I have two pups; a pitbull/America bull dog mix and a German shepherd/pit bull mix. I got them both around the same time and put them both in bootcamp for three weeks and went through the group training that went with that at the time. I don't want to brag, but...my dogs are VERY well behaved. And it's not just me...I get compliments ALL the time on how good they are, how well they listen and walk, and how they even know sign language. Having two bully breeds my life could have been so much more challenging had they not got properly trained so I'm glad that things worked out so well. read more

BUYERS BEWARE!! 12 years ago I hired Toriano to train my German Shepard. She learned a ton of great things. Toriano agreed to barter dollar for dollar with myself/company to do hardscaping in exchange. We agreed to have my employees 2-3 stay at his place because the commute was too far for my crew and shop. When it came time for the work to start Toriano decided to change the agreement and terms. He demanded that my top employees submit their information to him so he could do a background check. (This wasn't apart of the agreement/contract we had upon signing) He refused my guys staying with him. The job ended up costing way more due to this inconvenience. I told him that since he changed the agreement that he owes me $3500 to cover my costs). He never paid and I got screwed. Toriano promised to get my dog certified which also never happened. His price was too steep given these factors... Fast forward... My wife and I hired Toriano and his company to train our newest member of our family. Toriano promised us it would take 8 weeks. He told us he will get her certified in Therapy. It took him an additional 4 weeks in training and never got her certified. My wife and I were pissed because not only did he make false promises but also demanded that we pay for the extra time it took to get our dog trained and food he supposedly supplied. We couldn't pick up our dog until the balance was paid in full. He's made several promises and absolutely No follow through. (We were on vacation the time our pup was there.) When our dog was there longer than expected Toriano said he couldn't get her certification because we were picking her up early. Mind you he forced us to pay him the extra month it took for training instead of it being on his business to eat. 2022 - my friend was looking to hire someone to train her dogs. I told her about Toriano the good and bad. She decided to give him a try and do something at her house instead of boarding. Toriano quoted her after coming out to see the pup $7500 for one week. She could afford it but thought that was too much for someone without overhead expenses as this is what he'd charge when having overhead. Toriano business partner send my friend a text offering 50% off the price quoted to earn her business. She declined because it appeared that because she's a female that they we're trying to pull a fast one on her. Why wouldn't they have just offered this in the beginning?? Just shady business. I've heard this nonsense from a few people I referred to him and his company. He only hires people that he can 1099 so he's not responsible for actual payroll and laws. However he sets time of operation and makes the 1099's obied by the Illinois laws of an employee. Now we have our dogs trained out by us. We found out that certification for dogs aren't for every dog as Toriano said. False promises, false agreements or claims. We all who have experienced this don't trust him. SAVE YOURSELF THE HEADACHES AND TAKE YOUR DOGS- MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE!! read more

I've seen him first hand as well. FILING A FORMA\L COMPLAINT. I'm not saying it's not for you. But I +am+ saying I am not happy with how he treated me, my dog, and our training needs. read more

Wolfkeeper University - We know when to say, "Z"! - Pet Training Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I know Toriano since 2013 he trained my dog and trained him very good. I was amazed to see how my dog behaved after few classes with Tory. Omg he is number 1 trainer I ever new, he changed our life, now we enjoy having our stafford shire terrier. My dog does all commands that he was tought to, I think either my dog is super smart or Tory made him supper smart. read more

Wolfkeeper University - My many is Max. I have been trained by Toriano. Yaaa!! - Pet Training Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

