Dog Training Club of St Pete

Dear Jeneca, I am sorry you were disappointed with your experience with our club. As a member, you agreed to abide by our Code of Sportsmanship and Club Values. Your review raises concerns that were never brought to the attention of the Board or our Training Coordinators, which would have provided an opportunity to address them directly. To ensure that my response was based on facts, rather than assumptions, I spoke with your current instructor regarding your experience in Basic Obedience. I was told that this was your third time taking the class, with the stated goal of addressing your dog’s pulling. The instructor observed that your dog continued to pull toward other students and dogs, jump up on people, and use the full length of the leash rather than remaining close to you. You explained that your dog is friendly and simply wants to be petted. When the instructor asked you to keep your dog closer, you were offended by the instruction. These guidelines are not intended as criticism of you or your dog. They are safety requirements. In our facility, dogs are never permitted to approach one another face-to-face in class because even a friendly dog can encounter another dog that does not welcome that interaction. Pulling toward people or dogs and jumping up can also create a safety concern, including the possibility of a dog fight or someone being bitten. An experienced instructor also explained that allowing these behaviors reinforces the very behaviors you were trying to correct. Unfortunately, you took offense at that feedback. You also chose to leave our Flyball group, stating that the people were mean. Again, to be fair, I spoke with the Flyball Coordinator to better understand the circumstances. I was told that your dog’s current level of discipline, obedience, and impulse control made the dog not yet a good fit for Flyball competition. That is not a personal judgment; it is an assessment of the skills needed for a safe and successful Flyball team. I also attempted to contact you personally to hear your side of the situation. During that conversation, you expressed that you felt our members were mean, and when I attempted to explain what I had been told by your instructor, you ended the conversation. Our club is made up of 100% volunteers who have devoted more than 70 years to helping people build better relationships with their dogs through training, education, and sports. Our instructors and volunteers genuinely want members and their dogs to succeed. That sometimes means giving difficult feedback or asking members to change behaviors for the safety and benefit of everyone. We respect that our club may not be the right fit for everyone. However, we stand behind our instructors, our safety standards, and our expectation that members accept instruction and take responsibility for their dogs’ behavior. We wish you and your dog the best moving forward.