Academy Of Canine Behavior

PLEASE FIND ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE FOR DOG!I would NOT recommend bringing a dog here. This is the first time I have written a negative review. I JUST WANT TO WARN PEOPLE. I brought my dog to fine-tune some leash skills and basic skills. He was not aggressive but is a large, strong puppy. I wanted him safe on the leash so anyone could walk him. He is super friendly and a happy boy to all other dogs and people.

I should have left on arrival. The receptionist was totally rude. She discouraged me from asking questions and tried to get super pushy with me. I had the instinct to leave-should have listened. When I arrived my dog was completely freaked out. He could not relax and was extremely fearful of the facility and the trainer. He was a completely different dog full of fear.

The trainer showed me the commands to work on. When she was showing me, the manager was lingering over her and she seemed nervous. He was odd and unfriendly. When we pulled over and let him out to go to the bathroom on the leash and relieve himself he ran away from us after we put him back in the car- completely unlike him. He almost got hit by a car and my son as well trying to catch him.

We had never had an incident like that before. He's always been a good boy that just hung out and waited for us in public but he was completely under duress from leaving the facility. He could not relax or sleep for over 10 hours after I picked him up. This is really unlike him too. Once we were inside of the facility I could see that the place is crumbling down and obviously not maintained.

This says a lot about who they are. What is the interior like if the outside is this? The front office people are rude and lacked professional demeanor. I tried to speak to the operations manager Russell about my concerns. They just want your money. They lack professionalism-they are deplorable! I left him for a board and train. I was advised that he was showing signs of kennel cough and had already been at the facility for two weeks.

When I dropped him off he was a healthy dog that had been at home on 3 areas and had not been exposed to any other sick dogs and had been vaccinated. Upon arrival, I was told that I would be paying the vet bill. The trainer who called and advise me never told me this. When we pulled over and let him out to go to the bathroom on the leash and relieve himself he ran away from us after we put him back in the car- completely unlike him.

He almost got hit by a car and my son as well trying to catch him. We had never had an incident like that before. He's always been a good boy that just hung out and waited for us in public but he was completely under duress from leaving the facility. He could not relax or sleep for over 10 hours after I picked him up. This is really unlike him too.

Once we were inside of the facility I could see that the place is crumbling down and obviously not maintained. This says a lot about who they are. What is the interior like if the outside is this? The front office people are rude and lacked professional demeanor. I tried to speak to the operations manager Russell about my concerns. They just want your money.

They lack professionalism. I left him for a board and train. I was advised that he was showing signs of kennel cough and had already been at the facility for two weeks. When I dropped him off he was a healthy dog that had been at home on 3 acres and had not been exposed to any other sick dogs and had been vaccinated. Upon arrival, I was told that I would be paying the vet bill.

The trainer who called and advise me never told me this. The whole experience left me and my son nauseous when we left. I feel sick and horrible I took him there. I wish could rewind time. I just hope that we can soothe him and help him recover from his trauma. It took 3 months for my dog to trust us and recover from the Academy of Canine Behavior.

The only positive advice was the advice of a pinch collar. The follow up with the trainer was great when I needed help to purchase replacements for the collar. Please take a tour of the facility, ask about their specific training methods and observe other dogs getting trained before you leave your dog. Take your time in finding the best place. I would not recommend this facility under the current ownership and management. I do not think they will let you tour the facility- but hey go ahead and try.

Our 4 year old mix breed with the energy of a puppy loves doggy daycare

I had taken the basic obedience course 20 and 15 years ago when our past dogs were pups. It was a good experience then as I had my children attend so they would understand how to interact with the dogs (at different times we had high energy dogs and the boys were young). The course offers insight into how dogs see the world and how to be a better leader for them.

Several dogs later we find ourselves rescuing an 8-month-old male Australian Cattle Dog and bringing him into our home with 2 other ACD's, one 13-years-old and one 3-years-old. He was out of control in the first 2 weeks so it was hard to ascertain his level of training and although he and the 3-yo took to each other immediately there were issues between him and the 13-yo.

I signed us up for the basic obedience course in the first week we had him hoping for a refresher and some specific input into our situation. I was surprised that the course is basically identical to 20 years ago. There has been no new thoughts or advancements in training over that amount of time? Although there were only 5 dogs in the class there was little to no effort to address anything outside of the "agenda" which consisted of sit, wait, off, down; something we found our dog knew once he began to settle into our home.

