I am not rating this guys training service, as we never got that far. This is the second time I tried to use this service. Once last year with my reactive pup and again with a new rescue. You email him and he responds with days and times. You pick one and he never answers. How can one run a business that way. Then he obviously gets annoyed and tells you that you wouldn't be a good fit. What a waste of time- use a trainer that will respond to you and really care about his services for your pal. read more

Highly recommend Kevin and Mannered Mutts. Kevin helped me a LOT with my rescue pup who has/had a lot of dog reactivity and ptsd. He really knows his stuff and had practical recommendations and exercises that made a world of difference. read more

Best dog trainers in Chicago, hands down. It's particularly hard to find someone who can handle working-dog breeds, but the Mannered Mutts team knows exactly what they're doing - you don't have to worry if your dog will be "too much" for them. Aside from tricks and general obedience, they've helped my pup become more comfortable with other dogs and staying calm & focused on me around distractions/high-stress environments (big crowds, busy streets, etc). She goes everywhere with me, no issues! I've also boarded her with them and it's always CLEAR she loves it. Can't imagine having her stay anywhere else at this point! read more

Mannered Mutts Dog Training - Showing off "down" at the dog park! - Pet Training Near Me - Lake Bluff, Illinois

I've been hesitating to write this review until my training is over but really can't wait to spread the word about Kevin and his training skills. I have two dogs; a sweet, gentle (although boisterous) yellow lab who is 7 months old. The other dog is a 9 month old, nearly 100 lb. Olde English Bulldog who in the last 3-4 months, had become very aggressive with other unknown dogs and people, pulled terribly on walks and was nipping at people. So much so, that I could barely walk him without fear of seeing another dog or human and they were fast walks. I could not let friends into my house without grabbing the dog for fear of him biting the visitor. Not enjoyable for either of us. Tried on our own using all the training methods suggested online. Nothing. Tried a professional trainer. Nothing. My neighbor recommended Kevin and Mannered Mutts. Called him immediately and even closed my business to be able to meet with Kevin and the dogs asap, as we were losing hope. Kevin came to my home and gave a wonderful demonstration for no charge. Went over his ideas, training methods and costs up front. He gave us positive reinforcement that he could help us but I still wondered if it was possible. Obviously, we jumped as we felt very confident. I have had only 4 lessons at my home with my bulldog and Kevin and I can see such an improvement in the dog, it's hard to believe. This is exactly what I had been praying for. The dog was very aggressive and has improved greatly. We can walk him now..using Kevin's technique he taught us...anywhere and anytime and no worry on who is in front or behind us. He obeys commands much better, but being a bulldog and true to his breed, he still resists periodically and we continue to work with Kevin on resolving these final issues. I'll update this review when our training is complete. If you have a dog and are struggling with getting the dog to realize YOUR the boss and he/she should do as you say, then I would not hesitate to get on the phone with Mannered Mutts. I did not want to subject my bulldog to a life of being stuck in the house most of the day or in the yard. I didn't want him wearing a muzzle. I wanted him to have the quality of life I committed to when I got him and thanks to Kevin and Mannered Mutts, I believe he will have that life. So grateful to Kevin....both myself and my pups. read more

I approached Mannered Mutts (MM) for a package of training classes for my 5 year old German Shepard mix. Using the classes and e-collar, my relationship with the dog has vastly improved, her anxiety is non-existent, and walks and activities are a lot more fun. I'm even comfortable letting her off leash in non-fenced areas of the city as her recall and behavior is vastly improved. I could not recommend working with MM enough, I really do think it's changed the way Penny and I interact. read more

Kevin is an amazing trainer. It is very clear that he loves and has a passion for dogs. He treated our dog wonderfully, was very patient with her, and has really helped her with her anxiety and control. She is much happier since we worked with Kevin, and also easier for us to handle! I am thrilled with Kevin's work and would highly recommend him to anyone. read more

