Clienttestimonials.

Rocco

Recently, I hired Problem Solved Dog Training due to aggression problems I was experiencing with my two dogs. My family was very concerned that we might have to find another home for one of them. To say the least, this was a heartbreaking notion. My entire family was devastated at the prospect. Susan’s visit was extremely enlightening and VERY helpful. Things have already really improved! My family of humans and dogs are so much happier. Our house is so much more peaceful. Most importantly, we can keep our buddy! 🙂 There is a strong chance we will have them back for future visits. I HIGHLY recommend their services to everyone who owns a dog whether they have problems or not. I believe that most potential problems would be avoided by doing so.

Mike W.

Gabby & Chata

About a year ago, we had our last training lesson with Susan and we are still going strong:) I can’t thank you enough for these moments! My heart is so happy! 🙂

In this picture, there was a person on a bike coming up behind us (I was embarrassed, as he caught me snapping my selfie)…and neither dog even reacted! They just acknowledged him, looked to me for guidance, and then continued on their happy walk:) That makes this picture extra super special.

I am sending positive vibes your way this afternoon. I’m basking in the sun at the park with my doggies and baby. I hope you can feel them! Thank you!

Heather M.

Bella

When Bella got adopted, at 1.5 years old for the 3rd time, she seemed like the perfect dog. She was even great with kids. Then about 3-4 weeks after her adoption, her issues began to settle in. She began to display social anxiety, trust issues with adults and children, and dog aggression. She attempted to bite her family at different times. Sometimes it was if you asked her to do something she didn’t want. Other times, it was over food or her perceiving a threat when looking at her. At times, if you were rubbing her belly, which she loves, Bella would suddenly look at you and growl and snap. I received this update today:

“Hi! I just wanted to let you know how great Bella has been. She was fantastic at the boarding facility over Christmas. The staff said they couldn’t understand what I was talking about with her behavior issues. They said she was so affectionate with them. She would stop in the middle of her activities to give them hugs and kisses. We even had a family stay with us for a week and they have kids and she was great! She would let people lay with her on the floor and rub her belly. Not one incident. She even let a stranger (a friend of our family that was staying with us) sit on the floor and she came up to them wanting attention. Thank you so much for your help with her. I am so happy. We’re still working with her and I know she is working through it still as well, but man!!! She’s doing good! I couldn’t tell you how much anxiety I had over knowing we were having family stay with us because of her social anxiety…I was so scared. I was just so proud of her, I got teary over it because I was so happy. She needed patience, love and understanding. It wasn’t an easy road at all, she deserved the perseverance. For the first time in her life she has people who won’t quit on her..I think she knows that now. Thank you thank you!!!

Winston, Misty & Charlie

“Hi Susan-We trained SO well this morning. Mommy was patient and had a happy voice and Winston is finally getting sit, down and stay. You know what’s funny? These dogs WANT to learn and behave now. They actually want this!! Im so proud of them! No aggression. No crying last night. No pooping or peeing in the house. I decided to take all 3 on a walk by myself. Beforehand, we went into the yard to work. OMG, I am so amazed how cooperative they are. SUCH DIFFERENT DOGS. What a joy to have them in my life. Practicing daily now. I love them soooo much thanks to you. This is FUN FUN FUN. You are truly an angel. Im so happy I found you.”

Maryann, Winston, Misty and Charlie

Abby

Hi Susan! I just want to say thank you so much for transforming my dog in a matter of minutes! Abby no longer cries, barks nor howls when I leave the apartment. Everything has been going well and haven’t heard about complaints in a very long time. Definitely spreading the word about you and I’ll keep you in mind for all future training. You definitely eliminated a lot of stress in my life and Abby no longer exhibits anxiety behavior. Also thank you for helping with getting her to not follow me around! I never thought it was possible! We’re very happy and we get to stay in the apartment thanks to you! Thank you so much!!

Love, Valerie & Abby

Tucker

“We adopted our pup Tucker at 3 mo. He was perfect...until he became a bully at 9 mo old. He would bite, bark and run our household. A friend recommended Emily at Problem Solved. After our first “consultation'” we knew she was the answer. She was patient, kind and thorough. She took her time assessing and addressing all his “problem” behaviors and told us everthing is fixable. It clearly see she loves dogs and her work. After the initial consult and only one lesson (we signed up for a package) we were given the tools to completely change Tucker’s behavior. He is an awesome dog… he just didn’t understand what we wanted from him. Emily explained that and took her time showing us step by step what is needed to correct his behavior. Our only regret is not finding Emily sooner! (We spent a small fortune on chain store trainers). We were at our wit’s end with our pup and honestly questioned if “there was something wrong with him”. Emily stepped in and really saved us. We highly recommend Problem Solved”

JoannaDes Plaines, IL

Nikka

Emily is our trainer from Problem Solved and is a true professional. We rescued a 2 yr old German Sherpard Nikka with animal and human aggression issues. We’d spent a chunk of change on training trying to get her to be the sweet dog we know she can be, but had no success. We had gotten to the point where we didn’t think we could keep Nikka with our family. At our consultation, Emily came over and spent 3 hours with us, and actually presented a plan that we were confident would work. After only a few sessions our Nikka has shown HUGE improvement. Emily cares about the animal and rehabilitation is done in a positive training manner. We were on the verge of giving up on this dog ( to save a marriage!), but now we’re on the path to a happy forever after! Thanks, Emily!

