Starmark Animal Behavior Center

I write this with a heavy heart and I stress this is my personal experience and opinion about Starmark. I waited quite some time to be able to attend the dog trainer academy. After saving and planning the time had come. Once there I realized quite quickly the owners did not put their money into the academy, maintenance/​upkeep of the property or housing, nor did they seem to care about the property or the lack of care being provided to boarded dogs. The facility appears to be understaffed in maintenance as there were numerous things either not working, leaking, broken, a hole in the main driveway area that finally had cones put around it but was not filled when I left, flooding sidewalks when it rained that were used to get to and from the kennels from the training building, ant mound issues and more when our class of students arrived. They also appear to be understaffed in the kennel area because day after day there were boarded dogs left in their own feces for hours on end. The kennel building used to house the rescues for the program, and boarded dogs when capacity was needed, was a disgrace with its lack of upkeep. The space I have here is limited so noting all of the specifics, and there are MANY, is not possible; however, when more space for boarding was needed there were boarded dogs placed in the kennel building where the rescue dogs used for our training program were housed even when some of those rescue dogs had obtained what was confirmed by management to be the Giardia parasite. I do not know if over the Christmas holiday pet owners were told of this before boarding their dogs but I do know the students were not told. We found out through word of mouth, I approached management who then confirmed it but only after my personal dog contracted the parasite and had to have a few hundred dollars of veterinary services. This was a known issue and yet there was no official statement to the students when it was discovered. The issue lacked transparency and it also lacked a quick response that one would expect from a facility touting itself as «World Leader in Pet Education». This is a very high standard to paint on the wall and yet there were several students who were upset and, I would go so far as to say, disgusted with the condition of the facility, lack of upkeep and maintenance, lack of prompt and proper care of boarded dogs and a lack of transparency. I will say this, Starmark is very lucky to have their head instructor, «Phil» (not his real name because I did not ask permission to use it). If it were not for «Phil» I would have left in week two and asked for my money back. I, naively, felt a difference could be made — clearly management cannot be aware of these issues I thought but I was proven wrong. I learned a lot from «Phil». He is a wealth of information and was eager to share this knowledge. However, the owners, in my opinion and experience, are clearly focused on their product line. What once may well have been a première facility has been allowed to deteriorate and the care of the dogs (the MOST important part) is grossly lacking! I learned a lot from «Phil» about how dogs learn and working/​training dogs AND I learned a lot from the owners/​management about what NOT to do in my own business. There are other options for education and other options for boarding/​training. I would strongly urge you to consider them. Would I board my personal dog here? NEVER!

We went to Starmark because my wife’s parents had the best trained German Shepherd that I’ve ever seen. When we got our Golden Retriever, I had to take him there. He learned to sit, heal and place in his puppy training and that training was extremely effective even after about 8 months of my mediocre reinforcement. He is a very well behaved.
Since the puppy training, I’ve taken my dog to day care about once every other week.
I’m really writing this review because I just called to book boarding and said my first name — they immediately knew my dog’s name without me saying it. That’s awesome and really makes me feel appreciated and gives me confidence that they care about my dog.
Reading the other reviews — I have seen system issues but I’ve also seen that they implemented a new computer system recently. The new system knows what my dog usually does and everything is significantly more organized than it was when we first went there. Don’t let those organization issues of the past prevent your dog from staying at an awesome place with really awesome people.

We brought new rescue dog here to learn house /​potty training, crate training, to ignore and not attack our cat, get acclimated to a car, and general obedience training. They promised and assured us of success and we agreed to 4 week board & train. Dog came back without learning house training, crate training, ignoring cat, or bring acclimated to vehicle. He listened to basic commands at training center but not at all at home. Destroyed our house and Triple Crown /​Starmark refused to take any responsibility or make amends for complete & utter failure. They do not appreciate their clients whatsoever. Do NOT use…

