FirstBark
After just two of five scheduled training sessions, I withdrew my dog Cosmo from the Platinum Day Train program. I paid $2,499 for this. Here is what happened. From the start, we were told we had everything we needed for the program. That was false. After our first session, I le…Read full reviewClose full review
After just two of five scheduled training sessions, I withdrew my dog Cosmo from the Platinum Day Train program. I paid $2,499 for this. Here is what happened. From the start, we were told we had everything we needed for the program. That was false. After our first session, I left having spent an additional $60+ on a leash and a bungee cord attachment for the collar — items that had been used on Cosmo all day but were not included in the $2,499 program. At our second session, a new collar adapter was offered for his smaller frame — another $40. They offered to loan it to me to try before purchasing. I took it home, and given everything that followed, I consider it part of the $2,499 I will never see again. I found myself wondering what would have been for sale at session three. Our second session was a disaster. Cosmo was drop dead exhausted during our end-of-day lesson — so much so that he could not complete the final hour of scheduled training. The treat bag I brought also came back full. After our first session we had been told to bring more treats because Cosmo was clearly food motivated — so a full bag told me everything I needed to know. Cosmo also has allergies and cannot have their treats, so if theirs were the only reward offered, he got nothing all day. My core reason for enrolling was to address Cosmo's reactivity. I raised this specifically when we signed up, and flagged it again at drop-off on the morning of our second session, where I was told it would be passed along to the trainer. This turned out to be critical, as the environment that day was chaotic — multiple dogs barking, overwhelming noise, exactly the kind of situation I had sought help managing. When I arrived for the end-of-day session and the trainer was still not aware of my concern, I raised it again myself. It was never trained through. Instead, Cosmo was collar corrected through it — and yelped and jumped in pain as a result. That is not what I signed up for and not something I will ever unsee. When I raised these concerns, I was communicating directly with the owner. At every turn I was respectful, measured, and gave every opportunity for accountability. What I got in return was mansplaining and condescension. I was told my dog's lack of progress was my fault. Rather than address my concerns, he responded with analogies — that expecting results without completing the program was like expecting to become a doctor without finishing medical school, or pulling a cake out of the oven before it's done. My actual concern — my dog in pain — was never acknowledged. Not once. The contract has a no-refund clause after day one. Read it carefully before you sign. And before you enroll, ask how concerns will be handled if something goes wrong — because based on my experience, the answer is that they won't be.