To start, I have never written a review about anything before and to try not to be too long winded, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. I bought into all their facebook 5 star reviews (they must have deleted the bad reviews) and I was stupid enough to believe them. First, Chas Rooney, the original owner/ trainer is not there anymore (he had all the great reviews) it is now Samantha, the daughter who is 19 YEARS OLD I was stupid enough to pay for the high end $495 package. Their website says 31 years of experience and trained over 8,000 dogs (which is TRUE for Chas Rooney, not a teenage girl who we got stuck with). I assumed we were getting the owner who had 31 years of experience. No where on the website does it say you will get one of his teenage kids as your dog trainer. My dog was a rescue from Oklahoma on death row, he has reactive issues and barks and lunges. Long story short, 3rd private lesson, Samantha brought out her (8th month old??) puppy to get a reaction out of my dog. Her puppy was not listening to her so she literally body slammed her puppy to the ground, the puppy was yelping and crying from the pain and my dog who never showed any aggression before tried to go after her for hurting her dog. SHE IS NOT A TRAINER, she abused her dog. That was enough for me. I am not finishing my dog training there, lost the rest of my money, but they scare the hell out of me. Prior to this, did not care for her, she is almost nasty, does not have ANY kindness in her. When the 50 minute lesson is over (after she answers her phone during a private lesson and chats while leaving you stand there, or walks over to see if her puppy is still laying on the other side of the wall, and god forbid it moves because it must know it will be beat by her) she will suddenly open the door and say, lesson is over, you have no time to ask questions and if you say "thank you" her response is "yep". She needs a lesson in manners but that is all a side note compared to the abuse she inflicted on her own dog. DO NOT GO THERE! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! The great reviews about Chas Rooney may be true, but he is not training you dog, his kids are. He needs to update the website and tell people the claims he makes about training are no longer him. DO NOT GO THERE! Believe me, it will be scary and a waste of your money. She hurt her own dog. read more

My dog was staring death in the eye. Before Dog's Best Friend, with Chas Rooney, she was unpredictable, aggressive towards other dogs, and apparently some men. Chas whipped her into shape quick. Before going here, she lunged at other dogs. Walks were an absolute nightmare. Even if they are small or medium sized, they have a lot of strength. After the first session of one on one training, I was able to see that she could be handled. I just needed to learn how to do it. He taught me how to handle her when we come across a strange dog. Usually the little ones would set her off because of the barking. She doesn't like that. Once she passed her one on ones, she moved onto group. This was the best experience for her because she was around other aggressive dogs and learned how to act. I needed that training myself, so I knew what to recognize what sets her off, whether she made too much eye contact or some dog came too close. I'd give a lttle tug on the leash, and her focus would be on me again. It's a controlled environment, and if you have a reactive dog, this is the best place you can be. Not all dogs there were aggressive, some were friendly puppies, and the people that go there realize that not all dogs are friendly! Everyone should know this. It's a great place for friendly dogs and aggressive dogs. You learn how to handle them so if you are ever in a situation, you know how to react. I've been in those situations, and they are very scary. All I can do is hope the other person gets their dog as I walk mine away. I recommend Dog's Best Friend 100%. I'm not sure what would've happened to her without this training, but I can probably guess. read more

I just want to add that because of Chas I now have a certified service dog who now goes with me every where. I am a very picky owner so there fore Xenas training will continue for a while because I expect a much better dog than average especially for going out in public. I had a bad day today so my instinct was to call Chas and talk to him about it. I'm sure he was busy but he too the time to talk with me about what happened with Xena and how I need to fix it and then he explained it to me on which one to start with first. I felt better when I was done listening and talking because he made sense and remind me Xena is only 2! I can't understand why these people on here with bad reviews have them. YOUR DOGS are not going to break they will not hate you and you are not going to hurt them. Hey if you want to have bad dogs or dogs that pretend to be good dogs until they bite then by all means be immature and run to the next trainer who uses treats to make your dog fat! Don't worry this is just my opinion and honestly I stopped carrying a long time ago because my issues gave me no choice! Chas is the ONLY TRAINER I WILL EVER GO T and when his kids Samantha and Tristan take over I will be honored to give them a chance to be able to stay with them. Chas is a fantastic trainer who intermingles with all of his clients and talks with us like friends not just people who pay the bills. I have been to some places where the things they do is just weird and there is no interaction. Puppies learn with clickers and treat, no good rewards like GOOD BOY GOOD GIRL WHAT A GOOD JOB and stuff like that. read more

