Good Dog

Good Dog was highly recommended by a friend who raved about the place. I picked up my dog after her first day of training. I really didn’t know what to expect.
I sat in the waiting area as John, the trainer, opened the door and instead of running excited to see me, she sat there until John brought her to me. He then showed me how to walk with her and eventually let me take the lead.
She stayed by my side, sat when I stopped, followed me as a turned, kept my pace instead of hers, didn’t flinch when she saw other people, dogs, birds or squirrels — in all it was as though I had switched dogs on me and gave me the one that was well behaved and followed commands.
When I took her home and did as John instructed me, she continued to behave as well as she did at «school». We took a couple of walks and she wasn’t distracted by other dogs she saw in the park. DId her business quickly and efficiently and was calm and quiet in the elevator despite other dogs that tried to distract her.
At home she behaved perfectly. No jumping, barking, biting or any of the bad behavior she usually did.
Seriously, I don’t know what they did to her, but she seemed happy and calm.
I couldn’t be happier with them.
I can’t wait to see the refinement that occurs in the weeks to come.

The only affiliation I have with Good Dog was and is as a customer. I took three different dogs there. Howard and his staff were outstanding. My dog’s were and are GREAT! I’ve had NUMEROUS compliments on all of my dogs. It’s because of Good Dog, I couldn’t have done it on my own.
What is amazing. .are negative reviews from people who DIDN’T take their dogs there. They are incredibly ignorant.
Sure Michael Vick was a scumbag that abused dogs. Maybe these negative reviews come from people who live on a trust fund and watch too much TV. Again, I took three different dogs there and all of the staff were awesome. So, maybe someone’s boyfriend is a panzy, who’s afraid of his own shadow.
Dogs have to go to get some exercise, dogs have to go to the bathroom. This is the city of Chicago. Some of us were born and raised here. Well, it gets cold, snows and rains here. Maybe that doesn’t happen in the place you came from, but it does here. Therefore, dogs unfortunately have to go out in the cold and snow. But believe it or not… it works out.
We’ve had the same weather here since the beginning of time.

I can’t wait until this place is shut down.
I’m a residential neighbor that’s lived across the street from Good Dog for about 2 years. I work from home a lot so I’m available during the daytime to observe the treatment of the animals they keep outside. Not a day goes by where there is less then five hours of constant barking from the dogs. Today I was very angry to see that there were several dogs outside in the 40° weather (feels like 32°) while it’s raining. I called the place and left a voicemail chastising them for the treatment of dogs. I am 100% positive that if any dog owner had any idea how these people actually treat their pets/​fur babies, that this establishment would have no business. This is not the first time they have left dogs out in the freezing rain, and it probably won’t be the last unless people realize what’s going on and take a stand against their treatment.
I have multiple videos and pictures of the maltreatment that goes on at this facility. I’ve been pushed by friends to release this information to local news stations. I haven’t had the balls to do it yet, but I’m getting awfully close.
I have also taken one of my dogs into that place for a consultation, just to see what actually happens on the inside. The trainer that I spoke to was completely unprofessional and extremely rude and offensive. I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to speak to my boyfriend and myself the way that he did and to quickly rebuke the daycare place we constantly took our dogs to. We love our doggie daycare. We love our dogs more. This is why they will never go to Good Dog/​Horrible People.
**UPDATE: almost immediately after posting this, I got a message saying that «I’m a stupid €unt». Similar to what the other 1-​star reviewer experienced. Obviously this is not a professional establishment. I’m completely disgusted.**

