Specialty Dog Training

My Experience with Specialty Dog Training – A Painful Warning I enrolled my 3-year-old Rottweiler, Athena, in Specialty Dog Training’s 6-week board-and-train in Oceanside, CA (May–June 2025) and paid $4,400. I was promised daily training, health monitoring, and updates. I asked multiple times to see where she would be kept and was refused each time — something I deeply regret not pushing harder on. Athena entered healthy and fully vaccinated. Halfway through her stay, my Great Dane was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer, and I made it clear how important Athena’s training and safety were during such a fragile time. One week before pickup, I was told the trainer had slowed her progress because he assumed I was extending — which I never approved. Days before coming home, I received a casual text saying she had mild mucus and was “in great spirits.” Hours later, a vet called saying Athena had a 106° fever and was critical. I arrived to find her barely breathing, limp, and still wearing a prong collar. She was rushed to Veterinary Emergency Group and diagnosed with pneumonia. Her oxygen levels dropped below 25%, oxygen lines were sewn into her nostrils, and emergency care cost about $7,500. Multiple veterinarians told me pneumonia typically incubates 2–14 days, meaning she was likely sick long before I was notified. I later learned there had been an increase in kennel cough cases at the facility — something never disclosed to me. Despite everything, the company offered no accountability, no financial support, and no genuine concern. Athena survived, but came home traumatized with none of the training progress I paid for. I was left with thousands in vet bills, a recovering dog, and the heartbreak of managing this while my Great Dane was dying (he has since passed — which is why it took me time to write this). This was one of the most painful experiences I’ve gone through as a pet owner. Please ask hard questions, demand transparency, and get everything in writing before trusting anyone with your dog. I wish someone had warned me.

We recently got a trained German Shepherd personal protection / family dog from Specialty Dog Training and couldn’t be happier. Tom was our primary trainer and he’s incredible — calm, confident, and really focused on teaching us how to lead the dog, set boundaries, handle PPD work safely, and integrate him with our other pups. He’s always available for questions or tune-ups, even after delivery. Bo and Andres are the other trainers we worked with. Both are very professional, and totally capable of taking over when Tom wasn’t available. Amazing team, amazing dog. Highly recommend.