WARNING: My Experience With K9 Academy and HoundPower Slatmills

I am sharing my experience with K9 Academy because what started as a serious customer service issue has now become a safety concern.

I ordered two HoundPower Lite Large slatmills from K9 Academy on November 21, 2025. The order was advertised as a 30-day pre-order.

I paid $4,168.50 CAD, including $380 for delivery.

I received the slatmills on March 20, 2026, almost four months after ordering.

Getting them delivered involved months of delays, multiple missed delivery dates, repeated follow-ups, and having to arrange for people to be available to receive machines weighing approximately 150 lbs each.

K9 Academy eventually refunded me $300 because of the delivery issues.

Unfortunately, the problems became worse once the machines arrived.

Both slatmills arrived damaged.

The plexiglass was broken, cracked, and heavily scratched. The shipping boxes were also badly damaged. I photographed and documented the damage immediately and reported it to K9 Academy.

K9 Academy told me replacement parts would be ordered.

It is now August 28, 2026.

More than five months after receiving the damaged machines, I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE REPLACEMENT PARTS.

I was most recently told the replacement parts were supposed to ship August 13. They have still not arrived.

K9 Academy is now not responding to my emails or phone calls.

There were also no proper installation instructions or instruction manual included with the machines.

There were no maintenance instructions, maintenance schedule, or recommendations explaining what owners are expected to inspect, adjust, tighten, replace, or service during normal use.

That has become especially concerning because of the issues I am now experiencing with the machines.

Both brakes no longer work correctly.

I have also found a serious problem with the way the slats are secured.

The slat screws use coarse threading and function as a one-way screw.

With normal use, the screw connection becomes stripped.

Once that happens, the screw cannot simply be tightened again as part of normal maintenance. There is no way to tighten it back down and properly secure the slat.

This recently became a serious safety issue.

While a small Labrador was running on one of the slatmills, a slat came off and flew from the machine.

The slat struck my husband in the face.

Thankfully, neither my husband nor the dog was injured.

That incident could have ended much differently.

These machines are designed for dogs to run at speed. A slat coming loose during use is not something I consider a minor maintenance issue.

What makes this more concerning is that no maintenance instructions were provided explaining how slats should be inspected, how often hardware should be checked, what parts should be replaced, or what owners should do when the screw connection becomes stripped.

At this point my experience includes:

• Ordered November 21, 2025 with a 30-day pre-order timeline

• Received March 20, 2026

• Months of delivery delays and missed delivery dates

• Both machines arriving damaged

• Broken, cracked, and heavily scratched plexiglass

• Replacement parts still not received more than five months later

• No proper installation or instruction manual provided

• No maintenance instructions, schedule, or recommendations provided

• Both brakes no longer functioning correctly

• Slat screw connections becoming stripped with use

• One-way slat screws that cannot simply be tightened once the connection is stripped

• A slat coming off during a dog's run and striking my husband in the face

• Emails and phone calls now going unanswered

I have spent months trying to deal with these issues directly with K9 Academy.

I have kept emails, photos, and documentation relating to the order, delivery problems, damage, replacement parts, and communication.

I have also filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and Consumer Protection Ontario.

I am posting this because anyone considering spending thousands of dollars on this equipment should know about my experience before making that decision.

My biggest concern at this point is no longer the delayed delivery or damaged plexiglass.

It is safety.

After having a slat physically come off a machine while a dog was running, combined with brakes that are no longer working correctly, slat connections that become stripped with use, screws that cannot simply be tightened, and no maintenance guidance provided, I do not feel comfortable ignoring these problems.

This post reflects my personal experience with the two HoundPower Lite Large slatmills I purchased from K9 Academy and the issues I have experienced since ordering them.

Only removing a star because shipping took longer than I expected.

After a couple weeks of regular use, my dog is calmer and less reactive on walks. It’s clearly helping burn off excess drive.

Even with daily use, it still feels as solid as day one. No wobble, no issues—very well made.

Living in a condo, I needed something to help manage my dog’s energy. This has been incredibly useful without disturbing neighbours.

The slats move smoothly without sticking or jerking. My dog adapted quickly because it feels natural for him to run on.

Perfect for rainy days or winter when outdoor walks aren’t enough. My dog actually gets excited when he sees it now.

Build quality is great and it works exactly as described. My dog needed a few sessions to get comfortable with it, but now he uses it confidently.

We use it every evening and it completely takes the edge off my dog’s energy. He settles so much better afterward.

I was surprised by how solid it feels for a “lite” version. Easy to move compared to heavier mills, but still very stable during use.

This slatmill has been a game changer for my Labrador. He needs constant exercise and this gives him a safe, controlled outlet indoors when the weather is bad.