SSDT is an excellent option for folks who are serious about producing a sociable, obedient dog. I met the lead trainer Toriano Sanzone through a friend, and my girlfriend and I have been working with the SSDT about once a week since we got Otis. Otis is a 5 1/2 month old Cane Corso with a very sweet temperament but we also know that in a couple of years he could weigh up to 150 pounds. Accordingly, getting him obedience trained wasn't really option it was a necessity and we took this into account when we chose SSDT because they came highly recommended for big breeds (and small and medium breeds too, as we would come to find out). Classes come in a number of formats, but our favorite has been the group sessions because we get to expose Otis to other dogs of all breeds and sizes, with a professional observing and telling us what behavior means what. Corso's have the reputation of being rather suspicious and without the proper amount of socialization, they can become guarded and overly protective which can result in aggression. This was our greatest fear when we got Otis and I think SSDT deserves the credit for bringing my once fearful and suspicious puppy out of his shell and turning him into the "happy to meet you, what can I do for you?" dog we have today. Otis loves people, other dogs and children. He's not too rough or too timid. I have several small children in my family and I've had four of them at one time crawling all over him, tugging at ears, lips, etc. Otis doesn't just tolerate it, he seems to enjoy it. At 5 1/2 months old, Otis has mastered practically all the basic commands and is even getting some more advanced stuff down like heel under his belt. I recently took Otis on vacation to the Wilds of Pennsylvania where he got his first taste of the woods (and off leash time) without any incidents. He listens well which I attribute to games in SSDT classes. There were deer trails and other critters in the woods and, like the pigeons here in Chicago and though they definitely get his attention, a firm "no" prevents him from taking off after them. Long story I feel very confident in my dog, and that allows me to really enjoy him. Toriano's approach is very hands on, specifically his "puppy yoga" technique, which we try to do with Otis every day. This has really kept Otis loose and used to being touched. But I think what really won me over with SSDT is that the program isn't just about teaching my dog, it's about teaching my girlfriend and I how to teach and interact with our new dog--sort of like the old teach a man to fish adage. This has proven far more valuable. Beyond that, I can't really express what an encyclopedia of knowledge Toriano is about dogs. When we first got Otis, it seemed everybody and their mother had an opinion about caring for him and they were all different: what to feed him, how to bath him, how to interact with him, what time to walk him and, we soon found that the only common denominator amongst all this advice was that whatever you are doing at that moment was wrong and there advice was the best and only way. Toriano is the type of person who wants to explain to you why he's doing the things he does when training but also doesn't neglect that there are many paths up a mountain. He's very sensitive to the dogs needs but at the same time, he doesn't overly personify the dogs, which is something I feel can be quite damaging to a dog's education/demeanor. Regarding this last point, I've read some bad press about Toriano, which I can't really speak to other than to say that from what I have read it looks like a personal issue rather than professional while the other charges (there is a youtube video out there that I had to watch like six times to see what these trolls were talking about) seem hypersensitive bordering on absurd. There is certainly no abuse or maltreatment going on at SSDV from what I can see. So if you're that kind of dog owner who knows a dog is a dog and wants to produce a well adjusted, well trained one (comes when you call him, no whining, no biting, no habits people generally find annoying) I would say this school is a safe bet. read more

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It's been a whole year since Toriano(so called trained our dog) and to this day, he was NOT trained whatsoever! We paid him $6,000! We were ripped off by this so called trainer! Our dog learned NOTHING from this man except when he first came home, he was timid (my guess by the trainer's confinement). I would NEVER recommend a single second of this man's so called training! He claims your dog will be certified after his training. And, that NEVER happened. My guess is because our dog would have surely FAILED. He had teenagers trying to train our dog!! Is that worth $6,000? We were trust worthy because he was highly recommended by a co-worker. We feel our dog was kept in a basement caged until we arrived and then he would let our dog out to show us each time, how to walk with the dog. That's it!!! He had our dog for 6 weeks!!!! We were lied to about the fact that our house is on the corner and he has experience with dogs escaping and attacking individuals. He kept saying that because of his experience, dogs that are on corner lots, it's a lot more dangerous! We were lied to from day one. I wouldn't trust this individual with my stuffed animal! We were ripped off and I feel like pay back will be due to this man and I pray it's double to what he's done to us. We feel very stupid because we trusted a man who had great reasons for us to allow him to take our dog and train him. Our dog at the time, was biting me and my husband and so we were desperate and Toriano knew this and took advantage us big time!! PLEASE do not allow yourself to be victimized by this man! read more