We got our first puppy in December 2014. She’s a Goldendoodle we named Pickles. Pickles innately has a great temperament and we prepared a lot prior to getting her, but we were still overwhelmed as new pet owners. We mentioned to our vet that we would take Pickles to PetSmart for classes and go through their entire program. He said that would be the bare minimum he’d recommend, and if we were serious, he suggested we invest in professional training and referred us to Good Dog.
Pickles went to Good Dog for about six weeks. She is now just over six months old, and everyone she meets is astonished by how well behaved and responsive she is. Our dog walker says she’s a joy to have. I have a lot of great things I want to share, so I’ll bullet point so I don’t ramble :)
— The program: You can decide on how long you want your dog to attend training, but the minimum package is 20 days of all-​day training. You drop off/​pick up daily, at your convenience. You come in to participate in training for 30 minutes two times a week. After your all-​day sessions end, you can continue to come in for classes as needed. For us, we were nervous about the cost (it was a huge investment but 1000% worth it), and we were never pushed into anything. We felt we could make our own decision on how much longer we wanted Pickles to attend all-​day classes.
— The methodology: Good Dog uses positive reinforcement as well as electric and pinch collars. To many, this is alarming. However, I do believe that these methods are not hurting the dogs, but rather teaching and conditioning them to behave. We don’t use the collars just to respond to poor behavior, but even more so, use it to encourage good behavior. We put our own fingers on the collar prongs, and I assure you, it doesn’t hurt.
— Howard & Marilyn, the owners: They are dedicated to their clients, both humans and dogs. Howard started in dog training decades ago and has had his own business since the 80s. Both he and Marilyn definitely understand dogs, communicate well with them, and provide constructive feedback on how we communicate with our own dog. In terms of being business owners, they trust their clients and personally, that made me trust them. Marilyn handles the administrative work, and she is very responsive with phone calls and voice mails.
— John, the trainer: I do not have enough good words to describe John. He truly makes Good Dog a special place. First off, John is the most genuine guy ever, a big teddy bear, and probably more than half his heart is reserved for loving dogs. Second, John’s character allows him to be a great teacher. He is so patient, tries different methods if we aren’t getting it, and teaches us about what our dog is likely thinking/​anticipating and how we should respond so that she understands us. This has been key to our development as dog owners. Third, John is a dog magnet. He gives off great vibes and dogs just love him. I cannot tell you how much Pickles loves him — she gets soooo excited to see him and is on her best best behavior with him because she just wants to give him her everything. We now call him Uncle John — or at least Pickles does :)
— The staff: There are staff members present ²⁴⁄₇. Every single staff member knew Pickles by name. They talked to us about how she did that given day so we knew about any behaviors to look out for at home. They were always in communication with John and/​or Howard and Marilyn and everyone was always friendly.
Seriously, Good Dog is wonderful. We recommend them to all our friends. We are so happy that we decided to invest with them because we feel like we let Pickles demonstrate her potential, which lets us love her that much more. Thank you to the entire team at Good Dog!

I took my afraid-​of-​everything pup to see Howard upon a friend’s recommendation. He «got» her. Immediately. He also understood me and challenged me to stop the behaviors I was doing to encourage her fear. I’ve worked with a lot of dogs and dog trainers as a pet owner, but this was a problem I had never faced, and my takeaway from that first meeting was that Howard and his team could help.
My pup spent four weeks with Good Dog. I was stunned by how quickly she adjusted to the training and began to change. I spent most of my time with John and Howard just trying to listen and not undo the great work they were doing. My pup is now willing to approach people on the street who want to pet her. She’s more confident. She isn’t afraid of other dogs. I’d like to say she’s becoming the dog our family wanted, but the truth is that we are becoming the owners our dog needed.

When my wife approached me about sending our dog here for training, honestly, I didn’t want to do it. It seemed like a lot of money for dog training. I don’t think I have ever been so wrong about something in my life. This was by far the best money I have ever spent and the best decision we could have made for our dog.
Here is the bottom line, Howard understands dogs. That is it, end of story. He knows how they think, he knows how they react, he knows the why behind their behavior. Then, on top of that, Howard and Marilyn hire great people that clearly love working with dogs. Our trainer John is awesome. He helped us with any problem we had. I have never owned a dog that really understood how to heel, but our dog Charlie does, and that has little to do with my wife and I. We just try our best to not screw-​up what John has taught Charlie.
Special shout out to the heart of the operation Marilyn. She is such a sweet woman.
If you are looking at the price and wondering if it is worth it, all I can say is it is. We tried other places and they seemed uninterested in our specific needs. Good Dog has become part of our family, and as long as we live in the Chicago area, our dogs will be trained there.
Thanks for all the help and work.

