Taurus Academy, Austin TX

I'm sure this place is fine for boarding but I sent my puppy here for training and it was the worst experience. My dog did not learn anything new and none of my training requests were fulfilled. He was returned sick from something he caught in the kennel while boarded and lost almost 1/4 of body weight while there. I was supposed to have multiple follow up sessions with a new trainer and only received 2. I wasted over $2K at this place - go somewhere else in town for training because this place was a mess.

I have never met dog training professionals as insightful, loving, caring, and knowledgeable as I did when I met Billy at the 2022 Petoberfest last week in the Domain. This is definitely a place I will be doing business with more in the future with my three dogs. If you bring your dogs here, they are in the best hands possible with Billy.

Solid doggie daycare and boarding in south Austin - the pup seems happy and tired when I pick them up. They do have limited space and are booked up a lot which can be hard to use them with last minute plans.

Wonderful place to take your pup. My dog is a rescue with anxiety issues, and the staff is so kind to her and adapts to her comfort level. The time she spends with the staff (and pups) at Taurus has increased her confidence overall - I see a difference at home. The team is amazing, they remember the doggies personally, and take very good care of their charges. I know they will accept your dog as she comes, and work with her and encourage her growth in gentle ways.

My pup is a bit of a challenge because she is so afraid of other people and dogs, but she is comfortable at Taurus. It means a lot to me. They honor her need for space while giving her a safe place to get to know other dogs and expand her boundaries at her own pace. If you tend to worry about your dog, I recommend the daily media for long trips. Yes, it's very bougie - you get a "report card" for your dog. It's absolutely awesome. Cannot recommend highly enough.

You might be reading this wondering “Should I enroll my dog in the dog training/bootcamp here? It seems like a good deal. ”

Please don’t.

Literally, you will hate yourself for doing it.

All the reviewers who’ve tried the dog training (not the dog boarding) echo the same statements:

The owner, Billy, is greedy to a fault and could care less about training your dog.

If you take a look at the photo below, that’s my puppy, Duke. I took him to Taurus Academy on Lamar a few months ago.

Did my dog learn how to heel?
No.

Okay, that’s fine. Did he learn how to stay?
Also no.

Alright. Did he learn how to come? Walk politely on a leash? Get down? Drop it?
No, no, no, and no.

Okay, did he at least do the literal one thing you would expect a dog training program to teach? Did he learn how to sit?
Nope.

Seriously, you will hate yourself for putting your dog in this program.

If you can’t train a dog to sit by the end of a 2-week bootcamp, you have objectively failed as a dog trainer and your franchise should be revoked.

This is not even including the false promises I was told, the owner insisting that it would be good to keep my dog in the program even after I voiced my concerns, the lack of communication, etc.

Try anywhere else, but literally, this place sucks.

Absolutely wonderful place! The people that work here really really care about dogs and it shows!

I love Taurus! They always take great care of my dog when I'm away on trips as well as send pictures and updates so I'm not worried about him and can enjoy my time relaxing:)

My dog Pepper has been going to Taurus Academy for weekly play days for almost 6 years now. We have been to 3 locations (based upon my work locations) and they always love on her and make sure she's having a great time.

Sarah came out to my home for a puppy consult and she was extremely knowledgeable, patient with my 4 year old, and very good with my 3 month old lab. Highly recommend!

I hate to be a Karen here, but I had a pretty poor experience just trying to book a boarding reservation for my dog. I spoke with Wanda, and she let me know that my dog would need an evaluation before being able to board. I was a little confused as my dog has been to Taurus for both day care and overnight boarding many times in the past and recently, but she explained that they were going through some staffing changes and that it was necessary for the new staff to evaluate my dog. Totally makes sense. She then mentioned that my dog had had kennel anxiety and shown aggression in the past. I immediately inquired for details about the experience as this had never been mentioned during any of her stays, and also this is definitely behavior that I need to be aware of for both my dog's safety and the safety of those around her. Wanda said that she could not provide any further details as that happened at another Taurus location. Then I asked well how did she behave when she stayed at your location. She said she couldn't answer that either, and proceeded to interrupt me, speak over me, and at one point said "I'm here to make money. "

I understand that it's a very tough job trying to care for such a large number of dogs and I commend Taurus for implementing rigorous standards for keeping everyone safe, however, after this interaction, I don't trust that my dog's safety nor the safety of those around her will be preserved while at Taurus. This was also just a very unpleasant interaction. Perhaps Wanda could use some remedial training to bolster her communication skills.

Our dog is a bit of an anxious doggy, however, the staff at Taurus has always worked with her and taken care of her while under their watch. I greatly appreciate the Taurus team on South Lamar and I know our dog does too! Thank Team!

Taurus is marketed as being a play-centric boarding facility. In actuality (as explained by a Taurus employee directly), dogs are only given two 20 minute play sessions per day and kept in kennels the rest. For daycare, this is bad. For overnight, it is inconceivable.

Horrible Experience! Starting with the staff to Sarah the Trainer to my puppy becoming very sick and them not returning my text/call to update me. I do not recommend them.

I take my dog here twice a week and he freaking loves it. The staff are all professionals who truly love animals and want to help you solve any health or behavioral issues. They are very communicative and will text me with an update if they so much as slightly over-trim his nails. I can't recommend Taurus enough.

This place and the wonderful people have always taken sweet care of my amazing pup. So kind and loving. Highly recommend

Taurus took outstanding care of our special needs pup. It was our first experience boarding our great pyr and we couldn't be happier!

Taurus has been taking care of our dogs for years. It's run by people who love dogs as much as I do, and that shows in the way Taurus takes care of the dogs that spend time there. I knew we had found a great place to board our dogs when a Taurus employee walked up to our family and greeted our dogs by name in a public dog park. A happy and great place!

Taurus staff is awesome! They really observe and work with the dogs, so I feel comfortable leaving my little weirdo with them so she can get social practice. It's going great & I'm so thankful that my shelter pup is getting the dog exposure she needs to be "normal. " A little Taurus time goes a long way toward becoming well adjusted. Thanks y'all!