The Towne Barker

I’ve been taking my pup Bernie to the Towne Barker for the past 4 – 5 months. She loves it and can’t wait to go play with her friends. She pulls to get there in the morning and loves the owner, Don. The socialization has really helped her break out of her shy shell as she was 5 weeks when we got her and didn’t really have a mother. Don was willing to feed her as a puppy at no extra cost, which no other place would do.
Although they don’t walk the pups (due to liability) she comes home exhausted from play and can’t wait to go again the next time. We’ve never had an issue with her coming home and doing her business in the house; she knows from good and bad… so she knows that it’s okay to go inside at the Barker, but that does not translate to home. Another commenter said it smells when you walk in the door, they do clean up after the dogs and they do play with them during the day… I’ve seen it first hand, even though the dogs have much more fun playing with each other.
Bernie loves her friends at the Barker and can’t wait to go in the morning.

Bottom Line — STAY AWAY!
I went out to check out the Town Barker facilities with my dog. I was considering boarding him for the weekend, and the owner suggested that I come out so he could evaluate my dog and have me sign some paperwork. I have a small dog (20 lb) male terrier mix. Upon entering the store, I gagged at the smell and had to fight the urge to vomit. The place smelled horribly of feces and urine! Giving him the benefit of doubt I continued into the store. He welcomed me, and then gave me a form to sign, a release from harm form. There were at least a dozen dogs inside a gated area. Of course they were «exited» at a new dogs arrival and were barking and actively running to and fro in their enclosed area. When my dog was brought into the area he was immediately surrounded and terrified. Don was with him and was trying to introduce him to the pack, but even I know that dogs are territorial and the proper way to introduce dogs is to do it on neutral ground. When I asked Don what the daily routine was for the dogs, when he walked them, played with them, he stated he did not do any of those things. He said they get «free play» all day long and he just watches them. They are not walked or exercised during the day and are allowed to defecate and urinate in the room! This is certainly not a habit I want my dog to learn! He then asked if I signed the release? I told him no, that I would not be needing his services, and thanked him for his time.

Great place
I bring my big dumb golden here. Don is fantastic. He clearly loves dogs and this makes all the difference. The place is clean and the price is good. You can see how happy the dogs are when you come up to the window. Best of all, Don does a little training on the side and Rico seems more well behaved at the end of the day. Of course, he may just be tired but that is fine as well!
I cannot recommend this place enough.

My dog just finished a 6 session training package with Don. At our first class he took time to talk with us and observe her behaviors we had concerns about. He was encouraging, explanatory and realistic. Really it’s not about training our dog, it was about training us to train her.
Because of our continued diligence Don was able to move through basic commands quickly and really begin to delve into the larger issues of our dogs fear/​socialization issues. In only 6 weeks she’s a different dog. We used to not be able to walk her without dislocating our arms, now she walks more calmly and is back on a basic harness. She’s less reactive and more easily under control. She’s learned so many smaller activities that help keep her agile and mentally sharp. She’s been able to go for short walks with another dog and is continuing to work with people and dogs on her reactivity.
I can’t begin to thank him enough and sing his praises. He’s offered every step of the way to offer advice, tips, address any concerns and I trust in his opinions and resources.
We will be continuing on for more and strongly recommend others to seek him out for daycare, boarding and training. Even if you have a well behaved dog, there are always things to make their lives more enhanced through training.
Thanks Don!

DON. You’re amazing and we love you. Incredibly passionate guy who has great patience for our brand new, rescued puppy. Willing to work around schedules, and spends the time to truly make sure you’re comfortable and all of your questions/​reservations are attended to. Super affordable obedience classes compared to everywhere else in the city and I am so, so glad we found this place!

A shout out to my old friend Don for reaching out and helping with a training question over the phone! We had not spoken in years, but his advice was very helpful and we are truly grateful. Only someone who really loves dogs would reach out to help someone they haven’t seen in ages and who lives several states away. Dog owners in Philly are very lucky!

The Towne Barker, more specifically the human that runs the show, Don, is great! We adopted our puppy, Georgia, in August and we hired Don on her first day with us. Don has been with her/​us since the very beginning and it’s been such a rewarding experience.
Georgia has been such a delight because of the work that Don has done with her… and we’ve been better doggie-​parents because of the lessons we’ve learned during our training sessions and classes with Don!
We’ve left our little pup with The Towne Barker for over 2 weeks at a time while we’ve been away and we come home to the happiest dog ever. It’s a bonus that she learns new tricks and good behaviors while we’re away, too. :)
Call Don to train your dog, yourself, your friend’s dog, your mom’s dog… you get the point. He’s the best.

If you ask my dog, he would say Don is his best friend.
Winston (my dog) has been working with Don pretty much since I brought him home as a lil puppy. Don taught him all of the basic commands and helped me understand how to properly raise a puppy.
Winston has done basic obedience training with Don, as well as some more advanced stuff. I really appreciated learning how to do the clicker training, as well as learning how to teach my dog what to do/​not to do all with positive reinforcement.
Winston also sees Don every day during the week and loves hanging out with his little crew of dog friends. After work, Winston is happy and laid back and I love hanging out with my dog!
Seriously, Don and The Towne Barker are the best.