Tony and PamCrestwood, IL

Milo

I just wanted to share my WONDERFUL experience with Emily and thank her for helping us keep our family together!!! In our house we have 2 fur babies, Linus (9) and Milo (3), and 2 fur-less babies Audrey (3) and Charlotte (5months). Milo and Audrey were having a rough time getting along (and that’s putting it VERY mildly). Milo would growl at Audrey if she was within 3 feet of him, and Audrey being a toddler just wanted to play with the cute puppy. That usually ended in tears and boo boo kisses, so we called Problem Solved Dog Training and had Emily come for a consultation. She was SUPER informative and suggested a 4 session package, and while I was trying to convince my husband that it would be worth it even though he said giving the dog away would be cheaper, Milo drew first blood and he agreed to try it. From the consultation to the 3rd lesson Milo has improved IMMENSELY! I don’t want to be too long winded here so pictures are worth a thousand words...

StephanieElgin, IL

Update on CC

Just a quick update on CC. He is going to and staying in his ‘place’ when told to…We do this 10 or more times in a row. Outside we have been doing “down” on focus and he is getting very close to that even when either Linda or I throw the ball to try to entice him from his down position. While he does give into temptation usually once in the beginning, he is taken back with the way that you showed us, back to his original down place and he gets it from there. Heeling and sitting is perfect. We have also taken him out in the development looking for trouble. His first was to encounter another dog that was on its own property but barking and carrying on as CC walked by. He started to get antsy but a quick “no” stopped that and he walked by a little nervously but no barking or pulling towards the dog. He started to take a look back on passing but was corrected with a “no” and he never looked back again. A new family was moving in down the block and there was quite a bit of activity there so I hooked him up and took him down that way. It was about 10PM. Night time is a normal time for them to be extra skiddish. As we walked by, 3 children decided to come charging out of the front door and jump off the front porch while screaming and carrying on. CC was definitely startled and did bark but I quickly told him “no” and that stopped it. To reinforce it, I walked him by that house for another 10 minutes, going down the street and returning. Each time, stopping in the area of the house where he could see it. He just sat when I stopped and did not react again. This morning, CC was out for his “peepers” break and he decided to lay on the front deck. The garbage man came into the cul de sac and CC just laid on the deck. The garbage truck backed up with its reverse beeper – something that normally would set CC off. Nothing... They loaded up the garbage can onto the fork, picked it up and dumped it into the truck. CC looked up but then put his head back down and showed no interest in them. The truck pulled away and drove down the street and CC still remained unperturbed by it all. Normally he would have charged out to the invisible fence line, barked uncontrollably at them while they dumped the garbage can and then chased the truck as far as the invisible fence would let him. Nothing!

This is NOT the same dog you saw a month ago. He is not perfect but he is getting to a point where he is a model Spanish Water Dog. He will even go into his crate at bedtime with no command.

Linda, CC and I want to say THANK YOU! The other 2 are next!”

Copper

Susan is fantastic! We loved our puppy so much, but we were unsure of how to handle and address poor behavior. We wanted to correct the mistakes and turn him into a well trained puppy. Susan helped guide us in how to use our puppy’s energy and turn it into a resourceful tool in training. She trained us as well as Copper! With her help and expertise we all, including Copper, were able to showcase his ability to learn and learn fast. He went from a poor listener, a leash puller, and an all around hyper-active puppy into a smart, playful, and avid walking puppy! It’s amazing to witness how much a dog can handle and to truly learn to respect your dogs capability is an amazing experience and we are all so thankful to Susan’s gift to us. We are better and closer because she truly helped us out! Thank you Susan!

Sincerely, Jennie and Kurt and Copper

Mia and Sophie

We can not thank Susan enough for what she has done for our family! First of all, she is not only super personable (we looked forward to seeing her!), but extremely informative. Secondly, the convenience of having all the training done at our home was immeasurable. Problem Solved Dog Training taught us how to change OUR actions and teach our dogs good behavior first instead of only scolding them for the unwanted behavior. I think WE got trained the most!! Both Mia and Sophie are behaving so well together and I have learned how to actively work with each dog individually on their strengths and weaknesses. Best of all, Mia and Sophie are getting along great finally and I’d even say are becoming best friends. Susan was able to transform out hyperactive dogs into the family pets we desired. I HIGHLY recommend Susan for all your dog behavior needs;)

Love, Erin, Mia, and Sophie

Zora

We can’t thank you enough for helping us train Zora, our kick ass Pit Mix. Your training techniques have given Zora the discipline and behaviors that put Pitbull critics to shame. We loved how thorough you have been and how you showed us how to respond to Zora these past few months.

