Downtown Dogs Chicago

After researching several training programs in Chicago, we took our dog to Downtown Dogs Chicago shortly after adopting him from a local shelter and have been incredibly pleased with the results. Jackson is better behaved than we ever could have hoped for and we highly recommend checking into training at Downtown Dog Chicago. Aliya and Ari have also been very helpful to work with and make the entire process smooth.

Ari and the entire downtown dogs staff are absolutely amazing. We sent our 10 month old labradoodle for the 3 week board and train and he came back the most well behaved dog I have ever owned. We have 2 small children and lots of people in and out of our house and our main concern was him jumping, nipping and barking. All of those concerns were addressed through positive reinforcement. We had an extensive take home lesson and I felt confident to continue the training that had taken place. The staff was also very responsive to all questions I had after we got home. I would send any dog here without hesitation.

I'll start out by saying I am a huge fan of Ari, Aliya, and Downtown Dogs Chicago (DDC) and would strongly recommend. A bit of background on what brought us to DDC: Our dog had previously completed a 4 week intensive care at another training school but still had significant challenges with recall, heal, and no jumping. A friend of ours suggested DDC and so after our in person consultation, we enrolled our pooch in the 3 week board and train - which worked out great because the training would coincide with our vacation. Ari assured us our pooch, Oli, would master the basic commands (recall, heal, sit/down maintain) by the time we picked her up. Now, Ari was very confident in setting our expectations. He didn't say, "Oli should have these skills down by the end" or "the level of mastery depends on the dog"...still, given our prior experience with our now 12 month old Oli, I couldn't help but be skeptical. I was blown away by the results! Everything exactly as he'd promised. Her recall was so solid I could take her off leash at the park and throw a ball - and she'd come back every time! But the biggest win was that he became a fully functioning member of the family and took an enormous amount of stress off of me and my wife. We will continue to look for opportunities to keep up with Oli's continuing education at DDC. And our dog LOVED the training. How do I know? Because when we took her back for an overnight board, she went absolutely wild with excitement upon seeing Aliya again (Aliya was Oli's main trainer during her stay). That's another plus: because DDC only boards dogs that have trained there, Ari will always take the dog for boarding - even if last minute. Also, one quick, and final, side story: a few days before Oli was due to start her training she came down with Giardia. As a result, we had to board her at our vets until she got a clean bill of health. When she got her clean bill of health, Ari offered to pick her up himself so we didn't have to stress about finding a pet transport to take her from point A to point B. I was very grateful because this was something I certainly didn't expect him to do. Again, for anyone looking for some serious dog training with some serious results, DDC is the place to go...no question!

Ari and Aliyah are absolutely wonderful! What I love about them: - Very honest and upfront about their approach and facilities - Real results! - Super fair pricing Our two-year-old dog Bernadine (Bernie) is generally lovely, but dog-reactive and had a few incidents at the dog park. After said incidents and due to her strength, I realized that we really needed to get serious about training; we did a lot of research and decided to bring her to Downtown Dogs for their board-and-train program. I should mention: I am very protective of my dogs and wanted to know about *everything* before handing a member of my family over for three weeks. Ari and Aliyah were prompt in communication, offered direct answers (not sales-y at all... and I work in sales), and indulged all of my questions at the consultation... then my follow-up questions via email... and then my questions during a follow-up phone call. These interactions made me feel incredibly comfortable. When we dropped Bernie off, she was happy. When we picked her up, she was happy... and trained! Most importantly, Ari teaches you so that you can maintain your dog's behavior. Nearly eight months later, Bernie has retained much of the training she learned while under Downtown Dogs' care. We plan to bring Bernie back for refresher courses when we travel and know that she will enjoy her time and feel very successful afterward! To be completely honest (just as Ari, himself, is) for anyone considering -- I have an older dog that I would not have brought to Downtown Dogs. She is a rescue who is terribly sensitive to noise, new environments, and is not food motivated. As such, she would not have been well-suited for this training. That said, for 98% of dogs, Ari and Aliyah are your people. They are dog people. Your dog will feel confident and excited to work and you will love the results!