We first heard about Chicago Canine Academy from our neighbor, who brings her dog there for…read moreboarding, and after hearing so many great things, we decided to try training for Rizzo. Before training, walking him was honestly so difficult. I'm pretty petite and Rizzo is an almost 80 lb American Bully, so he would basically pull me around the block the entire time. Walks were stressful instead of enjoyable. At our first consultation, Jim was already able to get Rizzo listening, following commands, going over benches, sitting on a stool for "place," and doing things we honestly didn't think he would do that quickly. After seeing that, we knew we wanted to sign him up for bootcamp. The first week of bootcamp was no visitation at all, which was definitely hard because we missed our baby so much, but we understood that he needed that time to focus and adjust. Starting the second week, we tried to go almost every day so WE could learn too. That was honestly one of my favorite parts of the entire program. It wasn't just "drop your dog off, pick him up a few weeks later, good luck." They actually had us come in, showed us everything Rizzo had learned, corrected us when needed, and taught us how to improve our own handling and communication with him. I really appreciated that because training the dog is only half of it. If we didn't understand what commands he learned, how to reinforce them, or what we should be doing differently at home, it wouldn't have been nearly as helpful. We were definitely sad dropping him off, but we are SO thankful we did. The difference has honestly been night and day. I feel so much more comfortable and confident walking him now, and taking him around the block is actually enjoyable instead of me getting dragged everywhere. We're still working on a couple things, of course, but his progress has been incredible. I also absolutely love the group training sessions. They bring us into different controlled environments, and Jim, Alges, and Diane are always nearby helping guide us, showing us different approaches, and teaching us how to get better responses from our dogs. I love that the learning continues even after bootcamp is over. We've had such an incredible experience overall and are so grateful for everything they've done for Rizzo and for us. Another huge bonus is that they also have raw dog food available for purchase. We've started using it for both of our dogs, and it has been such an easy and convenient addition to their diets. Honestly, such a great experience for both the dog AND the owners. We're so happy we chose Chicago Canine Academy!

Best place ever Animal Control was saying my dog was aggressive and I was afraid of them for two…read moreyears they were harassing me. I go here. The trainers worked with my dog for about an hour showed me things to do at home and things they would do. I recome this place to everyone I know.

Sally is by far the best trainer I have ever worked with, and the most knowledgeable. I've been…read moreworking with Sally for nearly half a year after my little buddy Jackson suddenly started experiencing separation anxiety. She was very patient with us, and was great at explaining everything we were doing, how to do it, and why. She has been incredibly accessible anytime I have questions or concerns, or just need a little support or reassurance. After 5 months, the results have been more than I could have hoped for. Jackson has gone from getting stressed within minutes of me leaving to being calm and comfortable alone for 5+ hours. Beyond the separation anxiety training, I've learned so much about dog behavior, nutrition and health from Sally. If you want to see real results, and you are willing to put in the work, there is nobody else I would recommend besides Sally. She's the best there is.

Sally has been extremely helpful to us while managing our rescue's reactivity issues. We learned…read morehow to read his cues and modify his behavior. Her reports are extensive and provide valuable information and exercises. Her experience and expertise is beyond anything we expected. I highly recommend Sally for your training needs!

I can't say enough great things about Morgans Dogs. They are great people, caring and loving to…read moreall their animals, and truly helped us with our anxious German Shepherd Onyx. We sent our 3 year old GSD for the 2 week training/boarding class and it was worth every penny. Onyx came home well behaved, more confident, and most importantly a joy to take on walks. Our experience from start to finish was great. They even posted pictures of our girl on Facebook so we could see how great our baby was doing over the 2 weeks. Some reviewers said their dogs were "different people" when they came back, so I was initially nervous that our girl would come home and not be the same sweet, loving GSD she is. But, Onyx came home a better version of herself! More confident, more obedient and still the same loving dog she was before. Just better! The important thing to remember is that training is a way of life with dogs. You have to be prepared to do "homework" each day with your dog when you bring them home to keep their training consistent and reinforce it. Morgans sets a great foundation and its up to you to maintain it. They tell you this upfront, so while yes, you'll have a great dog after 2 weeks, if you let it go, then you'll be back to square one. Have no fear though, the homework isn't hard. Only about 15 min twice a day, which is easy to mix into our daily routine. And believe me, you'll actually enjoy this kind of homework because your dog will respond fast and remember the training and you'll be more impressed each time. We've even implemented new tricks and obedience moves with Onyx and she learned them fast. Onyx is great outside too, she is less aggressive if we see other dogs (no more crossing the street), and even several neighbors have commented that our girl is now a gentle giant. Overall, I fully recommend Morgans to anyone who is considering training. No matter the age or difficulty of your dog, give Elana a call. She is great to talk to over the phone and made me feel reassured that Onyx would be in good hands. And she understood all the issues we discussed and didn't make me feel like it was my fault or that I was a bad owner because I can't get my dog to heel on walks. Elana is passionate about dogs and an amazing trainer. Oh, and did i mention, free classes for the life of your dogs... can't beat that offer!! Go see Morgans to turn your dog into the dog you always wanted. Thank you Morgans!!

