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.
• MA

  Mary Agre

  Jul 22, 2019
  5.0
  We have had many dogs, and have used many different kennels to board them, but Strong Kennels is by far the best we have found. There are two reasons why we can recommend the kennel: first, it is very well maintained and the outdoor runs are amazing. The second is the Strongs themselves and their staff. Everyone was genuinely concerned about the welfare of our dogs. They all were attentive to our dogs needs and personalities, so our dogs went home in beautiful condition. We needed to drive over 100 miles to reach Strong Kennels, but we have no doubt that we will make the trip again when we need to board our pets.
• JD

  John Davis

  Jul 18, 2018
  5.0
  We dropped off our 2-year old dog twice now and haven't had any unusual experiences with Strong Kennel. We have received text updates on our dog's activities which are sometimes vague, but is a lot more information than we get if we drop her off at PetSmart which is usually 2x the fee of Strong Kennel with no information. In addition, we have received active photos of our pet from the kennel during our pet's stay which is a nice touch. I'd recommend this kennel to others in the future and have already within our circle of friends and now to you.