So attention to details… Little things, names misspelled, not properly capitalized, etc I can live with… But over feeding my dog, because «our cup scoops are a different size»… This is NOT acceptable. She gets 3 cups a day. Just in case our travel delayed us, I put 16 – 18 cups on her container (labeled with her name correctly spelled). It was empty when I picked her up after 4 days. We use the measuring cup the vet gave us, which does indeed match my measuring cups in my kitchen for volume. Very interesting. We are still waiting to see at what she weighed in and out.
The basic package does not include much. Our Labrador retriever needs some daily exercise which isn’t part of the basic package. Thus, we were forced to upgrade.
We used Starmark as a last minute fill in. I was impressed with the size of the facility and the amenities. The price and lack of cleanliness (3 piles on the walk way back to my car?) was concerning. The lack of attention to details even more so.

I boarded my dogs for 5 days. This is the 2^nd time boarding with them and this time i had a very bad experience. When i went to pick them up, one of my dogs was filth, he was smelling like urine and poop and was all dirty, my another puppy dog has been having a weird cough since i picked them up, i am sure is kennel cold, i am so disgusted. What disappointment!!! This place has a great potential because it seems like a fun place for dogs and it has a reasonable price. Never boarding there again.

We took our one year old rescue, Murphy, for training. The BEST experience for him and for us. Francis made the learning productive and enjoyable over the two week period. We took a rambunctious puppy there and came home with a more disciplined dog who is a joy to be around. We learned how to work with him everyday. He still slips now and then but a review of our personalized video showing Murphy and Francis gets us back on track! We swear Murphy can hear his voice on the video and calms right down. Definitely recommend this program!

I had an awful first time experience!!! Went to the boarding area to pick up my dog only to be told I had to check out back at the office. No problem they call for my dog on the radio by PIN number not very warm and fuzzy feeling. Go back to boarding to get my dog no one tells me how he was over the weekend nada. Get him in the car only to see he has stuff stuck on his face and paw even though I payed for a $ 30 bath… They also charged me for half a day on Sunday even though they had limited hours for pick up times and I had payed for Saturday night. We start on our ride home and my dog is making strange noises with his breathing… The noises continued so I took him to the emergency vet since it was Sunday… Too early to tell if it was kennel cough but he was treated for a hurt back foot and we were told to watch for changes with the noises and listen for a cough. Went back to the vet today and he has kennel cough!!! I am so furious I leave my dog for the weekend in these peoples care and they return him to me with a hurt leg and kennel cough, please do not take your babies here for boarding!

We had a wonderful experience boarding our large dog over a long weekend at Starmark. Every staff member we encountered were super friendly and seemed to really care about our dog. They took the time to take pictures of her and printed them for us upon our leaving. They even accommodated our schedule change with no problem. We will certainly us them again. Thanks for the great experience, Starmark!

We took our dog here and boarded him for a week while we were on vacation. When we picked him up they said there was no notes he did great. When they brought him out his nose was very runny. Then they said oh yeah he’s had that and it was really bad, worse than that. So we took him straight to the vet the next morning because he was very sick. Paced all night long, coughing, and his nose was like a waterfall. The vet said he had the canine flu or bordetella. Put him on three different medications and gave him two vaccinations. It’s been over a week now and he still is recovering from this. We were very disappointed with Starmark and would not recommend it.

I have had good results from their training but some questionable boarding experiences in the past, ranging from simple disorganization/​confusion at the front desk, to poor communications, lacking follow up calls when promised.
Recently while boarding my dog became very ill and dehydrated. I visited her while boarding and noticed she was eating grass and didn’t seem herself. I asked the kennel manager about this and they acted like it was the first they had seen of it. Later that day I was contacted by the kennel manager and told that my dog had been vomiting and had bloody stools BEFORE my visit. It’s now been two weeks, 3 emergency vet visits, and nearly $ 500 in bills and fortunately my dog is making a recovery but I should have been notified when I visited of the vomiting and bloody stool. Two veterinarians examined my dog and multiple tests were performed and the only cause they could find was stress, likely from poor boarding practices. I also inquired if any other dogs had symptoms that day and was told no, however have since learned that there were in fact other dogs with the exact same symptoms.
I do not recommend boarding at Starmark!

