Deer Creek Canine Academy

Reviews

• RB

  Rachael Bentzen

  May 5, 2026
  1.0
  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.
• TR

  Tina Ritchie

  Apr 7, 2026
  5.0
  Signed our lab up for three full day classes and day ends with an hour of training for us, plus we’ll have four group training sessions. Our first session did feel overwhelming but was still thorough instruction. Second and third classes Tyler was our instructor and he made sure we understood exactly the how/why of each command and he was very helpful when working with us. Deer Creek is very communicative with all concerns throughout the day while our lab was there and I got progress reports every session. I can recommend Deer Creek Canine.
• JS

  Jared Silberzahn

  Jul 8, 2018
  5.0
  My family and I highly recommend this facility. We've utilized many other kennels in the area in the past and feel the experience at StrongKennel stood out from the rest in a very positive way. Our dog had a health issue going into his stay that required higher maintenance from the staff, but they graciously catered to his needs and consistently followed up with us during his stay to put us at ease. They even called us after his stay was over and he was with us at home to follow up and see how he was doing. It was very clear to us that they genuinely care about the pets they board. We were very impressed with their care and attention and would recommend StrongKennel to any others, without reservation.