Academy Of Canine Behavior

Not sure of the 3 rating here may have been because of a previous trainer. That being said I adopted a large dog from the Seattle humane society. I am semi retired and live in a 1 bd apartment. My dog needs constant exercise which he gets at dog parks however when I need a reasonable place to place him at doggy day care where he can stay in an indoor gymnasium in bad weather with competent handlers. I find the academy a great place. They also provide separately training and overnight boarding.

This was not a good experience. I was told I needed to change the commands my dog knows to the ones they use, how to handle my rescue using techniques I already had explained were trauma triggers for my rescue. Let my dog go for one half day of daycare and he had poop smeared and hanging off of him when I picked him up, with absolutely nothing said about it to me. My dog had been going to daycare elsewhere for a year before moving here and always came home stinky but never covered in feces. The overall feeling was not one I am willing to accept for my dog or myself.

I rated this place 5 stars! We had already planned on canceling our trip due to not being able to find a dog sitter that we trusted. We have 2 dogs, 1 of them being very anxious. We decided to tour the facility the weekend before our trip as a last resort. They totally put our minds at ease and I felt very comfortable in leaving my dogs with them. Everyone is so nice and I never felt put off when I would call and check in. I will take my dogs back here if we do go on vacation again!

Don't let the previous reviews scare you like they did me! We took our 5 month old Bernedoodle here for the 2 week board and train based on a friend's recommendation. On our drive home after just dropping her off, I checked Yelp and got really nervous! It turns out they had some bad trainers who have since been let go. In just 2 weeks, our dog is SOOOO good. You'll learn the language they teach to replicate at home and maintain the good behavior. Shout out to our trainer, Kisha! Highly recommend.

Avoid this place at all costs. Customer service is extremely poor. The staff and the owner ignored all letters and emails . It is clear that this kennel has no respect for customers. Even the basic courtesy of responding to a reasonable question is beyond their ability. I would never trust them with my pet. Woodinville, WA

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.

Great spot. Every time we board her she goes crazy when we're two blocks away. That's a good sign, if you ask me. Fees are reasonable. I don't really have anything to compare them with but she's always happy to go there and she's in good spirits when I pick her up, that's what matters. Plus, they bathe her on pick up day

The worst. My lawsuit is linked here:
http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2018/08/kingcast-and-others-say-expose-seattle.html

https://www.scribd.com/document/385079402/Academy-of-Canine-Behavior-Lawsuit-to-be-filed-in-Snohomish-3-Aug-2018

The video showing all of our interactions, and them calling the Sheriff and blocking my motorcycle in, is here so you be the Judge. This is a Trial Exhibit BTW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlFPPMXUvMo

All firsthand knowledge folks so this review stays up or there will be litigation on top of litigation:

They never responded with anything in writing in response to my concerns about Pepper after she was boarded there for 10 days in spring 2018. Pepper is the second dog of ours who was trained at AOCB, after the first dog, Livi, was mauled and killed whilst under the purported care of a former AOCB staffer who left Livi alone with her Pit Bulls.

When I arrived on site and asked for all of Pepper's records they refused and told me to get a subpoena. I sued them for refusing to provide the documents and for lying to us about how Moxie the MinPin was killed there in a kennel run populated by several dogs so that we would continue as clients there.

They tried to blame it on my conduct "verbally abusive to staff and guests" but then now refuse to identify exactly what I said and they say they are not calling any "guests" as witnesses.

Meanwhile I have filed a Declaration from another area attorney who specializes in animal law stating that they always stonewall. To quote:
*****
AOCB's recalcitrance in the face of very standard requests for records pertaining to services they provide for a fee, including proof of payment and documents executed by the client, is not only bad business but raises an index of suspicion the information is being concealed without legitimate basis. All AOCB has accomplished is encouraging clients, and attorneys attempting to engage in due diligence, to file suit to obtain date on their own animals.

I certify under penalty of perjury.....
*******
Here's my letter to them from last spring. You can see I was sheepish about getting them in trouble. Not anymore.

Interestingly, this letter was not in the file they produced for me.

25 February 2018

Re: Care and Coverage of Pepper Underfoot the Australian Cattle Dog

Hi Guys,

First and foremost I thank you for providing a safe haven for my baby girl. It means a lot to my entire community past, present and future.

I have a few questions regarding Pepper's recent 10 -day stay ending on 22 February 2018.

I called in every day pretty much for the first 5 days. Each time I was told that Pepper was fine, engaging and eating her food. That is how I experience her daily under varied social experiences.

The second half of my trip I called in every other-day and got the same information until someone told me at the end of my trip (I think it was on the 20th) that she had a runny stool issues right before I returned to Seattle from NY on Friday 23 February, 2018.

That's not a big deal at all to me as I understand canine nerves are sensitive and there was a lot of new space and energy for Pepper.

What I do not understand is that someone from CAB told me that they had called me several times to report a runny stool.

That doesn't make sense to me for two reasons:

1. I never saw any missed calls at the same phone number.
2. The note I got when I picked Pepper up said that she was "shy" at first but that everything was cool. I attached it.

I know Pepper to socialize extremely well, and I can understand her being a bit shy without me around, but she is an amazing dog around dogs. She's totally a playful sub, 100%.

Anyway, I sense a conflict in the communication here. She seems a tad despondent since I picked her up and I just don't understand the delta between hearing that she's fine and eating all of her food to she was shy and had runny stool and we tried to call you.

Was she exposed to any trauma or were any other issues manifest during her stay?

I don't want to put any of this to paper but it's really confusing and I'm owed a clarification.

Please advise.

Sincerely,

________________________________________
Christopher King, J.D.

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.

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.