Tecla’s K-9 Academy

This review is about the Doggy Daycare service only. We just adopted a dog and like most pound puppies she is a pitt mix (with lab). Our dog is a puppy so she gets keyed up and has a lot of energy. We were worried about finding a place for her since she is a little larger compared to dogs in her age group. Her size and boundless energy were not an issue for Tecla!
The great thing I love about this place is they expect dogs to behave like dogs. The dogs are put together and get to interact so there is playful nips. While the Academy says your dog may come home with small scratches or bumps we have never had that issue. They use small spray bottles with mostly water and a little vinegar to curb excessive rough housing. Our dog comes home tired and therefore more obedient and happier than if she spent the day in her crate while we are at work. I have confidence in the care takers here. They will post pictures of the dogs playing on Facebook so you can see just how much fun your dog is having. The care takers also give each dog a scheduled water breaks and will the watch the individual to make sure they stay hydrated. Each dog gets their own water dish and break to prevent disease spreading, something I wouldn’t have thought of but I’m sure glad they did!
The service seems pricey if you never considered putting your dog into a daycare but they do have package deals that provide a slight discount if you buy in bulk. To us the price is well worth it as we have a more socialized, exercised and happy dog on the days we take her to Tecla’s Daycare.

My review is for the doggie daycare and boarding portion of this business. I work on obedience training with another business.
If you have a dog who is not the always happy-​go-​lucky and sometimes gets into scuffles, you know that you can’t bring your dog to most doggie daycares. Not a problem here. The staff here understands dog behavior better than typical doggie daycares. My Pit Bull, Lily, has had a history of getting into a few scuffles. It’s never been serious, but it worried me and she wouldn’t be welcome at most places.
When I first heard about Tecla, she met with me to evaluate Lily. She brought her own dog as a distraction to gauge Lily’s response and determined that Lily was not really an aggressor. Lily has spent many days and boarding time there and it’s gone quite well. I can feel worry-​free about her and if she’s being cared for properly. I can tell she likes it there because she always gets so excited and greets the staff with exuberance. She seems to forget all her leash manners there and pulls the staff down the hallway; I truly wouldn’t mind if they corrected her for that because she knows better. She’s the kind of dog that doesn’t really listen to you unless she knows you mean business.
I also like that, unlike several boarding places, here your dog gets actual play/​interaction time. They don’t just sit in a kennel the entire time only to be let out for potty breaks. I can’t imagine paying any business money to keep my dog in a cage the whole time.
Doggie daycare is $ 35/​day. Boarding is $ 40/​day and if they’re there for 5 or more days, they must get a bath, which costs a certain amount depending on weight. I do wish there were a few more offers for discounts; I would send Lily to daycare a bit more often if there were some more deals to take advantage. However, the prices are on-​par and fair. Especially when you compare boarding costs that includes hours of play time vs similar boarding costs elsewhere but your dog is kenneled up all day.
You can follow them on Facebook and look for pictures of your dog having fun. I do wish they had a webcam though!

I have been in the basic obedience class for 5 weeks. Not only has the entire class come a long way but my dog has become the model of a well trained puppy. I was having a little dog aggression issue and Tecla took time off to come to my house for a private lesson. This private lesson changes everything. It was awesome. I have had my pup at the doggy daycare which is also well run and effective

Well let’s just say that sometimes It only take a phone call to know if you want to have a further «relationship» with a business or not!

I have been working with Tecla in group classes and private lessons for more then 5 years. She really cares about the dogs and she works with all owners. Most classes run longer then schedule because she answers all questions and makes sure you understand. The people part of this equation need to realize if you ask her for help she will teach you but you have to follow thru. Do your homework and the behavior you are asking for will happen.

