Narnia Pet Behavior & Training

We were dog newbies and the tips and cheerful positive attitude of the Narnia trainers made all the difference. There was so much we didn’t know. Truthfully, the value of Narnia was that it trained *us* to know what to do. Narnia is run very professionally. Dogs have to be up-​to-​date on shots, and the trainers ask about dog temperament, size, etc. when recommending classes. The puppy kindergarten classes are important for early learning and socialization. So glad we did this, although driving to Plainfield after a long day at work might not have been our first choice of how to spend an evening. One improvement I wish they would make is better lighting for their street sign. The facility is very hard to find in the dark, down a dark industrial street. Parking is limited but there is additional parking in a gravel lot at the next driveway south of Narnia’s. It all needs better lighting.

My husband and I have two dogs. We just got the second one about six weeks ago and have been taking her to Narnia for her first obedience training session. We attended several different types of classes with our first dog and have a pretty good understanding of what’s good and what’s bad at dog training classes. I think that Narnia is on the good side of the middle of the road. I am not overwhelmed with positive feelings because I do think the classes could benefit from being a little bit smaller for the cost. The trainers seem to know what they’re doing, though. They seem to genuinely like dogs and notice week to week improvement, as well as remember the dogs’ names. We’ll be attending a second session with our dog and would be interested in continuing. I like that they give you homework to complete before the next class because it forces us to practice and think about what we’ve learned. A lot of dog training is actually training the dog’s new family. Even though I have spent a lot of time with dogs, I definitely need the refresher!
I do have to say that I am not the biggest fan of their class timing — The beginning class is at 8 pm on a Tuesday. I’m a early riser and am often asleep before 9 pm, so Tuesdays are tough on my husband and I. 7 PM would be much better. They are also in the middle of nowhere. Finally, I do think it’s a little pricey. I think it comes out to about 20 $ a class, depending on what class you’re in… They give you a little bit of a discount for a rescue dog, which helps, but owning a dog in the Chicago suburbs is expensive! We used to take a class with our first dog that was 8 weeks long and less than 50 $. It was bigger than this class, but I feel like we got the same level of individual attention as we do now. All of those things together resulted in me removing a star, but in all honesty, I don’t think you’re going to do a whole lot better in the Naperville area. From what I’ve seen online, there’s not a ton of places that even run group classes since the dog flu outbreak.

I want to recommend the folks at Narnia Pet Behavior & Training. My family has been caring for a 8 month old, 80 lb. lab for our son, this summer. Rocky has surely benefited from his first Obedience class but we have been the ones to really learn. Sara and Anna have been terrific trainers and coaches with supportive direction and sound advice. We appreciate their helpfulness and positive attitudes! We are sold on Narnia and will soon start the next class on Manners. Narnia is an awesome resource!!!
Georgy

Back in the day, I worked with a young woman named Bonnie who trained dogs and volunteered at a shelter part time.
Years went by, I got married, changed jobs, moved a few times, ended up with a dog and living not too far from said former co-​worker/​friend. We wanted to do some training with our new adopted addition, because while he is very well behaved in general, I wanted to know how *I* could best relate to him and reinforce the good behavior while discouraging the bad.
Turns out Bonnie trains with Narnia. That’s not the only reason I chose it – they’re highly regarded, as you can see — but it helped. They also have classes close to home and for a reasonable price.
Now, our dog — Link, the Linkasaurus — turned out to be an anxious, stressed-​out little guy. He’s great at home and with one or two other dogs, but he didn’t do very well in the two group sessions we went to. I would still recommend them to most people — Kim and Bobbie were super-​sweet and did not make me feel bad at all. But we decided it was best to use the rest of our class credit toward some individual sessions.
Bonnie came back into the picture at this point, bravely volunteering her time (ok, not really — she gets paid by Narnia) to help us with our furball. And she is just awesome. In our first 45 minute session, we got tons of tips from her and a few more things to work on with Mr Link as homework. He was way calmer at home, able to focus more, and she praised him for his excessive cuteness.
In short, Bonnie and everyone at Narnia are excellent, patient, kind dog people who would love to help you and your pup with anything you might need. Rock on, and woof woof.

We are less than halfway through our classes, but I’ve already noticed small differences in my dog. In the beginning, he did not know his name, let alone understand basic commands.
After 2 classes, he has learned to respond to his name, «come,» and «sit.» He isn’t perfect by any means, but we are still surprised to see a change so soon.
The instructors here are very patient and kind, and they intervene when needed. Someone mentioned the instructors only paying attention to certain dogs. We haven’t noticed this. We have a dog who tries to run around during class, while the others sit content, and we’ve got another big barker in the class. Each dog (there are about 6 in the class) has received individual attention and been used as an example.
Overall, I am very satisfied with Narnia. It was worth being on a wait list for classes, which fill up fast!

Took our 6 month old puppy for puppy kindergarten class. I felt the group was too large and we did not get enough individual attention/​training. Our dog tended to behave and I felt because of this the trainers spent more time with the dogs who were having problems. Ouor dog was a little submissive in the beginning of the classes when it came to playtime and once wet the floor. He was them put behind a gate for the rest of the period and the next time we went. We spent a lot of time sitting and waiting for the next exercise. Never went back.

They helped train my male rottie. We did 3 sessions and besides his unlimited energy he is a well behaved boy!

I am a fairly new dog owner. I adopted a border collie from a rescue. He is now 13 months old. I’ve had him for about 5 months. He definitely had a few little issues when I got him, mostly being terrified of cars, not being able to walk on a leash, very cautious with people and terrified of small children. We are now on our 3^rd set of training classes. We’ve taken one beginning and one intermediate at Narnia. I took another beginning at a different dog training place. I have to say, the trainers at Narnia are great. You should see my guy now! He is great on a leash, has all kinds of tricks and is learning how to experience new things and build up confidence. I use the clicker, but you don’t have to. My dog shut down during several classes and the trainers really tried a ton of things to help. One trainer, Rebecca, was great. She let him come in early and play with another dog to get acclimated. She also let him run off leash after class. This session it seems to have paid off. He is working well. We are learning to work through distractions. The trainers are realistic and know amazing ways to work with dogs. 100% positive training methods. I drive 50 minutes to get to this place and I will continue to go, even though there are other places closer. They know my dog and help me through problem areas. I will try agility here as well.