I would have given Dopa Dogs and Toriano a good review however, I have not been given a refund and the status remains precarious. I have to file a small claims complaint in court :( Gave Toriano $800 to get a dog for us, the dog we purchased, a cute boxer was verrrrrry sick, he was the mutt at a kennel Toriano knew of. Well, we brought the dog home, he was so ill with kennel cough and various other respiratory infections we had to take him back to Dopa Dogs. Assuming Toriano would keep his word we waited for our check to be mailed. Well, it is 2 years later, I am out the $800 for the dog, $200 for the veterinarian and have to take a day off work to file my complaint in small claims court. I am very dissatisfied with the dishonesty and general lack of communication with Dopa Dogs. Excuses after excuses about sending the payment.. BAD BUSINESS ETHICS :( BAD EXPERIENCE read more

So today is day one after completing the wolf keeper boot camp. We just completed our first walk through the park. I must say that this is the most relaxing walk I've ever had with Mr Luther Vandross. We walked for about an hour through a park and there was no pulling. That was impossible prior to the training. He was able to sit and stay when people walked or ran by. That is priceless because he is so big that people are scared of him. Before boot camp,  he would try to jump and play with them. Because he is so big, people would automatically assume he was trying to attack. Throughout the walk we also worked on sit, stay, down and come. Which he did all of them almost perfect! Without wolfkeeper I don't know what I would have done. I could not control my dog on walks. They are truly a lifesaver. Luther Vandross and I thank you! read more

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If you want your pet to be treated cruelly and kept in an unclean, awful environment, then bring your dog here. This guy wants your money, nothing more. I can't stress enough that letting your dog stay with this trainer is endangering your pet. Just saw the response written. I most definitely am NOT a former worker for Rover's Place. There was a boarding facility in West Chicago. The lawsuit went nowhere. read more

I had two labs that were sent to tariano for 6 weeks. One came back with a black eye and both were underweight skinny. I have pictures to prove it. I contacted him about the dogs and he ignored my responses and didn't want to acknowledge he only wanted money. Dont bring your dog to him please im telling you this dude is a piece of shit who only cares about money read more

We have been working with Toriano Sanzone on our Beagle/Bulldog's leash aggression issues for nearly a year and I can't state enough on how far he has (and more importantly how far we have) come. We started off with the boot camp and did a good four months of classes twice a week. We still go, just once a week now, and we will continue to go for as long as we're in Chicago. A fair amount of the people in training have been going for as long as we have and stick with it. From a training perspective Toriano first broke Winston of his bad aggression habits at boot camp, but as we began to learn very quickly - It was our training habits as the alpha and the handler that needed the most work. This is especially true even for experienced handlers/trainers. Toriano has a wealth of information that everyone could learn from. Toriano couldn't be more attentive to our needs or our buggle's. He has never shirked his responsibility to us and has often to gone out of the way to provide us with private sessions around our own neighborhood to observe our habits and techniques as we walk our pup. Despite what a couple of these past reviewer's have said about Toriano and his training school, there must be two sides to that story, and only one is being detailed here. In the past year I've seen Toriano and his assistants go far out of their way to make sure everyone is being provided for and receiving adequate 1 on 1 instruction. Toriano's program is perfect for people serious about having the best trained dogs in Chicago. Its not about this new age movement of "positive reinforcement only" techniques (that in my experience over and over again, rarely work for any dog that has "issues" of any kind). The level of training Toriano expects of you and your companion builds a bond and level of trust I never would have imagined. If you walk into one of his programs half-hearted or don't follow his instruction you won't get all you can out of it. I simply can't recommend the Wolfkeeper enough. The first few weeks of class can be intimidating but as you build your confidence as a trainer, you will notice the bond between you and your dog grows 10 fold. read more

I have seen the training first hand and would highly recommend the services of the Sanzone Academy of Dog Training, specifically those of Toriano 'Wolfkeeper' Sanzone, to anyone with either a new puppy or older furry canine friend. There's nothing like a doggie trained the Wolfkeeper way!! Toriano's dedication to the 'Wolves' he trains is admirable. Even if during a brief street encounter, the Wolfkeeper's ability to engage the wolf so quickly is impressive and something you really have to see. Two thumbs up for 'The Wolfkeeper'...oh and let's not forget he's written a book about WolfKeeping!!!! read more

