Great Lakes Dog Training Company

If I could give a zero star rating I would. Sent our 6 month old pup for 3 weeks training and wasted $1000. At the end of the training Liz the trainer said that we should not expect much from this training as our dog is a puppy. Tried following up with her on the e-collar that was part of the training package and now she is ghosting us via text and not responding back via phone calls. The place also has no open spaces to actually 'train' dogs . They use the lobby and one small room . So be warned anyone boarding their dogs here , the dogs are staying in their kennels all the time.

Unfortunately, we did not have a great experience. My French Bulldog got kennel cough, and I saw from reviews that there had been an outbreak the week before, yet when I mentioned my dog had been reverse sneezing, had a runny nose and gagging over the weekend at drop off, it was downplayed and I was told it was probably just allergies. Even more concerning, Liz told me via text that "there haven't been any other cases reported." There was a lot of disorganization and gaslighting, and our training was fragmented because after going to the vet and learning he had kennel cough, we stayed home for two weeks for him to recover and also make sure no other dogs got sick. Our last session was not formally scheduled like the others were and nobody cared or followed up that we didn’t close the loop, we weren’t mailed a certificate, etc. We had hoped to find a place where my dog could go on a regular basis for fun and training, which he enjoyed, but the lack of customer service and professionalism was a deal breaker. The employee trainers were great, but the overall experience was far from trust building, plus the facility was uncomfortably unclean. The smell of dogs hit me at the door, and I had to give my dog a bath multiple times as he often came home smelling "doggy." It seemed that money was the most important thing to these people, not customer service and dog wellbeing was certainly not prioritized. Dogs deserve better.

Unfortunately my experience raised serious concerns about the way the business is run. Early on, there was a clear focus on the dogs’ well being, and it seemed like the owners genuinely cared about accommodating to dogs training needs. However, within about six months, I noticed a major shift in priorities. The focus moved away from quality care and the standards they held dropped significantly. I personally witnessed situations where clients were not given full transparency about their dog’s condition or behavior while in the facility’s care. I also observed a pattern of unprofessional communication about clients, but mostly a noticeable difference in how clients were treated and it didnt sit right with me. Another major concern was how complaints and refund requests were handled. Most concerning of all were issues related to dog safety. There were situations where the mistreatment of a dog was brought up, and those concerns were not taken as seriously as they should have been. On a personal level, when my own dog of 10 years passed away, the owner went to other employees to ask why I was so upset and wanted a day off as "its just a dog" which is weird coming from someone who owns a dog business. This is just a reminder to read deep into the dog training business youd like to use for your own dog!