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For graduates of SuperPuppy or Basic Obedience. The goal of this class is to increase reliability with distractions. You'll work on proofing the already learned obedience behaviors so your dog will respond reliably in even the most distracting situations like in the park or when food is present. Taught by instructor Shawn Peek. Run, jump and play! Try it for yourself - come and see how much fun you and your dog can have in the sport of Agility! Class meets Sundays from 6/19 -7/31 between 9:30am - 10:30am.
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Call of the Wild is Chicago's premier dog training school. Founded more than two decades ago by Jennifer Boznos, CPDT-KA, Call of the Wild is an industry leader and continues to set the standard for state of the art and effective dog training. Boznos and the full-time professional training team have helped more than 10,000 owners achieve satisfying and enjoyable relationships with their dogs.
Call of the Wild is a training school first and foremost. Our boarding program was developed to complement our training. Boarding is offered as a service to our training clients, and dogs in our boarding program must have a training relationship with us. Boarding dogs spend their day in our premium daycare.
We follow Chris Bach's The Third Way Program, which is designed to produce obedient and reliable dogs. The Third Way Program works on teaching dogs, preventing problems, reinforcing behavioral responses and solving problems. To accomplish these goals and establish a pleasing day-to-day relationship with your dog we work on good guidance, good management and good education.
We are conveniently located near the Kennedy Expressway and the intersection of Belmont and Elston Ave. We're just west of Western Ave. and three blocks south of Belmont. Street parking is readily available.
Reviews (10)
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James Devereux
Apr 06, 2020
A week after adopting my 2 year old rescue dog Henri, I brought him to COTW for a private lesson with the lead trainer, Jennifer. Over a just a few lessons, she helped Henri develop a level of obedience I would have never thought possible with my first dog. For every obedience exercise, she would make sure I knew the intricacies of the exercise, how to incrementally increase the difficulty, and exactly what behaviors and body language cues of his to look for so that I could effectively continue the training outside of the lesson (the lessons are for you as much or more than they are for the dog!).

I understand my dog so much better because of her. I could tell just how much she cared about Henri and his growth from the start, and am very thankful to have taken him to COTW. Looking forward to taking their group Beyond Basics lessons soon.
Judy Illes
Jan 29, 2019
Call of the Wild is an outstanding dog training school. The trainers are top notch and the methods make sense to me and my dogs. Jennifer sets the bar high for her school. The trainers and day care staff are professional and kind. They care about each and every dog. All in all this is a top notch training facility with excellent standards. You and your dog will learn so much and you'll have fun training at Call of the Wild.
Drew Coatney
Dec 11, 2018
We have been using them for a few years to board our dog and train. I can't recommend them enough. They recognize Edgar by name and you can tell they care about each dog, which is a big thing for us when boarding.
Lily Campbell
Nov 26, 2018
Staff are amazing with the dogs and are incredibly loving. Call of the Wild is great for training and boarding. We trained our dog there after we got him and they taught him how to sit, come, and got him to be more calm when he sees other dogs. They do solo training or group training sessions with you and your dog, so you can have an active part in training your dog yourself!

They are also great for boarding. We put my French bulldog there every time we go on vacation and he absolutely loves it/looks forward to going! He comes home exhausted from how much playing he did. Would recommend to anyone looking for a good boarding place for dogs, especially for extended boarding. Our dog loves the staff and the staff loves our dog! We are obsessed with our dog and very protective, but we trust the COTW staff wholeheartedly with our baby!
Nina Foley
Nov 04, 2018
I cannot say enough about CoTW. We first took our dog through Super Puppy and was so impressed by their professionalism and care of training that we came back for both Beyond Basics and an Agility Training. We also board our pup there when we go out of town and it is such a relief to know he is in such excellent hands- they take the care of the dogs so seriously and clearly understand dogs on another level that there isn't a worry in my mind when we drive away. Best training and boarding in Chicago!
Tim O'Hagan
May 30, 2018
The owner Jen is by far the best dog trainer I've ever met. Within minutes of meeting our rescue German Shepherd she curbed his frantic/borderline aggressive behavior around other dogs. By the end of 1 private training session we had 3 dogs walking in a circle around ours while he was sitting and didn't show any interest at all! Does use some negative reinforcement methods (ex. we used a prong collar), but gets amazing results.
Catherine Hejka
Jun 22, 2016
I met Jennifer about 16 years ago. I lived in the far sw suburbs. I would only take my Aussies to her. Not a fun drive but well worth the training. 3 years ago I adopted a Pitt Bull Mix named Seamus Magee Cunningham the 1st. Now mind you I had Aussies for 20 years. Seamus was a whole other world. Back To Jennifer I went. Up the Eiseinhower every morning.

He needed one on one everyday. He still has his out of body moments but he is doing great. It was Me, myself and I that had to be reminded of what I was supposed to do. Thanks Jen. You and your crew do a great Job!
Alicia Pederson
Jun 27, 2015
This business offers the best dog training services I have experienced. We just completed the "Basic Obedience" class with our 2-year-old border-collie-mix rescue who had spent all of his life in various pounds and shelters, had had zero training, and was bordering on feral. After 8 weeks of Basic Obedience, people at the dog park are so impressed by his obedience (especially recall) that they ask me where we trained him.

We are now doing the next 8 week "Super Basic" obedience class, and plan on completing all the obedience classes offered at Call of the Wild. Our dog absolute adores going to class. We have a much better relationship with him since he has been in school. We tried many other dog training services with our former dog, and wish we had known about Call of the Wild.

While other trainers were clearly gifted with dogs, they did not have a systematic approach for teaching dog owners how to train and interact with their dogs. Call of the Wild uses a basic set of training methods, which each class builds on, and the focus is really showing *you* how to be consistent and effective with your training. We haven't tried the boarding services yet, but plan to do so next time we're out of town. The employees are all super responsible dog lovers. We'd trust them with our baby dog in a heartbeat.
Kristina Oltrogge
Dec 16, 2014
Have done Agility training here with two dogs, and Stacey and Sandra are amazing! One dog has done the Super Puppy class and she hot the best foundation for sit, stays, downs, and recalls she could have possibly gotten from a group class with Jennifer, who knows her stuff! Doggie daycare and personalized training sessions also worth it if you're struggling in a certain area.

This place is laden with experience, both overall it is fun- you will not have a better experience anywhere. Also, get your dog, of any age or size, in agility. It's fun for everyone!
Gregory Kick
Feb 08, 2013
We've taken our dog to a few classes at Call of the Wild and have been really happy with the results. The trainers are friendly and very knowledgeable. We also use them for boarding and occasional daycare and our dog is always really excited to go. The provide detailed reports about his stay and always have time to chat about how his day went.