Good Dog is the best! I rarely give 5 stars to anything I review because I am very picky and want to leave room for places that are truly exceptional. Good Dog is that place.
In reading the other reviews, I noticed that the only bad reviews come from people who have never even taken their dog there or even met Howard and Marilyn. Kinda hard to review a restaurant when you haven’t been there… but I digress.
It took us a long time to decide to get a dog and we took the plunge and added a sweet puppy to our family (two cats and two 13 year olds). Since we had never had a dog before, I wanted to make sure we trained her properly. In one day, three different people recommended Good Dog, including my vet, whose opinion I highly value.
We took Jessie there as soon as we could (9 weeks). Howard and Marilyn are the owners and you can tell just how much they love dogs. I felt immediately comfortable when I met them, and Howard gave me plenty of pointers to keep in mind even before I brought Jessie there for training. He was very honest about what I could expect from Jessie and how my behavior directly affected her.
We signed up for a 20 lesson package, dropped Jessie off in the morning and picked her up in the evening. They work with her several times a day, and she is tired when I pick her up. And she is also excited to get there the next day!
Within a week she was walking on the leash really well, and by the time she was four months, which was when the breeder said she should start official training, Jessie was very well behaved and I felt comfortable taking her off the leash to play at the park. Every day people remarked about how well behaved she was and how calm she was. They said «You are so lucky to have a mellow dog!» and I said «It’s not luck! It’s Good Dog!»
Good Dog is incredibly clean — they have a yard for training and for letting the dogs out to play and it is cleaned constantly. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen dog poop out there because it gets cleaned so fast. Jessie goes to training a few times a week and I go there for lessons as often as I can, because now that Jessie is 8 months old, I know that she is a far better student than I am. She is earning an A and well, I’m struggling for a C. When I watch Howard and John work with Jessie, it is like a well choreographed symphony! But I am learning, and it is so comforting to have the professionals at Good Dog there with me every step of the way.
Every time I have questions about Jessie’s behavior I know I can ask Howard or John (the head trainer) and they will set me straight. When Jessie turned 7 months old, she started getting more aggressive at the dog park and I stopped taking her, which made me really sad. I told Howard and he came to the park with me, figured out what the problem was, and now we are having fun at the park again.
I am so grateful that we have found Good Dog! No the dogs don’t all play together and there isn’t a swimming pool, but Jessie (and the rest of our family) are getting an invaluable education and that is priceless.

The only bad reviews seem to be from people who are walking by.
I have never left my dog there. This is solely on an outside observation.
I was walking by one winter day and it was about 40 degrees. In one of the pens in the yard was a large short haired dark brown dog. It was shivering and it tail was tucked between his legs. When I passed he let out a whimper.
I still feel bad I didn’t go in and tell them.
Every time I walk by I think that I really should post what I saw.
so here it is.
2÷18÷15 Edit: It appears that my review is the only bad review now. This was pointed out to me in multiple emails. It was also pointed out that I should remove the post and «Shut the Fyck up».
Not sure why someone would get so upset about a review. It’s what I saw and wasnt even an opinion. However threatening emails just want me to keep it up more.
4÷13÷16
Ahhhhh, like a harbinger of spring. Threatening comments about my «Good Dog» rating.
Really, if they spent as much time working with dogs as they do sending nasty, threatening emails, it might be a decent place,
Interesting that another review says they use electroshock collars.
WTF ?
Sorry, it stays.

Good Dog should be named Great Dog! Howard, Marilyn and their staff are outstanding. Our dog Digby is like a different dog. No more accidents in the house and he is trained. Digby is a Nova Scotia Duck Toller-​a notoriously sensitive breed. They have trained other Tollers and knew exactly how to handle him. He loves going there. I recommend Good Dog. They’re great!

My little man Tate has been going to good dog for 2 weeks now. I read some of the other reviews and was shocked that people said such negative things about the owners. Both Howard and Marilyn have been nothing but helpful for me. They allow him to stay overnight given some unforeseen medical circumstances and never even question me. Both of them, and their staff, seem genuinely happy when they see Tate come to school. Beyond that, he is happy to see them.
I will admit, the dogs do spend some time in the crates. However, they are taken out in small groups and trained together. They do this to help ensure that there are groups that are conducive to a learning environment. Even if Tate is spending time in the crate at good dog, he comes home exhausted and sleeps through the night. They mentally and physically do challenge him and this helps me.
Everyone at Good Dog has been wonderful during a tough time in my life. They offered to bring me soup, take extra care of my dog, and extend their services however they could. Beyond that, they have worked with me financially to make this a place that I can luckily send my dog.
John, the head trainer, loves dogs. He genuinely cares for them and their well being. It might be hard to fathom a training facility using a shock collar but they used it on me beforehand. They made sure I was well educated on the collar before they ever placed one on my dog.
This place might look a little rough around the edges, however, aren’t we told never to judge a book by its cover? They are kind, considerate dog lovers. I am sure there is room for improvement but I am not sure what it is right now. Be open to letting these people train your dog.
Tate was better on the leash after just one night. Of course, he still needs work but he is a 5 month old puppy full of more energy than I know what to do with. They work with him however they can and for that, I am forever grateful. Thanks Good Dog!

The name of the place says it all! If you want a «good dog,» send your dog to be trained here. My dog loved going to school and we can do so much more with him now that he’s trained to behave.