If you have taken our Puppy or Adult Manners course, this is the perfect next step in order to help your dog reach his potential.
Now that your dog knows the basics, it's time to make all of the exercises much more challenging. We add the three D's (distance, duration and distractions) plus introduce some new commands in order to help your dog build and keep his focus. The goal continues to be for your dog to do what you say the first time, without repeating yourself.
By the end of the course, your dog should be able to excel at many foundational behaviors, even under highly challenging circumstances.
Watch Video (1:00):
Intermediate Manners Graduation Day
Intermediate Manners Graduation Day
Why Training Classes?
- Affordability: Classes have a lower cost per session than private lessons. You get a lifetime of skills for a very low price.
- Group exercises: Sometimes in class there are group exercises that cannot be simulated at your home, such as your dog walking past all of the other dogs in class without becoming distracted. This adds a level of difficulty that helps strengthen the behaviors.
- Hear other questions: Hear questions from other people, some of which you may also have, and some of which you may not have thought of yet.
- Regularity: Classes are on a weekly schedule, which can be helpful for many people and dogs due to its regularity. With private lessons, you may not be able to get the dates and times that you want due to the trainer's schedule.
- Distraction-based learning: It can be very beneficial for your dog to learn in an environment with distractions, instead of just your home, as this strengthens the skills and is a better representation of real-world scenarios.
What is Included
Now that your dog knows the basics, it's time to make all of the exercises much more challenging. We add the three D's (distance, duration and distractions) plus introduce some new commands in order to help your dog build and keep his focus. The goal continues to be for your dog to do what you say the first time, without repeating yourself.
By the end of the course, your dog should be able to excel at many foundational behaviors, even under highly challenging circumstances.
The course includes:
- Training Skills, including:
- Walk next to you politely (even without a leash), including through a crowd of people and past noisy distractions
- Stay for a long period of time, even from a distance, with your back turned, as you walk away
- Go to a place, such as a mat or crate. This is ideal for times such as when you have a guest come to your home
- Automatically go to your side when coming to you
- Leave things alone unless given permission (even really tempting things, like a pile of treats)
- Spin around in front of you
- Go into a sit and down from a long distance
- Initial steps towards preparation for the optional Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test and certification
- Access to TrainTrack™
- Videos of the exercises taught in class. This helps you remember all of the tips once you get home.
- Written descriptions of the the exercises taught in class
- The homework for each session
- Ability to log your exercises and keep track of what you need to work on next
Don't just stop at one Manners course and think you're finished - take the next step and enroll in Intermediate Manners so your dog can continue to improve and learn crucial lifelong skills.
A Happy Customer
Jessie is amazing - she taught our puppy, Rupert, in the beginner class as well. She is very knowledgeable, a dog whisperer, and a parent whisperer as well!
- Sunghee Sohn-Wasmuth
Why Tucker Pup's is Best in Class
- Small class size - lots of personal attention
- Experienced, professional trainers with strong credentials
- Positive reinforcement only - no shock collars, choke chains, coercion, raised voices, or other negative methods
- Classes are fun and highly interactive
- Spacious classrooms. In a store like Petco, classes are in the middle of the store, and the area is very small
- Variety of times and days of the week to choose from
- Warm, professional atmosphere with a total commitment to customer service
- Proven track record of training thousands of dogs just like yours. For most dogs, our method can work over its lifetime, if implemented properly
- TrainTrack™, our proprietary online tool enabling you to watch videos of the exercises you have learned, log your progress, and track what needs the most work.
- Many types of classes, enabling you to continue building important skills
- Our trainers offer private lessons if you need help with behaviors not covered in class
Enrollment Details
- Classes per course: 6 classes (once per week)
- Duration per class: 1 hour
- Price: $250 for the 6-week course. You pay when you enroll.