I looked for dog training because I wanted my dog to learn basic commands and discipline as puppy. My hope was if we could find someone to help us do this while our dog was young that she would be an even better companion for our family as she grew older. I found Mannered Mutts and I knew that I made the right decision within five minutes of Kevin arriving in my home. Kevin had my three month old White Shepherd following basic commands (sit, stay, laydown, drop) within the first forty five minutes. He was also able to teach us the science behind the actions of our dog, and how we can control those actions. A couple of sessions later and we couldn't be happier. Even if we have random questions Kevin has always made himself available to discuss and instruct us on how to get the best results with our dog. If you are considering dog training, but want to work with someone who will actually care about you and your pets I would recommend Mannered Mutts to anyone.in the Chicago area. read more

Thank you, Kevin!!! I adopted Pumpkin from a shelter when she was about a year old. She was an amazing puppy that came with all the standard puppy naughtiness. I did a pretty good job getting her on track but there were a few issues that didn't get better and seemed to be getting worse. One being her jumping on me and anybody that would come over. I would let her off leash and for the most part she did great but I had a terrible scare when she decided to take off across the park and then had to chase her down to get her back. It was terrifying. The most serious issue was her reacting to other dogs. There were certain dogs that she wasn't able to walk past without barking, lunging, and loosing her mind. It was like I didn't exist in those situations and no command would get her to calm down. I ended up having to cross the street anytime I saw a dog coming just in case. I finally sought out help and found Kevin. He came over and very knowledgeably explained his approach to training and worked with Pumpkin. It all made so much sense and I felt more confident that I would be able to help Pumpkin through all these issues. Light! Kevin was great with teaching me how to manage my dog all the time so I had support even after the lessons. I was amazed at how quickly Pumpkin took to the training. Her jumping was easily kept in check. She learned the command 'quiet' so I didn't have to draw the blinds in my front room (Hurray!). Kevin gave me a very specific game plan when we encounter another dog and Pumpkin is getting better and better everyday. Walks are fun again!!! It's awesome! Kevin showed me the steps to take to be able to trust Pumpkin off-leash. I would definitely recommend Mannered Mutts to anyone looking for obedience training in Chicago! read more

Mannered Mutts (MM) is presently training my Chinese Shar-Pei pup. As of this writing I can't say enough nice things about MM and my trainer (Kevin). Kevin is a kind and gracious guy who genuinely loves dogs. Loving his life's work really shows in his interaction with this client's dog and it's something to behold. He doesn't watch the clock during his training sessions and is always available by email, etc. to answer questions outside of class time. My dog is responding well to the training and I'll update this review once my pup is out of the puppy stage and has (hopefully) joined the ranks of Chicago's other well MM. read more

Mannered Mutts Dog Training - Kevin with his NC-born client, Blue, on the eve of Super Bowl 50 (aka Puppy Bowl XII). - Pet Training Near Me - Lake Bluff, Illinois

We had an incredible experience Mannered Mutts (Kevin). We are nearly a month out from when our awesome - but formerly overly protective and sometimes aggressive - golden doodle came home from 2 weeks of intense training with Kevin, and it's been life changing. Our dog, who we love like a child, was at a point where we had quite a bit of resentment towards his behavior (and it was often embarrassing). Kevin took a very specific approach and focused path to getting our dog back on track that was both risk averse / unharmful and sustainable over time (2 criteria for us), and as a result our dog is behaving great (and happier). Kevin is very personable and loves dogs as if they are his own. We'd highly recommend Mannered Mutts / Kevin to any one out there that needs a great dog trainer! read more

