Man's Best Friend

04/15/08

Heaven Sent !!!

by kvboxer at Citysearch

We have been taking our Boxer to MBF for 4 years now and would not have it any other way. The professional trainers and staff there have been nothing but great with our pet. Our pet had a serious aggression issue but once we signed him up his trainer worked with him and now he is much better! Our dog enjoys MBF, when I tell my dog "Let's go see John and Brenda" (his trainer & second mother) he rushes to the garage door sits and waits for me to open the door so that he can get into the car and we can be on our way to MBF. I think 1 reason he enjoys going there is because he is treated like a "King". It is a great feeling to know that we can go out of town and he is well taken care of. At times we take him for 2-3 day just because he enjoys going and having fun. I highly recommend MBF to all who want a well trained pet.

• Pros: Great staff and professional trainers
• Cons: There are no cons in my opinion

11/17/09

The biggest rip off in history that damaged my dog

by asmiller at Citysearch

I took my chihuahua to get potty trained here as well as to learn basic commands. They assured me that for $900 they could do this for me in 2 weeks time. This did not happen. When I picked her up, the man attempted to demonstrate what she had learned by pulling her around and yelling at her in the room that I was viewing them through glass. Then when I was supposed to fill out my survey on how well I feel like she did, the man stayed right next to me to make sure I did not write anything bad. When I asked why she was coughing so much, they told me she was doing that before I brought her in-NOT TRUE! I later learned that the cause of her coughing was due to them pulling her around by her leash too hard and causing damage to her trachea. Additionally, she was not trained at all. When I called back to ask about it, they told me that they can not potty train dogs. So what is boils down to is that they will say anything to get your money and then they neglect your dog once they get it. Maybe they have improved since the time this happened, which about 3 years ago. I am writing a review now, because I am reminded every time my poor little dog coughs when she runs, that I am the one who took her to the place that did it to her. It makes me feel guilty for taking her there and it infuriates me that they are still in business probably doing the same thing to other dogs.

• Pros: none that I can see
• Cons: injured my chihuahua, bad trainer

09/19/09

Malcolm is an amazing dog trainer

by Jackie Watts at Citysearch

We purchased the lifetime training sessions with Man's Best Friend, and we feel it was a great value. Our 115 lb great dane puppy is now under control thanks to Malcolm! During his intitial two week stay the care givers were very attentive to the specific needs of our pet. We have the highest respect for the hours of dedication that Malcolm and the Man's the Best Friend staff members took to train and love our dog. We recommend Man's Best Friend to anyone who has not yet trained their dog.

• Pros: Professional, Caring, and Dedicated
• Cons: None

09/19/09

Malcolm is an amazing dog trainer

by Jackie Watts at Citysearch

We purchased the lifetime training sessions with Man's Best Friend, and we feel it was a great value. Our 115 lb great dane puppy is now under control thanks to Malcolm! During his intitial two week stay the care givers were very attentive to the specific needs of our pet. We have the highest respect for the hours of dedication that Malcolm and the Man's the Best Friend staff members took to train and love our dog. We recommend Man's Best Friend to anyone who has not yet trained their dog.

• Pros: Professional, Caring, and Dedicated
• Cons: None

09/05/09

Great training for Cattle Dog (blue healer)

by cattle dog at Citysearch

We needed some help with our Cattle Dog. She was out of control but after MBF, we now have a well behaved dog. More importantly, we are better trained on how to handle our dog thanks to the great training we received. Malcolm was our trainer and explained in detail how to continue the training at home. We have had nothing but great results. Thanks to MBF and to Malcolm.

• Pros: great improvement with dog, excellent follow up
• Cons: none

08/14/09

It's Been A Great Experience

by chrisleigh530 at Citysearch

I currently have my second dog in training with Man’s Best Friend (MBF). All of the staff at the Houston location has been very kind and helpful! Our trainer has especially been great! He is loving but firm which is exactly what my puppy needs! MBF is pricy; but you get what you pay for. An untrained dog is frustrating for a pet owner. The ‘puppy stage’ is crucial because that is when you must gain your dog’s respect in order to shape their temperament and correct their bad behavior. I personally did not have the time my individual puppy needed to reach her learning potential. Going into training my little troublemaker had no manners; after just 2 weeks staying with MBF, she came back well beyond behaved and quickly worked her way into her position as a member of the family! Several of my friends purchased puppies from the same litter as mine and I can honestly say that my dog has by far made the most progress compared to her siblings. I owe that to MBF who I would definitely recommend. Furthermore, I owe it to our awesome trainer, thanks Malcolm!!!

• Cons: pricy

08/11/09

Not Disgruntled, just honest

by Nolie at Citysearch

The management believes 'Give the client as little as possible, while still seeming to meet customer satisfaction'. That was told to me DIRECTLY by the owner himself, Bob Bolander. Evaluations: High pressure sales. The idea is to not let you leave the store without leaving your dog for training. 1 evaluator bases the price of the program based on the kind of car you drive. At the upland location, they actually had a hidden microphone in the EV room, so they could leave owners to 'discuss', then the evaluator would run to the office to listen in to the conversation. Then they would know how to sell the owner when they came back in in order to get the sale.

TRAINING: Most dogs just sat in their kennel the entire first week. 1 trainer was so overloaded with dogs, he only spent 20 minutes with one cocker the ENTIRE TWO WEEKS!!! Amazingly, that dog did well, but sad that the trainer was so overloaded that it was the only time he had to work on the dog. It was also very sad that the owner spent around $1000 for 20 minutes of training.

