TRAINERS & TRAINING
Many people can’t imagine life without dogs. We admire and adore them for their loyalty, unconditional affection, playful exuberance and zest for life. Nevertheless, dogs and people are very different animals. Although officially “man’s best friend,” dogs have some innocent but irksome tendencies—like jumping up to greet, barking, digging and chewing—that can make it downright difficult to live with them! To make the most of your relationship with your dog, you need to teach her some important skills that will help her live harmoniously in a human household.
Learning how to train your dog will improve your life and hers, enhance the bond between you, and ensure her safety—and it can be a lot of fun. Dogs are usually eager to learn, and the key to success is good communication. Your dog needs to understand how you’d like her to behave and why it’s in her best interest to comply with your wishes. Positive, force free, reward-based dog training is founded on the proven fact that dogs will repeat behaviors that are rewarded, and stop behaviors that are not rewarded. If you make appropriate, desirable behaviors rewarding, your dog will perform them more often.
Below you will find some of our recommended trainers.
A Sound Beginning began with a book that was created to help people learn how to 
appreciate and enjoy the full length of the journey that begins from the day they bring their newly adopted dog home and their special relationship begins. It has evolved into a fully packaged training program that is completely positive in its approach.
Our staff of behavioral trainers is passionate about our mission to keep dogs forever safe and sound, and our experience and qualifications are of the highest caliber.
Anything is PAWZible was founded in 2001 and has worked with thousands of dogs and owners over the last ten years. We are located in the heart of downtown Chicago and make it our goal to have satisfied, happy clients! At Anything Is PAWZible we offer group classes in puppy, basic, and advanced dog obedience, tricks, and therapy dog training at our studio in downtown Chicago. We also offer consultations for behavior modification and private obedience lessons, available in your home or at our studio. Anything Is PAWZible dog training was created with the family pet owner in mind. Our methods and techniques are positive and fun for both you and your pet!
Dogz ‘n Harmony, Inc. is a combination of ingredients built on over 15 years of
experience. Aimee’s dog coaching recipe is a simple combination of ingredients using unique holistic, gentle and kind approach methods with scientifically-based positive motivation and reward-based dog training techniques. Most importantly, dog training is about building a life-long solid relationship between you and your dog. Emphasis is placed on rewarding desired behaviors and extinguishing unwanted behaviors. The more the desired behaviors are rewarded, the more the behavior will be repeated.
Cloud K9 Academy ~ Rachel Fein, KPA-CTP, CTDI is a Force Free trainer. She has been working with dogs for more than 10 years. Rachel has worked with dogs of various ages, breeds, backgrounds, and temperaments. She has trained dogs for agility course work, herding, dock diving, tricks, obedience, and therapy work, and has worked with dogs and owners to solve behavioral problems.
Clicker Canines offers in-home training courses, behavior consults and group
classes to help turn your dog around from Crazy to Calm! All of our training uses force-free, reward based methods that are scientifically proven to create a happy and healthy relationship between you and your dog.
Animal Behavior Training Concepts ~ Whether it’s walking politely on the leash, greeting visitors with a paw shake instead of a flying leap, or letting you know when he needs to go outside, Animal Behavior Training Concepts can help you teach your dog to do it. Our small group classes feature a maximum of just 4 dogs per session and lots of individual attention. Our in-home training services range from puppy foundations to advanced good manners to customized individual programs for dogs and families with specific needs. We also collaborate with veterinary and veterinary behavior professionals to help dogs (and their owners) overcome specific behavior challenges, including fear, anxiety, and aggression.
At ROOT Dog Training, we strive to help you develop well-behaved
companion and competition dogs using positive reinforcement—operant and classical conditioning—training techniques. This positive approach to training is done with the use of a clicker, food, praise, and fun. At ROOT we never train with the use of force, fear, physical manipulation, or corrective collars.
Dog Training by Kiki Yablon: Kiki Yablon is a Karen Pryor Academy certified clickerkiki yablon trainer and Certified Professional Dog Trainer based in Logan Square. Using positive reinforcement, she can teach you both how to get more of the behavior you want and how to reduce behavior you don’t want. She breaks even complex problems and behaviors into small, achievable steps for both dog and owner—a proven way of keeping both of you engaged in and enjoying training and moving steadily toward your goals. Kiki teaches private lessons in-home and also leads group classes at Animal Behavior Training Concepts
At Narnia, we lead and educate pet owners to use problem-solving skills so they
can foster a lifelong bond with their pets. This bond is built on trust, compassion and an acceptance for their dog’s individuality. A healthy learning environment allows both dogs and owners to be successful.
