doing. A week and a half later, we attended an in-person session. I wish there had been clearer communication beforehand so I knew what to expect. I wasn’t sure where they wanted me to position Archie or what we were supposed to do, so I let him stand in front of me. For a livestock guardian breed, that likely wasn’t the best choice. As it naturally puts him in more of a guarding role. In hindsight, I should have been more mindful of that, as it probably contributed to his nervousness. More direct coaching on leash handling, positioning, and how to engage with him in that space would have been really helpful. During the session, treats were tossed across the room, but they didn’t always land close enough for Archie to reach, which led him to pull on the leash and become a bit frustrated. It was unclear if they wanted me to walk him over to the treats or hold him back. A little more guidance in that moment would have made it easier for both of us. Some of the same questions about Archie’s background were repeated, despite being covered in the initial consult, which took time away from working on skills. The behaviorist I was assigned to stayed mostly hands-off during this session. While most of the hands-on interaction came from another trainer I hadn’t met before. She was friendly and was able to engage with Archie, and I did appreciate that. However, it left me wondering why the person I was initially assigned to wasn’t more involved in coaching me or working with my dog. The trainer who was more hands-on said they would send me everything we covered along with a training plan and to keep them updated on Archie’s vet appointment, which I did. I emailed them that the only restrictions were jumping, running, and weight bearing on his shoulder. I also asked for more detail on the skills we practiced. The behaviorist explained why those skills were chosen, which I appreciated, but it still didn’t amount to a clear step-by-step plan or long-term strategy/goal. I followed up again with specific questions on timing and what to work on, but never received that level of detail. Ultimately, it wasn’t the right fit. The service may fit well for others but even with assistance, I paid more than I have elsewhere that offered more hands-on coaching. At $150 consult / $150 per lesson, I hoped for more direct teaching and a structured plan; covering 3 introductory skills felt light for the price and didn’t fully align with my expectations.