To summarize: If you are looking for a trainer, stop looking and hire Kevin! He did an amazing job addressing the problems my dog Louis had. He really loves what he does, and he is very good at it too! If you want to see a pic of Louis after being reformed go on Instagram and search for @Pugsinchicago We used to only have one dog, Guinness. He was around 4 years old when we adopted him. He was a stray so there was not much info about him when we adopted him. For the most part, Guinness is a good dog. He is a pug with a lot of energy, but he's very obedient. He took group classes that solidified the commands he already knew. After a year of having Guinness, my wife and I decided to adopt another pug, Louis. Louis was different than Guinness in that we knew more about his issues. Louis had gone through 3 other homes before we adopted him. He was only 3 years old when we got him. The last family gave him back to the rescue because he had an issue with marking, and he was very possessive of his toys and food. We decided to adopt him, and promised to work on him. We thought that we could apply what we had learned while training Guinness. Very soon we found out that Louis had many other problems as well. He was not only possessive, he was very aggressive. He got in fights with Guinness that were very hard to break off because he'd try to go for whoever got in the way. He bit my wife's hand (not like a playful bite, but a bite that drew blood) once when she only try to pet him while he had a toy in his mouth. After this, there were other occasions when he tried to bite us, but we were quicker to react. He HATED bicycles. He did not mind motorcycles, or any other vehicle. But whenever he saw a bicycle, he started screeching and pulling at the leash as hard as he could. If you tried to approach him, he'd try to bite you until he realized that it was just you and not the evil bike coming for him. In other words, he was very scared of the bicycles. To top it all, he did have a bad problem with marking. We were grateful to have an old couch because that was his favorite spot to mark. We deep cleaned it with many different products. We use enzyme based, and steam cleaners. But it didn't help. Louis did not mark on the couch because he couldn't hold it. He marked to let you know he was upset about something. We've never caught him in the act. He does not enjoy being alone so whenever he is unsupervised. Even if you are just running to get something out of another room, he will let you know by marking the couch. He knew what he did was bad. He'd go and crawl under a table right after he marked the couch or any other object. We realized he had separation anxiety. He also freaks out when we have to leave for an extended period of time. He will start barking and howling if there are no other people around. We did not know what to do. Nothing I had learned with other dogs worked on him. The thought of giving him back crossed our minds, especially because he was aggressive. We could not give him back. Besides all his faults, he was a very sweet dog. He loved to cuddle, and play catch. For about half the time he was a great dog. But walks became a huge hassle, we had to work around him to make sure he didn't mark, and we had to make sure Guinness and Lou were not left alone together for a long time because they could fight. This is when I started looking into trainers. I called/emailed many of them explaining Louis' issues, and asking for their training style. I wanted to find someone who I felt could deal with Louis and actually get results. Kevin was the only trainer who offered a free in-home demo/examination to try to get to know Louis. While many other trainers seemed great, we felt that actually seeing Louis would work better. Kevin was very thorough regarding how he would train Louis, and he seemed confident that he could help. He never made us feel that we had to hire him because he had already come to our house to see Louis. He explained his prices clearly, and after we thought about it overnight we decided to go for a 1 week board & train program. His prices were about the same to other trainers, BUT Kevin also includes 3 in-home follow ups with the 1 week training which made it a better deal. Louis came back reformed! After talking to Kevin, we knew that 1 week was not going to completely "fix" Louis. However, Kevin completely surpassed our expectations. For example, Louis is still scared of bicycles, but the difference is that now he listens to us! He is able to sit and remain quiet. I love taking him out for walks now. He also learned to heel, place, and perhaps my favorite "out" which makes him drop stuff.That was just one example but Kevin has given us the tools we needed to deal with Louis. The 3 extra training sessions were very helpful to learn how to deal with Louis as well. We are happier, and we feel way more confident. On top of everything, we believe Louis is happier too. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND KEVIN!!! read more

We got our 1.5 year old American Staffordshire Terrier/ Chocolate Lab mix, Kona, in November when she was 11 months old. Over the first 4-5 months we took her to group training classes at a well known local company and she learned a lot of good basics but, over the course of that time, she also developed aggression towards other dogs at dog parks and while on walks to the point where we had to stop going to parks and got anxiety any time we would take her on a walk because she would completely lose it whenever she saw other dogs. She would be the sweetest, most gentle dog with us and completely lose control any time we left the apartment. The training company essentially told us it would be years of training before she could even be around other dogs which is why I started looking for other options and found Kevin. We did 2 sessions with Kevin over 2 months, a 10-day board & train and one more session following and our little pupper has done *almost* a complete 180 in behavior. We still have a lot of work to do with her over the next few months to really get her honed in on behavior and understanding that we are her pack leaders but we feel so much more well equipped and educated about her psychology and behavior to know what to do for the rest of her life. (And hopefully, how to train future dogs!) Kevin doesn't just train your dog, he helps train you to be expert dog-handlers. During her board and train, Kona worked very hard but she also had a great time being outside and being around other dogs all the time. By the end her time, she was best friends with another dog that was being board and was even going to the dog park! We'll likely go back for an additional session or two in a couple months to review how we (and Kona) are doing but for now, Kevin has done an incredible job! Hire him & you will be thrilled with the results! read more