I enrolled my dog, Messi, a Coton du Tulear, in Chas Rooney's training program when he was just four months old. Before I even drove to Apostle Island to pick him up from the breeder, I researched trainers and interviewed them on the phone and in person. During my conversation with Chas at his home, I was impressed by his experience, his deep understanding of dog psychology, and his passion for his work. Chas is assisted by his two adult children, a son and a daughter, to whom he has passed on both his passion and his knowledge. The three Rooneys are all very professional, but at the same time, friendly and approachable. They take a sensible and logical but no-nonsense approach to teaching owners how to train their dogs to be obedient while remaining happy and active. The Rooneys are quite clear on precisely what owners need to do to achieve their individualized training goals. They are not shy about letting you know what you are doing wrong, but are equally quick to praise what you are doing right. They have a genuine love of dogs and this is reflected in their compassionate yet strict approach that involves immediate correction, but also lots of positive reinforcement. Their whole approach reflects a well thought out philosophy of how to train a dog without negatively affecting his spirit or personality. Messi and I began with a series of private lessons and then "graduated" to group lessons with other dogs and their owners. These lessons - and the daily one half hour homework - have molded my happy but undisciplined puppy into a happy, affectionate dog who LISTENS. read more

Although I have been positively thrilled with the success we have had with Dog's Best Friend, I wanted to wait until our last class was over before giving a review. We found out about Dog's Best Friend through our neighbor who had used their services ten years ago. After talking and meeting with Chas and Tristan we decided to do their Platinum Package. This course involves 5 private and 11 group lessons. The private lesson are designed to teach us and the group lessons are used for us to practice the skills learned privately. Before being allowed to progress to our group lessons our dog was tested and evaluated to determine if she and us were capable of handling a group setting (8 dogs and up to 16 people). Everyone is thankful for this because it means that nobody will be bringing a potentially disruptive or problematic dog into a group. Over the 5 months it took us to go from start to finish we have watched our clumsy, overly friendly puppy become a calm and controlled young adult that we can take anywhere. There were ups and downs throughout, but with the help of Chas, Tristan, and Samantha they were always able to walk us through and give us great advise. I recommend this place to anybody with a dog. Get the training. Get the education. It is a lifetime investment that you will be happy you made. read more

My boxer started showing signs of aggression a couple of years ago, so I sought advice from a dog trainer I knew and trusted. Over the next couple of months his aggression escalated to the point that the trainer gave up on my dog. After extensive research on dog trainers and a reference from my VET, I decided on Dog's Best Friend. My dog had aggression towards other dogs and people, but most of his aggression was geared towards me. He was untrustworthy; our once untainted relationship was completely broken over years of misguided dog training... After the first couple of lessons with Dog's Best Friend, I could already see a difference in my dog's behavior. It's been 5 months, 10 private lessons and 6 group and my dog hasn't shown any signs of aggression towards me or other people in the last couple of months. He's a happier, friendlier dog and I feel like I can start trusting him again. Something I never would have thought possible six months ago. I can't thank Dog's Best Friend enough for everything they've done for me and my dog. I would recommend them to anyone, whether you have an aggressive dog or just a puppy that needs obedience training. I wouldn't trust any other dog trainer except Chas and his kids. read more

Tonight was our last lesson of the 16 lesson Platinum Package. I am so happy we trained our dog when she was a puppy with Dog's Best Friend for many reasons. First and foremost, we now have a 7 month old dog that listens to myself and my 2 teenage daughters both on and off leash, inside and outside. Chas, Tristan, and Samantha are wonderful at their jobs and are constantly testing, teaching, and interacting with us and the other customers in a way that is very conducive to learning and success. I loved the fact that they honestly show great concern in not only how we are doing with our dog but in our lives in general. Tristan has never failed to ask us how our weekend has gone or what we have planned for the following weekend. Chas is constantly cracking jokes and telling us little life stories all the while testing us on our ability to be focused and aware of our dog. Samantha is a bowl of energy who is always testing us and pushing us to greater levels. They truly do offer so much to their business and their customers. We have already signed up for the 12 lesson group add on to get us through the fall and into the winter. By next summer I want a dog as well trained as Lily, Chas's border collie. read more

