RB
Rachael Bentzen
May 5, 2026
We brought our recently rescued dog to Sit Mean Sit, now known as Deer Creek Training, last June after being assured they could help with his anxiety, fear-based aggression, and destructive behavior when left alone. During the consultation, we were very open about his history — he had been abandoned in a home and found alone, so being left in unfamiliar places is extremely stressful for him. I originally reached out for at home training. They mentioned that they only doing training ath their location and told us confidently that they could help.
Unfortunately, that promise never matched the reality.
On his very first day, our dog was so overwhelmed and stressed that he spent most of the day panting and unable to settle. Despite this, they continued to insist they could handle his needs and even said they wanted to use him as a “test subject,” offering extra training because of his background.
What we actually received was basic obedience at best. He learned to sit and walk with a halti, but none of the behavioral issues we came for improved. He remained reactive toward dogs and kids, anxious, and unable to hold place for more than a short moment.
We were also disappointed in the equipment they used. The collars they rely on are extremely low quality and only go up to 7 levels, which wasn’t nearly powerful enough to be effective for our dog. For a program that claims to specialize in behavioral issues, the tools they use simply aren’t adequate.
We were told we would receive group lessons, real-life scenario training, and outings to places like Home Depot and parks to work around distractions. None of that ever happened. In fact, we didn’t even technically finish the program — they just stopped responding. They told us they would reach out to schedule group sessions and then ghosted us completely.
We reached out for help when our dog ripped a hole in our door during a panic episode and got no response. When we later asked about boarding while we were going away, they told us they “stopped doing boarding,” yet their website still shows boarding services available.
It became clear they are not equipped to handle anything beyond basic puppy-level commands. We feel we were sold a promise they couldn’t keep and given false hope in exchange for money.
We have since worked with a certified behaviorist and saw a night-and-day difference within weeks. Our dog went from lunging at people and dogs to walking calmly by our side, even during off-leash sessions, keeping his focus on us.
Please don’t waste your time or money like we did. If your dog has real behavioral needs, look elsewhere.