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    NorthShore Canine Academy

    5.0 (73 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Services - NorthShore Canine Academy

    Private dog training

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    Sophia H.

    Sophie was so gentle and kind with my little 5 pound poodle. I was really impressed by her approach. I'm really looking forward to applying all the tips and tricks she shared to make him more comfortable around strangers and around my 6 month old baby.

    Don't let these innocent faces fools you.
    Clarissa L.

    Just worked with Sophie with my two rescues. Sophie was so easy to work with, very communicative and responsive. She really does focus on rewarding the positive and setting dogs up for success. I felt really comfortable asking for her advice and expertise, which she offered in a very nonjudgmental and helpful way. I feel hopeful and ready to support my two pups, to decrease their reactivity and my feelings of overwhelm. Having been told by another trainer that one of my dogs was too much of a liability because of his bite history and behavior, I'm so thankful I found Sophie and now feel I have many new tools and strategies to try.

    Sophie was the best trainer we've ever used. She used only positive reinforcement, helped with our dog's pulling as well as his leash aggression. She arrived with many toys and treats, and my dog adored her. The whole session was so much fun for him. TINO weighs 110 lbs. and I've had trainers "ghost" me, because of his size and energy level. Nothing daunted Sophie. She helped us with his leash reactivity as well. I highly recommend her.

    Bob A.

    We adopted a 10-month old mini-Aussie who came with a few behavioral issues, one being aggression toward strangers. It was amazing that Sophie was able to establish a rapport with Spencer within the first few minutes of meeting him and immediately gain his trust. She has a scary, almost wordless way to communicate with our dog that seems to border on telepathy. It is very impressive. A half hour into the first session, Sophie had Spencer figuring out for himself what was expected from him in certain situations. She also helped us deal with Spencer's aggression in one specific setting that turned what could have been a nightmare into a very pleasant dining experience. Still a ways to go, but there's no doubt that her ability to connect with dogs makes Sophie one of the best we've ever seen. Highly recommend.

    Good boy, Beau :)

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    1 year ago

    Sophie gave me some great gentle training tips and methods for my puppy. Highly recommend.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Sophie is so sweet and very knowledgeable! Our puppy has already shown vast improvements after only one session. Highly recommended!

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    2 years ago

    Sophie was great with our puppy and taught us some wonderful tricks to teach him crate training, housebreaking, and teething training!

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    3 years ago

    Sophie is so great with our hyper bernadoodle puppy. Morty is so improved even in just one hour. Highly recommend Sophie to everyone!

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    Business owner information

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    Sophie A.

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    Sophie A.

    Krista, you're such a star, and congratulations on the new baby!!!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - NorthShore Canine Academy

    Review Highlights - NorthShore Canine Academy

    We used Sophie again, now for our second puppy and she is absolutely brilliant (nod to her British heritage)!

    Mentioned in 71 reviews

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    Rover’s Place

    Rover’s Place

    (54 reviews)

    Today I had my 13-year old Havanese groomed at Rover's Place, and I'm thrilled…read more After a brutal groom at Wags on Willow (reviewed separately), our vet suggested Rover's, and I'm so glad. My senior dog can't take epic grooming sessions, and her hair was choppy and uneven after her last groom. Her ears and tail had been weirdly shaved, and I wasn't sure we'd be able to make her look normal again during her lifetime. The staff at Rover's is friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. The groomer we saw today has been grooming for 18 years, and had my sweet pup groomed in 45 minutes--and it's the best cut she's had in years. She did what she could to round out her ears, and to help set her up with a cut she can grow back into and look like herself again. My dog is fluffy, soft, adorable, and HAPPY! As a side note, all of the groomers there today were being so warm and friendly with the dogs in their care. I even saw one groomer sitting on the floor keeping a dog company while it waited for its owner. We will be going to Rover's for our grooming from now on!!

    The staff have been great and the facility is clean however the ratio of dogs to humans can be too…read moreextreme. On more than one occasion We have seen one person trying to manage 15+ large dogs. It's often too many for him or her to control. One family member compared Rover's Place to a shelter because the dogs are put into crates more often than they should be. Our dog enjoys going to Rover's Place, finds ways to have fun with the other dogs and comes home tired however, we were hoping that there would be additional open space for the dogs to run around.