There is a huge emphasis on training collars with one whole class devoted to fitting and selling each individual dog in class. I am familiar with these methods and asked about my experience when a dog adapts and behaves only when the collar is on. The reply was "oh yeah, that is collar wise". No further explanation or solution. I quickly decided that this course was not going to give me what I need to make our new pup's transition into his new home successful and stopped going.

I was not overly impressed with the instructor as well. Final assessment is if you have no experience with dogs and are not adverse to using a prong or choke chain collar then this is a good course for you. If you have specific problems or issues or the instructor doesn't like you or your breed, then stay away.

Our Texas rescue pup attended the 5 week board and train program in October, and came back a new, well trained pup! Lifelong training is also a great perk for when we need to fine tune some pieces of his training which we have certainly taken advantage of.

My 7 month old European Doberman checked in for a 5 week board and training. Staff is absolutely helpful and patient. The trainers their energy, knowledge and patience to help our family to have a better understanding is absolutely amazing the work they have also done to our family pet is outstanding. I would strongly recommend this place.

Great dog training facility and doggy hotel, my dog love staying here, the service is always good and the price is fair. My dog always comes home calmed and exercised from the hotel, they also have a doggy daycare for day use.

We paid $1200 for kennel cough and nothing else. When we dropped off our dog they asked us what we would like them to work on with her. We gave them a list of behaviors we would like to change. We frequently called to check in on her progress and were assured that she was progressing well. When we went to pick her up they admitted that they hadn't worked on any of the behaviors we had indicated, rather they put her through their generic regimen and completely disregarded our wishes.

On top of that, she now has a severe cough which will require a visit to the vet and another bill which the Academy should cover. You'd be better off saving your money and finding a list of commands online.

Critical: Professionalism I went there and the people were so rude and unprofessional. One of the ladies actually rolled her eyes at me and i was just asking a simple questionI have heard stories of abuse going on there, i wouldn't trust them with my dogs.

I'm giving a two, because they have a couple of trainers that we respect and think our dog got along with. But only senior trainers (careful with the rest). If it wasn't for it, I'd just do 1 star. My dog went through a complete boot camp where she reinforced basic commands. Her anxiety got better and commands were easier to understand on her.

Communication improved. Those classes included lifetime personal lessons with instructor, but PLEASE BEWARE! DO NOT do the boot camp unless that is your only goal (and don't expect the "transformation" they sell). Personalized sessions will become more uncomfortable to schedule every time. They really make it a YOU thing when you go back again if you need a recap, so it feels wrong to come back. Comments like "we're here for you, but not too often. (laughs)" we're said when ending those sessions.

So a very passive aggressive way of telling you, do your thing and try not to keep coming as often. (Btw we only took 3 of those, months after finishing the boot camp). We also tried the "reactive dog training". Which was helpful, but one of the trainers didn't have seniority at all. One of the things we learned there, which at this point we still feel bad about doing is: prong collars are ok to keep making pressure when your dog reacts trying to attack someone, until your dog lets go, it's ok to choke and correct with that.

Those type of "Corrections" would really make my dog uncomfortable. Now the "boarding" service. After having spent all that money (trust me, they're not cheap). We thought, hey, since they already know her, things would be better for her, if we do boarding as the same place. Well, initially yes, but now it has became very difficult to schedule.

Last two times we tried: 1st time: with a one week notice: no availability. 2nd time: with almost 2 weeks ahead of the boarding day. I was told "it was fine" to leave her, "we have plenty space" I was told. Good thing I called to check on that reservation again right before going there to leave my dog, cause out of nowhere I got cancelled. And, since they don't send emails, or texts about the confirmation, you don't have the proof of what you were told. IMHO: This place could be for you if: - you are ok with using all sorts of "correction" tools (prong collars, e-collar) - you have an anxious or reactive dog that is hard to train.

Since they do accept those cases. (Sort of a last resource) This place isn't for you if: - you want to see your dog through cameras or monitor how he's doing when you're not there - you have a pup who can be easily trained and socialized in time. - you believe there's more than challenging your dog/ being the COMMANDER, and playing the dominance game. - you want BASIC TECH like emailing communications or text messages for keeping in touch. - your agenda is so open, that you can rely on their "hand written notebooks" to schedule your appointments, so when you get cancelled or they forgot to put your name there, you can move things.

