Performance Plus Dog Training, Inc.

Very disgusted with how dogs are treated at this facility. Owner has 5 goldens, takes care of 3 younger dogs, and lets 2 oldest rot away in her office all day long. No attention other than being let out a few times a day for only a few minutes. Assistant manager Meghan Doyle trains dog’s as requested, and behind closed doors when dogs do not listen right away she gets frustrated very quickly ending in grabbing the dog by their collar in an aggressive way, until they do it the right way and are often scolded. If your dog dares utter a bark while in the daycare room, daycare worker Cassidy will Scream or Manager Angela will be over the phone speaker accusing a dog she thinks is yelling and if the dog barks again their crate is hit multiple times, sometimes a paddle is used, and they are covered or dragged to a separate room with the lights off and doors shut. Not a very friendly environment! When the dog boards, if they don’t stay in the kennel room where a bed is provided, they are put in a crate with no bedding if owners did not bring any..crates are very uncomfortable you wouldn’t sleep on a bed with no comforter, why should your dog be any different? Considered bringing my dog here for daycare but after seeing how staff treats the animals, I refused too. Dogs are scolded here more than they are rewarded. Staff are more interested in gossip about their customers than they are worried about the dogs that are there.

Re: Complaint [redacted] On 4/13/15 the customer emailed our office inquiring about dog behavior training for her 7 month old German Shepherd. We responded on the same day via email outlining our different training options. The customer chose to enroll her dog in our Perfect Older Pups class which...