This is an initial review as we are only part of the way through our training. I will update after we have completed all 16 lessons. I have a 3 1/2 year old boxer/lab named Bo. He is a very sweet dog that listened pretty well, or so I thought. He got attacked by a dog about a year ago. Ever since then, he has become aggressive towards other dogs. Not all dogs, but some. I went to DBF because I need his aggression issues resolved. Bo is the rep for a charity I run and I need him to be great around other dogs. After our first lesson, I learned that Chas and his son aren't training Bo, they are training me to train Bo. This has allowed for Bo to listen and respond to me and my commands. Bo started responding to the positive training almost instantly. We do the homework that Chas gives and it has made Bo respond to the lessons much faster. I really like that they don't use, or encourage to use, prong or shock collars. I'm not against them if the situation requires it, but I'm glad they use that as a last resort. We haven't gotten to any of the aggression training yet, but so far, I am very pleased with the training I have been given. read more

We have a 100lb Alaskan Malamute that we have been struggling with training on our own. We made mistakes as owners by simply removing our dog from situations that we didn't feel comfortable with or we thought we were making it easy on everyone AND our dog by putting him outside when other people were around, to stop him from becoming aggressive towards people. We now know that we handled the situation completely backwards. 7 training sessions in , I am pleased to say that our Max is a new dog. We love the fact that they are actually training US to train our dog. We do think it's important to know and understand that when we are told that our dog is acting the way he is, is because of us. This is EXACTLY right on. Now that my dog is in the process of being trained. I can tell the way he reacts to me, and my actions. He looks to me to know how he should react and how he will be allowed to react to situations. So many things we did incorrectly, I now see what needs to be done and I feel I understand a lot more how my dog thinks and reacts. My only regret is that we didn't take our dog to Chas and Tristan when we first had issues. J. read more

Our association with Chas Rooney (Dog's Best Friend) began 30 years ago and he has trained all of our dogs since. The biggest benefit is that not only is the dog trained, but he shows the owners how to continue the training between lessons. Yes, it's a lot of work, but worth every minute. My favorite dog story could have had a very different ending if not for the training from Dog's Best Friend. Our dog, Bert, had completed his training (3rd dog trained by Dog's Best Friend). We were visiting friends in a rural area & I was talked into letting Bert off leash. He immediately took off up their driveway and headed towards the highway and was out of sight in seconds. I hollered "front" (twice) & was just about to run after Bert when he came flying back down the driveway & fronted perfectly!!! Even after over 15 years, I get very emotional to the point of tearing up whenever I tell this story. We moved out of the West Allis area several years ago & tried 2 local trainers for our current dog, Louie, before deciding we needed to return to Dog's Best Friend. read more

I originally went to Dog's Best Friend with the family dog as a teenager. Now, as an adult, I took my golden retriever puppy, Loopy. Much has changed and much has stayed the same, all for the good though. First of all, the owner's children are also all grown up and they now do a wonderful job. He is in the process of retiring in 2017 and they are inheriting the business. My parent's dog was so wonderfully trained and I was happy to find out that they still offer the Platinum Course of 5 private and 11 group lessons that we did 17 years ago. Loopy initially started privately so that her and I could gain some control, but once the trainers felt she and I were ready they introduced us into the group lessons. The entire course took just over 5 month and my 8 week old puppy is now 7 months old. I am happy to say she now listens to me off leash outside. I still have work to do so I added another 12 lesson group course but I am certain she will be just as well trained as my parent's dog. read more

I am a married woman and I have been going to Chas for about a year now. My daughter and I take our 2 Saint Bernards to private lessons and like the Malamute owner, we did some major things wrong when our pups started having issues. They have improved dramatically now with Chas' techniques and one even went camping SUCCESSFULLY last weekend! I also take my young Saint Bernard to Chas for both private and group lessons and I have never felt uncomfortable in any way. My husband loves the results with both of our dogs and actually feels I am not wasting my money! With other training I had tried before Dog's Best Friend, my husband constantly asked "what are we paying for?" Chas always says that "your dog is not trained until he/she does what you want them to do when THEY don't want to." I still have a ways to go with our dogs, but they are getting closer to that mark :) read more

