Pup'n Iron Canine Enrichment Center

Pup N Iron Training Facility is the best. I am a repeat customer and have taken classes there since 2007. My first yellow lab was a blonde whirlwind. We took all the basic classes, got her CGC, and many Rally Obedience Titles. She also became an awesome therapy dog and R.E.A.D. dog, again through training at PNI. Unfortunately, we lost her at the young age of 8 1/2. She was my heart dog. I can honestly say I do not know where we would of been without the expertise and encouragement of Laurie Williams and her staff at PNI. I also started my new lab puppy in puppy classes at 12 week old. She is a wild happy go lucky lab. She is now working on her CGC and has qualified once out of two trials in C-Wags Zoom Rally. She is also in doggie daycare and loving it. I trust PNI and their staff with my dog. I would not even think of having her train anywhere else. I am a repeat customer and will continue supporting and taking training at PNI with my current dog and any other dog that comes into my life. I highly recommend PNI and have recommended them to many people I have met who have asked " Where did your dog get such good manners?" I don't hesitate Pup N Iron all the way!

I have taken classes at Pup N Iron since 2009 with 4 different dogs. Every step of the way I felt I have dealt with a knowledgeable, caring professional whose main goal was to give me the best possible training, and has resulted in the best possible relationship with my dogs. For me, the classes and accompanying activities have been a pure joy. Classes are held in the evenings to accommodate the working pet parent from 7 - 7:50pm or 8 - 8:50pm. I would suggest an email to Pup N Iron and a request to come watch some of the evening classes. It's entertaining, it's FREE, and the easiest way to decide if this is the kind of relationship you want with your dog.

I will review based on 3 areas: 1. STAFF - 2 Stars: For the price you pay, you don't get the staff support/supervision you would expect.I don't believe there is a high enough ratio of staff to dogs and I don't think they supervise playtime enough. There are several staff members at the facility at all times, but they aren't taking care of the dogs. I also don't believe the staff are educated enough on dog behavior and monitoring stress. The article above explains this point in much more depth and this is the MAIN REASON I think that Pup 'N Iron falls short of a good daycare. The author of the article says "I'd advise going to sit and watch for a few hours, without your dog. If you're not blown away by the professionalism of the staff, I'd take a pass." First, Pup 'N Iron doesn't even allow you to come watch, and second, i have absolutely NOT been blown away by any staff members. Some of the staff (specifically one gal, Jackie) are very friendly and very knowledgeable. However, others lack social skills and aren't friendly and quite a few employees don't seem to know anything about dog behavior, training, etc. They appeared to be hired for their clean-up skills only. When you ask a question about daycare policies, practices, etc. you will get a different answer every time you ask a different person. This was concerning to us as new daycare clients. Their website has a lot of information, but there staff is NOT on the same page when it comes to common daycare FAQs. 2. ENVIRONMENT - 3 Stars: Average at best. It is literally just a warehouse room with a rubber floor that can be peed on. There wasn't places for the dogs to hide or withdraw themselves from playing (this bothers me as dogs should have this in order to control their stress level.) Not a designated space or time for sleeping/napping. You have to specifically request this. Also, i'm not convinced that potty breaks happen at a constant interval. A couple times we have picked up our pup and she has peed as soon as she got outside, as if she had been holding it all day. 3. OTHER DOGS- 5 Stars: They do a temperament pre-screening and require health certification from a veterinarian. You can rest assured that the dogs at Pup N Iron are healthy, vaccinated, UTD on shots. I really REALLY appreciate these policies. PRICE: We feel that the prices is very expensive and we aren't 100% convinced it is worth our money. You are definitely paying the HIGH END of doggie daycare coming here. At $30 a day, it adds up quickly. No doggie parent oversight: Having daycare on video is a common practice and NOT hard to set up (especially if you are charging a lot of money for daycare...) BUT they don't do this. I believe that a good daycare should have nothing to hide and should be open to allowing customers to watch their activities. After significant thought, we have decided to stop Pup 'N Iron and use an in-home doggie daycare. It costs us half the price, less stress on our dog, great staff, clean facilities, etc. If you are thinking that I am a crazy lady who is overprotective of my dog and overly harsh on my judgement/review of the facility, well that's okay. I love my dog like people love their children. I don't believe my expectations are unrealistic and I don't think my standards for reviewing the daycare are too harsh. I hope my review has helped you and feel free to ask any questions. I would be happy to answer. Like I said, my dogs mean the world to me and I'm happy to help anyone else who feels the same way. Best of luck.