We read this place was one of the best boarding places in Austin/​Surrounding area. We took our boy Boscoe for boarding for Thanksgiving holidays. It was our first time, so we received one night free. We paid for the Platinum package. Which includes a 60 minute walk, play time, evening treat and a bed. Everyone was very friendly and nice. We informed them that Boscoe needs to take an allergy pill every 12 hours. When we went to pick him up, he was great and had just gotten a bath. They gave us a paper explaining how he did and pictures of him on his walk. When I got home, I saw all his allergy pills were still in his bottle. The staff is very friendly and really seem to care about the dogs, but it was very disconcerting that he did not get his allergy pills. For that reason I am not sure I would take him back.

Amanda Rogers has done a great job with my 2 Vizsla puppies. She kept me informed throughout the training process and sent me videos and photos.
Amanda is very caring and affectionate.
I used her for the 2 week board and train in August; & then again in October when I was out of town.
The other trainers and staff at Starmark are also very nice & caring.

I had high hopes for taking my dog to Starmark for the 30 day board and train program. I had my initial meeting with Rachel and it went well! She made me confident that she would be able to help with my dogs issues. She told me she would send photos and updates every Friday with my dog’s process. She also said she would make a DVD of the training methods that I can take home. Great! This made me feel very comfortable since I am attached to my dog and couldn’t stand the thought of her being gone for 30 days, but she needed it. I drop her off a couple of days later and trusted they would take care of her.
I never received photos. Never received a DVD. Only got a phone call/​voicemail of progress. Not what I was expecting but whatever.
When the time came to schedule a pick up, it was the most unprofessional and unorganized experience I have ever dealt with. I was on vacation the week before I was supposed to pick her up. Naturally, I got a phone call from Rachel when I was not able to answer and by the time I was able to call her back they were already closed. It was phone tag all week.
Apparently, they scheduled my dog’s pickup on Mon. I got back from my vacation on Sat and wanted my dog back ASAP (& didn’t want to pay to keep her there any longer). I called and they informed me that I may pick her up but I could not do the lesson with Rachel to learn the training. I said that’s fine I can bring my dog back to do the lesson.
I finally hear from Rachel 2 days later to schedule the lesson. I respond the next day saying I could come Wed or Thur but I am going out of town Fri through Sun. Since she expressed how urgent it was to do this lesson ASAP, I figured she would want to get this scheduled ASAP, as I did (considering I spent way too much on this service in the first place).
I email ⁷⁄₂ saying my available days. I hear back from Rachel ⁷⁄₈ after work! So now, it’s been over a week since I brought my dog home and I have STILL not had the lesson. She lets me know she will be there all day the next day if I want to stop by. That’s great, but I work all day so that’s just not possible. I express to her that I can ONLY come weekends or at least 6:30p (even though they close at 6) because of the drive from downtown Austin in rush hour. Sat doesn’t work for her, so I say I can come Mon or Tue at 6:30. I quote her response: «Good afternoon Ms. Burch, Tuesday at 6:30 is perfect. I look forward to seeing you then.»
So, it is now Tues. I drive an HOUR to get up there and get there at 6:20. The place is closed down, which I knew it would be, and Rachel never gave me a place to meet her. I start walking around looking for someone. I try calling Rachel but her extension doesn’t work. So I send her an email asking where I am supposed to meet her because I do not see anyone. I finally find someone that works there and ask for Rachel. They come back and tell me she went HOME! They said since she did not hear from me that she didn’t think I was coming. Um, excuse me?! I was the one that said I can come Mon or Tues at 6:30 — she said see you Tues at 6:30. To me, that is scheduled. If she was so uncertain that I wasn’t going to show up, she should have contacted me that day confirming our appointment. EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL.
The very nice girl who I was speaking with informs me that she can see if there is another trainer onsite that can help me, considering I just drove an hour up there. At this point, it’s been over 2 weeks since I picked up my dog with no lesson. She couldn’t get in contact with another trainer and asks if I can come back later this week. Well, no I can’t that’s why I said I could only come Mon or Tues. She then tells me that Rachel is on vacation the next week, so she can’t do the lesson then. So that means the lesson will have to be the week after she gets back, which is a MONTH after I have picked up my dog. I try not to take my extreme frustration and anger out on this sweet, innocent kennel worker just trying to help me out. But at this point, I’m livid.
She then tells me she can have another trainer do the lesson with me next week. In my head, I’m thinking «how in the hell is that going to work?!» since that trainer didn’t train my dog. I just say ok because what other choice did I have. It has now been 4 days and I haven’t heard from that place at all. NOTHING in response to my email to Rachel saying I was there. NOTHING from this «other trainer» who is going to help. I AM DONE WITH THIS PLACE. All my dog got out of being there for a month was scabs ALL over her body (she’s allergic to wheat — which I told them — but they fed her wheat anyway apparently) and a lost voice. It broke my heart seeing her in the condition she was in.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! Basically, I paid over $ 1,000 for my dog to stay there for 30 days, lose her voice and get allergic reactions (which took a vet trip to resolve). She is not trained. There is no difference. I have never been more disappointed.

