Richmond Dog Obedience Club

UPDATE: The Training Director contacted me and clarified that they do consider themselves a positive reinforcement facility. They offered me a 'make-up' class and I took Beyond the Backyard with Robin. I definitely recommend this instructor and class! Robin gave each owner/dog individual attention and was happy to address any specific training questions. She was 100% positive reinforcement based and gave me some great tips. The class time was used well for practicing new techniques and reinforcing behaviors that we worked on the week before. I am leaving my original review below and leaving my rating at 4 stars instead of 5. If you choose to go here and see any of the questionable training techniques below, be sure to contact the Training Director and change classes immediately. I hope that they audit their instructors more strictly in the future. ----Original Review---- Honestly, it pains me to give a low rating, since this place has the potential to be excellent. The people were so nice and seemed to genuinely care about dogs. But in my research and visiting the facility before I signed up for class, I was led to believe that these were positive reinforcement courses. The course material that was read aloud and handed out was, but the instructors decidedly were not. They advocate for choke chains (/shock collars for 'problem dogs' although none were used in class) and 'correcting' and physically controlling your dog via collar (flat or choke). They dislike harnesses and spent time on diatribes about how they make it more difficult to control your dog. Lures were barely used, even though that's typically key tool for basic obedience. Many people who had trouble week after week with the down command phased out lures after the first week or two. When the instructors saw that they were having trouble, they were instructed to stand on the leash, forcing the dog's neck to the ground so that they couldn't stand. I could go on, but by now hopefully you know if this is a class for you or not. This is a "balanced" dog training facility. If you want true positive reinforcement, PetSmart and Petco definitely use it and are probably your best bet in the area.