Smart Start Puppies

This is the absolute worst company that you can hire. We acquired their services about two months ago and after the first initial evaluation for our dog, they never showed up again, however, they did charge the ENTIRE training amount since the beginning. They cancelled two appointments back to back, and didn’t show up for the third one; the trainer/owner didn’t even bother to call or send a text to explain why he hadn’t shown up the third time. After three days of calling to demand an explanation, they said that the owner/trainer’s cellphone had died, yes, this was their explanation! Of course, we immediately proceeded to cancel the service and request our money back (which they charge since the beginning, as I mentioned before), but up until today they haven’t given us our money back, even after several calls and follow ups with them, it’s been almost two months since then. Terrible, terrible company. Untrustworthy.

If you care enough about your pet to be reading this review then you obviously care about who you’ll be leaving them with. These are not the kind of people that will hold themselves responsible for the health and safety of your pet. They use a shady third party company for boarding during training, that they will tell you nothing about. They will completely wash their hands of any liability upon delivering your pet half dead after training. They claimed to notice he was sick that morning and he had been sick for DAYS! It breaks my heart to imagine what my dog went through under the care of these people. The owner says he “doesn’t run a Mickey Mouse company” but in fact that’s exactly what he runs. He takes zero ownership of his wrong doings and blames everything on issues with his staff. Your staff is only as good as their leader, it’s clear the issues here stem from the top. We left our dog with them for training while we were on our honeymoon. We came home and rushed our dog to the vet spending hundreds of dollars to care for him after getting the worst case of kennel cough our vet had seen. The owner, Tony, claimed he would “make thing right” and would repay us for the medical bills. We tried to work with him and again and agin he failed, missing appointments and blaming his staff . We never saw a dime of reimbursement, our dog went through hell and learned nothing from their inadequate training. After trying for months and being way too patient with them we asked for our money back as they have a “lifetime guarantee”. It’s complete BS, don’t be fooled, they are full of empty promises and lack of responsibility and professionalism. Save yourself the heartache and go with another trainer, this place is a joke. Trusting these people was the biggest mistake we’ve ever made. After getting nowhere with them we ended up opening a claim with our credit card and got our money back. I have every email, every text and every conversation saved.

These guys are the best! We enrolled our dog in their doggy boot camp program and our dog ame back so much more under control, we were having all the problems that anyone can have. We also live in a highly populated area and there are many distractions and walking was almost impossible.

Their team knows how to deal with all the situations we had, after Bingo came back they then came a few other times to work with our family and were professional as well as inviting. We enjoyed their lessons very much, our kids enjoyed their classes as well, it was a great experience! Thank you Smat Start Puppies for me and my family.

We needed help and called Smart Start Puppies. We were refereed to them by our friends that had their dog trained with them and they told us that this would help. Tony came out to our house after a brief chat over the phone and he suggested that it would be best to see our new dog Whitey in action. He's a Dog Argentino and we knew we were in for it. Tony fitted us in his day and came out 2 days later. He was professional and he knew what he was doing and talking about. Our first class and our most important topic was potty training. He led us in the right way and immediately 2 days later our potty accidents changed dramatically. If you are having thought on who to choose for your dog, I'd recommend them 100% Thank you Smart Start Puppies

It's all about us as a family having a great dog, right? our friends are always asking how did we do this with our dogs? ..........We tell them it was Smart Start Puppies Dog Training.

Smart Start Puppies helped us with our dog "Crazy"....he was a 2 years old Bernese Mnt Dog, We bought Crazy at #petlandpembrokepines and let me tell you, Tony from Smart Start Puppies made our relationship so much better.....

If you have a puppy or an adult dog call them they can help, call them 954-633-7830!!!!

What to say about these guys? My wife and I decided to rescue an already adult dog and we called Smart Smart Puppies. Had to leave a message on their voice mail but immediately we had a returned call from Tony. After speaking with Tony, my wife and I decided to do their Doggie Boot Camp. We asked to come and visit the facility and with no hesitation he agreed, which other places did not allow us to come and visit, we found that odd.

Their facility "Arfington Pet Resort" was clean, their staff was friendly and Tony knew his stuff. Within minutes he had our new rescue dog behaving. Our schedules are usually crazy and this program was suggested by him, it worked out amazing. We now have a great dog and our dog comes out with us every where. We still get calls from Tony from time to time just checking in. Highly recommended for anyone needing their dog trained. Thanks Guys...