    Found Chicago Boarding and Training Center - Down & Stays by Park Revere on an outdoor exposure walk

    Found Chicago Boarding and Training Center

    (266 reviews)

    North Center

    If I could give more stars, I absolutely would! We brought our 8-month-old puppy to Found, and he…read morehad the BEST experience in PupStart+. While every aspect of the program was fantastic, two things really stood out. First, the team genuinely cares about every dog--it's clear in everything they do. Second, this wasn't just a training experience for our puppy; it was a learning experience for us as owners, too. As first-time puppy owners, they gave us the skills and confidence we needed, and the progress our puppy made was incredible. We can now take him places and truly enjoy the experience. We initially signed up for six weeks but extended it by three more because of how much progress he was making--and because we knew the impact would be long-lasting. We're even planning to bring him back this summer for additional off-leash training (and because we're pretty sure he misses it!). I can't say enough positive things about the facilities, the staff, and the level of care they provide. They're always available to answer questions and show a genuine investment in each dog's success. It's also such a relief to have found a place we trust for boarding and grooming. Thank you, Found, for everything--you've truly changed our lives and our puppy's life!!

    Found is Penny's home away from home. They create programming that works for each individual dog,…read morerather then a one-size-fits-all approach. Penny gets socialization, training, and exercise at Found, but she's never over worked or over simulated when she gets home. I feel safe leaving Penny there to be boarded during longer trips, and her daycare routine means she gets variety in her week. We both love Found!

    Suburban K9 Dog Training - Odie (left), now ~13 years old and Pico (right) now ~16-17 years old. None of us would have made it this far without Suburban K 9

    Suburban K9 Dog Training

    (42 reviews)

    I left a really comprehensive review so I'm not sure why Yelp is asking again... but long story…read moreshort: 2 chihuahuas that were rescued from out of state - and complete terrors. Suburban K9 changed our lives with 1 week of in-home training. It was pricey but these two have been living their best lives ever since - and so have their parents

    It was a hard decision to let our 4 month old Iggy pup go to someone for 2 full weeks of board and…read moretrain, especially after falling so hard for our little guy named Kenny Beans! After speaking with several training programs, visiting some, and prayerfully considering what the right choice should be Madi Potts helped make our choice easy. Before we would trust anyone with our little 7.5 lb boy, we had to get a sense of one's heart. My husband and I were not looking for someone who could simply "control dogs" or "make them obey commands". We wanted someone who had a heart for dogs to have better lives with structure, less fear, and longevity due to possibilities that came with what training offered. My first inquiry call with Madi was pretty long, if I recall right. She was patient, understanding of my many questions, and willing to talk as long as I needed to feel she was safe to go to next step with. We started with a 90 min at home training session to see first hand and understand how she would personally be as a trainer with Beans. That training was stressful and also a relief as we believed we found the right person to entrust our boy to. When the day came for him to be picked up, both my husband and I were crying. It wasn't just about trusting a new person to take care of Beans, it was also the resurfaced grief of losing our whippet girl of 11 years just a few months prior. The "what ifs" where overwhelming, but we agreed we were moving forward. Madi also saw our "anguish" if you want to call it that. She quickly said she typically doesn't give an update for the first 24-48 hours but she would update us that evening. To her word, we got a picture of beans at the park and our hearts settled a bit. Throughout the two weeks, Madi was wonderful about keeping us up to date and answering questions as needed or as we annoyed her (lol we might have been a little over the top haha) She never hesitated to share and ensure our boy was learning, and struggling in some areas, but overall doing great. Now that he is back with us, we have already had one of our follow up appointments and are so thankful Madi was who helped us with Beans. He was so happy to see her and made her say goodbye before leaving (even though he was supposed to "stay", lol). Training is still a ongoing work daily, Beans still doesn't love his crate but is accepting he is safe and it's ok to not see us 24/7 (Italian greyhounds are Velcro dogs to the max!) This was an emotional, time, and financial investment that we continue to place priority on. I know many will say do not board and train an Iggy, but for our family, giving him and us the tools to have a successful life together was important. We did our due diligence and don't regret our decision. Actually we are extremely grateful we found Madi and Suburban K9. When she left after our last follow up session she looked at Beans, gave him a scratch and said "I love you". I have no doubt she does, for that I am thankful. It is my hope everyone will find someone as knowledgeable and kind hearted toward an animals as Madi is. Thank you Suburban K9 for helping us learn puppy manners with Madi. We are forever grateful. Mike, Heather, and Kenny the Bean Davis Las Vegas Nevada

    Who's the Boss Dog Training

    Who's the Boss Dog Training

    (27 reviews)

    Fred is absolutely fantastic! He'll teach YOU how to give…read moreyour dog everything they need to be the good boy or girl you always knew that they could be! The best part is that these skills you'll learn are applicable to every dog you'll have for the rest of your life. This is next level stuff here. This is premium training and worth every penny! This is not for the inactive pet owner. This isn't a passive program. This only works if you're ready to put in the time and effort to retrain YOURSELF on how to lead your best friend to their best self. Don't cheat yourself or your dog. Put in the investment and save yourself a lifetime of frustration and potential liability. Call Fred Today!