We teach your family benevolent leadership – no, you don’t have to be a bully to get your dog to do what you want. Being calm and patient will help you communicate with your dog in a way he can understand.
We help you work with your dog’s unique personality and use training to build a bond based on trust and respect.
Our approach uses truly gentle, non-aggressive techniques and positive reinforcement. We offer practical training that covers real-life situations and environments.
The Pet Professional Guild is dedicated to servicing force-free Pet Professionals and the pet-owning public who want to be confident that the resources they choose adhere to a consistent training and business philosophy and ethic.
Animal Intuitions, LLC is founded on inspiring and enriching positive training
through animal intuitions marker-based methods (the clicker is our favorite!). But keep in mind that not all trainers who use a clicker tool are clicker trainers. A clicker trainer only trains with positive reinforcement and ignores unwanted behaviors, opening up a door for an enthusiastic and creative learner. Jerking, yanking, yelling, and shocking can build fear and pain in our dogs creating a furry family member who can become nervous, aggressive, or just on-edge as to when the pain will come next. Humans and animals learn quicker and more efficiently when they are not in pain or fear. Our positive training is a safe and consistent way of communicating with your dog, while building confidence in the teacher and the learner. Our methods are science-based, force-free, gentle, dog-friendly, and fun!
Danielle Turner, Professional Dog Trainer—Call 708-215-0007 for an
appointment or for more information.
Joe Hodder has been working with dogs since 1978. He has long been a fan of the positive reinforcement method of training. He has worked with problem dogs of all breeds. He has been a trainer of police K-9’s in areas of tracking, detection, and obedience. Call Joe at 815-751-3663 or email him here for more information.
At The Cultivated Canine dogs have always been important to Terri Tepper. She has participated in conformation, obedience, agility, and freestyle. When she attended the first Clicker Expo in Chicago in 2003, her passion turned to training with markers. The Karen Pryor Academy opened its doors June 2007, and Terri jumped at the chance to dedicate herself to the gentle training advocated by the Karen Pryor Academy. Among the first graduating class to be certified, her life turned full circle, and she returned to teaching once again in her favorite environment- peoples’ homes. It is here she feels she can make the biggest impact in helping to successfully integrate the dog into family life. Call Terri at 847-567-2118 or email her here for more information.
Phyllis Zvoril at Go Dog! Training And Pet Services is the only professional dog trainer educated through the prestigious Academy For Dog Trainers. In addition to her academic background, Phyllis has vast experience training her own dogs in obedience, agility, nosework, tracking, and more. Over the past 40 years she has owned over a dozen dogs, and has fostered for pit bull rescues. Shes’ been helping dogs in the Fox Valley area for over 10 years.
Fran Berry asks – Why do home school when you can just take your dog to group-training and save money? I’m a big fan of group-training, as long as the one holding the leash has been properly trained! Most dogs, the first time they’re taken to a new environment, are like kids in the candy store and as such it takes a while for them to settle down. Meanwhile the human typically gets frazzled thinking there’s no hope for the “crazy dog” and sometimes looses interest in training or thinks that she needs a firmer hand on the dog. The truth is that the human needs to learn good handling skills and the time to learn the skills is not when the dog is over stimulated. There’s a huge benefit of working one-on-one in the quiet environment of your own home and on your own schedule.
Lara Mahr Dog Training & Behavior has proudly been serving clients in Cassopolis, Jones, Lawton, Marcellus, Mendon, Paw Paw, and Three Rivers since 2009. Lara Mahr Dog Training & Behavior is a subsidiary of Lara Mahr Enterprises, LLC which is located in Marcellus, Michigan.
The mission of Lara Mahr Dog Training & Behavior is to provide quality, compassionate dog care services to fit the budget of each owner in Southwestern Michigan.
All too often dogs are expected to know things they haven’t been taught. We know they should potty outside or stay off the kitchen counter, but dogs don’t. This can be frustrating. It doesn’t need to be. Through understanding, management, and training you can build a happy and productive relationship. BigPicture.Training offers a range of services to help you.
Margaret Simek at One Happy Dog offers a wide variety ways to start learning. From online courses and on-demand videos, to hands-on classes, seminars and camps; there’s bound to be a format to fit your needs. Happy training!
Two Paws Up is a force free training facility – No choke, no prong, no shock. Our belief is to create a trust based relationship.
Our specialty is reactivity and aggression. Our trademarked program, the S.A.F.E. Program for Dogs, helps owners better understand reactivity, learn how properly manage the environment, and helps instill basic behaviors. We then work on counter conditioning and desensitization with a variety of different techniques.