I decided to use Starmark 100% because of the reviews about Nathan. I have a pitbull that is reactive to other dogs. I have had several chest surgeries that have weakened my strength significantly, and I worry about the safety of my dog and neighboring dogs. I also have to be careful not to re-​injure myself. I spent hours on Unilocal trying to find the right fit, and I knew from reviews that Nathan was the one.
We had our free consult with Nathan and it went well. My dog liked Nathan, and Nathan had great ideas for different types of training. I was very much NOT impressed by others working there-​all were submissive and sticky sweet. That does not work out well with problem dogs. We made an appointment for the following Monday and were excited to get started.
They called me 20 minutes before my appointment to tell me Nathan had to leave due to a personal emergency. I rescheduled to see HIM on Wednesday. I had something come up and had to reschedule, when I called they finally told me Nathan was gone when they suggested a date that I knew Nathan wasn’t scheduled to be in. I asked who our trainer would be, I was told ‘either xxx or xxx’. I don’t want whoever is available. I want the best match for my dog! I didn’t schedule. I was told ‘that is perfectly ok’.
I am giving 2 stars because the facility is amazing, from what I could see. It was very clean, and for a boarding facility there was little noise. But my dog needs Nathan, not a swimming pool. If someone knows how to reach him, my dog needs help!

It was with much regret I learned that Nathan Ingles was no longer with the Starmart Animal Behavioral Center in Hutto, TX, formerly Triple Crown Academy. As previously said in another review, Nathan was very helpful in getting my Australian Shepherd, Gracie, Canine Good Citizen certified. We also took another class teaching her to do tricks which will be helpful in using her as a Therapy dog sometime in the future. Nathan has that gentle giant presence which is seen in his interaction with his own dogs. That’s important when your dog is a family member not just a DOG.
Learning how unprofessional they’ve been in comments regarding Nathan, made to a client whose dog is in their board/​train academy, were absolutely unbelievable and totally unnecessary. You expect a business that wants to maintain their reputation to refrain from trash talking one of their former trainers. Nathan wasn’t only «a» trainer, he was Lead Trainer. You get a position like that based on your ability.
I will no longer refer anyone to Starmart nor ever take another class from a business that treats their employees with such disrespect. I wish Nathan the best and hope that somehow our paths cross again. I have a dog that needs more training.
There are too many non-​corporate people out there with great training skills. Why shouldn’t we take our animals to a single individual for our dogs to be trained? Not to a business that is run so poorly. The only reason I went there was because I had experience with the previous owners Triple Crown, a well renowned dog training center.

I want to share my experience with Starmark and my GSD’s trainer, Nathan Ingles. We have had such a terrific experience with Nathan and highly recommend him. We brought our 6 month old GSD here for the Stay n Train program and Nathan changed our life. He not only taught «Dutch» how to behave on command, but he taught us the science behind why training is so important. We were so impressed with what he has taught our family that we have continued with more advanced classes with him. We have also boarded our dogs here and love the facility too. Thank you Nathan and Starmark for everything you have taught us!