On trainers: Stated directly by Mr. Bolander: Trainers are a dime a dozen, and anyone can train a dog. MBF comment: trainers being certified for protection. What it DOESN'T say, is that certification is just a Private Investigator's licence. A 4 hour class. Has NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH DOGS.

Care of the dogs: It was standard procedure to never walk dogs unless they were being trained. So boarding dogs might not get a walk the entire time they were there -- i.e, constantly being covered in their own mess. This situation can be VERY stressful, as to why so many of the dogs lose weight. MBF also states it's against their insurance policy to allow ppl in the kennel. Might be true, but MANY kennels that run their facility wonderfully and allow you to walk in EVERY area of their kennel (prestonwood kennels). At MBF, dogs were filthy, given only a few sheets of newspaper to sleep on, and while there were a few good kennel staffers, there are usually too many dogs to keep up with. Dogs can be literally COVERED in urine for much of their stay. In my opinion, if MBF has cleaned up this situation, they should clean up the insurance policy so people can check out the actual situation their dog is in. My guess is they haven't cleaned up this situation.

Trainers: There are a few good trainers there. Often, MBF trains up their trainers from kennel staff. The problem: they tend to put trainers out that don't have enough experience, so that can lead to 'ignorance abuse', where trainers gets abusive because they don't know any better. Also, some of the trainers only do the 'bare minimum' with the dogs, so the dog learns to obey command amid 4 walls only. In my time there, I saw a trainer turn out a dog that didn't even know how to heel without biting the trainer's leg, I saw dogs that couldn't do obedience unless it was patterned, I saw trainers who had no idea what they were doing (they were just good at schmooing) and I saw dogs that were absolutely amazing at their obedience because they had an excellent trainer. It was really luck of the draw. One side note on trainers: One routinely showed up to work drunk. He was never fired (to my knowledge).

Medicating: In my opinion, MBF is unethical in it's medical practices. At the time I was there they routinely prescribe antibiotics like Baytril for kennel cough without the dog ever seeing a vet. There was a vet on call, but he was rarely there, and really didn't look at the dogs (every so often he would look at a severe case). The Meds were instead dispensed by the head of the kennel. Owners would be charged a 'vet call', and just given meds.

My recommendation trust your instincts. If something doesn't feel quite right, it probably isn't. I personally would not allow anyone to train my dog behind closed doors -- My dogs are my family, and I want to know for sure how they are treated.

• Pros: If you're lucky and get a good trainer, you'll be pleased
• Cons: Your dog will be filthy, possible waste of $1000

07/09/09

Will NOT be taking dog here

by doglover5555 at Citysearch

I have never boarded animals with them, but I have gone on a tour of the place. First of all, the employee was not that informative and didn't ask about me or my pets that I wanted to bring in. They only allowed me to peek through the door and I was so sad. The space your dog is boarded in is so small and it's very crowded and noisy. The tour lasted 3 minutes, and that included me standing between two employees who discussed a customer, who they obviously weren’t happy about. I left right away and will not be taking my dogs there.

I had high hopes for Man's Best Friend, too.

06/17/09

Dog Training

by DMS9880 at Citysearch

I have not used MBF but I spoke with them for about an hour when making the decission. I was not impressed. They told me that they use pinch collers... the told me this after I explained to them the breed (min pin) and her size (9 pounds) This made me nervous. I really felt like they would try but that they were more concerned about the outcome of their training than finding what works for each dog. My Min Pin can be crazy on a leash and will often throw what I call tantrums- a pinch collar would have done damage. After much reseach my vet directed me to a dog training in your home program... I am very pleased. I think what is best is that the do is learning in it's own environment. It does require the owner to practice 30 minutes a day, but if you think about how kids learn they need guided practice for atleast that long each day as well!

• Pros: They answered all of my questions
• Cons: Did not seem to individualize

05/06/09

Murphy

by MBF at Citysearch

I took Murphy after a broken engagement and didn't have the time to work with him between work and school. He often walked me instead of me walking him. After his two week stay and working with our trainer, much has changed! We can go on a nice walk together and he sits when I stop! Thank you for helping me with Murphy ....Kristin C.

04/02/09

I'll take future dogs to Man's Best Friend

by vmommy at Citysearch

My husband and I debated a while before deciding on a rescue dog from a Dachshund group in Spring. Once we had her about a week we decided that we needed help with potty training so I looked into Mans Best Friend and it was the best thing we could have done.

Sure, the programs are an investment, but when you break it down over how long you will have your dog, it's not that much. We've had Mocha for 7 years and training has worked out to about $15 a month. Tha't's worth every penny to me and my family. You have to understand that it takes time to teach a dog anything...just like kids. It won't happen overnight. It takes coming back for lessons and practice at home. My husband is much better at working with our little Mocha, but she ROCKS! It took a lot of lessons and a lot of working with her but now she is what they call off leash and obeys the hand commands at a distance. Our kids even can work with her and the neighbors are so impressed. We went in looking for housebreaking help and got so much more out of the lessons. Our dog understands what we want from her and she listens to us

If you have the patience, this is a wonderful way to make your dog a happy lifetime member of your family. Our experience was great. Our tainer is great...we still come back for lessons on occasion and it's been 7 years since we first trained her there. Anyone that says otherwise probably didn't follow their instructions and has not benefitted from the training that they provide like we have.

• Pros: they know their stuff
• Cons: none