When we first adopted Zora she was aggressive with other dogs. She has now learned how to focus her energy and be more playful. Learning is fun for her now! Zora will play with a 15 lb Pug or a 90 lb Golden Retriever really well now! Zora will sit, heel, run, lay down, and fetch on command as well.

Zora has grown in size and as mentioned she has learned how to do a lot of things, most importantly, how to respond to daily things that used to trigger her to act out. We look forward to teaching her more this next year with you! There are not many trainers who have this much passion for dogs AND teaching people.

Thanks again Sue!

Matt and Molly and Zora

Brandy

Our dog Brandy is a rescue that came from a troubled past. She was obviously abused and sustained mental injuries that presented itself with, at times, intense fear aggression. She had bitten on quite a few occasions, yet she would be extremely loving in between the occurrences. I didn’t want to give up on her, though at times it hurt me to contemplate it. We tried training previously that unfortunately didn’t get us to our goal.

Once Susan got on the scene Brandy learned to no longer be concerned with the fear that caused her to fight instead of flight. Her confidence began to soar without the fear attached. I learned the needed skills and tools to teach Brandy to display predictable and reliable safe behaviors.

Susan had an intense personal commitment to seeing my Brandy succeed so that she can stay in my home permanently. Now that we have been working with Susan, the past few months have shown great improvement, resulting in a much calmer, less anxious dog.

Now that I have the skills needed, I can sustain a life with Brandy that centers around a constant state of training her correctly under new conditions and distractions.

Problem Solved Dog Training was the right choice for Brandy and the humans that love her dearly. Thank you!!

Rich, Barb and Brandy

Juno

Juno became a part of our family last summer as an 8 week old puppy. She was tiny and cute and lovable. But, Juno is a Great Dane. She was not destined to be tiny forever. Our veterinarian highly recommended “Problem Solved” for obedience training. He insisted that with a dog this big and 2 small children at home, obedience training was a necessity. We started working with our new trainer Susan when Juno was about 4 months old. We really liked the time and effort Susan spent with not just our dog, but our whole family. She really gave us the tools and skills to train Juno (even Grandma came to get in on the training). We always joke that poor Susan spent more time training us then Juno, because Juno was smarter. She came to our home, gave us a step by step, lesson by lesson program, left us with assignments each visit and came back to test Juno and us as well as introduce new material. In all honesty when she went over the program and told me her expectations, I thought, “Wow, I have had dogs my whole life. None of them have ever been this well behaved, I don’t see this happening.” Several months later, people come in to my house and ask me “Wow, I have never seen a dog that well behaved. How do you do that?” Juno is now almost a year old. She is well over a hundred pounds, and is totally a gentle giant. She is so good on a leash that my 7 year old can walk her with confidence. She is crate trained, and will run to her crate and let her self in from any location in the house with a single command…”Get in your house.” Guests in my home are astonished that we can have a houseful of guests, small children, and tables of food and she will lay on a mat placed in our kitchen and wait patiently despite the chaos around her with a single command …”Go to your place.” She travels everywhere with us, and is extremely well mannered with other dogs and with people. It is nice to have a dog that does not enthusiastically jump on people. We could not be happier with the results of her training. It was worth every penny and then some. I also appreciate that even after completing her training I am more than welcome to call, email or text my trainer at any time if new issues arrive and she is always prompt to respond to our needs. We highly recommend “Problem Solved” for anyone with a furry canine family member. We enjoy our dog so much more and can do so much more with her after her training!

Thank you!

Cassie and family

Ava

Since the day Ava became part of our family, she was always a smart, very sweet, loving dog but with a mind of her own. Ava went to puppy training and though it helped us through the basics, there were a few challenges we still had to overcome. They just were not being corrected through the class. We walked her frequently but it was never enjoyable and it always felt like a chore. She had a very loud and excited way of greeting other dogs and people in or out of our home. She was also very fearful of anything that made a sound (e.g. clanking pots, the fireplace, plastic water bottles and bags, anything falling).

We tried many strategies on our own, studying online, watching professional trainers and their techniques. Each providing little to no improvement.

From the initial meeting, Ava immediately responded to Susan. That day alone showed more positive results than any efforts we previously made. Susan gave us the confidence and direction we needed. And Ava absolutely loved her. She always made herself available for questions/concerns and that support continued well after the training program. We looked forward to each session not only for the success, but for the pleasant experience she provided for both Ava and us.

We are still receiving compliments from family and friends on how much more calm and responsive she is. Thank you Susan for giving us the tools we needed to bring out the best in Ava!