In-home Dog Behavior Training in
Greater Chicago Near me
We can help you—Even if you’ve tried everything to alleviate your pet's aggression, fear, or anxiety
Serving the Following Locations:
Naperville, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Lisle, Bolingbrook, Plainfield,
Hinsdale, Rosemont, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, West Loop, Rogers Park, La Grange, Brookfield, and more
If you’re on the cusp or not sure if you’re included in a travel radius, email us at [email protected]. And if you’re outside our travel radius, no worries! We offer our full range of pet behavior training online.
Let’s face it. This isn’t what you expected when you brought your dog home.
Whether you brought your dog home last week or 7 years ago, you were likely dreaming of Saturday Farmer’s Market trips with everyone stopping you to say how cute your pup is, and weekend getaways with the whole family—including your newest addition.
What you didn’t expect was to wind up here, looking for help with your pet’s behavior problems.
Problems like aggression, anxiety, fear, compulsions, and even nuisance behaviors can leave you feeling scared, frustrated, embarrassed, ashamed, hurt, confused, and sad.
Add to that all of the time you’ve spent reading, researching, listening, and even working with other dog trainers with little to no success- hopelessness is pretty high on the list, too. That feeling of failing your dog stings like no other.
The good news: No matter how many trainers and methods have failed to make a difference, we can still transform your dog’s behavior and your life with them.
You and your pet deserve relief.
The worst part about being a pet parent is that our pets are only in our lives for only a short amount of time. You and your dog deserve to make the most of the time that you do have together. You both deserve the happy, healthy life together that you envisioned.
The kind of life where you can’t wait to come home to see them, and maybe even make an excuse to leave that party to hang out with your dog instead.
The kind of life where your dog is your best friend, your confidant, and the four-legged love of your life.
That sort of life is achievable. We can help you get there with in-home dog behavior training if you live in Northside Chicago, the Western Chicago suburbs, or surrounding communities!
… Did we mention that we work with other species as well?
Why does pet behavior training work?
If your pet is struggling with behavior issues—whether it’s aggression, anxiety, fear, compulsions, or nuisance behaviors—you need more than regular dog training.
Pet behavior training goes beyond sit, down, and stay. It will help you to nurture a harmonious lifestyle by looking at all of the factors involved in your pet’s behavior while addressing both their needs and your own. And if you live in the Northside Chicago or Western Chicago suburbs, we would love to work with you!
Behavior Problems We Specialize In
Nuisance Behaviors
- Stealing things from counters
- Jumping on and mouthing people
- Chewing furniture
- Having accidents in the house
- Barking out the window
- Pulling on walks
- Bouncing off the walls (literally or figuratively)
- Not listening
- Digging
- And more
Sad, Scary, or Dangerous Behaviors
- Barking at certain things or everything
- Growling
- Lunging
- Destroying your home
- Chasing the cat
- Unpredictable behavior
- Territorial or protective behavior
- Cowering, frantic, or skittish behavior
- Fear aggression
- Anxiety and separation anxiety
- Resource guarding (items, food, space, people, etc.)
- Going nuts on leash
- Aggression towards other animals, including prey drive
- Issues at the vet, groomer, or day care
- Compulsive behavior
- Noise phobias
- And more
A personalized solution for you and your pet.
01
A SOLUTION AS UNIQUE AS YOUR SITUATION
It’s hard to get an individualized answer when working in a group setting. Our consultants provide one-on-one sessions so your situation gets the attention it deserves and a solution that best fits with your household, lifestyle, and constraints.
02
EMPATHY AND RESULTS
Our team cares about both you and your pet equally. That means we won’t sacrifice anyone’s needs to get you results. We get that true behavior solutions often require a village and that means we’ll work with your vet, groomer, pet sitter, and anyone else involved in your pet’s care to come up with options that work for everybody.
03
SUSTAINABLE ACTION ITEMS THAT FIT INTO YOUR LIFESTYLE
It doesn’t matter if we can get your dog to behavior a certain way- only that you can! We’ll provide you with step-by-step action items so you know exactly what to do and how to do it to make progress in your day-to-day life.
04
BETWEEN-SESSION SUPPORT WITH SOMEONE WHO GETS IT
(Even when your friends and family don’t)
Whether it’s through the curated resources you’ll receive or email support with your consultant, you will receive support even in between your sessions. That means you can get your questions answered sooner to make sure you’re on the right track and to get results faster.
How is Pet Harmony different from
what I've already tried?
Regular dog training isn’t the most effective tool to solve behavior issues, whether it’s nuisance behaviors and especially for more serious issues like aggression, anxiety, fear, or compulsions. That’s because behavior problems aren’t only a result of your dog lacking skills. There’s a whole lot more that goes into it!
