Elite K9 Service

We attended one of their free group sessions expecting an opportunity to observe their training methods and determine whether the program would be a good fit. Instead, the majority of the event felt like a high pressure sales presentation (think a timeshare pitch, but with dogs). When you arrive, everyone waits outside in the heat until the staff brings the group into a large garage. Once inside, they select a dog from the audience, make a few quick assessments, and demonstrate a handful of very basic obedience commands. After a few minutes, that dog is returned to its owner and another dog is brought out. What stood out was that, as soon as an owner’s dog was finished, one of the assistants would immediately pull that owner aside and begin a lengthy sales pitch. This meant those owners couldn’t even watch the rest of the demonstrations because they were occupied by the assistant trying to lock them down for a paid session. The primary goal seemed to be selling a $50 evaluation session. What they did not clearly disclose during the sales pitch was their cancellation policy: if you don’t cancel within 24 hours of booking, you forfeit your payment (even if you cancel well before the scheduled evaluation). We initially signed up during the presentation but canceled shortly after leaving, once we had time to think everything over. We were fortunate to have canceled within that 24 hour window, but despite that, we were not refunded and ultimately had to dispute the charge through our bank to recover our money. They also tried to push branded leashes and other accessories during the presentation. While upselling equipment isn’t unusual in the dog training industry, it added to the feeling that the focus was on sales rather than education. As the presentation went on, it wasn’t surprising to see some attendees become frustrated and simply walk out before it was over. It became increasingly clear that the event was designed more to generate customers than to provide meaningful training instruction. I’m giving an extra star because we never attended the paid training, so I can’t fairly comment on the quality or effectiveness of the actual program. That said, after our experience at the free session, and after hearing negative experiences from others who completed the paid training, I feel we made the right decision by leaving. Based on our experience, I would recommend looking elsewhere for dog training.