- How to enroll: Either by clicking the Enroll button below, or calling us at 312-829-8787
- Holidays: Classes are postponed on major holidays. See the schedule for specific postponed dates
- Upcoming schedule:
- Thursdays at 7:15 pm starting Apr 9
- Sundays at 10:00 am starting Apr 12
- Mondays at 6:45 pm starting Apr 13
- Full schedule details
- Calendar view
- Maximum dogs per course: 6 dogs
- Prerequisites: Adult Manners, Puppy Manners, or Dropoff Training at Tucker Pup's
- Requirements:
- No age restriction
- Not overly reactive towards other dogs or people (unless it's a Leash Reactivity class) - "Reactive" means snarling, aggressively lunging, trying to bite, and for forth - excitement or simply trying to jump is not considered reactive
- No contagious conditions
- Proof of vaccinations for Rabies (if 7+ months), Distemper, Parvo, and Bordatella (these are standard vaccinations)
- Missing a class: If you need to miss a class, that's OK!
- You will have access to TrainTrack, so you can watch videos of any exercises covered in class.
- You could attend another class for the one you missed, without your dog.
- We don't recommend missing the final class, as this is the graduation. If you do, it is still possible to get your certificate.
- Location:
- Most classes happen at our training facility in Fulton Market / West Loop (1046 W Fulton Market, Chicago) | Map
- Some classes happen at our main facility in Fulton Market / West Loop (219 N Carpenter Street, Chicago) | Map
- You can see specific locations for each class when checking the full schedule / clicking the Enroll button below
- Parking: There is typically free parking available on the streets directly north of us - otherwise, there are parking meters
- If two people: If there are two of you, we encourage both to attend
- If two dogs: You would need one adult per dog
- Seating: Chairs are available
- Graduation certificate: You'll receive a graduation certificate, which could be helpful to show a landlord, condo association, or homeowners insurance
Classes in progress:
View classes in progressHave questions?
Call us at 312-829-8787, 365 days per year between 7am and 7pmNot sure?
You can have a free consultation with one of our Training Advisors to help decide if this is the right class for youDon't delay - classes fill up quickly! We take enrollment 365 days per year, and answer calls from 7am to 7pm each day. Any request submitted after 7pm will be processed the next morning.
Positive Reinforcement Methods
Tucker Pup's only uses positive reinforcement, which combines the use of rewards, an encouraging tone of voice, and relaxed body language.
We do not use aversive methods include prong collars, choke chains, shock collars, poking, yelling, or leash popping. If you are using any of these with your dog, we can help you successfully stop, and still get the results you want.
Positive reinforcement gives you the best chance of success, and can be the fastest way to get results. Aversive methods cause distrust, fear, and potentially pain or discomfort, all of which can be detrimental to getting the results and relationship that you want.
Common questions:
- Do I need to carry treats for the rest of my dog's life? Treats are for teaching behaviors - once your dog can reliably perform, treats can be phased out at your discretion.
- Do I need to carry treats at all times? No. If there are times where you are not carrying treats, our methods can still work.
- Can I use a different type of reward than treats? It may be possible to use something else your dog values, such as a favorite toy.
- Is positive reinforcement too soft for my dog? Not a bit. The best way to build reliable skills is through trust and motivation. Being tough with your dog can cause him to shut down, have anxiety, ignore you, and not truly learn.
- I have tried treats, but they don't work for my dog. You were likely using low-value treats, including from a store. We will recommend high-value treats that work beautifully for most dogs, including in high-distraction environments.
- Will it take longer to achieve results? This is a common myth. Positive reinforcement can create faster results than aversive methods, because your dog is motivated to listen to you, and truly wants to learn.
- Is it bribery? No! All animals learn behaviors from being rewarded, including humans. You wouldn't go to work for free, would you? Motivation + repetition = new behaviors.
If you are hesitant, please trust us on this one and feel free to ask us questions.
TrainTrack™ Online Portal
Re-Watch Training Exercises on Your Device
Tucker Pup's offers a proprietary online system called TrainTrack™ that revolutionizes the way dogs are trained.
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.
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 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
Our reviews speak for themselves. See what other people are saying about us!
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 and Bucktown and Gold Coast and Lake View and Lincoln Park and Old Town and River North and River West and South Loop and Streeterville and Ukrainian Village and University Village and West Town and Wicker Park.