Be sure they won't try to make it up to you. (They didn't to me and I would say I'm a frequent customer) Regret not realizing all this sooner. Oh, last one: they are not very into you recording things or taking pictures. Maybe the whole anti-tech thing is to cover themselves. Who knows. PS: here's more resources https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/dog-training-business-responds-after-video-of-dog-being-struck-with-plastic-bat/281-577513434

Just finished AOCB's 7 week Basic Obedience course with my terrier puppy. The course content was comprehensive covering everything from how best to call my dog to getting her to lay on her side for grooming. Learned so much about dog behavior and how best to work with my dog. Staff helped me every step of the way.

Awesome place to train your pooch! Lots of room, reasonable class sizes.

Horrible. My dog was trained here with the board and train for 6 months. Her previous owner thought it was a good idea to leave her conveniently while she went to France. When I brought my dog back for follow up training she would cry and shake when we pulled up to the parking lot. I decided her anxiety wasn't worth it and ended all sessions.

It all made sense when I saw the news reports about the abuse that goes on at the facility. If your considering this facility please do your research and read the reports. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

Just started puppy classes and could not be happier with them! Our trainer is very aware, approaches each pup individually and is extremely knowledgeable. It makes me so comfortable that if I were to need to board him in the future, he would already be comfortable on the grounds. A very safe and inviting place, well worth the little bit extra than Petco lessons with some new apprentice!

I would never take my puppy or dog here for training. I took my puppy in for a consultation for training and the owner who does the consultation hurt and made my puppy yelp. The owner was trying to get my dog to sit so she grabbed her by to neck and collar and forced her down. That is when my dog yelped. She used some excuse saying my dog was being dramatic and over reacting, but I know my puppy the best and not once she has yelped or been a dramatic dog.

She also did not ask my permission to discipline my dog and used water sprayer and drenched my dog in the face. I asked the owner what program I should enroll my dog in and she said she doesn't even know the schedule and what's available. I think that shows you what kind of management is taking place there. Why would I ever take my dog to a place where the trainers don't even know the different type of dogs and one try to correct/argue with me saying that my puppy wasn't an Australian Labradoodle, when in fact she is an Australian Labradoodle.

The person at the front desk told me that they will email me for the schedule when there is an availability for classes, and it has been weeks and weeks and I never gotten anything.

Because I can't give this place zero stars, I guess I will say that the reception folks were nice and efficient. Otherwise, I can't believe I almost sent my loving dog here to be abused for five weeks. It doesn't seem like any reputable source in Seattle can vouch for this company. There are just too many negative reviews across Google, Yelp, and even King 5 to let me feel comfortable about sending my dog here.

Our 2 Labrador retriever puppies went through the 5 week board and train program with Alicia as their primary trainer. It's not cheap, but I'd do it all over again in a heart beat. Our dogs no longer jump, bite, pull on their leashes, bark incessantly, get into things they shouldn't, destroy things, etc. They can both obey and hold commands-- sit, stay, wait, down, come, off, etc, and they have learned how to be generally well behaved and well tempered. I'm so thankful, as I want my family and anyone who comes into my house to feel comfortable around our dogs. Would definitely recommend this program to anyone considering it.

Here's the deal.there's lots of negative reviews from an event that happened years ago. We decided to take our dog Frito in since he was getting pretty wild. We did the 5 week training and it helped tremendously to settle him down and give us some control back. All the staff was super professional and my dog came home just as happy as he was when he left (but better behaved).

This has been a real win win because it actually makes us enjoy the time with the dog more and he ends up receiving a lot more praise now. If you're on the fence, don't worry about all the negativity and take your dog here

Fintan is home after 6 weeks in training, wondering what his world may bring. I can't say enough about the staff at the Academy of Canine Behavior for their shared knowledge, personal care (weekly baths, frequent brushing and nail trims), constant attention to every detail that goes into building a better companion and owner. It doesn't stop there as we have weekly follow up sessions and any sessions as requested for rest of his life.

Our scheduled homework is on track. Special thanks to his primary trainer, Ashley Greyell, Manager, Russell Nelson, and of course, Jack and Colleen McDaniel for building an incredible business and resource for dog owners. They know what works and how to get it done. Simply the best!

