The Puppy Perfectors

I see there are a lot of 5-​star ratings here, which surprises me; however, I recognize the subjectivity involved in this type of thing.
That being said, I had a fairly terrible experience with this organization for two reasons:
1 — The owner and primary instructor is (in my experience as a teacher) not good or concerned with the rapport she develops with the people in the class. She is fairly curt and abrasive. My wife (who attended classes separately from me) had a similar experience. As we discussed multiple times, she seems to belittle people in the class.
2 — The organization was quite unprofessional in its communication. We called and e-​mailed ahead of time and never heard back in any form. Then when we showed up for class, we were asked to leave. This, as you can imagine, was frustrating because it was a waste of time for everyone involved.
We were so dissatisfied, that we decided we would not go back to this place based on how we were treated, even though we had paid for a package deal of a certain number of classes at once. When I contacted the owner to explain that we were very dissatisfied and to request a refund only for the classes we would not attend, not only was she unwilling to grant a refund, but there was a complete lack of empathy or an apology and she instead quoted policies verbatim from the web-​page.
This was one of the worst experiences I have had with a company in years. I don’t write very many of these reviews, because I prefer to take issues directly to the source. I tried that, and sadly in this case was not treated as a customer should be, but rather as a bother (which I suppose it fitting because that is how we were treated in the class as well).

I think Nancy Hansen at the Puppy Perfectors is great. My dog is deaf and she didn’t shy away from having him in her classes, which I totally appreciate. We have been working hard in obedience and he (my dog) is doing really well. I like the group class settings because my dog and I have to learn how to navigate crowded situations, which help if we go out walking in a busy park or shopping together. Nancy’s instruction has been helpful for me to become a better handler, because I find that if the dog messes up, it’s usually operator error. We also do other activities there such as agility, and that has been really fun and challenging. I really like the instructor, Katie Marvin. I would recommend this place to anyone who needs training in order to train their dog.

Nancy Hansen has been a tremendous help with our dog. We started in puppy kindergarten and now continue to bring her in for obedience, playtime and day training. A very balanced trainer, she’s a great problem solver and offers an individual touch even in group classes. Prices are very reasonable and her center offers a great variety of services. Highly recommend her to everyone I meet at the dog park!

I recently moved from Seattle and miss The Puppy Perfectors. It wasn’t until looking for a new doggy school that I realized what a gem this place is! The facility is huge, clean and organized — much nicer than most training schools. They have a drop in system that I really like — it made it easy to fit classes into my always changing schedule. I really liked that I didn’t have to commit to the same day/​time every week for two months. Plus it let us go at our own pace (less pressure to keep up with the smarty pants dogs and their devoted owners… my toddler sometimes makes it difficult to get as much at home practice/​training in as Id’ like to). I’ve picked up so many tips from Nancy and her staff — they’ve probably trained me more than my dog :) Nancy really seems to know a lot about all different doggy personalities and I’ve seen her modify techniques for the owners to best fit their pups’ needs. Nancy — we miss you!!!

I decided to review the Puppy Perfectors, because they recently moved the business from White Center to Columbia City, and I miss them! Although I had not attending class with my pup in at least 6 months, I wish they were still near by for when the baby needs a reality check. Training is an ongoing process, lifelong, and this is the approach Nancy takes.
When it comes to the Puppy K/​Beginner/​Novice Classes, you get a lot of personalities (canine and human) in the room, and it can be as stressful or fun as you make it. As my dog and I progressed through the levels, the smaller the class size became and the more one on one attention you receive. Lesson — stick with it and try to go through Level 3.
Pros: Experienced owner, good environment, results oriented classes
Cons: Other people’s annoying dogs, other annoying people, other less experienced instructors
Suggestions for improving classes would be limiting class size to 10, more promotional pricing, and better instructors outside of Nancy.

I would not recommend this place for your dog/​puppy. I only attended one puppy social hour and it was very unorganized. I was considering on signing up my dog for a class but this was a bad experience and do not want to return. There are many other facilities in Seattle to go to.