My husband and I have had Toriano train all of our dogs, as well as us. We've been working with Toriano for over 10 years and he's the only person we ever recommend because he's the best. Our first trainees were 2 4lb. chihuahuas. My husband wanted to make sure that our pets didn't turn into spoiled lap dogs that "yapped" at anyone except us. To this day everyone we meet says there's no way those 2 are chihuahuas. Our dogs are cage trained, never food aggressive, happy pets. Torianos training methods last because they are not food or clicker based. The bond we have with our animals is simply we are their master and they look to us for instruction. They will respond how the they are trained. We were lucky to have found him! He is worth every penny and more to create a calm & safe home with pets. read more

This guy know his stuff when it comes to training dogs. We sent our labrador through Toriano's boot camp and he came out a changed dog. Focus and attention were big problems with our dog. That is until Toriano and his staff went to work. Heck, he can even sit comfortably on the top of a milk crate for a 120 lb mutt. Now that takes a lot of focus. He can train my dog and future dogs any day! read more

My roomies n I have two beautiful GSDs and it was frightening how far off base our communication with SSDT had been. Our dogs were essentially dognapped as they were at a different kennel then we were told, one under the wrong name. Lucky they stayed together and one is white, a relatively rare color for a GSD. My pup was getting the wrong food at the wrong intervals, with medical issues I was very clear about that this other kennel, while very nice, was totally unaware of, costing me thousands in vet bills. Honestly, I payed him money, couldn't get a hold of him and ended up not having him do a lick of training with my dogs. Don't know if that's a good thing and Im all about honestly so I have to say this, He did give me my money back, though our Kong collars and leashes (which are a bit pricey) are still in his possession. Please visit your training sites and don't do away camp unless they allow visits and you've learned their methods. read more

I was ready to surrender my 1.5 year old shih tzu bichon as her behavior was intolerable and it was a particularly stressful time in my life. But I am so thankful to Toriano & Wolfkeeper University for talking me out of doing that. He promised that he could get my Lucy to where she needed to be and he DELIVERED!!!! Lucy is a completely different dog in all the right ways. They went above and beyond and really took their time with her. They were so patient with me and gave me tools that are invaluable! The excessive barking has stopped, she follows directions, she is so calm now- I almost think they replaced her with a completely different dogs:). I highly recommend using their training and expertise! Best decision ever and so worth it! read more

Toriano Sanzone has trained two of my dogs. A Doberman and the other a Rottweiller. I am very satisfied with his services. He was able to not only train my Tigra and Thor to be both protective and loving members of my family but also train me to be a good pack leader. I highly recommend his services. read more

Toriano Sanzone employs techniques that are harsh and shockingly cruel at times. His approach was completely ineffective with my dog, who had a history of being abused. After using his program and taking his advice, we had her in pronged choke collars that he'd push us to yank so hard that she'd yelp in agony, at the slightest hint of 'disobedience'. Never did it seem to occur to him that this was an animal that only knew harshness, and the whole experience left her stressed, rail-thin, deeply confused, terrified and still untrained. It wasn't until I took her to a new trainer... one who believed in incorporating positive reinforcement and love... that my dog did a complete 180 and became the best pet one could ever dream of. I deeply regret subjecting her to his program, and I don't believe this person should be in business. I feel very sorry for his dog, Diesel, as well. He's very nice with people and a good businessman and marketer. That doesn't make him a good choice for your pet. Please look elsewhere. I've met others that feel the same way about Toriano... bad bad bad. read more

