Taurus Academy

I have been using Taurus since 2005 (10 years) but no more. I am not sure what happened, but the prices went up and the quality of service went down. Way down. I left my dog for a week while my family was on vacation (as we normally do) with no hesitation. When we picked him up we noticed he had been attacked by another dog (probably a few days prior) because he had matted and bloody fur in several places. They said nothing! Somehow, they also managed to loose his collar and tags?! He has had the same collar for 6 years so not sure how that happened. They didn’t seem too concerned, but it is a law where we live that all dogs have thier rabbies tags, so this is not just a minor nuisance. They said they would find it and call us, but nothing. For the price they charge, I will just hire a house sitter from now on.

Taurus is a ‘home grown’ Austin company. Their intention is to impact our community by providing excellent care for the dogs in their facilities, improving their behavior, as well as keeping them happy and safe. Their focus in behavior creates a community of polite, socialized dogs and educated owners that benefits all of Austin. My dog, Oskar is one happy boy at Taurus dog training & play day! — I was so happy to find Taurus @ Metric is a great, safe, clean & fun place for him to play during the day while I’m at work. I believe Taurus was just perfect! The staff is wonderful, they separate out the dogs by size for play, they have «rest”/down time in an air-​conditioned area. Most importantly, Oskar gets so excited to stay their (he jumps in the car when I ask him if he wants to «go play»! The first day I picked him up, I got his report card, complete with a list of his new «friends» and what he did during the day! Thanks Kassy Coleman for taking the time of training and spending time with Oskar. Kassy is a excellent trainer between her team and herself, she taught Oskar commands, such as «come,» «sit», «stay», «heel», and «ok» which can help prevent problems and make living with a 120 lbs Great Dane a little less stressful. Taurus teaches the ingredients of successful training. I also appreciated the house visit, which is done after the dog training. This shows the new training skills first hand at the comfort of your home.
In Spanish
Tauro es un «hogar crecido» empresa de Austin. Su intención es impactar a nuestra comunidad al ofrecer una excelente atención a los perros en sus instalaciones, la mejora de su comportamiento, así como mantenerlos felices y seguros. Su enfoque en el comportamiento crea una comunidad de perros socializados, corteses y educados propietarios que beneficia a todos los de Austin. Mi perro, Oskar es un niño feliz en el entrenamiento y jugar perro del día de Tauro ! — Yo estaba tan feliz de encontrar Tauro @ métrica es un grande, seguro, limpio y divertido lugar para él jugar durante el día mientras estoy en el trabajo. Creo Tauro era simplemente perfecto ! El personal es maravilloso, que separar a los perros por tamaño para el juego, tienen «resto «/​el tiempo de inactividad en un área con aire acondicionado. Lo más importante, Oskar pone tan emocionada de alojarme su (él salta en el coche cuando le pregunto si quiere «ir a jugar » ! El primer día que lo cogí, me dieron su tarjeta de informe, con una lista de su nuevo «amigos «y lo que hizo durante el día !! Gracias Kassy Coleman por tomarse el tiempo de entrenamiento y pasar tiempo con Oskar. Kassy es un entrenador excelente entre su equipo y ella misma, ella enseñó comandos Oskar, tales como «ven «, «sentarse », «stay », «talón », y «ok «, que puede ayudar a prevenir problemas y que la vida con unas 120 libras de great dane un poco menos estresante. Taurus enseña los ingredientes del éxito de la capacitación. también me gustó la visita casa, que se hace después de que el entrenamiento del perro. Esto muestra la nuevas habilidades de formación de primera mano en la comodidad de su hogar.

I had a couple misunderstandings when I had my initial first visit for my pet, but at the end of her play day when it was time for me to pick her up I was so relieved. The ladies at the front were very welcoming and sweet. They sat me down to discuss everything that was involved with my pet’s play day and answered all my questions. Afterwards they gave me a tour of the facility. It seemed a little small but for having to share a building with the vet clinic next door, what can you expect! My dog was so quiet the rest of the day and I felt so pleased with her experience that I will definitely be scheduling her for a frequent doggy day care visit!

I recently rescued a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who was being surrendered because of a family situation and partly because she didn’t get along with the temporary family’s dogs. I knew coming into this, it was going to be a challenge introducing her to my adult Cocker Spaniel.
So — of course I do the introductions completely wrong (I had not planned on bringing a new dog home — it was a right place at the right time situation and I ended up with a new dog), the Cavalier attacked the Cocker and I’m thinking, «what have I done???» I am a very experienced dog person, but this was new to me.
Panicked, I called Taurus for some guidance. Dany gave me some very good pointers over the phone which helped with the immediate situation. I then planned an in-​house visit for a future date.
Dany came to my house and observed my interactions with each dog. I was doing everything correct. Yay. Now to reintroduce the girls…
I was terrified of course because of the earlier aggression, but Dany made it so easy. She watched them, watched me with them, and pointed out some behaviors in each girl to watch for and correct.
After her visit, the girls were interacting fairly well and I was no longer terrified of them being together. Six months later, I wouldn’t call them best friends, but they are very good together and the house is peaceful with two very well-​behaved girls.

