Puppy Kickstart is a Drop-off puppy playschool program that gives your puppy a safe place to play, learn, and get some energy out during your work day. Each puppy will get regular potty breaks, socialization, training, and multiple enrichment options each day. This program gives your puppy a great opportunity to become confident and socialized in a safe and consistent environment. Sign up for one or book packages of 3 or 5 for discounts.
For puppies under 5 months with at least their first two rounds of vaccinations. This is a trainer supervised playgroup where we will also work on some basic training skills, handling, and other confidence building exercises.
In this five-week class, we'll focus on essential foundational skills and socialization for your pup. Foundational training will cover key behaviors such as building engagement and attention, trading items to prevent resource guarding, leash walking, recall, sit, down, leave it, and proper greetings. For socialization, we’ll provide time for puppies to interact during class and discuss how to prepare your dog for handling, vet visits, new environments, and life in Chicago!
This 4 week course is meant as a bridge for pups between 5-12 months who have taken puppy class and aren't quite ready for an intermediate class. We'll work on strengthening behaviors like leash walking, stays, and leave it along with introducing a few new ones. We'll also be giving some tips about how to tackle life with an adolescent pup!
This class is all about building a solid foundation for you and your pup! Our goal is to help you start off on the right foot with foundational training skills as well as learning about body language, teamwork, enrichment, and environmental management.
Has your pup already completed basic training? Join us for the next step in your pup’s training journey! This class will work on proofing existing skills like stays, recall, and leash walking as well as increasing your pup’s training vocabulary through more advanced skills like place and heel work. We will also take advantage of our proximity to the park to increase distractions!
This is an advanced level group class for dogs who have completed our Adult 2 class or intermediate classes elsewhere. We will work on proofing existing skills to add distractions, distance and duration as well as more complicated sequences of behaviors. These classes may meet outside depending on the weather.
Our 5-week Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class is designed for you and your pup to build real-world skills and prepare for the official CGC test. During class you’ll work on key behaviors like loose leash walking, polite greetings, staying calm around distractions, and more. Each skill we work on will help lead up to the 10-part CGC test. This class is best for dogs over 6 months old with basic obedience skills. To get the CGC certification you must pass the 10-part test, class does not guarantee becoming certified.
This class will go over different techniques for approaching and meeting people. We'll go over different ways to approach (and be approached) by people as well as skills to call your dog away when needed. This class is also designed to help you and your pup tackle loose leash walking in the city. We'll introduce games and leash walking exercises that you can add as additional tools in your leash walking tool belt.
This class uses a mix of relaxation techniques, focus exercises and pattern games to give you all the tools you need to navigate life in a busy city. This class is perfect for adolescents, dogs with leash frustration, and any city pup that could use a little more calm and focus in their life! We will introduce new skills and build on previous skills each week, progressing to using others in the class to increase distractions.
This class builds on Calm Copilot with more relaxation techniques, focus exercises and pattern games. Calm Copilot 2 with amp up distractions and add in new exercises to increase engagement and focus in any environment.
Note: this class will meet outside at Brands park
This unique class helps pups who need a little bit more time to warm up to the world. We’ll work on simple nosework exercises, pattern games, enrichment, and other skills to help your pup gain confidence living in a chaotic city.
Looking for more ways to engage and bond with your dog? Try tricks!! We'll work on a variety of tricks that will exercise your pup's mind and body and strengthen your own understanding of how dog's move and learn. We'll do some old classics like spin and bow, as well as throwing in some more unique ones like teaching your dog to read!
This 4 week class is an introduction to cooperative care work with your pup. Cooperative care helps pups stay calm during husbandry and care procedures by having them be a part of the conversation. In this class, we will on introducing your pup to the scratchboard and wiping their own paws, introduce a few start button behaviors, and talk about the importance of consent in care.
Are you ready for Chicago’s patio season? This unique class teaches essential skills for relaxing in busy restaurant and café settings. From ignoring food distractions to polite greetings and mat relaxation, your pup will learn how to be the best patio companion—just in time for summer hangs!
This class is for dogs with leash reactivity/frustration. We will work on improving handling and management skills to help you navigate city walks. We will also introduce some counterconditioning exercises to help reduce reactions over time. Lastly, we will give you more information about why reactivity happens, body language, and changes we can make in our daily lives to help you and your pup.
This class has a maximum of 4 dogs and will be taught by two certified trainers. First class humans-only.