This is our 2nd dog trained by the best dog trainers!! My first dog was trained by Chas and he did a perfect job turning my aggressive dog into a well behaved perfect dog to have as a pet!! I have had dogs that don't listen don't know how to come and run out the front door every chance she had!! And WOW is it wonderful to have a dog that listens to you!! We just got another dog, Louie who was very scared and aggressive in a different way, and Louie needed to be trained also. So my first call was to Dogs best Friend. Samantha is training Louie and it has only been 3 wks and already my dog has learned so much. He is not aggressive anymore, he listens, sit means sit, come means come!! He even rings a bell to go outside!! I am so greatful I have found Dogs best friend. Thank you for all that you do for our pets!!! read more

I took my one year old labradoodle to Chas when his leash aggression was becoming worse and he was becoming bigger and stronger. Hunter has improved immensely since attending sessions at Dogs Best Friend. The private sessions helped get him focused especially with heeling and staying. The group sessions have helped him become less fearful. Last weekend I was able to walk him around Wagfest without any issues and he heeled perfectly on his sensation harness. I never would have been able to do that a few months ago!! We have more work to do, but as a team Hunter and I have made great strides.Thank you Chas and family for providing these excellent training experiences. Your knowledge and experience with all different types of dogs is clearly evident. Best dog training experience I have had with many dogs, hands down!! read more

So I have been waiting to write a review to Dogs Best Friend as my dog is still going through training. I feel that after reading the comment below I should chime in as my dog is a very aggressive dog and we have been working with Dogs Best Friend for some time now. To start, I have a young lab that hadn't been trained to do anything. He was insanely aggressive towards other dogs and was to say the least an "embarrassment" to take on walks or be around other dogs. Dogs Best Friend will not only help train your dog, he trains YOU to work with your dog. Dogs Best Friend uses positive training methods, I can not stress this enough. I can say that after 10 private lessons and about half way through group my lab is a whole a new dog. He is far beyond what I had hoped for by the end of training. read more

Living off campus at Marquette, I thought it would be good to get a dog for protective reasons. Unfortunately my dog developed aggressive tenancies towards everyone. I called Dog's Best Friend and was instantly in touch with a trainer (unlike other facilities I called where I left a message and did not receive a call back for over a day or more). They scheduled a free assessment for me the very same day and explained in detail what I was experiencing and why. I signed up for the 16 lesson package and can say that I am very pleased with the results. My dog can now be around other people and dogs (although I am still cautious), and I am able to have company in my house again. I would recommend Dog's Best Friend to anybody, especially if you are concerned about the temperament of your dog. read more

This is our second time around with Dogs Best Friend. Our first dog was a Papillion, he was very difficult and aggressive. The training we received as well as in which the dog received 8 years ago, allowed us to have a very obedient and fun dog that was well-adjusted. This dog has since passed away and we are on our second dog. We immediately took him into training. He is a rescue dog and is mildly aggressive, with a few other issues. Our training thus far has made a great difference in socializing him, as well as making him part of the family. We have had other training in the past, but Dog's Best Friend has made the biggest improvement in which you can actually see the difference week to week. If you want results and a better insight into your dog...check out Dog's Best Friend read more

Chas is amazing! Bella, our mix breed dog was scared of anything and in fear she could bite. He recommended private lessons with a few group lessons also. The first private was to assess our needs. He works with each dog as an individual. Then recommends which training would be the best. The first lessons were a little tough and we didn't see much of a change. He would always recommend different ways to change with new thoughts to help us. We are near the end of our training and she is now doing new things, such as running through tunnels and walking a small beam. I never thought she would be capable of doing if not for Chas. Thank you. I would highly recommend it. It does take work on your half but wait until you see the change. It will amaze you!!!! read more

We contacted Dog's Best Friend after Hawley, our 185 pound Old English Mastiff, started showing signs of aggression. I will admit that initially I thought that I could handle the problem. I read a few books and did some research on the internet. I could not have been more wrong. The problem continued to get worse. Samantha instantly knew where the problem was, what to do, but most importantly she took the time to explain to us what we would need to do. It has been six months and I can proudly say that we have had no growling or incidents in the past four months. My advise to anyone out there, don't think you can do this on your own because you read an article or a blog. Go to Samantha. She will get things back on track. read more