K9 Manners & More

I do NOT recommend the agility classes at K9 Manners and More. I enrolled in a single agility class with the goal of introducing my young dog to different equipment and new training spaces prior to competing with her. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing for several reasons: • Unequal time on course: My dog and I were the last team to run the sequences set up by the instructor. Midway through, I was interrupted and told to hurry because the next class was arriving. After reviewing video footage that my significant other was taking for my training notes, I confirmed we had been on course for less than two minutes—significantly less than other students, including an assistant instructor who took two full turns running her dog on course. If time is going to be a limiting factor, preference should be given to the students - NOT to another instructor. I was even informed this was not a full class, so I can only imagine how bad the time management gets when the class is full. • No instruction while on course: There was no actual guidance provided when handlers and dogs were on course, even when it was clear that people were struggling to get through specific sequences. • Poor communication: The instructor texted me the next day offering a private lesson, which I had originally requested but was told was not available. I took this opportunity to explained my concerns about the class via text. After doing so, I received no reply, despite the instructor initiating the conversation, and having ample responses from the instructor on unrelated items prior to me voicing my concerns. This struck me as very uncaring & unprofessional. • Class environment: During class, I witnessed other students being harsh with their dogs—at one point, one woman roughly grabbed her young dog and called it dumb. The instructor did not intervene or address this behavior, which fosters a negative and unsafe training atmosphere. Overall, the class did not meet my expectations for professionalism, fairness, or dog welfare. For handlers seeking a supportive environment for training their dogs, I would strongly recommend exploring other options. EDIT: The business replied to my review stating they were “surprised” by my feedback. However, I had already given them an opportunity to address some of my concerns privately via text before posting publicly—an opportunity they chose not to take. For that reason, my review should not come as a surprise. They also claim their objective is to provide equal time and coaching to each team, but that was not my experience. Importantly, they have not addressed the rough treatment of one of the dogs in class, which remains a serious concern. I would prefer to have this conversation directly with them, but their reply does not offer that option.