At 6 months old, my Beauceron had some pretty bad habits and a horrible attitude. Being a trainer myself, I knew what was wrong, but I was out of techniques and "tricks" to train him myself and knew I needed help from other trainers so we could "reset" us both and we could reform a new relationship. VJ stayed with Robert for 3 weeks and the change in him was more than striking. I could now walk him on a leash without being dragged along. He would sit or down when asked and stay in that position. Yes, there was a transition period when we got back him; we'd known there around be, but Robert had gone over with me how to work those things through and I felt more than prepared for them. On pickup, VJ was healthy, clean, well fed, and most importantly, happy. I would absolutely recommend Darn Far to anyone looking for a board & train, especially for a difficult to handle dog. read more

I have waited a whole month before writing this just to make sure the results stuck. I have a three year old pitbull named Hudson. About four months a go he ran up to a little girl and nipped her in the stomach, no real damage just a 1/2 blood blister, but even that is too much. So I had to do some thinking about what to do about my puppy, I didn't want a dog that attacks people, I wanted the opposite. There where other signs that i was failing him a a leader too. Destructive behavior to objects in the house, the need to jump up on people, grabbing things off the table, and i could see he was having stronger urges to attack strangers (strong prey drive), and I would have to repeat com ands several times before he would listen and then he would not stay in a command ( lack of respect). I had spent money on DVDs, books, and I watched shows like the dog whisperer religiously. But, there was something I was missing. I googled just about every dog trainer and dog behaviorist in the Northern IL area. I had Ideas of what I was looking for, mainly a trainer into the pack mentality, a facility where he could interact with other dogs, and an open setting where he could get lots of exorcise. I knew Hudson could benefit from learning how to be a dog again and just needed to get "reset". I could benefit from learning the right way to train and interact with him, there was definitely a communication problem between us, which would cause me to get frustrated. Hudson is not all bad, he is the sweetest dog to me and any one he knows, his objective in life is to lick your brain, unfortunately your face just happens to be in the way. His favorite place to be is anywhere I am, and he believes he is a lap dog, a 60 lbs lap dog. So I had narrowed it down to two places to take him the first was Bark Ave in Bartlett, where I sometimes board him, and the other was Darnfar Ranch way down in Brownstown, IL. I chose Darnfar because of the open country around the facility, the owner/trainer had an extensive resume and the website answered all of my questions. I called down to Darn Far and set up a three week board and train. Tammie assured me over the phone there was no dog she and Roger couldn't help. On July 18, 2012 we made the 4 hour drive from Hoffman Estates, IL to Brownstown. It was a pleasant drive with my girlfriend and two dogs. Upon arrival I was greeted By Robert who was in the middle of a training exorcise. We when I where we met with Tammie for the initial consultation. It took about 20-30 minutes where we discussed Hudson's strengths and weaknesses, and what I was expecting from this experience. We then where reassured he was in good care and we where given a task of letting the thoughts of the old Hudson go. Three weeks later we would be picking up a new dog. On our return visit we met in the training facility with Tammie. Before we could see Hudson again we had to be retrained. She gave us a thorough education of what was done while he was here and how to really be a leader for him. We were then brought outside to view Hudson from a far. Robert had him in the down position while they had cats all around him. His focus was solely on Robert. At that moment I could see there was a drastic change in Hudson. He just acted differently, he acted as a well behaved dog. Hudson was then brought in to the facility where (under guidance) we practiced giving commands and distraction training. The pickup lasted five hours, and I enjoyed every moment. we where not treated like customers, but more like friends. I believe they truly cared for and cared about Hudson. They have a lot of passion for what they do and it shows. I am 100% sure that while Hudson stayed here he received the exorcise, attention, love, and discipline he needed and deserved. I would recommend Darn Far extremely highly. Hudson today is still behaving like he did when we picked him up. Darn Far has put the joy back into owning him. I go on daily bike rides with him, and have even used him as an example of what a well trained dog should be like. We still have to keep up our part in the training, and maintain the level of training that Darnfar instilled. Thank you Tammie and Robert from the bottom of my heart. read more

I took my dog Layla to Darnfar Ranch 5 years ago and the training she received during her 3 week stay still holds strong. Layla was a very excitable, anxious dog, so much so that she was unable to ride in car without vomiting. I could not even take her for a walk as she pulled so much on the leash. Pack training and consistency at home with the training skills taught by Tammy and Robert have really been the best thing that happened to Layla. I almost didn't recognize her when we picked her up she was so disciplined. My husband takes her to work every day, she never chases small animals, and loves riding in the car. She has no problems on the leash and she is my favorite jogging partner. Still very excitable but we can now enjoy that part of her personality. Layla is 6 years old now and I never get tired of people telling me what a happy and well trained dog she is. Thanks Darnfar Ranch! read more

In late December I took my dog to Darnfar for the 2 week board and train program to solve a few minor behavioral issues. Upon pulling up to the facility it was cluttered up and in disarray. The drop off appointment that was supposed to take 15 minutes turned into almost 2 hours, most of which was occupied by Robert bad mouthing other trainers and their methods and saying that my dog would be lethargic when I got him back, but that it was normal for a well trained dog to be lethargic. He stated multiple times that I'd be receiving a Service Animal trained dog, which I don't believe is possible in 2 weeks. Against my better judgment I left my dog and returned home with Robert's cell number that he stated I could call anytime with any concerns or questions. After getting home and having a chance to look over the training contract, which I should have looked over better before signing, I didn't like the lack of liability they had in regards to anything happening to your dog while in their care. I called the number I was given to discuss my issue, but couldn't get an answer. I then thought about it the rest of the night and next morning and decided to pick him up. I called the number again to let them know I was coming to get him, but still didn't get an answer. I arrived back at the facility around 2:30pm while he was in the middle of another drop off appointment giving the same trainer bad mouthing speech he gave me. While I stood there waiting to be addressed I noticed the bag of food I'd brought hadn't been touched since I'd left it. After standing there for quite some time without being acknowledged I then went down the kennel to my dog to find no water in any of the kennels. I removed my dog from the kennel and took him home. For the first couple of days he growled and barked quite often, which he never did before, and when crated for the night started howling and whining, which wasn't an issue before, and is still an issue now 4 months later. I don't know what was done to him while he was there for 24hrs, but can't imagine the damage that could have been done in 2 weeks. Don't make the same mistake I did. read more

First -Darnfar Ranch has gone over my expectations on the training they provided. A little background history, I run two Australian Cattle Dogs both in agility and the younger one also runs in obedience trials. My younger dog, Coffee has space issues and gets aggressive with other dogs. Coffee is the one I took to Darnfar Ranch for the aggressive issues. Tammie and Robert are the first trainers who offered a solution instead of a work around. I dropped off an extremely excited dog which I could not control when he got focused on other dogs; and what I got back was a calm dog; that looked at people to control his surroundings. Is Coffee perfect with other dogs; no - yet his behavior has vastly improved- this is a work in progress, Tammie and Robert have given me the building blocks to work with Coffee and continues to help with these issues. This is a work in progress. Tammie and Robert work extremely well as a team; when you meet them, do not disregard Tammie; she might not move as fast as Robert, yet she is always watching and listening and her ability to read dogs is amazing. Would I recommend Darnfar Ranch to other people - YES. Do you get value for the money spent--yes!!! read more