WE have taken our doggie to Tuarus on Lamar and Metric and we are so thrilled with the consistent service both locations provide. They take wonderful care of our sweet rescue, and are always happy to have her. The staff is very friendly, they love their dogs, and it shows. The staff is highly trained and this benefits you as your pup is playing all day. Consistency is KEY with our mutts and Taurus staff know this. We now have a very-​well socialized doggie at age 2 who we can take anywhere, and that is largely because she entered the day care program at Taurus when she was just 4 mos old.
Taurus dogs are totally spoiled with huge play spaces, beds, personalized training, lots of outside time and affection. Our dog comes home happy and exhausted.
Thank you Taurus!
We love you!
G. McDiggins loves you too!

I recently moved to Austin and shopped around for large dog boarding options. I took my dog to Taurus for his initial play date/​evaluation. Very informed and attentive staff. I loved that they provided a tour of the facility and an evaluation of my dog’s first day. The staff called me mid day to let me know how my dog was doing. Loved that extra attention. I highly recommend this facility.

My dog Lucy has boarded at Taurus twice now, and Emily has stayed there three times, plus they both had an evaluation playday. They come home tired, healthy, and unscathed, so we are pleased. I will likely take them there again, but Taurus is my second choice after DogTown. I am torn between three and four stars.
Pros:
— The dogs seem reasonably happy and are healthy and well-​cared-​for at Taurus. I know they get lots of playtime. They come home relatively clean, all things considered. Taurus is definitely in the upper tier of boarding options around town.
— I appreciate that all dogs have to be evaluated before their stay. It’s nice to know their playmates are friendly and healthy. They also give tours, etc., and I can tell the place seems clean, safe, and comfortable.
— Their hours are convenient for the average work schedule, and they tend to have availability when the the other places we like don’t.
Cons:
— The staff are all nice, but they seem a little disorganized. For example, even though we fill out paperwork ahead of time, they never seem to have it handy when we drop the dogs off. We have to go through the questions about food, meds, requested services, pick-​up time, etc. again even though we’ve filled out a form. One time they forgot the nail trims we had requested, and our dog food came home without our scoop. Some of the staff don’t seem as «warm» as at other places (DogTown, namely). None of these points are really a big deal, but they make me kind of «blah» about the staff overall. However, they do seem to love the dogs, which is what is most important.
— It’s expensive.
— I don’t get as much feedback on what my dogs have been up to as at other places. I’d like photos, email updates, or a webcam (or something like that) when they stay for a week or so. Also, I seem to see different staff every time we go in, so they don’t always know my dogs or how they’ve been doing. However, I can tell by their behavior that the dogs are fine — this is more of a perk for me. (Yes, I’m a dog helicopter parent.)
All in all, I feel good about leaving my girls with Taurus.

I’m so disappointed with this place and the Metric management. Back in the day I took dogs to the south location for obedience training, but they have obviously failed to translate their experience and values to their managers as the business has grown. A while back I paid the Metric location a lot of money for obedience training and pretty much got no results after a month. I politely talked with the trainer (I found out they don’t really have trainers as much as employees who train as well as wash dogs and clean the facility etc.). At first they tried to show an effort and suggested different things, but soon gave up even the appearance of caring. I finally talked with the boss and found that she is not only a horrible communicator, she has a major attitude problem. After doing some asking around of other employees I found that their training consists of 15 – 20 minutes total while the other several hours the dogs spend in a cage/​kennel with a high volume of barking and chaos. Same goes for the so-​called doggy playday. It’s actually more of a play hour, with the rest of the time spent in a cage. I think there are much better options than this place for dog training and daycare. What a shame, as this company used to be good.

Our furry family member, Jameson, just loves Taurus. Trust me – he is not the easiest little fella to deal with as he’s finicky & shy, but Taurus loves him almost as much as I do. I never worry about Jameson as I know he’s in good hands with Taurus. Taurus was highly recommended by a Trainer we had worked with as their staff comprises of Trainers. If you need to leave your furry family member with trustworthy & caring people, I highly recommend Taurus. They’re definitely a lovely bunch!

Kelly and her team went WAY above and beyond when taking care of our dog while we were out of town. Even when she needed some extra care, they treated her like she was there own.

My dog does enjoy this place, but their pricing model has more than doubled in the 2 years that I’ve used them. They used to be great! Flexible with online reservations and good pricing is no more. When I started, it was $ 20 – 23 ($ 20 if you have a go local) for a playday. My fav location was McNeil, but their prices jumped to $ 30+ if you didn’t book for a full year! Wth. Luckily, their metric location only jumped to $ 25 for a playday with last-​minute reservations. But today put it over the edge when I was told that I would be charged an extra $ 10 for not making a reservation by 10 pm last night. I actually tried to get a reso online, but their site was/​is down. Her response was that I could have called and left a message. Um… I have never seen a sign or heard about this ever!
Absolutely ridiculous that we’re in the middle of a recession and their prices keep rising. They’re obviously doing well, but can’t afford more locations to offset the pricing model with the ability to increase revenue. I guess if you’re one of the few people that finds themselves richer these days with cash to burn then you should go here… but you never know when they’re going to raise their prices again. I’m done. My dog loves you, but my pocketbook can’t afford you.

