TRAINING CLASSES AT UNLEASHED

Be sure to check our Training Calendar for our training schedule before coming to class. For all classes, bring plenty of yummy, bite-sized treats and a non-retractable leash.

Puppy Kindergarten

This class, designed for pups 8-weeks to 6 months, combines obedience, socialization, and play to build confidence in pups and prevent fearful and aggressive behavior in adulthood. Teach your pup to be calm, sit, and lay down in exciting environments, and get used to meeting new people and dogs, being handled, and giving up prize possessions. 5 week course, $100.

Basic Obedience

This class is designed for dogs ages six months and older, but can also be appropriate for younger dogs (email Becky for more info). The class covers basic obedience skills like sit, down, stay, come, and polite leash-walking behavior. 5 week course, $100.

Obedience 2 & Intro to Agility

If your dog understands commands like sit, down and stay, but you want to work on duration and reliability of these behaviors around distractions, then this is the class for you.  Your dog will also learn additional dog manners in this class and receive an exciting introduction to agility training.  Agility is a fun way to strengthen many obedience behaviors, and this class is a good primer for those interested in pursuing the sport.

This class is designed for dogs that have taken at least one basic obedience or puppy kindergarten class (or equivalent).  Please bring a 6-foot, non-retractable leash and bite-sized treats to every class. 5-week course, $100.

No Jumping, Pulling, Barking & Coming when Called

Does your dog walk you versus the other way around?  Does she jump all over everyone she meets?  Does he bark like a lunatic every time the doorbell rings?  Does your dog often dismiss you when called?  If this sounds like your dog, than this is the class for you!  Learn how to extinguish these common nuisance behaviors (and more) in this 5 week class.  You will also be taught positive reinforcement training techniques that will allow you to trouble-shoot almost any problem behavior.

Dogs must be at least six months old to take this class.  Please bring a six-foot, non-retractable leash and bite-sized treats to every class. 5-week course, $100.

Reactive Rover

Does your dog go berserk when they see another dog (or a particular type of person or a passing skateboard, bicycle, or truck) when you’re out on a walk? Leash reactivity is a very common problem for dogs, even for those that are friendly with dogs or people when off the leash. This class incorporates positive reinforcement and play to help you teach your dog to pay attention to you and walk confidently and calmly past dogs and other distractions while on-leash. 6-week course (no dogs the first week), $175 or $100 for repeat students.

Fun-gility

This is an informal drop-in class that is basically an indoor dog park with agility equipment and a trainer present to supervise. Come play around with your dog at Unleashed’s indoor/outdoor facility. All dogs must be comfortable socializing off leash with other dogs. Bring lots of yummy bite-sized treats! $15/1 hr. class.

Be sure to check our Training Calendar for our training schedule before coming to class.

ABOUT OUR TRAINERS

BECKY TRISKO, M.S., Ph.D.

Becky is the owner and manager of Unleashed. She is a life-long animal lover and has been working professionally with dogs since 1998. She studied animal behavior as an undergrad and a graduate student at the University of Michigan, receiving her bachelor’s degree in primatology (2000) studying chimpanzees and golden lion tamarins and her M.S. (2005) and Ph.D. (2011) in Psychology studying social behavior among domestic dogs in the dog daycare environment. She is certified in Pet First Aid by the Red Cross, regularly attends dog behavior seminars & conferences, and presented her research at the International Canine Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary in July 2008. At Unleashed, she oversees the supervision of the daycare dogs and leads training classes and private lessons, specializing in dog-dog social interactions.

TINA OTTO, ABDCT

Tina received her Certification in Dog Obedience Instruction from Animal Behavior
College and has been working with dogs and their owners for 3 years. She did her externship at the Northlake Park District, West Suburban and Naperville Animal Shelters where she worked with dogs of all breeds and ages many of which were then successfully adopted. She believes in positive reinforcement and teaches dog owners how to build strong relationships with their dog by being effective leaders. She has been involved for several years with the Chicago Wolves hockey team Adopt-a-Dog program by donating training sessions to anyone that adopts a dog from the program to help with the transition into a new home. Tina joined the Unleashed staff to supervise the daycare dogs and teach group and private training lessons.

MAGGIE FAHNER, M.S.

Ms. Fahner graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment in 1995, majoring in Ecology and Animal Behavior.  She received her Master’s Degree in Biology from Western Illinois University in 1998.  In that same year, she was hired as a marine mammal trainer at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago while completing her thesis work on dolphin echolocation there.  She spent ten years training a diverse group of animals including whales, dolphins, otters, seals, sea lions, penguins, and birds of prey.  In 2008, she became manager of the Animal Programs Collection at Shedd where she was responsible for the husbandry, training and interpretative programming of a large collection of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates.  In addition to exotic animals, Ms. Fahner has been training dogs and their people for the past 5 years.  She teaches a variety of group classes at Unleashed in Evanston and also offers private in-home consultation.  In 2011, Ms. Fahner has shifted her focus entirely to dog training and looks forward to adding therapy dog training to her list of accomplishments.