Absolute SCAM. I signed up in March 2023 and have regretted it ever since. The consultation was done by Randy (the owner) and it went well - he reassured me that my reactive pitbull could be handled and there would be ample training opportunities for her and that he personally would be highly involved in her training. He then moved to Florida 3 weeks later and I've never seen him since. The reactivity training classes were held once a week at 10am on a Friday (not feasible for a working person). The training also ENTIRELY consists of teaching you how to train your dog separately - the staff do not work with your dogs at all. This is to no fault of the previous staff - they were knowledgeable, but Randy's "program" that he has built makes absolutely no sense and doesn't offer ANYTHING beyond sit, lay down, stay, kennel, place, and a small "obstacle course" that the dogs get used to very quickly. The phases mean nothing, and Phase 3 literally just means meet and greets out in public places. There is actually nothing tangible beyond the second phase, which is just basic obedience commands. Reactivity training is just having your dog calmly lay on a place mat and sleep for an hour. The owners, Randy and Nina, are nowhere to be seen. And as it turns out, they have an EXTENSIVE criminal history. Randy became a "dog trainer" during and right after his multi-year prison sentence for heading up an entire crime syndicate of selling off stolen goods (same with his wife). They are obviously NOT experienced dog trainers (and have already been completely hands off the program for years), but they are very good liars and manipulators. The entire staff quit recently due to Randy and Nina's desire to be completely hands off the business while still taking in money and leaving the entire structure of the business in young trainers hands. The new staff is comprised of three ladies, two of whom have next to ZERO dog training experience. That's insane. They cannot provide adequate training for your dog. People have spent THOUSANDS on service dog or reactivity specialized training and it simply cannot be offered ANYMORE. Everything is just "winging it" and the staff is learning at the same time the clients are - what a joke. And currently their private client-specific Facebook page is being so heavily moderated by them that anybody who complains about this is being deleted off. They are falling APART. DO NOT JOIN THIS SCAMMY CON ARTIST PROGRAM!!! read more

See all

Signed up with Smart Dog after being referred by our vet. We wanted our dog to be more of a support system for my ailing father and this group came highly recommended. We met with both the owner and one iof thew trainers for an evaluation. They both sold the program and were amazed that the pup was actually smart already and quick to learn. They gave us both a training leash for home and their "special" walking leash aloing with a treat pouch for our belts. After discussing the class schedules and training system, they quoted us an outrageous price. But wait! Dad received a military discount and the cost covered all training materials and classes for life. And they would even come to your home for extra training free of charge. All for the low low price of $1329. We were willing to pay knowing the type of training she would receive and we could easily transition her to more of a service dog for Dad's future needs. Was I wrong! The first few classes in Phase One, it seemed like I was doing the training and they were observing. Yes, there was guidance but, I've been thru true training with a K9 unit trainer. She learned fast. The classes began to get shorter to the point of not being worth the gas. 20 minutes? Really? And the schedule started to dwindle. The school put a pause to the classes to regroup. Scheduling after the pause was difficult in that there were no evening classes and the weekend schedule was early am as well so, very limited. Our last session, the pup was due to graduate Phase 1 unless of course the prong collar they coorsed me into buying didn't work. That class was cancelled. They have now up and closed with no real notice to their clients. What now? Where is our money? Who's picking up the training we paid for? This is just beyond words. Doing this senior dirty and a Vet at that. read more

Paid in full for my dog to be trained and the school closed its doors 2 days before our first class! Turns out the owner Randy Byrd filed bankruptcy. I'm still trying to get my money back. read more

Total RIP OFF! After not being able to choose the trainer, I wanted to work with I asked for a refund. Was denied but told I was more than welcome to come to classes for the remainder of my dogs life. Total total rip off didn't teach my dog anything!!! would definitely add negative stars if possible read more

It was good until about two months ago when the owner chased off all the experienced trainers. We went back once and they gave wrong info - very harmful info that goes against not only what the previous trainers told us but what have read in books. Don't give your money and time to these inexperienced and scammy people. read more