We have been uniquely lucky with our amazing Am Bull dog/pointer mix. Ever since Morgan trained him…read more16 years ago for Otto has been a fantastic watch dog, awesome daily walk buddy and now it's our turn to keep him safe and comfortable.

Wonderful trainers in the group classes! I have had several dogs and attended many classes, but…read morewith Vanessa and Claire I learned such helpful new things each week. I really appreciate learning how to train my dog, rather than forcing her to do things. Both classes were great experiences for both of us.

We had our rescue puppy (a Lab-Shar-pei mix) attend Puppy Kindergarten and later Obedience Training…read moreat Unleashed. Meg and the other trainers do a great job with the dogs and the owners (who in our case were the ones that really need the training). They have a nice set up, small classes and our dog liked it so much that every time I open the door to my car he tries to jump in figuring that we are going back there. Meg offers practical, reasonable advice and it is obvious that all of the staff really care for the animals. Highly recommend for anyone looking for help with their training.

While I wish things had panned out differently, I had an absolutely horrifying experience with…read morePawsome Dogs/Melissa. My experience with Melissa started with a rave review from a friend, and I hired her for 5 lessons (with a referral discount from my friend) and later added 25 minute walks while I was at work Monday through Friday ($70/week). Initially, I was happy with the way she connected with my puppy, however I always had concerns about her communication style and lack of professionalism. [sorry for the long review...scroll to the bottom for the short version] From the start, Melissa was constantly texting me about her other clients, personal life, love life, etc. Melissa offered me discounts and requested all of my payments be made in cash so she wouldn't have to report them through her business. As a new dog mom, I was happy to put my puppy first so that he was getting the care he needed. A few months into my walking and training with Melissa, my roommate decided to have Melissa walk his dog as well. At this point, Melissa notified me that she was letting some of her walking clients go, but was planning on keeping our dogs as she was making $140 most weeks (in cash) from walking them both. She also let me know that she would give me one month's heads up if she was planning on dropping me as a walking client. Living in Chicago, safety is always a concern, and for me, trusting someone with keys to your place is a big deal, and I had informed Melissa I needed at least two weeks notice to be able to find a new walker that connected with my pup. In the most recent months, we noticed from the time stamps on our security system that she was often not even walking the dogs for the full 25 minutes as per our agreements, presumably because she was getting busier in other aspects of her life. Last week, she informed me that she was dropping me as a client effective that week. Forced to scramble together and find new arrangements for my puppy, I let Melissa know that I was disappointed in her lack of professional courtesy. At this point, I have used 4 of my 5 training lessons with Melissa, and I requested that we cut off ties and that she refund me the remaining $50 from the unused lesson. I thought we'd just wash our hands of the experience and move on, but instead, she went on a rampage about how I have no right to make such a request, that I'd be forfeiting my remaining lesson, and that she was going to go and convince my friend that I was being irrational. I was most appalled by her activity on social media following our conversation where she used profanity to describe me as a "crazy lady" for my concerns (screenshots posted in the photos section of this Yelp page). TL; DR? Melissa's lack of professionalism ultimately led me to lose all respect for her business when she broke verbal and written agreements (after I spent thousands of dollars for her services), and then harassed me about it.