    I've never received so many text messages insulting me and my wife and calling me an "idiot,"…read more"fool" or "moron" in my life. I've had breakups that didn't have this much drama. We hired Fred to work our pitbull. She was difficult on walks and didn't always obey commands. Right off the bat, we got a bad vibe from him. During our first phone conversation, he asked a series of questions about my dog, claiming that he didn't need to even meet her and would know all he needed to based solely on my answers. Hence, if I wasn't sure about something or if I didn't have the information he was asking for because I didn't know or the shelter hadn't said anything to us, he would belittle me or be sarcastic, asking me how I couldn't possibly know the answer. Despite our misgivings, we decided to hire him for 12 sessions. During our first training session, our dog tried to attack him because he insisted on seeing how she would react if he tried to come into our backyard without an invitation. I panicked seeing her reaction and decided to fall in line, even after he insulted me and yelled at me for not being able to control my dog (even though he was the one provoking her) and threatened to quit. Looking back, I should have known better. Most dogs are not going to like someone trying come in uninvited, right? And maybe she sensed he wasn't a nice person and reacted accordingly. We've had plenty of people come to the house and she's been fine with them. Only Fred provoked that reaction. Go figure. But we were willing to give him a try since he claimed to have over 20 years of experience. And believe me, he leans on that 20 year thing hard. If you don't do things exactly as he tells you, he will criticize and belittle you. His methods have been described as "archaic" by our subsequent trainer, and really boil down to making you show dominance over your dog. He had me jab, knee and even kick my dog, saying that she could take it. My dog is tough, no question, but I felt uncomfortable doing this. Fred can be confusing with his teachings. He says that you have to be calm at all times since dogs pick up on emotions and will be tense if you are. But then he will constantly criticize you or question your commitment that one can't help but get stressed. He has cut short or cancelled sessions if he believed I was "projecting negative energy." And for someone who preaches consistency, he can be erratic when it comes to scheduling. Often, I would get a text on short notice asking if I could do a session later that day. Sometimes I could do it, but sometimes I couldn't. Sometimes, I would see him two times in a week. Other times, I would go weeks before hearing from him. He tried to do some instruction via video, which consisted of me recording him during a lesson and then recording myself and my wife doing the same thing. He blew up at us for not following his instructions to the letter and spent about 15 minutes berating me over the phone. He seems to think that I should have just been able to take it in stride, but he doesn't seem to understand that we hired him to be a teacher, not a bully. Fred seems to honestly believe that he is the only person in the entire universe that can help you. That's not hyperbole. He constantly criticizes people who train dogs differently, badmouthing their techniques and saying that they don't work. He kept me line by warning me that he was the only person who could stop my dog from snapping and doing something horrible. And he always belittled my dog, saying that she was mentally disturbed or unbalanced. I don't doubt that she's potentially dangerous (hence why we hired him), but keeping me on edge around my own dog would not seem to be compatible with his central tenet of being calm all of the time. Finally, after about five sessions or so, we decided to go in a different direction and he reacted like a spurned lover, sending me pages and pages of poorly-written text messages that were riddled with insults (when I stopped engaging with him, he even started texting my WhatsApp account to insult me some more). We had pre-paid for 12 lessons and he refused to refund us the balance of our money, despite previously offering to do so when he wasn't pleased with my effort. He even claimed that people like me were making him reconsider whether he even wanted to keep doing this. I mean, if he's having those kinds of doubts about something that he's devoted more than 20 years to and claims to love, then it makes you wonder what his commitment level really is. He wouldn't stop texting me, even after I stopped engaging with him. Two weeks after we broke things off, I received yet another message from him calling me a moron, so I had to block his number and warn him not to contact me again. And, of course, he sent all of those messages despite the fact that I told him he could keep my money. I just wanted to be done with him. So for those of you who still want to hire him, good luck to you.

    NorthShore Canine Academy - pet_training - Updated June 2026

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