Tucker Pup's provides puppy training classes in Chicago that give your puppy a solid foundation for becoming a confident, well-mannered member of your family. Designed specifically for puppies aged 8 weeks to 6 months, our proven curriculum combines positive reinforcement techniques with socialization opportunities in a safe, supportive environment. Whether trying to walk with a loose leash, teaching recall, or other important skills, our professional trainers guide you through essential commands, hand signals, rewards, equipment, and more. Our small class sizes ensure personalized attention, and you can access all of the exercises on our online portal. Our puppy training classes set up both you and your best friend for lifelong success together!
Manners Class 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
The course includes:
- Training skills. The course teaches skills such as
- Listening to you the first time and being responsive to your instructions
- Walking without pulling
- Politely greeting other dogs or people
- Coming directly to you, such as at the dog park
- Self-control, such as staying in place as you walk away
- Leaving items alone, such as food on the sidewalk
- Dropping an item, such as another dog's toy
- Staying focused on you instead of all of life's distractions
- And more
- Off-leash play. Each class also includes play time, where the puppies get to play with the others off leash.
- This is important for building their socialization and confidence.
- The trainer will give you advice about what to allow and watch for during play, and how to correct your puppy's behavior in an effective manner.
- If you do not feel comfortable with off-leash play, it is fine to temporarily wait outside the room during this time.
- Access to TrainTrack™. Our proprietary online tool for supplementing your training instruction, that includes:
- Videos of all the exercises taught in class
- Written descriptions of all 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
- Bonus materials
- Equipment. To help ensure you are as successful as possible:
- Treat pouch
- Optional clicker
You will be amazed at what your puppy can accomplish in only six weeks!
A Happy Customer
This is my second time taking the Puppy Manners course for both my pups. I won't go anywhere else! Jamie Walker was fabulous and considerate of all the puppies and their different personalities.
- Caitlin Swallow
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: $275 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:
- Mondays at 5:30 pm starting Apr 6 Only 1 space available
- Thursdays at 5:30 pm starting Apr 9
- Saturdays at 12:45 pm starting Apr 11
- Saturdays at 10:15 am starting Apr 11
- Wednesdays at 6:45 pm starting Apr 15
- Full schedule details
- Calendar view
- Maximum dogs per course: 6 puppies
- Prerequisites: None
- Requirements:
- 11 weeks to 6 months old when the course starts
- 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 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
Don'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.
FAQs
What if my puppy is not learning?
Your puppy should start to get the hang of everything pretty quickly. You will be amazed at how fast they can learn, even at a very young age, and most people are blown away at their puppy's progress by the time graduation comes. But most importantly, we are going to give you home exercises, and that is where the real learning takes place, with lots of repetition.
What if my puppy does not have all of the vaccinations completed?
It is OK if your puppy is still in the process of getting vaccinations, as long as your veterinarian believes that he is on track. The benefits of the class experience and socialization outweigh vaccination risks, especially since they are all puppies in the room.
What if I need to miss a class?
All of the exercises taught in class are available on TrainTrack, our online portal. Just watch the videos of the exercises, practice the exercises during the week, and you should be fine. We don't recommend missing graduation, just because it is so fun! Please note that you cannot bring your puppy to a makeup class, because most of our classes are full, and this would cause too many to be in the room at once. In addition, the dogs get used to each other throughout the course, and it can be disruptive if a newcomer enters the class.
Are you going to train my puppy in class?
Yes and no. Yes, we will be practicing a lot of important exercises in class, and your puppy will be getting trained by virtue of participating in them. However, we are training YOU how to train your puppy, because the classes last an hour but much more repetition is needed through the week. That is why we assign you homework exercises and give you the videos to rewatch if necessary.
Is there a guarantee that my puppy will learn all of the skills?
No trainer in the world can make such a guarantee. However, we can say with certainty that if you come to every class, follow the trainer's instructions carefully, and practice at home, your puppy should really start to learn the behaviors quite well. Some puppies take longer than others due to factors such as anxiety or genetics, but just be patient and positive - you should be amazed at the results.
Can I get a refund if my dog can't handle it, my schedule changes, etc.?
Classes are non-refundable if they start within 14 days. This is because by giving a space to you, we took it away from someone else. If your puppy can't continue in the class, you can still attend without him. In addition, there is still great value in following the home exercises on our TrainTrack online portal.
Can I transfer to another course once I enroll?
As long as it at least 14 days before the course starts, you can transfer to another with no problem. If there is less than 14 days but the course hasn't started yet, call us to discuss. Once the course starts, you are not able to transfer.
Is off-leash playtime mandatory?
Off-leash playtime can be a fun and important part of puppy classes, as it can help teach socialization in a safe environment. However, it is not mandatory - if you do not want to participate, you can wait outside of the room during that time.
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
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.
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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.