I saw fliers for this company at a restaurant and I was disgusted, about 3 years ago we were living in Chicago and had a dog trained with Sanzone, or Dopa Dogs as they were called at the time, before it went out of business and changed to Sanzone School, same thing. Our dog was having some issues with showing aggresssion towards certain other dogs, nothing serious but wanted to be able to walk him safely so we signed up and kept up as best we could, it did not work. Toriano Sanzone's methods were nothing but harsh and cruel. Totally clueless. Everything was yank harder and harder, whipping him around off his feet. His own dog looked terrified of him too. The dog can be terrified into standing on a thin railing, so? It ended up causing damage to our dogs neck and collapsing his trachea and he was more fearful and aggressive than ever. I finally found a better training group. He can't even wear a collar anymore. A rescue organization I know had nothing but warnings about this trainer and stories of abuse and pain based training. Look at reviews of Chicago Canine Academy that is where this trainer learned to train dogs. Happy to say our dog has gotten over it since then, but what a waste of money and time for someone who did not know any better at the time. This company is one thing that is MARKETING! Just look at all the fake reviews here, he offered to pay to have people write them. Based on how it was for us, I would never recommend this trainer or trust a dog in his hands, ever. read more

I have been taking my dog to training classes with Toriano at DOPA for almost two years now, and I've just started my new puppy as well. He's amazing with dogs. That "dog whisperer" guy has nothing on him! And he not only trains them to be obedient and sweet, he also trains *you* to train and handle them, which is probably far more important in the long run. He also has each owner do "doggie yoga" with their pooches at the beginning and ending of each class. Yes, it sounds weird and new-agey, but I think it's been really beneficial in terms of relaxing my dogs, but I also suspect it's good for the larger dogs' joints and hips. (Plus, it's a lot of fun seeing him stretch his giant pit bull with nothing but a yawn from the dog.) I highly recommend DOPA Dogs for their classes and many services. read more

Can't believe this guy is still in business... When I took my dog there for minor leash aggression to other dogs he treated her like she was vicious. His method is to yank, but i mean YANK your dog with a choke collar repeatedly. It wasn't just a tug, I saw my dogs 80 lb body lift from the ground many times... I left very mad from there. I got a better trainer, my dog learned without any abuse. read more

Toriano Sanzone is a liar and a thief. I stupidly paid him $500 up front for a package of lessons, and it ultimately became clear that he and I weren't on the same page. He agreed to refund me $375, $50 of which he paid. That was over a year ago. I have pages of text messages from him promising to pay me, offering excuses, doing everything but paying the money he owes. All I wanted to was to get the dog I adopted from a shelter trained and therapy certified. I'm not rich, that was a decent amount of money to me. The only training here was that I learned to never again pay up front. I love Yelp and have been using it for years. But as you can see I have never written a review. Warning people to stay away from this con artist is the only thing that's ever motivated me to speak out here. Do business with this scumbag at your own peril. I'm not the only one he's cheated, and I'm sure I won't be the last. read more

I have been bringing my dogs to Toriano for almost 20 years now. I have adopted several shelter large mixed breed additions for our family. I always bring them to Toriano shortly after introducing them to the family. We invest our time attending classes with the dogs while they live with Wolfkeeers for a few weeks. They come home from their stay at training camp, and we get years of uncomplicated loving relationships with the dogs. read more

Toriano and the Sanzone Dog Academy are great. I used Toriano for private in-home lessons starting the first full day that I had my puppy, Daisy. She is such a lovable, well behaved dog and I'm 100% convinced it is because from day 1 Toriano set us on the right training path. I highly recommend his servicves to first time puppy owners and have heard from others that he works wonders with older dogs as well. His techniques teach you how to raise a well-balanced dog and to identify when and why your dog (at times) may not be so balanced. I cannot thank him enough for his services. read more

Toriano helped me get my new rescue dog through some major adjustment issues on arrival in my home. He has also shown great follow up too and a genuine interest outside of the dollar. read more

Toriano did wonders with my pit! Tyson is well behaved and I do not have to worry about him around others. I am so glad I met Toriano.

My relationship with Toriano began in 2005 after I rescued a homeless Lab mix right off the streets of Chicago. My adoptee likely suffered horrid abuse which presented Toriano with a number of aggressive / socialization issues they we worked on together. I utilized Toriano for the full gamut of training (Doggy Bootcamp, Beginner classes, Canine Good Citizen classes, etc) and boarding services, too. It is evident that Toriano is very passionate about dogs and I am very thankful for all he did for my dog. I recommend him highly. read more

My jack rat terrier mix has met his match with Toriano!! In just one week, his very bad dog aggressive behavior has been really subdued and we plan to keep training here. His methods are quick, effective and his prices are very reasonable. Highly recommended!! read more

