Sit Means Sit Dog Training Chicago

We have a 12 year old husky mix named Samson that is very set in his ways, and typically stubborn as a husky. Samson has had training sessions before and they were somewhat successful, but lately in his old age he has had to less consistency in following instruction and had some major life changes. Due to this we decided to train with SMS. I cannot express enough how life changing it has been. For 12 years I have never been able to trust my dog outside, I couldn't give him commands and there was no way I could allow him off leash ever. After just 5 private lessons with SMS we have seen a huge improvement in Samson's off-leash behavior. Samson got outside off leash on accident and I was able to call him to me from far away with no issues whatsoever. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN POSSIBLE BEFORE. Sarah has given us so much confidence and rebuilt the trust we have in the house with Samson. There are too many things that have changed for the better to list here and we owe it all to SMS. If you are on the fence because of the collar or concerned by the price I encourage you to do it, the training absolutely saved Samson.

I am Motleys owner. I can’t say enough on how great this place is when it comes to training. When we got him at ten weeks old he was fine for the most part but still had anxieties and his behavior grew worse by the day. He entered training at 8 months old and did the 4 day training. Everyone is super nice and friendly during training and they really help when it comes to understand and watching how your dog reacts to the training. Everyone is afraid of the collar but it’s not a shock. It’s more like an annoying tap. We were skeptical at first. You hear e collar and get freak out. After seeing how your dog is after day one is amazing. My boyfriend and I have a pit I’ll and we will definitely be back for his training. Thank you to the team for helping us with him and getting him to where he is and helping us help him. We appreciate you and we can’t wait to be back for the group classes.

We have a German Shepherd who is riddled with anxiety and has been since the day we brought him home. When we learned that it wasn't just because he was a puppy, we knew we had to find somewhere to help him and help us manage him and I am so glad to have went to Sit Means Sit. The trainers here aren't your run of the mill dog trainers. They are trainers who are incredibly passionate about your dog and give their all to help you and your pup develop a relationship that will help you better understand each other. We opted to do the stay and train package and have seen a great amount of progress, not only from our dog but in ourselves as dog owners in how to manage a dog with such high anxiety and drive. We learned the boundaries that we have to set with him and the more and more that we take him to Sit Means Sit, the more we can expand on those boundaries due to his progress. I was pleased to find out that when you buy their day and train package, you get free classes for the dog's life which we definitely plan on taking advantage of. For housing and training so many dogs every single day, their facilities are very clean and orderly and don't smell. We have peace of mind knowing that when we drop our pup off, he is in great hands and have the utmost trust and faith in the Sit Means Sit staff. Though Sit Means Sit is a franchise, this location does not give the vibe that they are trying to upsell you or only want your money. In fact, I was under the impression prior to our consultation that we were going to have to do a Board and Train (more expensive) and already accepted that fact. During the consultation, we were able to determine that their stay and train option was more suitable. The two trainers that I have interacted with the most (Tony and Mikey) are great guys. They truly want whats best for you and your dog. You'd think that after working with so many different dogs that they wouldn't care about a single pup so much or pay them so much attention but that is absolutely not the case. Even with our super stubborn and anxious dog, they definitely get some joy out of working with him. I really can't say enough about this place, just know that when you take your dog there, you are going to see results as long as you put in the work with your pup on your own and exercise the knowledge that they give you.

Sit Means Sit collar caused wounds and hair loss to our dog. Late last year, my husband and I brought our 4 year old poodle mix, Stout, to Sit mens Sit to help with his leash anxiety and aggression. We signed up for a $3000, 3 week program with 6 in house stays at the recommendation of the lead trainer/owner Tony. The training method relies heavily on an electronic collar that sends an electric current via 2 prongs into the dogs neck. We were skeptical, but were assured many times that these collars were safe and would not cause harm to our dog. Fast forward a couple weeks; We were noticing some improvements to Stout's behavior but were concerned by growing irritation around his neck where the Sit means Sit collar rests. After bringing this to the trainers attention, we were told the skin will toughen up over time, and to make sure the collar was tight and rotated every couple hours. We were then suggested a bungee collar (Which they offer for and additional $25) that uses a tension lock. We were told that you “Can’t over tighten it” as it will release to the proper tension on its own. We were reluctant at this point but wanted to give the training method a chance due to the price and time investment. I should preface this next part by telling you our dog has black shaggy fur around 2 inches long. After completing our dogs daily training regiment and noticed some angry red marks on our dogs neck. We were horrified to discover what is pictured below. Multiple red wounds and hair loss around the areas where the sit means sit collar would rest. We did what any concerned dog parent would do and consulted our veterinarian of 10+ years. She confirmed with us the hard truth: The sit means sit collar was causing the wounds and hair loss, and this form of training was negative reinforcement and only adding to Stout's anxieties. We felt terrible and ashamed. The last thing we ever wanted was to causes our pup pain and discomfort. Not only had our vet confirmed this, but Stout himself would run and hide in fear every time we would grab for the collar, which he did not do at the beginning of this training. At this point we felt we could no longer use the sit means sit training method as it relies on the constant use of said e-collar. We informed sit means sit that, unfortunately, we would no longer be able to use their training method due to the physical trauma it was causing to our dog and requested a partial refund ($2000 of the original $3000 which we felt was more than fair all things considered) as we would no longer be able to use the training methods and lifetime classes that were offered with the package. Tony proceeded to send us a wall of an email accusing us of not following their instructions and using the collar properly. He told us our dog was hurt by “user error” and that they had informed us multiple times that Stout's collar wasn’t tight enough, even though according to them, the bungee collar would adjust on its own after tightened. Tony then went on to tell us that he did not agree with my veterinarian's diagnosis, and there was no way the collar caused the neck trauma. He denied our requested refund stating that we did not follow his instructions on the collar multiple times which in itself is a complete lie. I am not here to debate the facts. You can look at the photos and decide for yourself. I just find it sad and insulting that this company cannot take any responsibility for my dogs injuries and dismiss us and our concerns so easily.