We offer a Stay and Train program in Chicago, where we will work on training your dog while here for boarding and/or daycare.
While we don't expect to transform your dog overnight, we do believe it can be very useful to give him repetitions on various commands with our training experts. We can typically identify adjustments that can really cause your dog to respond well. We consistently help dogs achieve a higher level of self-control, listening, and skills than people think is possible.
Stay and Train is also a fun diversion for your dog while boarding with us, giving more mental stimulation and breaking up his day.
Behaviors We Can Work On
You would choose 1-2 of the following behaviors during your dog's stay with us:
- Loose-leash walking
- Polite greetings / not jumping
- Sit stays
- Down stays
- Recall
- Leave it
- Drop it
For leash walking, we primarily go on walks outdoors, and can incorporate distractions, passing other dogs, and more.
Program Details
$60 per dog per day, for thirty minutes per day. While here for a boarding stay, you could request it for as few or as many days as you like, either consecutive or not, as long as there are three days of training.
In addition, there is an optional post-training meeting for $60 at our facility at 1046 W Fulton Market, where we show you what we worked on and how to keep the training success happening at home. See below for details.
Reservation Required
Stay and Train is subject to availability and is based on reservations. If you have an upcoming boarding visit and want to add it, we strongly encourage you to do so in advance.
Minimum of Three Sessions
We require at least three days of training in order to help achieve your goals, not including your checkout date. Otherwise, your dog may not get the repetitions needed to create behavioral change. If you want it on your checkin date, you must check in early that day so your dog is acclimated before going to training.
Post-Training Meeting
We recommend a post-training meeting with you, at our training facility at 1044 W Fulton Street. This should be scheduled in advance, and should occur within several days of you checking out. During this meeting we will review with you what we covered with your dog, and show you how to continue the exercises at home. If this meeting did not occur, you wouldn't know how to proceed, and the training progress would likely be lost. The cost is $60 for an hour, which is less than half the amount of a standard private lesson.
Training Staff
Each member of our training staff is highly experienced in dog behavior. Click here to view their profiles.
What's the Difference Between Dropoff Training and 'Stay and Train?'
Even though we train your dog in both 'Dropoff Training' and 'Stay and Train,' each has unique characteristics.
- We would work on a few behaviors, but not a full curriculum like in Prep School.
- Less training time per day than Dropoff Training.
- No in-home private sessions.
- Pay when you check out.
- If your dog is boarding with us, there is a minimum of three training days. If here for daycare, we can train just on that day. For Dropoff Training, there is a minimum of 9 training days.
Dropoff Training:
- More defined curriculum and structure, with a minimum of 9 training sessions.
- Pay in advance.
- In-home private sessions included, plus access to TrainTrack for videos.
- Equipment included.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 312-829-8787 for more information.
FAQs
Is this program like a boot camp?
Not at all. In a boot camp, you leave your dog for several weeks at a time, your dog is in a crate quite a lot, and most of these training businesses do not use positive reinforcement. This can make life very stressful for your dog. In our Stay and Train program, your dog can get training while here during your boarding stay, as a diversion and fun activity. We work on a little bit of training each day, and otherwise your dog would be in play or break time.
Is the post-training progress meeting required in order to sign up during my boarding stay?
It is not required, but is strongly recommended once you come back from your trip. This is where we will review our progress with you, show you how to keep working with your dog on home exercises, plus answer your questions.
Can you work on leash reactivity or other really challenging behaviors?
We are generally able to work on manners behaviors, such as loose leash walking. Anything complex such as separation anxiety, resource guarding, leash reactivity and so forth are outside the scope of this program, but we can address these in our Behavioral Modification program. Just ask us about this.
What if my dog doesn't respond well to the training or is otherwise too anxious?
If it seems like the training is just not working and your dog is possibly too stressed, we can either stop training altogether, come up with alternative options such as working more indoors, or just try again the next day. If there is an issue like this, we can call to discuss. If we do stop for the rest of your stay, you would not be charged for sessions we never performed.