I have trained with Nancy for more than twenty years with five dogs. Nancy has a lot of experience with all kinds of breeds. She is a great teacher and she is a wealth of knowledge! I have learned obedience, rally, agility, Flyball, and tricks. Nancy is fair, flexible, and professional. She has an excellent staff which makes the whole experience fantastic.

We adopted a reactive dog from PAWS at 7 months. When she started at Puppy Perfectors, she had to be in a separate area from other dogs and often barked and lunged during class. Nancy was great giving us specific feedback and helping us teach our pup appropriate behavior. Our pup soon moved into the room with other dogs (such a great feeling!) and has made really good gains. She is also attending day training once a week. Nancy is very knowledgable, gives clear instruction that is specific to us and our pup, and is easy to learn from. The drop-​in format is really convenient. We still have a long way to go (our training and our dog’s) and we will definitely continue with Puppy Perfectors.

I have a 2 year old rescue dog that needs socialization help. I signed up for the unlimited month of training classes but after just 3 classes realized there isn’t a lot of value for us. He already does 90% of everything they teach in level 3 (the top level of the series).
When I asked if I could transfer some of the remaining credit towards supervised playtime, the owner Nancy told me it’s only «for dogs that already have good social skills, not for anyone who needs work in that area». She said their day training is what I should do. At $ 45 a pop I’m sure she’d love for me to sign up for lots of those.
I went one or two more times but then just stopped going and wrote it off. Another thing that bothers me is that when using your dog as an example in class she doesn’t ask if they have any food allergies and she routinely gives them chicken or hot dogs. Luckily this isn’t an issue for my dog, but I just find it unprofessional.
I also have an issue with going to any place where the trainers do not neuter and spay their animals. Only once we had paid did I find out Nancy has not neutered at least one of her dogs. If you love rescue dogs and think any type of breeding is bad, this might not be the best place for you.

We are absolutely delighted with Puppy Perfectors. We recently adopted a 3 year old dog through a rescue group and were looking for a «fun» training class to boost his confidence. A couple of months ago, we participated in an obedience class in Redmond. It was marginal at best. When 2 friends from different circles recommended Puppy Perfectors — just 20 minutes from our home — we thought «why not give it a try». We were pleasantly surprised to find a clean, comfortable training facility with an amazing instructor. We are taking the «click a trick» class with Kathy Weaver. She is one of the best trainers we’ve ever worked with. She is kind, passionate about training and innovative. We’ll definitely take more classes with Kathy at Puppy Perfectors.

this is the place for all your dog needs — everything from puppy to veteran; socialization to competing. Nancy has helped me build a partnership with my dogs one built on respect. she has fun classes & the unique ability to relate to both people & dogs. not unusual to hear lots of laughter in the facility! her drop-​in format is perfect for me so i can increase my skills at my pace as my work schedule allows.
day training — it’s not day «care» it’s sooo much more — every dog has it’s challenges & they are each worked with as individuals. for my rescued puppy — day training combined with classes at Puppy Perfectors has given me a much more confident, well socialized dog. we are a work in progress — in the near future I see us competing, working as a team, thanks to Nancy & the homework assignments
the space — extra-​large; really clean; love, love the special floor it’s easy on our bones; lots of free parking
Nancy has partnered with teachers successful in their fields… agility, rally, tricks, & more that we haven’t tried yet. I believe trying different things has helped build my relationship while keeping us all active. As Nancy says a tired dog is a well behaved dog
if you have a dog & want to create the kind of bond that only comes with learning together in a nurturing environment Puppy Perfectors is the place for you.

WONDERFUL place. Excellent trainers! Offering a wide variety of training-​puppy, novice, flyball, agility. Also a variety of socialization opportunities — puppy and older dog play dates and day training which is so much more than just doggie daycare!

Nancy is the most experienced person I know when it comes to training and socializing dogs!
She has had experience with every kind of dog I can think of!
We live near her and see her walking her own dogs frequently and they are always so well behaved it makes me wish I could hand out her business card to some new dog owners who are still working on the fine tuning.