In the time I’ve taken my dog to Taurus (over a year), I have never been disappointed. The team at Taurus truly cares about my dog, helping him with manners and encouraging healthy social skills. My dog gets so excited when we arrive at Taurus, and returns home better behaved and ready to rest. The folks there are extremely easy to work with.

I found out about Taurus Daycare because my sister worked there and I needed a place to take my dog during work hours. Because my sister worked at Taurus I received a discount on the services so never felt the full sting of the prices they charge for doggy day care.
Their pick-​up and drop-​off hours are conducive to an average work day and the welcoming staff is always friendly. Recently, the lady at the desk even took the time to show me pictures of other dogs that my dog had played with; this may sound silly, but as a dog owner who loves her dog far to much I was so excited to see how my baby had spent his day and the new friends he had made!
I am very pleased with Taurus doggy play days and I can tell my dog looks forward to going whenever we get into the parking lot and he recognizes where we are.
The reason I rated them 3 stars is because of the price. My sister no longer works there so I no longer receive the previously mentioned discount. Unfortunately their price is a far too steep for me to continue purchasing play day packages and therefore I will be unable to continue to use their services :(

My dog LOOOOVES Taurus. Normally, my dog knows the daily routine and will go to her crate when she knows I’m leaving the house, but on the days after she returns from Taurus — either for daycare or overnight boarding — she tries to get back in the car because she thinks she is going back to Taurus! To me, that says it all.
I can tell her perception of a kennel when I drop her off and pick her up, and when she goes to Taurus, she is not scared and does not try to stay close to me. She goes happily with the handler and is completely worn out when I pick her up.
I gave them 4 out of 5 stars because they are pricey compared to other kennels I’ve used — including ones my dog also adores (as well as the one she hates). While that won’t be a deterrent for me, I probably won’t use them so freely in the future.

We love Taurus. Our dog comes home tired from play days and happy from boarding (whereas she always has stomach issues with other kennels). I like that a person is there in the building ²⁴⁄₇. The people that work there seem to speak dog — they either are really great actors or REALLY care about the pooches. I think they’re into it bc they will tell me specific things about my dog and fun stories from her stay there.
The only thing I wish were better is the play rotation — just want the dogs to have the option to be out all day instead of groups being taken out at certain times due to space limitations. But it works good enough for me and our webbed-​foot wonder. Thumbs up high for Taurus.

My rating still stands. It didn’t go higher because I noticed that one of my pups had cracked the upper pad on her ankle, most likely from her trying to escape a kennel.
Some people would consider that a huge thing. Me? I’m just amazed she didn’t escape. Otherwise, both my dogs came back tired and happy.

For 2008, Taurus Metric has LOST its luster.
We used Taurus several times this year for week-​long vacations and, each time, one of our dogs came back with an injury or were sick.
One of our dogs came back with a paw that was bitten and Taurus, despite several calls to us while we were on vacation about the dog not eating, Taurus never detected the bite and subsequent abscess. Once we detected the abscess after the week stay, we ended up having to get vet care and the dog needed be on antibiotics.
In another stay, we requested that our dogs be kept away from the other dogs. Two of our dogs came back vomiting for several days. We’re guessing that they had access to some plants in the yard or had gotten sick from the shared yard where another sick dog had been playing. We’re questioning how sanitary the conditions are at the Metric facility.
In the last stay, our 9 year old was distressed enough that she was chewing on her crate and had metal shavings in her gums according to her dentist a few days after we picked her up. To Taurus’ defense, they did detect that one of the dogs had bloody stools. Now we know why.
For all of the lip service that Taurus provides on added services and care, we think that the level of care and monitoring is not adequate. When you drop several dogs and pay over a $ 1000/​week for someone to watch your dogs, you don’t expect these things to happen.
The bottom line is that WE ARE NOT comfortable leaving our dogs with Taurus Metric and it’s time to find another dog sitter. They need more people staffing the location, they also need more qualified people there, they need to increase their sanitary procedures in the kennels and in the yard, they need to better monitor and inspect for the health of the animals in their keeping, and they need to keep MUCH better records of issues/​incidents. When questioned, they were not been able to provide details or anything other than a scrap of paper regarding issues that they had sought fit to call us about long distance while we were on vacation.

I don’t think there is a much better endorsement than when my dog runs up the stairs to the door of this place, the people inside get down to greet her and she rolls onto her back to be loved, and then she jumps up and tries to push through the backdoor to get down to where the dogs stay and play. Not even a glance back at me.