runs every seven weeks on Monday nights. At the time of this discussion the next start date for Perfect Older Pups was 5/18/15. There were other class options available but the customer chose to enroll in Perfect Older Pups and wait the five weeks for it to start. The first Perfect Older Pups class is a chat class where the dog owners and instructor discuss their training issues and goals. Based on what the owners disclosed at this class it was decided that they should bring the dog in for a one-on-one evaluation prior to the next week’s class. On 5/23/15 they came to our facility with the dog. They paid a $15 ring rental fee. They were not charged for the instructor’s time. The dog showed signs of mild stress being in an unfamiliar place. Being knowledgeable, the instructor was appropriate with her interaction with the dog and the dog didn’t show signs of aggression so it was decided that with the proper management and handling the dog would be able to attend the class. Subsequently, the owner showed the instructor a video of their dog biting the previous trainer. It was agreed that the dog could still attend the class but if his behavior changed he would be moved to another class. On 6/1/15 during the first class with all the dogs it became apparent that the customer’s dog and the customer’s son’s dog could not be in the same training ring together due to lack of focus on their owners. The son’s dog was lunging, pulling and barking to get to the customer’s dog and other dogs. For safety sake and to create an environment for the dog to be able to mentally work we moved the son, his fiancé and their dog to another ring, where he was given a one hour private lesson by the owner addressing the dog’s behavior issues. The cost for a one hour behavior private is $175. We did not charge the customer for this service. We were only interested in helping the dog and the owner learn how to handle stressful situations. The owner’s training style is very familial and laced with adult humor in an attempt to bring levity to such situations to prevent tension from exasperating things. Seeing as the customer’s dog and customer’s son’s dog were struggling in such a large group training environment the instructor suggested a smaller group class held in a quieter training environment. This particular class (TLC Basic Manners) runs on Saturdays and the customers stated that wouldn’t work with their schedule. As another option we suggested they purchase and read a particular relationship building book that we carry at the front desk. We instructed them to follow the exercises in the book to prepare them and help the dog to assimilate into class. They purchased the book as they were leaving class that night. The following week (week three of the session) all parties returned to class and the son’s dog was unable to focus or function in the presence of all the other dogs and the customer’s dog. In an effort to help the dog, the instructor created a barrier for the son and his dog to work behind. The dog’s reactivity was not quelled with this effort despite the fact that three class assistants were attending to them and delivering the class instruction from the instructor. Week four of the session the same thing was done. We hoped the customers would have applied some of the techniques included in the book and that the instructors had lectured and demonstrated for them previously. It did not appear that they did, so no headway was made in changing the dog’s behavior. The customer’s dog was totally unable to focus on the customer because the customer’s husband was standing right outside the ring engaging the dog with eye contact. In an effort to help the dog focus the instructor explained what was happening and asked the husband to wait outside so the wife and dog could be successful. On 6/25/15 we received an email from the customer stating that she was withdrawing her dog and her son’s dog from class and wanted a refund. Upon receipt of the email our manager called the customer to listen to her concerns. We have a no refund policy which is standard practice in dog training and other learning/education institutes. The customer acknowledged knowledge of our policies with her signature on the registration form and was given the no refund policy in writing at the chat class. After speaking with the customer, the manager reached out to the instructor to discuss the viable options for these people and their dogs. The manager called the customer back and presented the options available which were (1) come in prior to the next class to sit down with the instructor to see if the dogs can be factored into the class, (2) switch to the small group class – TLC Basic Manners, or (3) take private lessons. If she chose option 2 or 3 the tuition for the last 3 weeks of the Perfect Older Pups class would be applied and she would owe the difference in the cost of the new class or private. We left it that the customer would discuss it with her family and get back to us which she did not do. The remainder of classes in the session came and went without a word from the customer. We have over 20 years of experience. We are certified professional dog trainers. We have earned the CPDT-KA designation from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) which is the only independent organization offering psychometrically sound certifications for animal training and behavior professionals. The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers serves to establish and maintain recognized standards of competence for animal training and behavior professionals through criteria based on experience, standardized testing, skills and continuing education, and identifies those individuals to the public. Our training philosophy is do no harm and our methodology is based on the two main principles of learning theory for dog-friendly, science-based training which are positive reinforcement (+R) and negative punishment( -P). "Positive training" typically uses positive reinforcement and negative punishment exclusively. Very rarely are the other two quadrants of learning theory (-R and +P) used, and even then with aversives that are not painful, just unpleasant (like time-outs or startling noises). We do not consider slip chains (choke chains) or prong collars to be part of "positive training". It has been proven that a combination of aversive corrections and positive reinforcements is the least effective way to teach. When we do any sort of training with the dogs, we always ask ourselves "Is this improving our relationship with this dog or is it harming it?" If it is harming the relationship, we don’t train that way! That’s why we use positive reinforcement and negative punishment. Sure, the other methods often (but not always) work, but we prefer not to risk all of the fallout. We pride ourselves on offering the finest in dog care and training in the area. We have a commitment to excellence. Our instructors and animal care attendants are passionate about their jobs. They love what they do! They care about every dog that walks through our doors. Our business has evolved to a one stop shop for all things dog from word of mouth and referrals from our many satisfied customers.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted]. Please add your rejection comments below.I absolutely disagree I was never offered any other classes I was informed that I needed to take that class and that class only. We were willing to come in Saturday but the head trainer assured us we could use come kind of blocked off area. As I explained our dogs have never been in this environment I made this very clear to [redacted] and [redacted], they made it assuring they could handle our dogs. However during class my son received hardly no help besides the interns young kids in training who told my son something different from what I was being told in the class. Yes our dogs are raised together they knew this. Also, the owner who gave my son the private was awful. She did not use humor she humiliated my son and daughter in law. Told them at one point to use birth control and to never have kids. She hit my son over the head several times and said I am the owner I can do and say whatever I want. I chose not to come back because First it was stressful for our dogs and second my son my daughter in law and my husband felt humiliated. The day she claims she asked my husband to leave is incorrect, we were told this was a family affair and any family members were welcome to training or watch in a area. My husband after working a 36 hour shift came with me so he could participate and as soon as he walked in, she yelled across the room " no you get out you can not be here, get out now" class was already 15 mins late like the last 2. My husband walked out and refused to ever go back in. We paid for 1 hour classes and for maybe 30 mins. They are unprofessional , called my son names, called their dog stupid. I spoke with the manager and told her why I would not come back and I told her yes you may a no refund policy however we did not get the treatment or services they promised we would. Our dogs are in training now and doing amazing. And they training together and apart. I think it's very upsetting a business treats it's customers like that.
Regards,
[redacted]