What to say about this wonderful team !!?? They are just great , Jordan had a great time at the 14 days dog training at the center ! My dog didn't use to be close to other people than us but with tony and Raoul , he is in love !!!! It is so nice to see the evolution of my baby and I still have my five sessions at home and I am so excited !

Smart Start Puppies uses different trainers to ensure that a dog will definitely know how to take directions from both you and any other family member. We pride our selves in our work and testimonials which many video testimonials may be viewed here- youtube.com/smartstartpups - Unfortunately if the effort we put in to training is not followed through at home then we will have to practically start over every time. Feel free to search through our testimonials and see for your self that through our training which includes no treats, clickers or shock collars- We will successfully train and give you the dog you have always deserved- With follow through at home to reinforce our training.

These reviews are so misleading. I had six sessions and only three of them were valuable, which means half of the money I spent went down the drain. The first two classes were a waste because all the trainers did were talk the entire time and didn't interact with my dog at all. For the first three classes, a different trainer showed up each time, so I kept having to reexplain the issues. For two of the classes, the trainers were an hour late and would try to cut out early. The trainers should have tried to make the most out of each hour session. Smart Start Puppies ripped me off after convincing me to go with them when I was on the fence. For the amount they charge, I expected a lot more, and I was extremely disappointed.

So, where to begin...



I picked up my puppy Cody from the breeders at about 7 weeks. Once Cody turned 10 weeks old, we enrolled him in Puppy Kindergarten at PetSmart. I only made it through three classes. Cody was not learning anything other than eating treats. He was still chewing everything and mouthing when playing. So I figured it was just a puppy thing and gave up on the puppy kindergarten. Well Cody at 4 months was already almost 50 pounds! The vet said hes going to be 90 pounds! He did outgrow the chewing, but now I was unable to walk him outside because this 50 pound puppy was dragging me down the sidewalk. Every time i would try and walk him, I would see people hysterically laughing at me. It was just so embarrassing. And to top it off Cody thought it would be funny to just listen to me when he wanted too. He would decide when he wanted to come, sit, stay, etc. I had no control over my 4 month old puppy and i was terrified to find out what would happen once he became 90 pounds!

Desperately I called Tony at Smart Start Pups. He was so reassuring on the phone that everything was going to be okay and that he would be able to train my dog. This would be done without the clicker, or treats. I honestly didn't really believe him, but I figured i might as well try something now for it was better than doing nothing.



The first day that Tony came to my house within 5 MINUTES Cody already learned Leave it. The next 10 minutes Cody learned to Sit (on command), and by the end of the hour, i was able to walk Cody by myself! I couldnt believe it! I almost cried because i felt such a relief!



The next thing really made me love Smart Start Pups even more. My grandfather was rushed to hospital and i needed to take a flight to see him. Tony understood and we were able to reschedule and also create a payment plan. This helped so much because money was tight, but tony understood that. They know how hard life can be throwing things at you. I honestly really appreciated that.



Once we were able to meet up again, Cody was doing so much better than the first time. I think he began to realize that mommy was no longer playing games and when he saw Tony he knew it was time to learn. I cant wait until my next meeting with Tony. He honestly saved my life from being miserable to actually having control and enjoying my puppy.



I don't know what else i could day, but if you have a dog that needs any help at all... Please, don't waste time. Call Tony RIGHT NOW. you wont be disappointed. Tony, if your reading this... THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Thank you guys for all your help with Lola, our Husky. She was a handful until Cherie came in our home and trained her and coached us on how to communicate with our dog. What we liked about their methods was the simple fact that we didn't have to give her treats all the time, actually, they train using no treats which we thought was amazing!!



If you're looking for results then you need to contact Smart Start Pups right away. They helped us with payments and they made it easy for us with their scheduling.



Thank you guys!!!

If you have a dog or a puppy these are the people to call. My name is Peter and Smart Start Puppies asked me to write a review so here it is!!! We had our Golden retriever 3 yr old "Buddy" and our 5 lb. Yorkie "Dexter" trained and all we have to say is Great Job guys!



We were a little skeptical on our Yorkie but they were persistent on the fact that every dog is trainable. Today our dogs listen to us and our kids. It all takes practice and the coaching that they gave us was amazing. They worked around our schedule, they took us to outdoor public places so that we can control our dogs in such places and today we can take them to dinner and we know that due to their coaching (smart start puppies) we can control them in any situation.



