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November 2023 by Ellen Cecil-Lemkin
Dream Dogz is absolutely amazing, I cannot say enough good things about them. I brought my dog to them for their board and train program after another trainer said that she couldn't train my dog. Simply put, I was devastated. However, Victoria and Richard reassured me that they could work with my dog and make her into my dream dog. Within a week, they had crate trained her--something that I NEVER expected to be possible. My husband and I had tried with very little results to crate train our dog, but it resulted in a lot of broken crates and sleepless nights. Additionally, they really improved her basic obedience skills. Seriously, I was amazed by the progress she made with them in such little time. One of the things that I loved about working with them is that they constantly gave me updates on her progress. I got a lot of videos of them working with her and pictures of her playing with other dogs and relaxing in her crate. My friends have all been amazed by the progress that Rosie has made and I eagerly recommend to them Dream Dogz. Victoria and her team are seriously the best.
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September 2022 by Larissa Amber
Please do not make the same mistake I made by trusting this company. I will never get the time, money, and actual trauma my dog and I experienced back. The lack of care for their own dogs, let alone dogs they were "teaching" is absolutely sickening. Dogs in crates for hours, barking at the top of their lungs. Dogs with such horrible hip dysplasia that vets called for their retirement, continuing to work while in pain. E-collars being used to shock a dog again and again into submission to do a simple command. It's truly awful and disgusting.I didn't see the signs right away, and most people I talked to didn't, but after a while it was too obvious not to see. I have now found out why this company has had to change it's name 3 times and move to try to stay in business. Please be careful who you trust with your dogs.*I saw I had a response from leaving this review only to see the owner had left a novel of a response, exactly how professional this business is. Most businesses would ask how they could right a wrong, not say that you were the wrong one (the customers always right, especially when they pay you thousands of dollars). My dog didn't cause another dog to lose an eye, she was not there, she has no idea what she's talking about. And to make my dog sound like he's aggressive in any way is just awful and demeaning. Thank you for proving my point.
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December 2021 by Troy
We hired Nick in March of 2021 and paid him $1200 up front. This was supposed to cover 12 session. He completed 3 sessions and then disappeared. I've been trying to contact him both through texting and calling. Today I found that he has changed his phone number. It's really too bad because we really liked Nick and so did our new Australian Shepard Carson, but he ended being a thief, stealing our money and our trust.
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July 2021 by Dorothy Hammet
The level of unprofessionalism demonstrated by Victoria Warfel is truly amazing. If you want your dog trained by a professional, run far far away from her.
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March 2021 by Ashley Dicken
Heart and soul dog training is truly amazing. As a fellow dog trainer I’ve learned so much from Vicky about service dog training with both the classes and the online school. I’m so grateful for being able to learn from some of the best trainers In the industry! I highly recommend Heart and Soul dog training.
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February 2021 by kati n
My dog Maxwell was very misbehave before I took him to heart and soul . Maxwell came home a complete different dog,..Hes responsive, and follows one word commands. He doesn't jump on people! He goes for walks now 3 miles A-day I could never even take for a walk around the block before going to Heart and Soul. Our life has changed and we are forever greatful!!!!
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February 2021 by Kali Todd
I would never use this company. Just a quick look at their Instagram (heartsoulk9) will tell you they have no idea what they’re doing. They let a very young puppy attend a training session at Universal Studios which is a HUGE no no. This puppy was too young to have all of his shots and a public access outing to this extreme can and will harm a puppy this young and impressionable. I don’t know any trainer that would condone such “training.” If you have to put a pup in training in a stroller, they should not be in that environment. Companies like this are why there is such a bad wrap around the topic of service animals. Service animal organizations strive to create the best learning environment for dogs in training. Forcing a 10-16 week old puppy to take in so much stimuli is never ok. At that age, they should still be learning confidence in their small bubble of an environment, not around thousands of people at a theme park. Too bad I was immediately blocked after questioning the outing for such a young pup.Response - The owner did not want to have a discussion regarding their poor training practices. You do not put a service animal in training in a stroller period. This company does not follow best practices and obviously needs a lesson in customer service. I’ve seen too many hurt by bad service animal companies and with personal experience in training several program dogs, I can say without a doubt, this is a disgrace of a company. Do not come here for service animal training.
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January 2021 by Amber Brackett
Great learning tools, videos, and website. They've been a great tool to use while training my service dog.