I came to Toriano for help with my dog Bo. Bo was adopted from a shelter in Oregon. He was described by the shelter as aggressive and had been in the shelter for several months without any potential forever homes. I have had Bo in my life for four years. I have worked with two trainers. One trainer took Bo in for a two week rehabilitative boot camp. Bo was trained with an electric shock collar. He learned a lot of commands but remained energetic and aggressive towards other dogs on leash. I never really got the hang of the e-collar and felt uncomfortable using it effectively. Once I moved back to Chicago, Bo's behavior worsened. Our walks became very difficult and unenjoyable he also began exhibiting unwanted jumping, barking, and other behaviors in the house. I thought to call Toriano because he has worked with my family's dogs in the past. Toriano has clearly grown as a trainer and has happily changed his techniques to accommodate more modern approaches. He came to my home and assessed Bo's living environment. He concluded that Bo's behavior was a product of my permissiveness. We started with 7 private lessons where he taught me to examine my own actions and thoughts to better reflect calm and alpha demeanor. We finished the 7 lessons, but was not seeing enough of a change so we enrolled Bo in Toriano's boot camp. Bo has been there for a little over two months. Toriano takes into account the differences each dog and owner brings into the dynamic and works with everyone accordingly. This past week our visit with Bo was incredible. Bo was a different dog. Bo followed commands (not unusual), was calm and focused on the handler and receptive to our energy. Bo's rambunctious self was clearly an anxiety and Toriano gave Bo the gift of a much simpler life resulting in a calm energy that made Bo seem content and relaxed. I will have Bo returned to me in two weeks and hope to maintain this new and happy good boy! read more

We have used Toriano twice for our dog, who is a rescue lab mix. We got our dog at 8 weeks old and quickly realized he was too much to handle. We sent him to Toriano for bootcamp since we didn't have the time to properly train him ourselves. The training was great. Toriano keeps the dogs for as long as it takes to train them, but only charges his initial quote. You're being charged for certain results your dog will attain. At the end of bootcamp our puppy was housebroken, leash and crate trained. Now that I am pregnant, we have started using Toriano's services again. We sent him to bootcamp again and are attending weekly training. I have seen a huge difference in our dog's ability to understand commands and obey. I'm confident that our dog will be great with our child due to the training he got from Toriano. I saw video of Toriano taking our dog around children several times to prove he's been retrained. He also made our dog behave much better at the vet. I would highly recommend any of Toriano's services. He loves dogs and definitely knows how to communicate with the animals. read more

We had Toriano train our new puppy. He's 6 years old now and pretty disciplined. Like all pets, he needs some continued work to keep him like this. I was a little surprised at the negative reviews, as we have had nothing, but good experiences. His methods may not be for everyone, but that's life. read more