Mannered Mutts has been boarding and training my dog regularly for the past 2.5 years and I recommend them to everyone. Mannered Mutts dog training is the best company I've used in Chicago - every time I need to leave town for work or a trip, they take in my 90-lb german shepherd and when I come back he's extra focused, happily exercised, and sharp as a tack with commands. Even better, Kevin always has new drills we can work on at home and he genuinely cares about my dog growing and developing outside of their time together. While I'm away they send me awesome pictures of him running in the woods and playing and training with other dogs and it makes me feel better when I have to be away from my pup. Kevin is a joy to work with and he always impresses with his understanding of animals. I've seen him work with all sorts of breeds, big and small, and he always treats dogs with respect. I'll be using Mannered Mutts for their board and train for as long as I can. read more

After emailing them about helping me train my dog with aggression issues, they took more than too weeks to get back to me. They left a nice message, but when I tried to reply to them they never replied back. I asked simple questions about pricing and they never responded to that in their email, so my guess is that they only serve the wealthy members of Chicago. I don't recommend them. Obviously, they are disorganized, bougie, and have no interest in helping you if you don't make 6 figures. read more

Owner/Trainer, Kevin Stangler, of Mannered Mutts Dog Training has such a wonderfully infectious passion for sharing his craft of communicating with dogs. His explanations and demonstrations are very clear and professional. Kevin is ready to answer any and all questions throughout the process. I've never felt rushed or that I was doing something incorrectly during a lesson. Kevin always has a positive approach toward guiding me and my 4 mo. old German Shepherd puppy. Many of the "puppy issues" I had concern about (jumping on people, stealing items from other dogs' mouths, heeling, recall, and bolting to play with other dogs) have been addressed during lessons with Kevin. The results after three lessons are fantastic. Puppy obedience progress now includes recall off leash, stays off people, won't try to bolt and play across the street, doesn't steal from other dogs (puppy is understanding boundaries), and heeling is improving with daily exercises. Kevin's goal to help me and my pup work and play as one unit has strengthened our human/canine bond. Kevin always helps us feel comfortable and confident in our learning and success toward dog obedience, safety and companionship. Thanks, Mannered Mutts! -Rob E, client read more

I adopted a young energetic Labrador mix from a local shelter and knew that I would need help with training. I heard about Mannered Mutts through a friend of mine, and decided to give them a try. Kevin, the lead trainer, was able to teach me how to work with my dog in an effective way. We worked on obedience, agility, and just some plain fun tricks! I would absolutely recommend Mannered Mutts to anyone who is looking for simple and extremely effective training. read more

we have a little cairn terrier which are bred to hunt rodents. walking our terrier was annoying as he was always pulling looking for something to chase. it got much worse when he would execute a breakout. my wife and i (and any friends who happened to be there) would have to chase him around screaming for him to stop much like the description on mannered mutts's website. it was that description which led me to reach out to kevin. after our initial consultation, we decided to try the 1 week boarding/training. the biggest factor in deciding was kevin's positive energy. kevin's outgoing personality and genuine affection for dogs made the decision fairly easy. it was the best decision i've made in a long time! 3 months later after the boarding/training and the several follow up sessions, our dog walks off leash almost all the time. we're still working on getting more control of his instinct to run off and chase critters; it's getting better but still got a lot of room for improvement. the follow-up sessions were awesome as kevin and mela explained and showed us techniques to use to continue training our dog on our own. read more