The Canine Club of Chicago and their 4 week Board and Train program. Sending our Labrador…read moreRetriever, Goose, here was one of the best decisions we have ever made for him and for our family.
Before training, everyday life with Goose could honestly be exhausting. He is a loving, amazing dog, but he had so much energy and very little impulse control. Walks were a struggle because of pulling and getting overly excited by everything around him. He would have a hard time settling down, listening when distracted, holding commands, and understanding when it was time to be calm. We found ourselves constantly repeating commands, correcting the same behaviors, and feeling like Goose was running the household instead of us being able to simply enjoy him.
The difference after four weeks is incredible.
Goose came home still having the same happy, goofy personality we love, but now he has structure, confidence, patience, and an understanding of what is expected of him. His leash walking has completely changed. Instead of being dragged around or constantly fighting for his attention, we can actually enjoy peaceful walks together. His obedience around distractions is on another level. His place command has been life changing in the house, especially when guests come over, food is being prepared, or we simply need him to relax. His recall, sit, down, stay, overall engagement, and ability to settle have improved tremendously.
What impressed us most is that this was not about turning Goose into a robot. He is still Goose. He is still playful, affectionate, excited, and full of personality. He just finally understands how to control himself and communicate with us.
Raza's passion for dogs and training is obvious from the moment you speak with him. He genuinely cares about the dogs in his program and takes pride in producing real results, not just teaching a few tricks for a video. He took the time to understand Goose as an individual dog and worked through the behaviors that were actually making our daily life difficult.
The communication throughout the program was another huge reason we had such a great experience. We felt comfortable knowing how Goose was doing and could see the progress being made. The team was professional, knowledgeable, patient, and clearly invested in his success.
The go home experience was also extremely valuable because they did not just hand us a trained dog and send us on our way. They showed us how to communicate with Goose, how to maintain his training, and how to continue building on everything he learned. That part made us feel confident that the results would actually carry over into our everyday life.
A Board and Train program is definitely an investment, and we thought seriously about it before enrolling Goose. After seeing the results, I can genuinely say it was worth every penny. The quality of life improvement alone has been priceless. We are able to take Goose more places, enjoy walks, have people over, relax at home, and include him in our lives without constantly worrying about what behavior we are going to have to manage next.
The biggest change is that we are finally able to enjoy our dog instead of constantly struggling with our dog.
If you are considering The Canine Club of Chicago and wondering whether the 4 week Board and Train is worth it, our experience with Goose is an absolute yes. The results exceeded our expectations, the communication was excellent, and you can tell Raza and his team truly care about what they do.
Thank you to Raza and everyone at The Canine Club of Chicago for giving us an even better version of the dog we already loved. The difference this program has made in our home and in our relationship with Goose has honestly been life changing.