Toriano / Wolfkeeper University should NOT be in business! My disgusting experience started when I contacted Toriano / Wolfkeeper Univeristy in November 2016 about training my little 7 mo yorkie. She had separation anxiety and was not potty trained. Toriano promised me that in 4 weeks I'd have a perfectly trained dog. He claimed his program is the only one that ensures a 100% trained dog - not only 60-70% like other trainers. To myself, I thought 'okay perfect!' We set an appointment to meet the next day. I realized I forgot to research reviews of Toriano / Wolfkeeper University. When I typed in the name, so many negative reviews popped up. I immediately called Toriano to cancel the appointment. This is when the lies started (of course I was unaware they were lies at the time). Toriano reassured me that those bad reviews were from competitors. He said "Think about it, I charge $5,000 for dog training so I'm taking $5,000 out of a competitor's pocket each time I get a new client." I must admit that it sounded good and made sense so I made the mistake of ignoring reviews that said he abused pets, starved them, and injured them. That was a HUGE mistake! The whole training was a joke. Toriano and his assistant dog trainer (who btw knows absolutely nothing about training a dog) came by the house to show me the progress they were making with my dog after having her for a month already. The progress did not add up to 4 weeks of keeping my dog (remember she was supposed to be 100% trained - well she wasn't even 10% she pissed and pooed wherever her little heat desired, she was not obeying commands, etc). But of course Toriano had every excuse in the book to make the situation seem logical when it was clearly a bad investment on my part. Toriano is a fast talking con artist who makes things up as he goes along. It's always one excuse after another as to why something didn't go the way he promised it would. I finally pulled the plug 5 weeks into the training when his clueless assistant bought my dog by for a training session ...with a gash on her head!!! (Picture attached). I freaked out of course! Not only did she have a gash, she had lost all the hair on her noise (the vet said she was stressed). The hair still has not grown back. Toriano nor Ms. Clueless could answer my question about how she got the gash. They didn't call me when it happened - nothing. We were scheduled to meet that day and they tried to cancel the appointment over and over until I demanded they bring my dog. Well, that's probably why they canceled the appointment. Or who knows, they had canceled appointments 3 times prior to that..hence my demand for them to not cancel on that day. To make a long story short, it is now the end of January and I have a dog that is not potty trained and still has other behavioral issues. My deposit is gone down the drain because Toriano wouldn't even agree to a partial refund. So my advice is to STAY AWAY! Do not let Toriano con you into thinking my review is from a "competitor". I am an actual customer with a written contract to prove it. Spare your dog and don't waste your time or your money. Since working with Wolfkeeper University, I have found a great trainer, they come to your house, and it seems like the new trainer will be a great fit. It is still too early to tell, but you can call me at 312-796-7393 and I will give you more info on the trainer! Reading this just saved your dog hopefully....and I am happy you don't have to experience what me and my yorkie, Zara just went through. read more

Toriano is a phenomenal dog trainer and person. I rescued a 1 year old shepherd mix and Toriano really helped me in getting him to walk better on a leash and follow my commands. I would highly recommend him!! read more

Please do not send you dog to these people. My dog was so stressed from their boot camp she chewed through her own paw. The owner never bothered to tell me about it on my daily call to check on her and supposedly had her treated by a Vet without my permission. I have talked to other people that have had miserable experiences with this company. Besides her extreme weight loss she came back after an extra week and she was not even trained! Not the best $800 I've ever spend but more important my dog suffered. She is horrible around other dogs now and she was fine before. read more

I agree can't believe he is still in business. Took my dog for basic training. He came back skinny - sickly skinny - with all kinds of weird sores on him. When I came to pick him up they told me he needed another week with him. Over my dead body! That's when my started showing signs of aggression. No doubt in my mind my dog was abused under his care read more

A great place to bring your dogs for training & grooming. Seen a difference in my youngest dog within 15mins of meeting Toriano. If you want quality go to Wolfkeeper read more

I had the privledge of working with Toriano and using doggy yoga, under foot, and a few other amazing techniques. To put it to the point my dog is awesome! He's still a pup and I let him get away with things but some of the techniques that I picked up have gotten us to where we are at todayI Continue with the yoga to help get him used to being handled by other people. I highly recommend Sanzone academy of dogs, you'll truly love your dog even more if possible just after a few sesions read more

Really would like to give no stars. Looked at this training school online. They mention positve reinforcement, but then list a training tool is a choke chain. Their videos on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/Diesel3Dog7 shows training with choke chains, prong collars on dog, and yanking on leashing. Look for a real positive reinforcement trainer, especially one that uses clicker training and not this harsh method of training. read more

My dog is currently in bootcamp with Toriano and I could not be happier. She went from ruling the house and being very aggressive to obeying me and becoming very manageable. I am telling everyone about Toriano and recommending his book. The facility he uses is totally clean and safe. You can tell Toriano has a great passion for dogs and understands them. He teaches the owner the complexities and responsiblities of owning a dog. I like that his training covers all aspects and households (single owner, families, kids, apartments, homes). He is very prompt and responsive. read more

I was a new dog owner and rescued a very timid puppy from a shelter, when I began classes. I signed up with Toriano through the recomendation of a friend. I had a great time working with my dog and getting to know him through the trainings! I still use the techniques I learned in classes to this day! My dog is extremely social now, with people and other dogs in general thanks to the skills he learned in classes. read more