Rescue Reset Dog Training Program in Chicago

Tucker Pup's Rescue Reset Program helps rescue dogs in Chicago become well-adjusted to their new home and life, setting them up for long-term happiness. We offer personalized private training sessions that lay the foundation for addressing common challenges that rescue dogs face in their new home, such as fears and anxieties, feeling unsettled, and lacking trust. Our goal is to help prevent difficult challenges such as separation anxiety or leash reactivity. We will help your rescue dog build confidence and coping skills in order to thrive amid the sights, sounds, and activities of life in Chicago.

We can help turn that frown upside down

How the Program Works

What is Covered

We cover a number of important topics in this program to help your rescue dog become acclimated and achieve success:

This includes:

Adjusting to a new routine
Learning boundaries
Building healthy emotional responses to objects and sounds that may be new and scary
Teaching independent play and relaxation

We can help with other behaviors as well - just ask!

Please note that this program is focused on building foundational behaviors for long-term success, and does not necessarily address manners skills such as loose leash walking, or emotional challenges such as separation anxiety - we have other programs for improving these behaviors. We may be able to incorporate some of them into this program, or can focus on them after completing this program. Your trainer can help identify the best path moving forward, based on your goals.

Step 1: Dog Diagnostic

Our first step is to conduct an assessment of your dog's behaviors, in order to create the best plan for moving forward. Typically this occurs in your home, where we can see the daily environment and possible triggers. If we cannot do this at your home, it is possible to come to our training facility or have a meeting over Zoom.

Session duration and frequency

Training sessions last one hour. We recommend meeting once per week in order to achieve success. This is not an absolute requirement, and we can be flexible.

Curated methodology

We have a curated methodology that incorporates highly effective exercises, games, routines, recommendations, and even products. This means that instead of wasting your time sifting through the Internet, you can get right to results.

Professional, experienced trainers

We have an entire team of trainers who are professional, friendly, and highly experienced. We have successfully helped thousands of rescue dogs, and feel confident we can help yours as well. Our training experts collectively have decades of experience providing highly effective training that is rooted in science-based methods. We only use positive reinforcement and compassion to achieve results.

Location

Since we are working on acclimation, we normally recommend meeting at your home. However, we can also meet at our training facility if in the best interest of your dog, or if you are outside of our travel radius.

TrainTrack™ online platform

When you enroll in any of our training programs, you have access to TrainTrack, our proprietary platform for watching videos of the exercises assigned, seeing recommendations, reading handouts, uploading videos to your trainer, logging your progress, and more. This helps ensure your success instead of wondering "now what was that again?"

Price

The price for this program is $175 per session. We recommend a minimum of 8 sessions. This price includes a treat pouch and optional clicker.

Additional potential costs:

$10 per session if we come to your home
Reimbursement for any parking fees that we incur

Don't try to go it alone - we can save you lots of time, money, and headaches!

FAQs

How soon should I start this program with my rescue dog?

Before starting this program, we recommend that you give your new dog at least three weeks to settle into your home so that she can learn your routines and adjust to being outside of the shelter. Most dogs need this time to decompress and get used to new family members, new surroundings, and a new schedule. It’s important to not overwhelm your dog with too many new experiences at once, but rather just give her a chance to settle in slowly. However, if you are having serious behavioral concerns, please contact one of our training advisors, and we can likely help sooner. Even though you should wait a few weeks, you still need to enroll as soon as possible so you get the dates and times that work best for your schedule.

Does the age of my dog matter for this program?

The Rescue Reset Program is for dogs of all ages; however if you just recently rescued a puppy under the age of 5 months that is not displaying overly negative behaiors, they may be better suited for our Puppy Socialization Program or a Puppy Manners course. Check out our “Puppy Page” for more information.

What if I rescued my dog as a stray, or found my dog on the street?

No matter how much or how little background information you have about your new dog, the Rescue Reset Program is ideal for anyone who wants to help their dog acclimate to living in a new environment. Whether your dog was transferred here from an out-of-state shelter, fostered locally, or found in dire circumstances, our trainers have lots of experience working with dogs from all walks of life. It is our goal to help your dog feel confident and truly at his forever home so you don't feel the need to relinquish him later.

Is it better to work at my home, or at the training facility?

For many dogs, working at home fosters a better learning environment and eliminates extra travel stress or new environment anxiety in the early stages of learning. On the other hand, coming to our training facility can have its advantages, as we have resources such as barriers, cones, stuffed dogs, different types of harnesses, numerous treat options, and other people to practice with. The training location can be customized by scheduling some sessions at home and some here. Just speak with your trainer on what would be the best fit for you and your dog.

Will this program address issues such as separation anxiety?

This program is about decompressing your dog and helping eliminate stress about living in a new environment, while overcoming possible trauma from living at a shelter. It is intended to help prevent behaviors such as separation anxiety or leash reactivity. If your dog is exhibiting those behaviors, we can address them in programs specifically intended to resolve them. It may be possible to mix and match - just ask your trainer.

A Happy Customer

Maureen O'Brien-Cruz, KPA CTP

We cannot thank Maureen enough for the support she provided us in training our two miniature schnauzer rescues, Minnie (2) and Pepper (8). Minnie was a new addition to our family, and I initially reached out to Tucker Pups because of her reactivity toward other dogs, which has improved immensely. To my surprise, Maureen's expertise also helped us improve Pepper's years long barking and behavior issues with guests in our home that I had completely given up on and no other trainer had been able to help us conquer.

Minnie and Pepper are both more relaxed, confident, happier and better behaved dogs than before Maureen came into our lives, and we are so thankful for our time with her. We plan on bringing Maureen back to continue building on the skills and knowledge she so generously imparted on our family!

- Melanie Heicklen

Positive Reinforcement Methods

Positive Reinforcement Dog Training in Chicago 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.

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 .