We look at the whole picture- from your dog to your household to your environment and beyond- to figure out the root cause of your dog’s behavior problem so we can provide you with a long-term, sustainable solution that fits into your lifestyle.
And, here’s the rough truth if you think you’ve already done that with another professional. Dog training and behavior is an unregulated field. That means professionals do not need any qualifications or education to become a dog trainer, consultant, or call themselves a behaviorist… And yeah, it grinds our gears too.
When you go to school or send your children to school, you expect the teachers to know the fundamentals of their field inside and out.
You trust them to stay on top of the latest research on their subjects and grade levels so they can provide you or your child with the best education possible.
Why should we accept less for the pets we love—especially when we’re investing our hard-earned money into getting real help?
OUR CERTIFICATIONS
PET HARMONY IN THE PRESS
What's the next step?
Take a peek at our FAQ section below and check out this blog post on How and Why Remote Consulting Works!
1. Select your Initial Consultation Package below.
2. Select your pet behavior consultant (that provides in-home services) then the date and time for your initial consultation. Check out, pay, and you're in!
3. Keep an eye on your email inbox for login details for your Initial Consultation Package prep materials. (Don't forget to check Spam and promotions folders!)
4. Attend your initial consultation, ready to learn.
5. Start working through your training worksheet activities and schedule follow-up sessions.
6. Work with your in-home, Chicago-based consultant(s) until your pet graduates.
7. Celebrate your new and improved lifestyle with some snuggles!
Your Behavior Solutions Options
choose the option that best suits you & your pet
Initial
Consultation
Best for: dipping your toe if you're not sure you're ready for the process
*Additional travel fees may apply*
-
90-minute initial consultation
-
Actionable, personalized training plan
-
Enrollment in our Beginning Behavior Modification course
-
Additional curated resources for you
-
Follow-ups available for purchase separately
*Additional travel fees may apply*
4 Session
Consultation Bundle
Best for: pets who have 1 or 2 primary issues to work through
*Additional travel fees may apply*
-
90- minute initial consultation
-
Actionable, personalized training plans
-
Enrollment in our Beginning Behavior Modification course
-
Additional curated resources for you
-
Email support between sessions
-
3 60-minute follow-up sessions
*Additional travel fees may apply*
8 Session
Consultation Bundle
Best for: pets who have a lot of different behavior issues
*Additional travel fees may apply*
-
90-minute initial consultation
-
Actionable, personalized training plans
-
Enrollment in our Beginning Behavior Modification course
-
Additional curated resources for you
-
Email support between sessions
-
7 60-minute follow-up sessions
*Additional travel fees may apply*
Still not sure?
still on the fence?
This is Our Pet Behavior Training Commitment
We will provide you and your pet with the most up-to-date, science-based, empathetic behavior modification journey we can, like we’ve done for thousands of pets and their people all around the world, including in your own backyard. (If you live in the Chicago suburbs or Chicago, that is!)
About Our Services
Yes! Our team has seen it all and can help you with whatever issue you and your pet are facing. There will be times that we recommend seeking additional help from a professional in a parallel field (like a Veterinary Behaviorist or Neurologist) if we think that will be helpful, but for all things dog behavior modification – and other pets! – we have you covered.
Additionally, our team is a real team: we often work together and collaborate on a case to make sure our clients get the best support we can offer. If your pet behavior consultant doesn’t have the answer they will ask another team member for support.
Yes! A healthy and communicative client-consultant team is certainly capable of making progress and we are committed to helping you through your pet’s behavior modification journey. That said, there are some things that you will need to bring to the table to ensure that your pet does make progress, including a willingness to:
- Learn new information that potentially conflicts with what you already know
- Adhere to your entire training plan and homework, not just the parts that are convenient or fun–or let us know when you’re having difficulty doing so, so that we can help you troubleshoot
- Communicate with your consultant: the triumphs, the setbacks, the confusion, and the frustration
- Treat our relationship and services as a journey, not a one-time thing
Please note that progress and goals may look different than what you originally thought it would look like.
Yes! The majority of our clients come to us with pets who already have a bite history. For extreme cases (I.E. many stitches, mauling, death) we will recommend you work with a Veterinary Behaviorist alongside our team.
Collectively, our team is able to work with any pet species. There is no additional fee for working with different species.
No. Our services are charged by the hour, not who we’re working with. We’re happy to work with multiple pets in one session (and often need to to see success!).
About Our Process
That’s okay! That’s a normal part of the process. Check out our blog, our socials, like Facebook, and Instagram and our team’s bios to learn more about us and what we’re about. We’ll be here when you’re ready. You can also listen to our pet enrichment podcast to learn more about our expertise and hear us in action.