To the Smart Start Puppies team: Thank you guys for all your help!!!

I'm personally on the fence about recommending this company. For the price charged, I believe the company owners should consider better management and communication.



My personal situation and experience:

I rescued a previously abused Shiba Inu mix from death row back in February of 2013. He was curious but skittish, and distrustful towards anything that moved. We had different situations in which his nervousness turned into uncontrolled aggression. With me moving in August cross country, I needed to fix and control his behavior immediately, thus why I contacted this company.



Everything was fine for the first few sessions. My trainer, John, handled the situation professionally despite being bit on the first. My dog's progress went really well up until John left the company. This is where the issues began. I never got contacted by the company to inform me about his replacements nor rescheduling my following sessions. Finally when I did solve that issue, the trainers continuously cancelled out on the appointment in cases only an hour before training. We continued on this cycle until one month later, Tony came by to resolve this. Due to it being a long time since last training, my dog regressed in his behavioral issues. He did an evaluation on him and he trained him for a bit and we scheduled for our next meeting to be at their facility.



So, for starters, I live in Kendall, about an hour away from Plantation. That morning, I had set time aside for training, having had to push my clients and work schedule for later that morning. On my end, I was late due to construction and aggravating directional issues in an unfamiliar area. I called early on to let them know I was running late, nothing. Finally, I arrive to where the GPS indicated the facility was, and it wasn't there. I call to get indications, nothing. I drive about 45 in circles trying to find it, nothing.nfinally, I get a text (not a call) from Tony that he was in the hospital, to call his secretary. I called both, nothing. I decided to then drive back down since I was already late for my first appointment. 3 hours and half a tank of gas one.



So, the wait continues, and about 2 weeks later, they finally get "serious" after me begging them to refund me, and they schedule (with much more delays and readjustments) for my dog to go to doggy camp for a weekend while I moved. When he returned, he seemed great. But as soon as the day passed, he began to be aggressive towards dogs AND humans. This is after being told that he supposedly played with other dogs and was happy the whole time through (definitely not typical of my dog). Oh, and they forgot to return my dog's vaccine records.



Despite my efforts in controlling my dog in public settings, my dog continued his aggression, and I still haven't received his records in order to finish his paperwork for the move. I'm moving in two weeks and he's going to have to stay behind with my mother who is physically incapable of taking care of him. By the looks of it, he might have to return to the rescue because there's not much I can do at this point. Especially since my new apt has dog restrictions particularly towards aggressive breeds. And though he isn't one, his behavior exhibits otherwise. I can't bring him to a dog friendly building to have him try and attack everyone on our way out and in the elevator.





Summary:

If you're paying close to $700 for your companion's training, make sure you invest in a company who has their management and communication together. And most importantly deliver the services you request in the timeline agreed on. If the owners stopped talking and start walking on what matters, it has the potential to get far. Until then, don't expect the latter.



Good luck.

So, we decided to do the doggie boot camp and I'm very thankful we found these trainers. They did miracles with our boxer. Thank you guys!

I have to say that Cherie and Tony are by far the best trainers for your dog. I have a little "terror" :) named Blaze, and let me tell you had it not been for them he would not be the pup he is today. Not only are they ppl friendly with exceptional customer service skills but you know that when your dog is their care they are getting the best treatment and obedience any dog owner can ask for. Blaze still needs a lil work but he has come a long way and I know with the guidance of Cherie and Tony along with my help and consistancy with practicing what they taught me he will def live up to his genes as a champion breed yorkire terrior.....:) thanks guys!

Great company to work with. Best of all they train dogs with no treats, I thought Jesse our English bulldog was not going to learn and in fact now she's amazing. They came to the house worked with everyone in the household and we were extremely happy with them. Smart Start Puppies, thanks!

If you're thinking about getting training just do it with these guys. They came to our house worked with our family and were very reliable. We did the bootcamp and their facility is really clean. Thanks

i bought a yorkie puppie several months ago and hired a trainer to get her potty trained, it didnt work, i was at my witts end, she was now 7 months old and still wouldnt train and was so wild my family told me i had to get rid of her, i loved her and wasnt ready to give up on her, i then hired tony from smart start puppies, in one visit he made all the difference, my family cant believe she was trainable, but tony did it, thanks tony you saved her life and mine!!!!

Professional and Courteous group of handlers