I was having a lot of trouble with my dogs being way to friendly until I was introduced to Amanda at Starmark. She trained my girls for a few weeks and her work with them has made all of the difference! I was so impressed with how she handled them I am sending them back for more while we are on vacation. I fully expect them to be able to bring me my coffee every morning upon our return, I just have to figure out which one will pour :)
Thanks Amanda!

«Roll over and start wagging your tail, because this is as good as it gets!»
PRO’S:
–Talented trainers, that understand animal behavior, specifically Nathan Ingles.
–Excellent facility.
–Quality boarding at a quality price.
–Certified
–Grooming
–Excellent product line.
–Top notch animal amenities.
A snapshot of our situation that lead us to Starmark and Nathan Ingles.
In my brief experience owning a Cane Corso Mastiff has been a bit like owning a four legged shark with an aversion to social situations with animals of the two legged variety.
OUR SITUATION:
My young family and I had to attend my sisters wedding out of town for two weeks, but our problem… What do we do with our [AGGRESSIVE] Cane Corso Mastiff, Drago? Or to put it lightly our dog whom thinks that all encounters must truly be of a serious social nature. We stumbled upon the facility through Unilocal and decided to take a gamble. The price was right, with 2-​weeks of training and boarding included. We set up an appointment to meet with Nathan Ingles: Animal Behaviorist, and Trainer. I have to say we were concerned that this appointment could go south quickly due to our dogs aversion to men. Not so, Nathan’s demeanor was calm, professional and understanding, he evaluated Drago and off we went for two weeks. With the wedding rapidly approaching and D-​day (Drago Day) at dawn the next morning we gritted our teeth and went to drop off our dog with Starmark. Well… that was about as fun as getting a root canal. Drago tried to gut Nathan, but he was deadpan calm, our dog thrashing on leash and snapping at him (125lb angry dog) Nathan took our hell-​hound wished us a great vacation and off we went!
I will admit that we were a little concerned, but we put it in the back of our minds until we returned. —– FAST FORWARD 2 WEEKS —– Our plane lands, baggage claim, kids in the car, traffic on 130, were running late, the facility is closing in 15 mins and we are 30 mins away. (you get the picture) I made a phone call to the front desk, asking if they would make an exception. Not-​A-​Problem. (WOW) we arrive 15mins late and they accommodate our schedule. I was very impressed.
Later that week we set a time to meet with Nathan to go over his experience with Drago. Well lets say it wasn’t to stellar. He found that our dog was fear-​aggressive probably due to improper socialization at a young age (we got the dog at 6months it wasn’t the best situation) Things were looking pretty grim, potential euthanizing, or re-​homing the dog was on the table. Nathan did NOT want to give up on the dog and took him for two days of intensive therapy to further evaluate the dog. (this cost us nothing, like seriously he did it for free) Through his work with the dog he was able to rehabilitate the dog. We took him home two day later with follow up trainings scheduled. I cannot say enough good things about Nathan, and Starmark. *e-​hug* to all ya! Thank you so much, we now have Drago 2.0 and are on our way to recovery. You rock!
CON’S: (Keepin’ it real)
–Please consider cleaning the bathroom in the training facility, it needs some TLC.

I ended up calling Starmark and explaining my disappointment, and they not only offered me a refund, but even with a refund, encouraged me to come in again for a follow-​up training session.
Obviously, getting my money back makes me happy, but I was very pleasantly surprised with the professionalism of the manager I spoke with, and especially that she strongly promoted what was best for the dog and me by taking finances completely out of the equation.
I still wish my dog had learned more, but it’s great to know the company is ready to make it right with unsatisfied customers.

I recently had to go on an unplanned trip to Alaska with only a few hours notice. Starmark/​Tripple crown was very easy to work with. Very affordable. And everyone was so friendly. Dax, my almost 70 pound boxer mix was very happy. When I got him 5 days later he was bathed and worn out from play time. They also have me this cute typed up note about Dax’s stay that made it feel very personal. Me and Dax are both pleased with Triple crown. And will be back again, and often.