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)!

Sara is a real professional who knows her stuff. She's not just someone who's good with dogs…read morebecause of her experience and intuition, she also understands the nitty gritty science behind dog behavior and can explain it to you in as much detail as you like! But she's not dogmatic or condescending like some trainers are, and she doesn't make you feel bad if you've made a mistake or have a different point of view. I had a Zoom session with her and follow her on social media and she's helped me so much with my puppy who was biting me (hard!) during playtime and walks and constantly eating gross stuff off the ground. Highly recommend!

Sara is such a great resource for new and old dog parents. I found her off a referral on Facebook…read more She had a puppy play and learn which was great for getting puppy energy out and for some puppy training tricks. We came back because of her unique a la carte style of classes-picks topic book it and it creates a class. We look forward to working with her in the coming months as she is positive reward based trainer but also has the background of dog behavior.

I have been working with Rachel since last fall. She is wonderful. She's genius at analyzing a dogs…read morebehavior and providing many different potential solutions, seeing what works best. She's really good with the humans too and creates a plan of things implement in everyday training. She also emails an overview that is extremely in depth and descriptive. I'm lucky to have found her for training with my dog. Shes helped my dog so much!

Janice Triptow and her colleague Megan Ores-Uhrich are, in short, awesome. This is more of a…read morereview of Megan's work because I don't know Janice that well since I have Megan has been my point of contact and my pup's trainer. When Janice was in the class, I was super impressed. And, she works with the Chicago Court Case Dog Program...so awesome! Okay, long story? Here goes: I have wanted a dog for a long time. At my friend's graduation party last year, she recommended that I contact Megan. Megan acted as a dog head hunter for my friend. Wait...that reads/sounds bad. Lemme rephrase: Megan hunted a dog down for my frie...wait. Megan searched for a dog for my friend (okay, better). My friend said that Megan would do the same for me and, dang it, she did! Interestingly enough, she found the perfect dog for me the same day that I adopted the most perfect dog for me! Even more interestingly enough, Megan trained the dog that she originally found for me and my dog. ANNNNDDD, my dog and the other dog are now in the same walking group! It's like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, but for dogs! In almost serious, I tell that story to point out that Megan is dedicated to connecting people and dogs so that all parties are happy as clams! Oh! Megan is also a great trainer. She is very attentive to the pups and the people. I think dog training is not only about training the dog, but also - and potentially more importantly - it is about training the people. Since we were learning so many skills each class, she gave us homework sheets so that we could practice the way she taught us in class. If we had questions, we could ask her pretty much at any time. She is also amazingly available on email. I mean, I have sent her frantic emails at 12a asking why the hell my dog won't walk, what type of harness goes with what type of dog seatbelt, why does she insist on chewing the wood in the apartment versus the thousands of chewies I bought, so on and so forth, and she has emailed me back within the hour or by 7a the next morning (disclaimer: she might not do that all of the time, but I was impressed when she did it for me). Overall, I heart Megan and Dog Behavior Solutions. I would be lost without them...in fact, I am about to break into song about my heart-ing of these folks and the way they care about dogs...*nods to Robin Thicke, clears throat* I'm lost without you Can't train my dog Why won't she siiiiit? Down when I ask her to....

Alexa is an amazing trainer and godsend to any dog parents seeking to make their pets great canine…read morecitizens. Alexa has been working with our two rescue dogs for more than two years. She was instrumental in Willow's basic training commands, as well as her reactivity to all things small (small dogs, squirrels and cats). When we added Scrunchie to the family, Alexa was our first call to help ensure he was the right fit for us and Willow. She has cured Scrunchie of mouthy behavior and taught him all of his basic commands. To keep our rough house players socialized, she's worked on a custom program for play dates, walks and environmental socialization. Further, she's taught us how to be calm, assertive and in control without hyping the dogs. She's as much human trainer as dog trainer!

Amazing! Alexa is an awesome trainer. Really understands what training needs to be and how to get…read moreresults. She is passionate about dogs and training. Highly recommend!

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!

My fiancé and I started with Marnie in September. We adopted a dog that was aggressive towards…read moredogs, our cat, and my partner. We were very fearful we would need to give up the dog for everyone's safety. Marnie was a literal miracle worker. She came to our home AND did work with our dog at her home. Marnie helped to make her into a more confident and safe pet. She is a completely different dog. She is able to be around other dogs and play, other humans and give love, and most amazing be around the cat and not bat an eye. All of this was achieved without any corrective therapy like shock or prong collars. Marnie was a god sent and I would recommend her to anyone with a dog. Regardless of how good or "bad" the dog is. She will help you to communicate and build everyone's confidence so that everyone is safe and happy.

