Patriot Dog Training — Local services in Bulverde

I’m not one to leave negative reviews for a company but after this experience I feel like I need to in order to warn anyone who might be thinking about using Patriot Dog Training in San Antonio (Bulverde) for their pup. They have amazing reviews and was recommended to me for doggy daycare by someone on the Nextdoor App. I’m sure those reviews are accurate for their training and as long as nothing goes wrong then they are probably fine.

Back story, I recently adopted our dog and he has what we believe to be separation anxiety. We wanted him to do doggy daycare for more socialization and to get him prepared for an upcoming vacation where he would need to be boarded or have a pet sitter. Because of his separation anxiety we figured a boarding facility would be a better fit.

We signed him up for a 3 hour daycare to see how he would do. When I arrived they immediately escorted him to the back. Not a single person asked any history, vaccine records, etc. Three hours later I pick him up and the trainer mentions he ran in some puddles so his paws were wet. No big deal I thought. Well as I’m sitting there talking about possible training I noticed blood in his mouth. I discovered he broke his upper canine tooth in half. I can only believe that the reason his front paws (back paws were completely dry) were wet was from them cleaning up the blood. Nobody ever mentioned anything to me and acted surprised when I discovered the broken tooth. Now I get things happen. I know he has issues in small kennels. I’ll take partial blame here because I should have asked if they were putting him in a kennel. I just assumed that in 3 hours he would be good. I left extremely upset and called my vet immediately. When I finally got into my vet I was told that Patriot Dog Training had called and they would be covering all expenses.

Fast forward to today. We had to have surgery that cost $2200. We have pet insurance so we submitted the bill to them first then emailed the remaining balance to the facility. Shocker! They are not covering anything. The emails I received from the owner were unbelievable. Just please do your homework before using this facility.

Update to respond to the owners response:

My dog is an intact MALE which I sent him an email about ahead of time to make sure it was ok to use their doggy daycare/boarding. At that time I also mentioned his separation anxiety. I do not recall the forms I filled out asking about this. I do know it asked if he was aggressive towards people or animals which he is not. Unfortunately, I can no longer access my online account that shows what I entered and signed. I have been blocked from logging in.

The “cosmetic” dentistry is a dentist that my vet referred me to because they can only extract teeth at my vets office. This is my dogs adult canine tooth and I wanted to try to save it. The dentist we went to did vital pulp therapy (similar to root canal but less invasive and best for dogs under 18 months old). My dogs are part of my family. I will give them the best treatment possible just like I would myself or my kids. I’m sure Mr Olson would choose a root canal for himself vs removing a tooth.

When I asked Mr Olson when I could come by to review the video footage his response was.. “You are not welcome to come by our facility and I have no plan to show you my security footage or discuss this situation further.” If there was no negligence then why not prove it by showing me the videos? Only now is he claiming he no longer has the video.

I’m providing this review to help others make an informed decision whether this facility is...

I could not be more impressed with Patriot Dog Training!!! A close friend recommended Patriot after their successful experience with the board and train program.

I have two large breed dogs, specifically, a two-year-old Labrador and a three-year-old German Shepard mix. My Labrador, Koda, had never received formal training and lacked obedience. My German Shepard mix, Kali, was a rescue and never received formal training. Our primary concern for Kali was not just obedience but her reactivity/possessiveness over myself and Koda when other dogs were around.

During the consultation, Erica thoroughly walked me through the various board and train packages offered at Patriot. After evaluating my pups, we agreed the four-week program would suit our concerns for both dogs best.

I received a phone call update and photos at least once a week during their stay at the Bulverde facility. The accommodations for the animals are clean and well tended to by a lovely and dedicated staff of trainers and boarding technicians. Their knowledge and understanding of animal behavior and implementation of safe, positive, and effective training methods surpassed our expectations. As the end of their stay approached, Erica offered to keep both pups a bit longer, free of charge, to fine-tune and guarantee their success (if maintained after returning home).

As a vet tech, I have seen firsthand how many animals returning from similar programs, unfortunately, are not cared for in the high-caliber manner and integrity that Patriot prides their training programs upon.

I valued that Patriot’s mission did not waver, as their focus remained on the long-term success of my animals and was never based on their monetary return.

Extensive and quality training is undoubtedly an investment, but the peace of mind you’ll have when your pet returns home is invaluable. Our dogs are now manageable, obedient, and able to interact with other dogs with no issues. However, I must note— the continuance of their newly acquired skills once arriving home is not up to them, but rather a familial commitment to upholding the standard of accountability/training practices taught while at Patriot.

We have continued to use Patriot training to board the pups when we go out of town. My dogs are always happy to return to Patriot for board and attend refresher sessions with the trainers during their stay.

If you’ve read this far…you can gather that the Jensen family adores Patriot Dog Training!!! We’re so appreciative for the growth we’ve seen in our dogs and grateful for the support the team continues to extend to not only to our pups but also to our family.

A huge thank you to Erica, Benito,...

This review is in two parts. One for Patriot Dog Training the Second for Patriot boarding.

In regards to Dog training Patriot will train your dog to sit, down, heel and place. They will also work with your dog to get rid of bad or annoying habits.

Now the details, they do this through continuous repetition. That is a good thing… somewhat( continue reading and you will understand why I say somewhat.), they also use prong collars and e-collars for correcting the dog and provide a food reward. This is where you as an owner need to decide if this is acceptable. As food rewards also typically means your dog will not receive their typical food ration as treats are provided as a reward for a dog complying with verbal commands and the prong collar and e-collar re-enforce that bad behavior is not tolerated.

I would rate the dog training as a 3-4 star.

Now the Dog boarding.. we boarded our dog twice. We had thought that they did a great job training him and were under the impression he would be comfortable returning. When we left him at Patriot he had a long flowing tail and it was graceful to see him catch tennis balls or frisbees. When we had picked him up, there were large gaps of hair missing and it did not resemble the tail he had. When we asked if anything happened, the staff said there had been no altercations with any of the other animals and it might have been due to stress.

Our dogs tail hair did grow back and we thought it might have been caused by anxiety and the soap that was left in his fur.

A few months later we returned to board him again. I should have trusted my instincts, our dog was visibly upset and shaking with his tail between his legs when we were in the parking lot and it progressed as we entered the lobby.

When we returned the staff was blaring music with large amounts of base and treble that you could hear from the parking lot and probably from the street. The dogs were barking from their crates and the music seemed to intensify.

We called and no one answered, I can only guess that the music may have played a part. I then knocked on the door and the music quickly was turned down to what would pass as a normal volume.

Our dog was then quickly brought to us and smelt of urine and feces.

We paid the boarding fee in full and left to give our dog a proper bath.

I’m not asking for a refund, I’m not asking for any fees to be returned. I’m only writing this to share my experience and provide an explanation as to why Patriot Dog Training and Boarding went from a potential 4 star review to a two...