I had a similar experience with this place as one of the other recent Yelp reviews that the owner so kindly tried to tell her was "fiction." I don't know this other reviewer/customer but i know what she wrote wasn't fiction because i experienced the same situation. My wife and I brought our new puppy in for a consultation because he barked incessantly and nipped/bit people often and we needed to get a handle on that sooner than later.

We picked this place as it was literally 2 min from our home. The consultation went like this: - When we explained the bad behavior, the lady (who i learned later was the owner of this "academy") said it was normal behavior that she called "the teenage weirds." excuse me? alright. - first thing she did was start spraying him with vinegar water, without asking, and even when he was sitting on my wife's lap! so my wife was sprayed while were trying to have a conversation with this lady. - the lady had one of her workers go out of the room, and around the building to the outside of the window in the corner of our room. she then had him (without telling us what was going on) BANG on the glass loudly, which startled/scared our puppy so he started barking, so she then could spray him with the freaking water.

I was so dumbfounded by the whole thing that we never went back. 6 months later or so, the news about their animal abuse and unsanitary conditions broke the headlines and i was grateful for never going back. I'm astounded that this place is still open. Especially reading some of the current reviews that STILL show how awful this place is. Might be time for ASPCA to get involved.

We had an EXCELLENT experience, specifically with the trainer Ashley. We have an 8 year old small "princess" dog whom we did not train well ourselves and who was having a hard time not snarfing at our newborn baby. Thought if she had a companion she would be a little better plus we wanted a new dog. They both had bad behavior. We sent both dogs for the 2 week training course and when they came back they had learned so many basics that we could see they needed more help!

We sent them back for the full 5 week intensive training. The new dog (who couldn't even walk on a leash when we got him) obeys commands such as sit, down, stay, wait, and go to your rug. And he can walk on a leash! We will definitely go back for ongoing training. Ashley was awesome, answered so many questions, taught us how to be good dog leaders. We had to figure out the budget part because we aren't rich but it was WELL WORTH it! Thank you!

I brought my dog here on the 18th of june and she kept spraying my dog in the face with vinigar water, without asking me if it was okay to discipline my dogs (mind you i was only in for a consultation) methods seemed very old school and outdated. Shortly after our consultation the footage of their trainer abusing that poor dog was released and i'm so glad we didn't go through with their traini Nice try dismissing this but definitely not a work of fiction.

And i obviously didn't become a client after the video came out. As i stated i was there for a consultation and i'm sure you don't keep extensive information of every consult you take in.

My dog has had positive experiences when boarded here. One star removed because the rates were not posted when we checked in recently. The business needs to make sure their clients are fully aware of their prices.

We brought our rottweiler puppy here to be trained in their classes, and also trusted this place so much that we decided to board him there when we went on vacation. Looking back at this experience, their training style is aggressive and unethical, and their method of guiding dog owners to choke your dog with a prong collar and too aggressively tug on the leash seemed very abusive.

The fact that others are so trusting of their advice to "train" or to basically abuse your dog is bothersome. The worst part of our experience was that when Ryu our rottie came back from his about 5 day stay there he was sick with kennel cough, he could not keep any food down, and seemed to be afraid of new people. This did not only result in a very sad and sick puppy, but multiple vet visits.

He took about 4 months to heal from his stomach issues and kennel cough. Looking back at it, we think about how much abuse he endured having the stereotypes of being a rottweiler. We are angered and saddened to think about what they did to Ryu. After seeing the video of abuse and pictures of unkept conditions go viral, we made the connections as too why he was sick and had a change of behavior.

We still cannot believe that we took our precious family member to endure this abuse, and even tried training our doggy with their "techniques." Please do not make the same mistakes we did. If you love your precious doggos, keep them away from this place. We regret bringing Ryu here and are reminded of this dreadful place every time we see their despicable YouTube ads (which are filled with complete lies) reminding us that they are still open.

We brought our Dog here for a board in training and he came back to us very sick and not eating. When he would eat he would end up throwing it all up. He's now scared of everything and gets nervous around new people. I don't understand how this place is still in business. I met a person who worked here and they even got fired for trying to say something about how they're treating the animals.

Great staff and great service. I have used their services multiple times and they have been great for my dog who had previously struggled at doggy day care facilities. I highly recommend.