If you are looking for a Basic Obedience class for your companion dog… this is NOT the place. The first class was without your dog. It was 3 hours long listening to the trainer/​owner who has a Schutzhund mind set. If you research the people she has trained under the majority of them are Schutzhund trainers. I have taken many OB classes in the last 40 years but none like this. We were told the next class to wait outside with our dogs next to our cars and wait to be checked in. I had to park at the end of the parking lot and would have never been seen. It was 20 degrees out. I went inside and asked the girl behind the counter if it was okay to wait inside and she said yes. So I gathered my dog and did so. I wasn’t the only one. We were meet by the hostile trainer/​owner who ordered us back outside. Everyone was finally checked in and told to put our dogs in a sit mold. We all stood for and an hour and a half in that position. In the beginning of the class she stood in front of me and chastised me in front of the class for not following her rules of waiting outside. At that moment I was done. I have a 16 lb Bichon that I wanted to socialize and have some fun with. The classes were anything but fun. During this class we were instructed on how to hold the lead. We were told that if during the next class she saw us touch the leash with our left hand we the owners not the dogs would be sprayed with vinegar and not to wear anything good or white. I couldn’t believe my ears. I find this hostile and unprofessional. My Sister is a retired certified trainer and as soon as I got in my car to leave I called her, she was appalled. I also called a friend that is a police officer and he told me if she sprayed anyone it would be assault. Needless to say I will not be going back to this hostile environment again. I have emailed them and asked for my money back stating that this class doesn’t meet my needs or my dog’s. No answer yet. Their website mispresented this class.
UPDATE: Received an email from Becky Wolfe, Operation Manager on March 2, 2015 advising me that their accountant would mail me a check for $ 175. This is the balance of my initial payment of $ 250 minus my deposit of $ 75, which I consider fair. BUT it has been 3 weeks and NO check? Read in another review that someone had been waiting for 3 months for their refund after they were told by the trainer we can’t help you because she didn’t want to use a prong collar.
Update: Wrote a second email to Becky Wolfe advising her that I hadn’t received my check and advised her I was taking this matter to the next level. Received a check for $ 200 a week later.

Definitely a misunderstanding in the boarding reservation. I informed the kennel that I can pick up my dogs on a Saturday but the facility is closed until Sunday evening for pick up. I directly asked the booker by phone if I have to pay for those nights and she said no. But when I picked up my two dogs, they charged two nights for two dogs, an additional $ 180. I could not believe it. Thankfully, the owner straighten the misunderstanding. The boarding place is okay because my dogs did not come out smelly and dirty; this is because the dogs do not play outside but inside a compound — no grass just a cemented floor which could be slippery and hurt dogs when running around.

We took our dog to Tecla after we adopted him. We did the positive puppy class. He loved it there, and we (the humans) learned a lot too. Tecla knows her stuff and has the education with experience behind her. 5 Stars *****

I’ve been rescuing/​fostering dogs for no less than 25 years. I recently adopted a blind puppy who requires some extra obedience work to gain some comfort here in her new surroundings. I paid initially for a private lesson (which consisted of a women lecturing me on how to take care of my dog (even though I told her I was with a rescue league). After paying an exorbitant amount of money, I was told that my puppy would be best suited for the beginning puppy class. I also bought a training bed for the dog during that lesson. Got the bed home to find that they gave me the wrong parts to the bed. I brought it back and have now waited several months for the bed. It was close to $!00.00 mind you. My first puppy class was today. I brought the dog as I was not instructed not to do so. I was met with hostility and rudeness by the staff. This is the norm and not the exception based on my interactions with them. Guess what, the dog bed still isn’t in. I asked for a refund of all my money. What a pathetic excuse for a business. Never, ever again and I will be sure to tell all my dog rescue groups to stay clear.

I would not recommend this place. While there were some lessons that went well, in general I have not found this to be helpful or the trainer to be very responsive. I have a puppy that I took to this class to work on his obedience and listening skills. The trainer did not involve me or my dog at all in any of the exercises and actually had us sit out. When I attempted to speak with her about this, she told me my dog was «not ready» and that she had another class to go to so she apparently did not have time to address the issue. Essentially my dog and I were sidelined and spent the class watching other dogs and their owners get trained.

I sent my dangerous dog for a month-​long bootcamp at Tecla’s. Most bootcamps are shorter, but Tecla checked out my dog and determined that my dog’s issues would take a little more time. Tecla was clear about her techniques, as well as establishing reasonable expectations about my homework (both reading and activities with the dog) and about the dog’s likely behavioral changes.
I was nervous about leaving my baby for a whole month, but I got back a much calmer, less scared, and less scary dog, who is currently hanging out in her «assigned place» as I write this. My only wish is that Tecla’s was closer to home, so it could be easier to get to her weekly classes.