# Trainer in North Suburbs of Chicago



## jme12 (Aug 23, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site and super excited that there's a place to talk/get advice about my beautiful German Shepard!

I'm looking for a trainer for him. He's on the older site (~5-6) and has some joint problems (we're supplmenting his diet with Glucoasmine Condroiten to help with the problem), but is still able to go on nice long walks without problems. Mostly, he has problems with stairs.

He knows and understands the "stay" command, but will not drop his ball while playing nor responds to "come" "sit" or "down". 

My family and I tried group classes and he just got very confused and frustrated with all of the other dogs around, so we're looking for a private trainer.

Does anyone know a good private trainer in the Chicagoland area (preferably in the Northern suburbs ala Evanston)?

Any help is much appreciated!


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

What type of training are you looking for? Just obedience, or other?
How long did you do the group classes? Sometimes it takes a little while for dogs to get used to them but it is often helpful to work in a group, if you can acclimate your dog to it. Another option if your dog does not "work well with others" is a reactive dog class which generally only has a few dogs and they are separated in at least the first several classes and introduced slowly.

Here are some trainers I like, these are not all in the suburbs but mostly on the North side so not too far away, and some will do in-home training. 

Dog Behavior Solutions (This is one of the best trainers I've used)
Chicago and North Shore Dog Training Private in home training
Training | Unleashed in Evanston
Chicago Dog Training – Group Dog Classes & Private Dog Classes – Anything Is Pawzible Anything Is Pawzible Chicago Dog Training - Group Dog Classes & Private Dog Classes - Anything Is Pawzible


If you are interested in more info on care for joint issues, this page has some good info: DogAware.com Health: Arthritis in Dogs


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## jme12 (Aug 23, 2013)

Chicagocanine said:


> What type of training are you looking for? Just obedience, or other?


Mostly obedience. Jojo (my dog - pictures of him are in the pictures thread) will only respond to "stay" and, while I love playing ball with him, it gets a bit irritating to have to grab the ball out of his mouth or run after him to get it.



Chicagocanine said:


> How long did you do the group classes?


We only went once or twice. Jojo got so anxious and when that happens, he usually has to relieve himself or starts crying. He loves other dogs and happily interacts with them as long as they don't bark at him, but the constant barking from the other dogs was too stimulating for him. He was never aggressive towards the other dogs.

Here are some trainers I like, these are not all in the suburbs but mostly on the North side so not too far away, and some will do in-home training. 

Thank you so much for all of your help and the links! My family and I will definitely look into that.

One other question, do you use "choke chains" at all? My mother was having problems controlling Jojo when other dogs would bark and try and get close to him (since he reacts) and so she started using that with him. However, I feel bad about it since I feel like I'm hurting him.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

jme12 said:


> We only went once or twice. Jojo got so anxious and when that happens, he usually has to relieve himself or starts crying. He loves other dogs and happily interacts with them as long as they don't bark at him, but the constant barking from the other dogs was too stimulating for him. He was never aggressive towards the other dogs.


That doesn't sound like a very good class if there was that much barking! I'm not surprised it was stressful. I would suggest if you might be interested in trying group classes again, to ask if you can observe one or two of the trainer's classes before you attend with your dog. Preferably if possibly observe a beginner's class and a more advanced. That will give you an idea of the atmosphere of the class and the trainer's methods and a good trainer should not have a problem with it. There are also some trainers around the North side that offer outdoors classes, which may be less stressful although they can be more challenging because there are more distractions around. Some trainers have ones where they meet at different outdoors locations each week, I've taken several of these and I really liked them because it is training in the "real world".



jme12 said:


> One other question, do you use "choke chains" at all? My mother was having problems controlling Jojo when other dogs would bark and try and get close to him (since he reacts) and so she started using that with him. However, I feel bad about it since I feel like I'm hurting him.


Personally I don't use them, and the trainers I linked to generally use positive reinforcement based methods so I don't think any of them use choke/slip collars in their training style either. They should be able to recommend some other training devices if you are interested in trying something else. Personally I've had good luck with front-attach harnesses and a headcollar for my reactive dog but the headcollars usually do need to be introduced properly/slowly so the dog can accept them and used properly.


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