The owner knowing his financial situation scammed my college student daughter who works part time to support herself out of her hard earned money. The owner told my daughter days before he shut it down that if I signed up, since she is a member, my discount would be half of what she paid. This was 2 DAYS before he closed down. Fortunately, I was spared. But unfortunately, my daughter is out $1K. Fraud. read more

Owner shut down with no notice, even after adding new clients as recent as the same week he shut down. This entire thing was on the news, google it. People lost thousands. Now owner keeps trying to start different dog training programs in the same area but IMHO can not ever be trusted again. read more

Had my initial evaluation in February, but decided it cost too much. I continued to get text messages asking if we would like to sign-up. I received one the week before Memorial Day that offered a discount. I decided to take it and responded "yes" to the text. The sent me a link to sign-up and pay which I did. They were then supposed to give me access to the class schedule, but that never happened. No responses to texts or voicemails left at the business. Apparently, the entire staff of trainers left at the beginning of May and now they have "trainers" in there with no experience including the owner's teenage daughter. I'm all for felons trying to rebuild their lives, but stay away from this owner and his business! It's a complete scam at this point! read more

Randy and his trainers are phenomenal! They trained our puppy in an 11 day puppy stay camp. She is now 1 and still so incredibly well behaved and calm. We have done touch up lessons since and sent many friends his way. Definitely worth your time and your money over any other dog trainer. They're more like family and less like business. 5 stars! read more

Kendra and team at S.M.A.R.T Dog school helped get our adorable yet extremely rambunctious wire haired fox terrier puppy, Lucille, on a better path to being a gentle, loving and FUN part of our family. She clearly enjoyed her time away at "camp" aka training - the videos said it all. We so look forward to being part of Saturday sessions when we are vaccinated and Covid let's us all "be free!" so that we can continue the great progress she made with the S.M.A.R.T. Team! Thank you ! read more

SMART Dog School - Miss Lucille - Pet Training Near Me - Union, Kentucky

Does your dog hump legs? Eat other animals poop or even it's own? Ignore you as if it's deaf? Smart dog school can fix it. They have a proven record of solid dog training and can show you the results before you sign up. Many videos are posted of them training dogs that the owners didn't think would ever be trainable. If you need a trainer, look no further read more

The program includes prong collar by people that I don't know even graduated high school. My dog has fear based aggression & the lessons only seemed to make his aggression with me worse. I need a behaviorist not "dog trainers" who don't follow AVSAB. Spent 2k and if it was transparent about prong collars would have passed!! read more

My dogs were having issues with fighting. One went to a 3 week boarding/training program. The other went to a 3night/4 day program. Although I can't guarantee my dogs won't ever fight again, they are so much better behaved. I can walk both at the same time now. It's also super quiet around my house because their barking has stopped. read more

Awful experience from start to finish. I was excited to start this program, after talking with Randy, the owner, he assured me it was nearly fail safe. Offering a refund at any time with dissatisfaction. I was thrilled to get our dogs trained and to be able to take them with us to events, parks, festivals, etc. After the first session, it seemed like things were a bit off. The trainer was very short, didn't offer much explanation of the program or the process. She moved us very quickly through the first few training steps, but she didn't allow for us to master one technique, before moving to the other. She seemed very inexperienced and unprofessional, which surprised me for the nearly 4k we paid for 2 dogs. So I called the owner and asked for a refund, he talked me in to giving in another try, with him as the trainer. I wanted trained dogs, so I agreed. After learning that the next steps would be in a facility 45 mins away, I was disappointed that this wasn't well communicated before purchasing, but he assured me they would make themselves available. I explained that Saturdays would work best, and he said that would be no problem. Well, it wasn't until I tried to schedule Saturday sessions and learned from his wife that they try not to schedule Saturdays because he has a family. Well, I understand, so that would render this program useless to us because we can't get to the training facility. So I called and asked for a refund because we couldn't seem to get in to be trained. After 3 days my call was returned by Randy, the owner. He was aggressive, unprofessional, and explained to me that he doesn't offer cash refunds. So we are out 4K, and don't be fooled, there are no refunds. Unfortunately I was naïve and believed his word, and learned that not all companies are honest- even when they seem to be. Client beware, there are other dog training facilities and programs available- choose wisely. This company has taken our money, time, and trust. read more