Mavis K9 Academy

Mavis K9 Academy came highly recommended for boarding while we were gone for spring break. The owner, Greg, was super helpful and advised us that he would be introducing socializing with other dogs after a review of our dog and how her and other k9s at the facility would handle it. I could tell that there is quite a bit of thought and process Into what Greg does with the dogs. Obviously we were there for boarding our dog Wren, and it made us feel extremely reassured and at ease when he sent us the daily videos of her play time and walks. We knew she was in good hands. Greg actually spent a great deal of time with her that week going over some training that he does with all of the dogs so that they socialize well while they are there. Upon picking her back up, he gave us some tips and pointers on walking her. We will certainly be back for some training lessons. We highly recommend Mavis as they go above and beyond for your dog.

Board and train is not for every dog at this facility. My dog was extremely anxious in this environment. The video I received was alarming how out of character this was for my dog. (Tail tucked, head low, running, crying). It was difficult to receive clear communication about what was happening with my dog and the trainer was offended by my asking for evidence of my dog’s well-being at the end of day two when the video sent the second day was evidently from the prior day because of weather. I was asked to remove my dog, and the trainer would not voice his conflict. Had I not been asked, I would have removed my dog because he was so anxious in the environment. My dog is home after 48 hours with new behaviors (snapping, snarling, showing teeth, flinching) that were not problematic before. In another 24 hours, he is now calm. I’m sure this trainer is excellent. It’s why we chose him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right fit for any of us. In retrospect, I recall that during our conversations leading up to board and train, the trainer only had critical things to say about owners. This review is to encourage curiosity about rightness of fit for you and your dog’s needs.

I took my dog Sushi to Greg for socialization training because she wouldn't let any dog get close to her. I cannot believe how much she has changed after just 5 sessions. Greg is very patient and knowledgeable. He not only worked with Sushi, but also showed me what to do to reinforce the training throughout the week. Everything he taught really worked. Now I am visiting my son's family and feeling so thankful watching Sushi playing with their dog!