We cannot recommend Marnie enough. Her years of experience and depth of understanding of dog…read morebehaviors sets her well apart from other dogs trainers we've had. One thing was clear from the start: Marnie loves dogs and understands them. The first time she came to our home, Jasper immediately took to her, and she to him. Jasper came to us through a shelter, a very sweet, high energy, 1 year old Australian cattle mix. He was smart and eager to please in some ways but pulled hard on walks and, after we had him for several months, became leash reactive and aggressive . We tried two different dog trainers, both highly recommended, but made little progress. From our first in-home lesson, it was clear that Marnie has a depth of understanding of dogs and how to work with them that we had not seen before. She has helped with us to understand the roots of Jasper's negative behaviors, how to help him feel secure, and how to recognize and avoid trouble with aggressive behavior He has improved so much in reactivity and aggression and generally in being more responsive. He's much better at walking without pulling and getting along with others at the dog park. Marni also does both day care and boarding at her home which is surrounded by an acre yard that is totally dedicated to dogs. She gives private lessons there too. With Jasper in among other dogs, Marnie showed us how to "read" his behavior and reactions to the other dogs and how to intervene with firmness and kindness. He loves going to her place and comes back home happy and even better behaved. We cannot recommend Marnie highly enough!

Where do I even begin! Zoe is incredible!! In August of…read more2024, my fiancé and I decided we wanted to get a puppy. We knew it would be a challenge, but we couldn't wait to have a sweet dog to share our lives with. We brought our boy Monty home and were smitten with his sweet demeanor. However, challenges arose quickly when he was diagnosed with double lung pneumonia only 1 week after being home with us. This set him back immensely with puppy training and socialization which were two very important things for us. After he was medically cleared we hit the ground running with his training and trying to properly socialize him with people and other dogs. I tried to take the positive reinforcement only approach and he just wasn't that kind of dog. Monty is a Bernedoodle that is quite high energy, extremely smart and very food obsessed- I quickly realized we were going to need some professional help if we wanted to set him up for success. That's when we met Zoe. We signed him up for a 2 week day training course and luckily, she was assigned to work with him. From the very first day I knew we made the right decision. Despite Monty's wonderful personality and high intelligence, we not only struggled with the typical puppy behavior (biting, no leash manners, high energy etc.) but some resource guarding as well. With the help of Zoe, Monty at only 5 months old was off leash heeling, perfected "place" and learned how to properly behave around other dogs. We got his resource guarding in check, learning how to properly handle any situation that came about. I can't even describe the weight that was lifted from our shoulders after just having worked with Zoe for two weeks. From then on, we have been with her and she has supported us and Monty every step of the way! Zoe is truly meant to work with dogs- it's very clear she was born for this! She loves our boy like her own and there is no better feeling knowing he is so well taken care of when he is with her. I can reach out to her anytime I have a question or need assistance working on something with Monty and she responds right away. Her level of attention with the dogs she works with is truly unmatched. Not to mention, the report cards and updates we receive when she is working with him exceed all expectations! Monty is 2 years old now and has continued to grow so much with the help of Zoe! If you are at all thinking about having her work with you and your dog, do it! You will not regret it! Working with her has been one of the best decisions we have made as dog parents!

In 2025, we brought home two sweet sibling German Shepherd Doodle puppies and quickly realized that…read moretraining two pups at once was more challenging than we expected! Thankfully, we found Zoe Pope of Common Sense Canine. When she first met us, the puppies were jumping, barking, and ignoring us, and we weren't always on the same page about training. Ten sessions later, the transformation has been amazing. We have calmer greetings, significantly less barking, reliable recall, and two dogs who are a pleasure to walk. Even better, our home feels more peaceful and harmonious. Zoe didn't just train our dogs, who are now 70 pounds each--she trained us, too. Her practical, common-sense approach helped us understand our pups and work together as a team. We can't recommend her highly enough!

Tina is by far the best trainer ! We had gone too three trainers before her , & nobody could help…read moreus . We started seeing results with our dog immediately with Tina . & we have a very high strung dog . We are very grateful too her & cant wait too start another session in the new year!

I have a little Maltese that has been extremely spoiled since I got him. Tina came to our home and…read morewent over everything we needed help on and worked with our dog one on one. She was extremely warm, professional and attentive! I notice a difference in my dog just within the next day! I look forward to our next session and cannot recommend Tina enough!!