I only have positive remarks on Melissa's performance as a professional and ability to work with…read moreboth dogs and people. I've taken two classes and had a private lesson. She is by far the most trustworthy trainer I have worked with, and having had dogs my entire life there have been a few. My golden doodle Chester loves her and I love how well trained he is! 1) The first class with Melissa was a basics class. I've seen her take a handful of puppies and train out bad habits, teach to walk on a leash, basics commands, and turn them into overall better behaved dogs. We even learned our first trick! She takes the time to explain why we would train using certain techniques as opposed to others and caters to each dog and owner individually even in a class setting. For example, with certain dogs like mine she recommended using a walking harness where it was unnecessary for others. 2) The second class was a tricks course and there must have been about 8 dogs in the class at once. Over the duration of a few months we'd learned crawl, say your prayers, cross your paws, play dead, wave hello, and a ton of other tricks. Melissa was extremely attentive to everyone and their dogs progress while also being able to address the entire class and move us along as a group. Best part is Chester loves doing play dead and now does it just to get attention when I entertain. Its too adorable. 3) I'd missed a couple trick classes and scheduled a private to catch up. Melissa was flexible with time and we worked on not only what I missed but a couple other cool tricks like play dead and cross your paws. In an hour and a half Chester was caught up and read for graduation. On the way out she even offered to stay extra to see how his walking was going and gave some additional advise and explanation on how to train out his tugging at the leash. He has gotten significantly better on a leash with the training she gave me and Chester. All in all, you can't go wrong here. Melissa is knowledgeable, easy to work with, the dogs respond very well to her, and she's a professional. Down to how after every class she sends out a newsletter with all the commands/tricks and how-to's that we learned that week in case we the people need a little reminder. A+ all around and I can't recommend her enough (and I do to everyone)!

I could not recommend Paws2Tails more. They have been caring/walking my high strung 72 lb 2 yr…read more old pup for over two years and have become like family to us. Always reliable, consistent, knowledgeable, and most of all, cares so much for the dogs. On countless occasions, I've been able to come to them for advice from things ranging from behavioral issues, tick removal, administering medicine and so much more. I'm at ease every day knowing that my dog is in good hands.

Lisa's concern for the welfare of pets is genuine and lifelong, and she has developed an expertise…read morein this area. I would recommend her without hesitation.

My husky and my chow chow come here weekly to play! I live in a condo with two big dogs and am a…read moresingle mom. without the convince and care of waggy hotel I would be screwed. My dogs have lots of friends here that they can run around with and play! I send them to board overnight or when I travel as well. I've gotten so comfortable with all the staff that it is defiantly the only place I trust to put my dogs. My dogs always arrive happy and my husky even cries of happiness when we turn down Oakton to go to "school". They always leave happy as well and then the take a nice long rest when they get home , which makes my life ten times easier. Taking my dogs here gives me and my daughter a well balanced life with free time, while giving my dogs a big place to play and exercise. My dogs love the staff and I believe the staff truly does care for my dogs and the others.

Yes, you were able to do just a cut last time she was dropped off even though it was also 3 months…read moresince a previous cut. I actually made sure to brush her body before the appointment and again, without even touching her hair you guys decided she was unable to get a cut only based off knowing it's been 3 months. The only option I was given was she needs to be shaved, to which I responded please don't shave her too short because what else was I supposed to say since I was being told NO when I asked for a cut only. You're contradicting yourself because those who have this type of a dog will know the one place that gets most tangled is by the face which is the only place she got a cut!! So yes, you're capable to cut when she has tangles.

Frank has been wonderful! We're so glad we found him. We've got two rescued pugs that both have…read morebehavioral issues, and Frank spent three weekend days with us giving us training tips. We've gotten guidance on issues like lunging while on the leash, barking at animals on TV, and jumping and barking when people come over. After spending time with Frank, we felt like we had a plan, which has instilled lots of confidence and motivation in us. We also now board our dogs with Frank when we go out of town for long days or weekends. It's nice to know that they're in someone's home but also around other dogs (Frank's dogs and others that he is boarding), and that they're getting the same training we'd do at home. Frank truly loves dogs, and he's got a clear training philosophy that made sense to us. The first day we met him we could see that he understands dogs and knows exactly what to do to control them. We've been calling him the Dog Whisperer of Rogers Park ever since.

My boyfriend and I adopted a 4- or 5-year-old toy Manchester Terrier from New Leash on Life (a…read morewonderful local rescue organization!) and took him to Frank for some help with minor issues including barking at the door and exhibiting jealousy when we were affectionate with one another. Frank was a wonderful resource. He showed us some training activities to do with Duncan, sometimes demonstrating with Duncan and other times with one of his brood of mostly rescue dogs. We left the training session with a printed handout of training activities and a renewed sense of confidence. I often get compliments on what a well-behaved little dog Duncan is, and I always reply with an enthusiastic referral for Frank. We recently adopted a second dog and we're so grateful that Frank offers a boarding service. It's great to know the pups will be in good hands when we travel to Brooklyn to visit my parents.