Downtown Dogs Chicago

Moving from a house in St. Louis to a high-rise in the West Loop wasn't an easy transition for my Basset Hound, Bo. After a few noise complaints within 2 days, I was beginning to mirror my pup's level of anxiety. Lucky for me, Ari and Downtown Dogs Chicago came highly recommended! Ari was a breath of fresh air and I immediately felt at ease and reassured as soon as we spoke on the phone. We scheduled a time to meet and once doing so,= it was immediately clear that Ari was put on Earth to work with dogs! His own dogs obey him on command - and so did mine (albeit stubbornly!). Ari did a wonderful job working with Bo and I can not express my full gratitude for what he's done to help Bo and me out. Truly blessed to have had Ari's expertise when I needed it!

Our 1-year old mini poodle, Sonny, was displaying lots of anxiety, and fear-based aggression before we took him into see Ari and Aliya. He would shake and cry every time we put him in his crate, and would hide under the bed when he sensed we were about to leave, and would try and bite us when we would attempt to take him out. He also thought he was top-dog in the house, and didn't listen or would selectively listen I should say. We did the 3 week (turned into a 4 week) board and train with Downtown Dogs, and we could not be happier with the results! Our dog came back the best version of himself...He doesn't display any fear-based aggression, goes into his crate with ease, listens to our commands, and just overall is a much more pleasant and confident dog. We were really at our wits end, and we felt that this through this program we received the tools to actually train Sonny effectively. Ari and Aliya are great people to work with, and we would recommend Downtown Dogs to everyone with a pooch!

Our dog Apollo is a very handsome French bulldog with bad manners that had gotten progressively worse over the years. He was constantly jumping on our guests, pulling on the leash, lunging at strangers, lacking recall, being aggressive towards large dogs (Napoleon complex) and would not let anyone besides me and my fiancé touch him. We had tried everything from dog classes, a positive reinforcement dog trainer and YouTube videos. After tons of research, we found Downtown Dogs on google. We reached out and were instantly greeted with a helpful and hopeful response. Apollo would receive a 3 week intensive training that would teach him manners and even though he wouldn’t become less introverted, he would learn to respect people’s boundaries. Ari and Aliya had us come in to meet Apollo and give us some insight of what he would be expecting. They showed us some of their methods so we would thoroughly understand what Apollo would be going through. Over the course of the 3 weeks, we received weekly videos and check-ins about his progress. We were so impressed and if we had any questions, Downtown Dogs gave an immediate response. At the end of the 3 weeks, we had a two hour training session where we learned the techniques they used to ensure Apollo continued to progress and benefit from the training. In addition to the two-hour training, we also received two private sessions and two group training sessions. We really can’t thank Downtown Dogs enough. Apollo is so comfortable with the whole team and they are of the few he allows to pet him. You can instantly see how great they are as trainers and the results have continued to stay with him months later. He has a “climb bed” that he can stay in for hours at a time even if there are distractions around him. He heels expertly. He can stay in sit or down for a long time until he is “freed.” He ignores other dogs while walking down the street. As his owners, our stress levels have gone down significantly. Also, since Apollo has gone through their training, Downtown Dogs allows him to board there where he continues to have lessons and assist other dogs being boarded their while acting as a “distraction” so the other dogs can progress in their training. It is such a relief knowing Apollo has a place to stay where he is taken care of while we are out of town.

Can't say enough good things about Ari and Aliya! We sent our little guy for a 3 week board and train and the results have been awesome--I've even been able to start taking him to work with me! They've been extremely helpful even after the initial training--both with the included follow up lessons and also with any questions that come up as we keep working. We've gone back a few times for boarding as well and our pup is always so excited to see Ari and Aliya--he loves it there!