If you work on a behavior such as leash walking, will my dog be fully trained on this upon my return?
Realistically speaking, very likely not. We will be spending some time per day on training, but it is not super intense, and your stay may not be veru long. It can be a lot of fun for many dogs, can be a nice diversion from boarding just for something new, and can start to teach them responsiveness to training. Having said that, there are definitely dogs who make solid progress very quickly. In the post-training meeting, we are going to show you home exercises, so it is helpful that your dog will have already put in some repetitions and started to get the hang of it.
Will my dog be able to focus on training when there for boarding?
When working with dogs on Stay and Train, we get them out on walks, and/or work at our training facility around the corner. They are not receiving training in the pet resort, where they may be more distracted.
What safety precautions do you use when out on walks?
We use a double-leash, including one that the trainers attach to their waist. We can also add a harness. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of your dog.
What if it is too hot, cold, or rainy outside to go on walks?
If the weather doesn't permit, we can work indoors at our training facility. In addition, we can add apparel if necessary, based on the season. For example, we can add a coat and ice-protective boots in the winter, and could add heat-protective boots in the summer. Either way, we would be in communication with you to try and understand your preferences. We will not put your dog in harm's way or in a very uncomfortable situation.
Positive Reinforcement Methods
Tucker Pup's only uses positive reinforcement methods. We do not use prong collars, choke chains, shock collars, poking, yelling, leash popping, or other aversive methods. Dominance can easily cause your dog to distrust you, and to only comply in order to avoid a negative outcome. This isn't truly learning, and can cause your dog's behaviors to become much worse.
Positive reinforcement is much more effective for creating long-term learning and a stronger relationship with your dog. Dogs love training when this style is being used, are much more responsive to their owners, and are much happier in general. In short, positive reinforcement gives you the best chance of success, and can be the fastest way to get results. If you are hesitant, please trust us on this one and feel free to ask us questions.
Positive reinforcement combines an encouraging tone of voice, clear instruction, relaxed body language, the use of rewards (e.g., treats, favorite toy), patience, and empathy.
If you are concerned about giving treats, keep in mind that they work very well for most dogs, you can phase them out at your discretion, and it is possible to use something else that your dog values, such as a favorite toy.
TrainTrack™ Online Portal
Re-Watch Training Exercises on Your Device
The trainer will show you the exercises in person, then you can access TrainTrack to see the homework and other helpful information. Many exercises include videos, and all of them include instructions. It also includes handouts and a documentation of what you covered. This is incredibly helpful because there is a lot of information to take in, and it can be hard to remember everything that was demonstrated and discussed.
In addition, you can log your progress on TrainTrack as you are working on your home exercises. This can be invaluable for ensuring that you spend enough time, in various settings, for your dog to learn the methods thoroughly.
For private lessons, you can even upload videos to your trainer, and they can watch them in between sessions to help provide advice.
TrainTrack works on any Internet-connected device, so you can use it on your mobile phone, even when you're on a walk or working outdoors.
TrainTrack is used for all of our training services, including private lessons and classes.
To access TrainTrack, you must log in to our website. On your Customer Center, you will see the link to TrainTrack towards the top of the page.
Customer Testimonial
June has been so great walking on her leash! I picked her up today and have already noticed an improvement! She was taken well care of during her stay and loved the care that employee showed.
- Caitlin Curry
Customer Reviews
Yelp has listed Tucker Pup's as one of the top 100 local businesses in the country in 2025. We are the only pet business who made the list from Chicago, and the only pet resort / training business who made the list nationally.
See the List
Neighborhoods We Serve
Tucker Pup's is located in the West Loop / Fulton Market District neighborhood. People come to us from all over Chicago, especially from Bucktown, Gold Coast, Lake View, Lincoln Park, Old Town, River North, River West, South Loop, Streeterville, Ukrainian Village, University Village, West Town and Wicker Park.