I previously used the daycare facility for my well behaved dog. I slowly started to notice the staff being verbally abusive and using fear as a training tactic towards my dog when I would pick him up. My dog is a well behaved service dog has been to more than 100 different daycare facilities, because we travel so frequently. This is the only place that has ever said that my dog had behavior problems and had to be caged.

My pup would return home with such a foul odor. And the boarding facility from my walk through is completely filthy. I would suggest running from this place and not even allowing your imaginary dog visit!

We've been using them for over two years and I've been so impressed by the care and commitment that they show. The day care staff is always positive, helpful, and trustworthy. The in-house grooming options are very convenient and helpful. We're huge fans and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good Doggy Day Care. Our dog knows the route to the day care by heart and is always visibly and audibly excited to go hang out with his friends. It's amazing to see tangible proof of how well the staff treat their charges in his excitement.

Sent my puppy over there for a 2 weeks training session. After picking our puppy up, the trainer gave us a demonstration of how "good" our puppy is behaving. The puppy did actually behave good but it was purely because of fear, the trainer would stump his foot and our puppy would just fearfully lay down on the ground. I am not sure what method training they are using but I have a strong feeling my dog got beaten up once or twice or else why would he fear the trainer?

On top of that our puppy went there 14.2 lbs and came back 12.8 lbs in the two weeks. He was also nasty, covered in his own filth and his fur are all matted. When we finally got our puppy back home, he felt super depressed and wouldn't eat food for a couple of days. This normally wasn't a problem for him, he always had a great appetite before going to training.

Now reviewing the training. I didn't notice any improvement in behavior.but after I stump my feet like the training did he would instinctively go to a fearful position. I wouldn't recommend any body going there even if they pay you for it. It was a mistake on my part and I urge everybody else to not follow my path.

I took my dog here about 4 months ago for the 5 week board and train program, I wanted them to work on manners: such as not jumping on people when they walked in the door and giving people their space. My dog has some possession aggression and was sometimes aggressive towards other dogs. But NEVER to people. When I took my dog home she was immediately aggressive towards my new room mate who my dog had met previously and did great with.

Since coming back my dog is aggressive towards ANY new person. Aggression towards people was never a problem or even a thought I had before taking my dog here for training. I will never be taking any of my future dogs here and will not be strongly discouraging friends and family from taking there dogs here. I wrote that review a few months ago but decided against posting. now that the video of the dog getting hit with the plastic bat has been posted I thought I'd share my experience. My roommate actually said to me when she came back I think something happened to her there because she wasn't like this before.

This review is for the dog grooming salon. We have a very old Goldendoodle who has difficulty standing for long periods of time. After speaking with the academy about bears needs I took him in yesterday for a grooming session. I cannot say enough positive things about the care that he received. They understood the issues of dealing with an aging dog and took incredible care of him he came out happy clean and clip I will definitely be back.

When we had our first dog, years and years ago we went here on the advice of our vet for puppy kindergarten and puppy classes, and it was great. However he was a great dog, so we really had no idea. After he passed away, we rescued two pups from a shelter and they were, uh, more difficult, to say the least. They were mistreated and were reluctant to trust anyone and they were very poorly trained and constantly "broke out" of yard and scared people.

We needed much more than classes for these two and after trying other programs (barkbusters) we opted for the Board and Train program. It has been a life saver! Our aggressive dogs are now so trained. We use their boarding when we head out of town as well, and our dogs always seem healthy and happy upon our return!

At the recommendation of a trainer in the city, I brought my rescue lab mix Whitney here for the 5-week board and train. She came to us super reactive and leash aggressive to other dogs, so I knew she needed a lot of work. We saw an immediate improvement! She was more attentive to us and focused more on what we wanted her to do rather than going after a dog that walks by.

By no means was she "fixed", but the trainers there helped us understand what we as owners need to do to help her. A year later, she's like a different (and better behaved) dog! The facilities are clean and spacious, and the staff is friendly and professional. I've taken Whitney back for several boarding stays when I have to be out of town and she's never had any problems.

I love that they give me "report cards" to let me know how she did! Also, it's a great perk that she gets a bath and nail trim when she stays at least three days. I live in the city where there are tons of doggie daycares, but I'm fine driving the extra 20-30 mins out to Bothell because I know my dog gets the care she deserves. Highly recommend!