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January 2021 by Mary Garner
If I could give 0 stars I would. We brought our Golden Retriever for a three-week board and train to polish up some of his skills for future service training. He had no behavioral issues whatsoever, but I wanted a professional to finish up his training. He already knew sit/stay/down and was housetrained. After drop off and not hearing anything for a few days, we asked for progress pictures and received one picture of our dog having a treat, a picture of him looking very disconnected and not himself, and a video of him walking around the yard, not at all connecting with the trainer and looking stressed. I was also sent three photos of him on a "training walk" where he was not at heel or engaging at all with the trainer (the owner's son). He was either pulling on the leash or being pulled. After a week of "training" that was all they had to show me. It was clear that he had not been receiving even close to the amount of training he should have had in a week. When I received the video and photos I called the owner, Victoria Warfel, who very quickly tried to talk over me and convince me to leave my dog in their care. I thought about it, but decided to go pick him up anyway. I was handed his leash and was brusquely told that I missed my dog so there he was, and that was it. It had nothing to do with me missing my dog. Of course I missed him, but it was concern for his wellbeing that caused me to pick him up two weeks early. He smelled like a filthy kennel and was very nervous, panting, pacing and would not make eye contact with us for several days - a far cry from the loving, confident dog I dropped off a week earlier. I decided to train him myself and within two days he is walking nicely at heel and has a solid sit/stay and down/stay - something they failed to accomplish in a week. I signed a very thorough waiver consenting to her use of my dog's photographs and also stating that there are no refunds. I did ask for one, though, thinking they'd be professional about it, but instead of answering me, they blocked me on all social media. My breeder also asked them to refund my money and they blocked her, too. Then they posted videos and pictures of my dog on their social media (I still have access from one of my accounts). She called the video of my disengaged dog a "silly video" her husband had taken, and posted a picture of her son walking my dog on a taut leash, pulling him behind him, or the dog pulling ahead. A friend asked that they please take my dog's pictures down and they, too, were blocked. Their lack of professionalism is astounding. Unfortunately, she has a right to use the photographs but please know that when you see Truman's pictures on their social media, we had a horrible experience with Victoria Warfel and Heart and Soul Dog Training, making the photos a mere glimpse into her overall lack of integrity. If you want an accurate picture of what they're really like, go look at the Yelp page for their former business name, Gainesville Dog Training. I wish I had read that before dropping off my dog with these unprofessional people. I am prepared for Victoria to respond defensively to this review as she does all negative reviews. I strongly urge you not to use their board and train services and to read the other negative reviews. That's where the truth is.
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September 2020 by Mary G.
If I could give 0 stars I would. We brought our Golden Retriever for a three-week board and train to polish up some of his skills for future service training. He had no behavioral issues whatsoever, but I wanted a professional to finish up his training. He already knew sit/stay/down and was housetrained. After drop off and not hearing anything for a few days, we asked for progress pictures and received one picture of our dog having a treat, a picture of him looking very disconnected and not himself, and a video of him walking around the yard, not at all connecting with the trainer and looking stressed. I was also sent three photos of him on a "training walk" where he was not at heel or engaging at all with the trainer (the owner's son). He was either pulling on the leash or being pulled. After a week of "training" that was all they had to show me. It was clear that he had not been receiving even close to the amount of training he should have had in a week. When I received the video and photos I called the owner, Victoria Warfel, who very quickly tried to talk over me and convince me to leave my dog in their care. I thought about it, but decided to go pick him up anyway. I was handed his leash and was brusquely told that I missed my dog so there he was, and that was it. It had nothing to do with me missing my dog. Of course I missed him, but it was concern for his wellbeing that caused me to pick him up two weeks early. He smelled like a filthy kennel and was very nervous, panting, pacing and would not make eye contact with us for several days - a far cry from the loving, confident dog I dropped off a week earlier. I decided to train him myself and within two days he is walking nicely at heel and has a solid sit/stay and down/stay - something they failed to accomplish in a week. I signed a very thorough waiver consenting to her use of my dog's photographs and also stating that there are no refunds. I did ask for one, though, thinking they'd be professional about it, but instead of answering me, they blocked me on all social media. My breeder also asked them to refund my money and they blocked her, too. Then they posted videos and pictures of my dog on their social media (I still have access from one of my accounts). She called the video of my disengaged dog a "silly video" her husband had taken, and posted a picture of her son walking my dog on a taut leash, pulling him behind him, or the dog pulling ahead. A friend asked that they please take my dog's pictures down and they, too, were blocked. Their lack of professionalism is astounding. Unfortunately, she has a right to use the photographs but please know that when you see Truman's pictures on their social media, we had a horrible experience with Victoria Warfel and Heart and Soul Dog Training, making the photos a mere glimpse into her overall lack of integrity. If you want an accurate picture of what they're really like, go look at the Yelp page for their former business name, Gainesville Dog Training. I wish I had read that before dropping off my dog with these unprofessional people. I am prepared for Victoria to respond defensively to this review as she does all negative reviews. I strongly urge you not to use their board and train services and to read the other negative reviews. That's where the truth is.