And of course, you can always book a discovery call if you need guidance on which service is right for you.
A behavior modification journey is about so much more than just training your pet. It requires dedication in the form of time and work from the household members as well, and the humans are as much a part of the process as the pets are. There’s a reason we call it a journey!
More specifically, your pet behavior training will include history taking, considerable discussion with your consultant to create a plan that is sustainable for you, management, education, and skill-building for you and your pet.
We will use scaffolding– splitting more challenging techniques into smaller steps and building upon already-learned skills– in order to help everyone learn successfully. That means we will not make you jump into the deep end until you’re ready.
It varies and there are factors involved in the timeline outside of our control. Nuisance behaviors can sometimes be relatively quick: a few weeks. For more serious behavior problems, expect your behavior modification journey to take at least several months.
That depends on a lot of factors: the complexity of your pet’s case, your training skillset, how much time you’re able to devote to training throughout the week, how much back and forth is needed between parallel professions like your vet, and more. We typically can’t provide an answer until we’ve started working with you and gotten to know you and your pet.
No, we do not have a facility. In-person sessions are offered in your home or an agreed-upon public space.
After scheduling we send you a questionnaire that has all of the questions we’d like answered prior to meeting so we do not require much information prior to booking.
Our in-home consultants have different travel radii. Check out our team page to see each person’s travel radius: http://petharmonytraining.com/meet-your-consultants/
Check out our Western Chicago Suburbs travel radius here.
Check out our Northwestern Chicago Suburbs travel radius here.
If you’re on the cusp or not sure if you’re included in a travel radius, email us at [email protected]. And if you’re outside our travel radius, no worries! We offer our full range of pet behavior training online.
If you’re outside of the travel radius, we offer remote training sessions—and yes! We have the same success rate with our remote sessions as we do with our in-person sessions that take place in Chicagoland and West Chicago suburbs. As we say, it doesn’t matter if we can get your pet to do something; it only matters if you can.
We understand that many people are skeptical about how remote sessions can help them. We’ve addressed the most common concerns in this blog post about remote pet consulting. And more information specifically about why we don’t need to see the behavior to help can be found in this pet training blog post.
Usually no, because we’ve seen it all we know what it looks like and we believe you that there is an issue. If there’s anything that we’re unsure about we will ask you to safely video the behavior.
About Our Training Methods
We adhere to Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) principles. We also fall under the “positive reinforcement-based” and “force-free” training categories and believe in using the same methods for humans as well as animals.
Yes. The difference in training methodology is the difference between the behavior getting better or worse, being resolved or suppressed to manifest itself later, and the difference in the relationship your pet has with you. The pet behavior training methods we use are scientifically found to yield the most desirable results: saving you time, money, and hassle. Additionally, these methods also bring you and your pet closer together. It’s a win-win!
No, it is impossible and unethical to provide a 100% guarantee on future behavior. There are several factors affecting behavior that are beyond the scope of our control including but not limited to: prenatal environment, age, health, and genetics. A competent, ethical, and knowledgeable behavior professional should never guarantee results.
If you are looking to dip your toe in before committing to the process, then the Initial Consultation is for you. This 90-minute initial consultation will get you started on your positive pet training journey. Initial Consultations with follow up A la Carte sessions provides the most scheduling flexibility.
If you are looking to address 1 or 2 behavior struggles with your pet, and you are looking for accountability through every other week sessions for 2 months, then the 4 Session Consultation Bundle is the way to go.
If you are looking to address multiple behavior struggles with your pet, and are looking to meet with your consultant at least once a week, then our 8 Session Consultation Bundle is what you are looking for.
Book a discovery call here to get personalized recommendations for the right package for you.
Absolutely! Many people choose to mix and match programs or remote and in-person sessions. Because our team works together, we can easily collaborate on cases in situations where a client is looking at services that multiple consultants offer. You can even mix and match virtual and in-person sessions within your package.
Our team has a variety of pet behavior training certifications, including but not limited to:
- Certified Dog Behavior Consultant
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer- Knowledge Assessed
- Separation Anxiety Professional Trainer
- Family Paws Parent Educator
- Accredited Dog Trainer
- Shelter Behavior Affiliate
More information about individual certifications can be found on our team page.
don't wait for something to happen
Start your dog's behavior modification journey now
We’ve heard it too many times. “I’ve been meaning to get help, but after last week’s incident, I
know I need to do something about Rover’s behavior.”
Don’t wait for something bad to happen. Choose your Behavior Solutions option and book your initial
consultation to take the next step towards the life that you and your dog deserve together.
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Results are not guaranteed because behavior- human, canine, or otherwise- is not guaranteeable.