The K9 Training Academy

My husband recently passed away and we had a very aggressive dog at home who although was fine with the family he was totally uncontrollable outside of the house and with other strangers and dogs. As a solo parent now having to raise 4 young children on my own, losing another member of this family was not an option especially for my kids sake. I had been following this company for awhile at the constant recommendation of DJ Laz and I decided to call them about my dog Aries (Pitt, rotty, lab mix). Richard was so kind, extremely informative, very honest and confident about my situation and how he could help. I decided to go forward with the Advanced Obedience training and boarded him for 30+ days. Throughout the entire process whenever I wanted to check on Aries progress Richard quickly sent me photos or videos (although I made the tough decision to only check once a week as I put my full trust in his training and knew Richard had other clients to attend to). When I did talk to Richard he always took the time to ask how I was doing and how the kids were doing especially after the tragic death of my husband. Aries has made a complete transformation and I can honestly say 100% that this training academy for your dog is the best of the best in South Florida. Not only did we get professionalism and expertise but also personal attention and great customer service who had the best interest at heart for both myself as their client and the dog. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND K9 TRAINING ACADEMY.

RICK THE OWNER THREATENED TO KILL MY DOG- TWICE. DO NOT GO HERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. We dropped off our Rottweiler for a refresher of obedience training- a 6 week basic obedience training course where our dog would be boarded at his kennel while he trained her. Within 24 hours Rick- the owner- called threatening to kill our dog if she did not behave. When we asked for more detail- i.e. why he would say such a thing- he said that she refused to leave her crate to work with them and was acting defensive. He said that he would keep working with her and would check in with us regularly. We called him just about every day for a week asking for a progress report and he said that she was getting comfortable with his team and responding to his training. Great. BUT THEN a week later we get another, even more disturbing call from Rick saying that my dog "is alive, but..." and that she was misbehaving with a trainer. He then continued on to say that he "COULDN'T GUARANTEE THAT SHE WOULD BE ALIVE if he had been working with her" because sometimes, he "just sees red." He once again THREATENED TO KILL my dog. We immediately requested all training be stopped given our MASSIVE SAFETY CONCERNS for our animal and picked her up early. He held her hostage- refusing to release her back to us- until payment was made. Absolutely petrifying situation with unacceptable behavior from a so-called professional. When we got our dog back she as COVERED IN HER OWN FECES and had a LIMP in her back leg. She looked like she had been through hell and back. We called our vet immediately but as it was a holiday week, he was unable to take us and recommended that we take our dog home, clean her up, and keep an eye on her limp. After a week, her limp resolved but it is clear that the psychological impacts of his training (abuse) are still long lasting. Our dog is now perpetually terrified of being left alone with people she does not know (such as going to the groomer, visiting the vet etc). She is fearful of people touching her hips and hind legs- we assume he hit her or did something highly traumatic to that area to cause this behavior as she was never this way prior to Rick's "training." ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR. THIS MAN IS A DOG ABUSER NOT A DOG TRAINER. If you want to keep your pets alive- and safe- do not take them to see him. K9 Training Academy is no training facility whatsoever. They act with reckless disregard for the welfare and safety of the animals for which they are responsible.

Rick and the rest of his amazing team did a great job with our Miniature Goldendoodle, Max. Not only did Rick take the time to understand us as Max's owners and what we wanted out of the training, but he also really took the time to understand Max's strong personality. Max completed his Puppy and Beginners training with the K9TrainingAcademy and later graduated from the Advanced where he learned all of his commands off the leash. Now at only 8 months of age, we are able to bring Max everywhere we go and he has no problem adapting- boating, pools, airplanes, hotels, errands around town. Thanks to the K9TrainingAcademy, Max has really grown into the perfect pet with no social or behavioral issues. We receive compliments on Max everywhere we go and we owe it all to the K9TrainingAcademy. Rick's passion for what he does really shines through down to the very results. Thank you Rick and team for all your efforts! HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

We took our German Shepherd to this awful place and we trusted these people to take care of our 10 month old puppy and provide the services they promised. This turned out to be a total nightmare. The owner called us to tell us our puppy was crazy and had issues. Apparently, our puppy escaped their premises and they had to call the police to find him. When my husband went to get the puppy they not only were rude they were trying to charge my husband an additional $300.00 because they said he needed more time. Our puppy was there only 10 days Thank God!!! They would not return my monies of $795.00 (which I disputed with my bank). Our puppy was sooooo thirsty for water when we picked him up and he was soooo hungry we had to feed him some granola bars we had in our vehicle on our way home from the hellish place!!! BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE! DON'T USE THESE PEOPLE. I have contacted the Animal Cruelty society to investigate them.