ChicagoLand Dog Training - McHenry, Illinois

Giselle N.

Nick & Lauren were nothing but amazing! They helped completely transform both our dogs. At the beginning, our cockapoo thought he was the boss and did whatever he wanted. Additionally, he was very scared of everything. Nick & Lauren helped build his confidence & taught me how to teach him that I was the one in control.

LuLu would lunge at every squirrel, dog, or bunny we’d encounter. She began transferring her aggression to our cockapoo as he was the closest. Nick & Lauren helped teach her to not lunge or attack anything else.

Our family has noticed the difference in our dogs behavior. They are both happier, confident, and calmer. I recommend Nick & Lauren to all my friends. They teach you everything and make it so easy for you to work with the dogs at home!

Most importantly, our dogs learned not to go outside when the door is open without permission!! LuLu used to be a runner and it always made me so nervous.

Emma B.

We brought our 1 year old golden retriever to Chicagoland Dog Training and couldn’t be more thrilled with the results! The trainers are not only highly skilled, but also genuinely passionate about what they do!
The program covered everything from basic obedience to more advanced commands. Our dog barely knew sit for a command and we practically laughed picking him up because he knew everything from sit, down, place, wait, come, and most importantly leash manners and no jumping! Nick and Lauren gave us homework to keep up the training at home, and we can confidently say they made dog training FUN! From getting frustrated trying to train him initially to watching our pup soar, we are so thankful for all the energy they put into making him such a good boy! They are available for questions any time of the day and even sent us pictures with updates throughout the 2 week period. You can tell they took great care of him by all the affection he got when we had our pick up lesson too! 10/10 recommend!

Debbie K.

We wanted to bring our 7 month old German Shepherd puppy to weekly obedience training starting in August. We've trained puppies in the past, but it's been a long time since our last puppy. We needed a training facility to help guide us, reinforce commands and hold us accountable. The Google reviews were awesome, and as with anything, it was worth a shot to see if this place was what we needed. We ended up enrolling Benson in their board and train program for 2 week. After picking up our boy at the end of his stay, not only was still the sweet, lovable goofball that we dropped off, he was also responding to all of his commands. Now he's a 7 month old, highly active GSD, we still have work to do with him and with distractions, but I am so impressed with how easily he responds and is getting better everyday. Thank you Nick and Lauren, not only are you awesome and compassionate animal lovers, you're also pretty awesome people to be around. See you soon in October!

Melanie D.

My dog Andy, a 7 year old Australian cattle dog/pittie mix, has always been anxious and reactive around new people (in particular, men), but his anxiety has seemed to increase as he’s gotten older. Andy started training at Chicagoland Dog Training with hopes of gaining confidence and becoming more comfortable around other people. Andy has taken private lessons with Nick, has learned better manners in general, and has become more comfortable with approaching and being in the same space as people he is not familiar with. I’ve learned ways to refocus Andy’s attention when he’s in a situation that makes him anxious. Nick and Lauren have been great with Andy. By the end of his sessions, the dog that was very wary of almost every person other than myself, was giving goodbye kisses and looking for butt scratches. I recommend Chicagoland Dog Training to anyone that needs help with their dog, from basic training/ manners to behavior modification.

Joanne S.

I was referred to Chicagoland Dog Training by my cousin, who could not say enough about her positive experience. Our Benny was a lot! That's putting it mildly. It's been 3 weeks since his graduation and although there's still a daily routine of training, he's over come so many milestones. We couldn't walk him, he was a wreck! After our 10 week session he listens to our commands and seems to be happy walking, instead of being fearful of his surroundings. Nick and Lauren are an exceptional team together. They love what they do and there loyalty and hard work speaks volumes of all their achievements. As you read all the testimonials from people who brought their dogs here, it's all true. It takes constant work, but with the tools you are given you will have a good dog that loves and respects you everyday. Thank you both. Not only are we better parents, but our boy is happy and feels safe.

daniel S.

Firstly My Wife and I would like to Say A tremendous Thank You to Chicagoland Dog training!!!! We were referred from a friend. This was one of the best decisions we have made. Everyone who has a dog should bring their dog/s for training. You are getting much more than just a generic training session when coming to Chicagoland Dog training. This investment is worth every penny for you and the dog.

Nick was beyond phenomenal with Billy ( "our dog" and training us)!!! After all of our training we found that out dog went from being a wild but good natured dog to a respectful good natured /good member of the family& he's not even 10months old. Granted we did put the work in everyday with Billy.

The training was just as wonderful for us. We super strongly recommend anyone looking to have their dog learn to be a great respectful family member. You will walk away with the skills in hand to help your pup be happy, balanced and well integrated into your family.

100% Worth it!!!

John T.

Great experience! Wish we had done this sooner with our previous dogs. Nick and Lauren set clear expectations, and taught me and my husband how to correct behaviors calmly and consistently. This built more trust between us and our recently rescued pooch, and consequently, we now have a more obedient and confident dog. It's not a quick process, but it's a worthwhile investment.

Kaitie D.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, NICK & LAUREN!

Our 6-month-old puppy, Mack, is an English Cream Golden Retriever who is too smart for his own good. He is an expert at pushing buttons, to say the least. We had difficulty keeping him off the couch, establishing who was in charge of who, issues with bone aggression, listening to basic commands, leash walking, jumping, etc. For example, taking a well-trained dog on a 20-minute walk would take about 20-minutes. With Mack, you could easily double- if not triple- that time due to pulling and need for ongoing correction, laying down in every neighbor’s front yard, distractions from cars (which he would chase after), other dogs, people walking by, leaves blowing down the sidewalk, etc. We came to Nick and Lauren desperate for some help. When we met with them for the first time, they had spent an hour and 45-minutes getting to know us and our pup, seeing the issues we were battling, gave us some advice and even worked with us all a little that day. You could really see the love Lauren and Nick have for all dogs! We agreed upon the ‘Stay-and-Train’ program and, let me tell you, it was the BEST decision we ever made. I knew I would be missing him for the two weeks he was not at home with me but was easily reassured by the updates, videos, and pictures Lauren would send us. It was clear Mack was happy and having the time of his life! The night we picked up Mack, we were greeted by our boy who, for once, did not knock us over; He came to say hi with all four paws on the ground! We, then, were shown all he was taught and got to practice ensuring we would continue the commands with consistency at home. He was like a new and improved Mack! I can say without question- Mack was tended to, loved, and given TONS of attention by Nick and Lauren. We were, and continue to be, so impressed and proud! Mack was- and continues to- walk on a leash like a dream- following my body- without pulling, sitting when I stopped (with an implied ‘stay’), laying down when directed (also, with an implied ‘stay’), knows (and I think LOVES) the ‘place’ command- where he doesn’t move from unless given the ‘all free’ instruction, no longer exhibits bone aggression and will freely leave a desired toy or treat when asked, has mastered the ‘drop it’ command, waits, comes when he is called- among so many other wonderful new manners. Nick and Lauren gave us a reference packet that breaks down the commands and had recommended I record the demonstration of each command on my phone to refer to when continuing the training and I am so glad they did! I am constantly reviewing it to ensure the timing and wording of each instruction continues. A few follow-up sessions are also planned to make sure we are staying on track with training and on-top of all the hard work Nick and Lauren put into our pup. It’s hard to remember Mack is still only a puppy sometimes; he’s that well-behaved! A simple ‘thank you’ does seem like enough to express our appreciation for all Nick and Lauren have done for Mack! We highly, highly recommend!

- Kaitie & Dan