Spot On K9 Sports - West Chicago, Illinois

Anna M.

Julia is an incredible teacher for both dogs and their owners! I never thought my dog would be able to pass the CGC test but he did with flying colors after taking her Downtown Hound course. My younger dog is in agility with her and absolutely loving it. Julia is a 100% positive reinforcement trainer; what sets her apart is that she helps find reinforcers that are not treats (toys, praise, etc) so you don’t have to constantly be feeding your dog treats. We’ve worked with over a dozen trainers and she is the top trainer I recommend for group classes. Even my family has been shocked at how much progress we have made with training after we started working with Julia.

Anjali C.

I highly recommend Spot On K9 Sports as a positive-reinforcement training facility with a broad array of class offerings. Julia has designed a beautiful space that takes into account the comfort and safety of her students, both dogs and humans alike. Julia and her team of equally knowledgeable and capable instructors have a philosophy of setting students up to succeed, a belief and practice that has helped me immensely with my very reactive border collie. My collie’s fundamental skills have vastly grown since we began training at Spot On K9 Sports. Even more, in the year that I have trained my collie with Julia and Donna in reactive behavior lessons and agility classes, I have observed increased confidence in my dog which allows her to focus on these skills that we have taught her to help her work through her fears and anxiety, something I did not think possible. If you are struggling with any particular issue with your dog, or simply want to expose them to a new sport or activity, I recommend reaching out to Julia and her team at Spot On K9 Sports!

Monica B.

Julia was recommended to me by my good friend who is also one of the top agility handlers in the Midwest. I have been been extremely happy with this recommendation! I competed in agility a very long time ago and am a long time professional dog trainer. I completely trust Julia with my 14 year daughter and her agility prospect competition puppy! Julia definitely provides top notch instruction for my daughter and her dog in agility! Her courses are challenging but appropriate and everything is taught in a very safe way. My daughter has really progressed in this canine sport with Julia’s help! I recommend Spot On K9 and Julia Lane for agility to ALL of my friends and family. She teaches everyone too, from beginning and “just for fun”...to the pros! There are so many agility instructors but it’s very important to have high quality instruction for both the progression and the safety of your pet, Spot On K9 is the place to go!

Kelly M.

Positive: Professionalism, Safety, Facility, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value

10/10 recommend Spot on K9 sports and Julia and Donna. Best dog training, agility classes, and customer service around. My corgi puppy Penny and myself were brand new to agility when we started Foundation classes at Spot On. Donna immediately made us feel comfortable, safe, and welcomed into what has now become a close nit group of agility friends. Spot On is committed to a positive reinforcement method and really building the relationship between the dog and owner. Donna does an outstanding job in the class of both providing general lessons and overviews, while also working with the dog/owner pair individually so it's tailored to your specific needs. In the 6 months or so since I started taking classes, Penny's behavior, attention, and agility skill-set has improved far beyond my expectations. I have definitely found my dog training home and I can't wait to continue on for years to come with this wonderful group. Thank you Spot On for all that you do!

Alisa H.

Both Julia and Donna are incredible, knowledgeable and compassionate dog trainers! They use only science-based positive reinforcement and really help you learn how to train your dog. I have taken the Canine Good Citizen class, three levels of agility, as well as in-home behavior modification and couldn't imagine going to any other trainers. I would give 10 stars if I could!

Ann G.

Donna and Julia are wonderful trainers and wonderful people. They will work with you and your dog, at whatever level you are, to get you where you want to be and to strengthen your relationship with your dog.

A K.

Julia's in-home training sessions during pandemic months was a life-saver for us and our female boxer puppy! After 7 months with just my husband and I and no dog socialization, we needed help with our 'prococious' pup, Chelsea. Chelsea did not consistently listen, jumped on everything & everyone, had bouts of anxiety and what felt like agression. Julia took each negative behavior and delved into reasons and corrections for our behavior. Helping us to own our actions (not blame Chelsea) was key! Julia was responsive, professional, always prepared, and offered written follow-up for each visit. Her visit notes and homework were invaluable. She showed us how to work with Chelsea and then gave suggestions as we tried her techniques. We use Julia's guidance still today and have a 'mostly ;)' well-behaved pup who we enjoy training and playing with every day.

Audri T.

I took my dog here for some basic agility. I have been competing in agility for many years but I needed a place for my newest dog. I LOVED the classes that I took! We learned a lot and it was a great foundation class. Since I loved it so much, I took a foster dog there to work him. He had never done agility before and he loved the class as well. I highly recommend this facility!