We initially contacted Better Obedience K9 Training for our one-year-old Rottie but were referred to Lex’s Coastal K9 Training due to scheduling issues. Alexis sounded knowledgeable and had many Google 5-star reviews, so we signed a 3-week training contract on 5/24/24. We now realize that all her Google 5-star reviews were posted on Jan. 2024 when she started the business, which makes you wonder if they are real.
We dropped Delilah off on 6/2. During drop-off, Alexis asked us to sign an extreme liability waiver, which we refused, opting for a standard boarding agreement as she stated she needed us to sign some form of liability waiver. Initially, we requested daily updates, but she told us that she only sends updates a few times a week. The first videos we received showed minimal progress in Delilah's training, which was reasonable. However, during the following week, when we were away, we had to ask again for updates, and the videos showed limited improvement.
Upon returning home, we called Alexis for an update. She mentioned Delilah's excitable behavior and difficulty calming down, which was one of the main issues we had hoped to correct. She stated that she had already begun having Delilah wear an e-collar in preparation for off-leash training. She told us about Delilah's aggressive growling toward other dogs while in the kennel, which surprised us as Delilah had never shown aggression before, even while being boarded multiple times.
Despite Alexis sending additional videos, there was still no noticeable progress, and after considering that she had just surprised us with not working weekends, we decided to end the training and bring Delilah home.
We informed Alexis that we would pay her an additional $500, for a total payment of $2,000 for the 2 weeks Delilah stayed with her. This was despite not receiving the agreed-upon training, as we wanted to resolve the situation amicably. Initially, Alexis had no issue, but soon after, she became aggressive and began questioning our knowledge of dog training. My fiancé had previously trained two Rottweilers himself, but due to his work schedule, consistent training for Delilah became challenging, prompting us to hire a professional. We had explained all this to Alexis when we hired her.
When we finally picked up Delilah, Alexis approached me confrontationally, demanding the $500 we had promised. I requested a copy of the training contract we had signed before sending the payment. She then claimed we had only paid for boarding, not training, and asked my fiancé what the problem was. When my fiancé tried to explain our concerns about Delilah's lack of progress and supposed aggressive behavior, Alexis started yelling at us that she didn’t have to explain her methods to us and threatened to call the police if we didn't leave her property. We gladly took Delilah home.
The next day, Alexis sent us a lengthy message criticizing our understanding of dog training and expressing frustration at having to explain her methods. She emphasized how she had taken time out of her busy schedule to care for and train Delilah, which seemed a weird statement to make, considering that’s exactly what we paid her to do.
In her message, she accused us of being scam artists (projecting much) and suggested we keep the $500 because we needed it more. I reiterated that I would gladly send her the money once she provided a copy of the training contract, but we never heard from her again.
If you still want her to train your puppy after reading this, please do the following:
1. Ask to see the kennel and clarify how many hours per day your dog will be kenneled.
2. Request her business license and insurance.
3. Verify reviews by contacting some reviewers directly.
4. Obtain a copy of the contract upfront.
I cannot recommend Alexis for dog training in good conscience. Our experience was heartbreaking and a waste of money. I hope my honest review will help others avoid the same fate. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. I have proof of everything I have posted here.