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April 2020 by Stacie T.
I have been a client with Dream Dogz since at least September 2019. I am currently owner-training my service dog prospect to meet my needs (mitigate my disabilities), and as a "sweat-equity" option from puppyhood into a fully-trained service dog. FTR, many non-profit and for-profit program service dogs are not an option for me (multiple reasons). It took me 3 years to research & decide to owner-train my own service dog. It took me another 8 months to find a local or US trainer who would/could help me focus on training my service dog prospect to achieve more than an advanced obedience certification ... but to become the awesome service dog that can do the skills & tasks that will help me in my everyday life. Victoria and Richard Warfel are helping me to owner-train my service dog prospect (a male standard poodle) through their Dream Dogz online coursework (because I live in Kansas City), and through private monthly video-calls to discuss my/my dog's progress: to help trouble-shoot (1) my training challenges/mistakes, (2) my dog's unwanted behaviors (common pet dog disobedience), and (3) solve disability work-arounds for our long-term success as a service dog/handler team (my dog & I). I'm not sure about some of the other reviews, but I'm pleased with what I'm receiving for my money, since I am on the monthly payment option for my owner-trainer program level: - online courses (like college), so that we (my dog & I) can progress at our own pace - reasonable & clear steps to owner-train my own dog for a variety of service dog tasks, since I have multiple disabilities - a clear curriculum to "learn & do" ... no skipping past the foundation - guidance on what/how I can do better as an owner-trainer with my disabilities' limitations - service dog training goals and milestones, so that I know if I'm on the right track for success with my dog - on-going support via their Dream Dogz books, workbooks, FB groups, and virtual classes ... so that my service dog prospect successfully becomes my service dog to mitigate my disabilities 24/7/365 My awesome dog wasn't free from our breeder, and I'm on disability. I have made a way to find money & time to owner-train my service dog prospect. In the long-term, owner-training my own service dog will be "cheaper" money-wise (versus a program service dog), BUT there aren't any shortcuts to achieve a fully-trained service dog *specifically* trained for my disabilities. Kind of like the parable of teaching a man to fish (no shortcuts), so that he may provide sustenance & an income for his lifetime. Let me clarify: I view owner-training my service dog prospect (bought and paid for) as "sweat-equity" ... comparable to the commitment and work one would invest into improving any house, especially as a long-term investment with routine upkeep. Service dog training is not free anywhere, and I understand that we (my dog and I as a team) will never stop learning & practicing our skills & tasks. As far as training tools (like an e-collar), Dream Dogz uses training tools that are appropriate for me, my dog, and my needs to communicate with my dog: based on my chronic illnesses, limited mobility, neurology/balance issues, etc. that do not provide an even playing field compared to many typical dog training classes and/or their tools. I'm not a strong burly she-woman, and I'm thankful that Dream Dogz uses/recommends a variety of training tools that are positive, corrective, and communicate clearly .... so that our team (my dog & I) is in sync, and that my dog wants to work with me with all of his heart and soul.
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March 2020 by Ken Braden
Dependable, Customers come 2nd...TO THE ANIMALS... Beautiful Place, Wonderful People, Top Notch Care & Service !!
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February 2020 by Karen George
Victoria and Richard are professional, thorough, and very attentive with both dogs and human handlers, best dog trainers
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April 2019 by Rosalyn Brown
I took my Chihuahua/Spaniel to Dream Dogz to be trained as a service dog and they were wonderful. I remember feeling anxious in the beginning but when my dog went to Rich without a problem I felt at ease. They treated her so well and she learned so much and so did I. Now Heart is a part of their family and whenever I go out of town and I decide not to take her, Dream Dogz is her second home with Auntie Victoria and Uncle Rich. I know they will treat Heart as if she was one of their own. I’m glad I found Dream Dogz and of you use them, I promise you will not regret it!
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April 2019 by Kenith Ross
The best trainers and amazing people. Wouldn't trust my dog with anyone else. They really care about the dogs and the customers and treat them really well. We did the board and train with our fear agressive rottweiler bella. She would lunge and growl and try to bite any one she would see. Now's she's happy and calm and we can take her places and have her met new people which was impossible. The change in bella is amazing. They are also always there if we have any questions and are extremely knowledgeable about everything to do with dog training. Bella loves them and stays over for boarding all the time.
