My Clever Canine Chicago
Dynamic Dog Training & Structured Daycare
It's time...
connect with your dog
At My Clever Canine, the training approach focuses on the dog-handler relationship. We want the dogs to view our interaction as something they can benefit from. Through these useful interactions, we can start to build their confidence - in themselves, in the world, and in us.
We assess and work dynamically with each dog so their program is personalized.
Whether your new puppy is coming in to learn some basic manners, or your reactive adult dog is here to gain some confidence, we will always adapt to your dog's learning needs.
The building blocks to improving your relationship
Engagement
How do you become someone that your dog wants to engage with? For your dog to feel good engaging with you, they need to understand you. Let's talk about how dogs learn, and how that knowledge empowers them. You can learn to communicate with your dog with movement and very simple language. Engagement is the first building block to a better bond between you and your dog.
Confidence
Dogs who are truly confident can be very calm and relaxed. This confidence comes from understanding what they should be doing at any given moment. Individual confidence building exercises, paired with clear language allow us to help our dogs through many challenges which ultimately teaches them that THEY CAN SUCCEED!
Communication
Are you dealing with reactivity? Impulse control? Dogs don't automatically understand what we want from them and often, without realizing, we reinforce the wrong things. Improving your communication skills will help you show them. The dogs at My Clever Canine spend their days working and exercising around other dogs. While at a safe distance, the benefits of being able to stay neutral really show!
A place to thrive
At My Clever Canine, we not only include every dog, but also provide each of them with the skills they need
to be your best friend!
Not all dogs want or need to play with others. They do need to be stable near
them. Our programs welcome senior dogs, reactive dogs, unaltered dogs, timid dogs, dogs who just don't enjoy
the free-for-all atmosphere, and of course, dogs whose parents want more for them!
Google Reviews
Woofs and Wags from our pack members
Our ever-growing pack love the work we do. Here's what they are saying!
— David C.
"If you have a dog who presents a challenge, unique or otherwise, My Clever Canine can and will help, with care and love.
Here's why:
My dog is a dog with several issues -- he's deaf, he had severe fear of humans and was quite reactive with dogs,
and on top of that, has a bite history. He's gone through many trainers with very little progress...and then we met Caz.
Within a few minutes, after Popcorn barked at her incessantly, Caz redirected him and started walking him,
and soon earned his trust -- and that was only the beginning. Popcorn is more confident, less worried, calm and
collected, even with triggers abound. I didn't think it was possible, but this program showed me and my dog,
with compassion and assuredness, that not only was he *not* a hopeless case, but with some guidance and direction,
he could be a happier and more social animal.
I recommend Caz wholeheartedly, and will send every dog and dog owner I know to her doorstep."
— Lissette P.
"Por cuatro años, mi familia tuvo problemas en pasear a nuestra perra. Era tan terrible que incluso sacarla a pasear por solo 3 minutos, era demasiado para ella; simplemente no lo podía soportar el miedo. Debido a esto, no podíamos planificar viajes y tuvimos que hacer varias adaptaciones cuando salíamos de nuestra casa. No solo fue una lucha profunda para nosotros, sino también para nuestra perra, Belle; tenía problemas para socializar con personas y otros perros, y desarrolló una ansiedad severa por casi todo. Mi familia y ella soportaron esto por cuatro años, y cuando descubrimos My Clever Canine, decidimos aprovechar la oportunidad para cambiar esto para siempre. Al principio, teníamos muchas dudas: ¿realmente cuatro semanas de entrenamiento podrían cambiarla? ¿Valdría la pena el costo y cuánto podemos esperar de esto? Después de haber fallado con el "tratamiento" anterior (visitas al veterinario, entrenamiento en casa, etc.), decidimos dar un salto de fe e inscribir a nuestra perra en el programa de internado de My Clever Canine. No es por exagerar, pero esta fue la mejor decisión que hemos tomado hasta el día de hoy. En sólo cuatro semanas fuimos testigos de un comportamiento que jamás hubiéramos imaginado que nuestro perro fuera capaz de mostrar. Pasamos de simplemente luchar para llevarla caminando por el bloque a sacarla a pasear por 30 minutos o una hora completa después de solo 4 semanas. A lo largo de este programa en el que no teníamos a nuestra perra en casa, Cas se mantuvo en contacto con nosotros activamente y compartió el viaje de aprendizaje de Belle. Sabíamos que esto sería completamente nuevo y difícil para nuestra perra, que nunca había experimentado un evento así, así que cuando llegó el momento de dar nuestros propios pasos y llevarla a casa, Cas nos ayudó a ganar la confianza para hacer nuestro papel y apoyar a Belle en este logro. Desde la primera consulta hasta la graduación de Belle, Cas fue extremadamente comprensiva y solidaria no solo con Belle, sino también con nosotros. Después de haber enfrentado numerosos desafíos en esos cuatro años, Cas nos ayudó a comprender mejor a nuestra perra e incluso a nosotros mismos. ¡No puedo imaginar encontrar un entrenador de perros más generoso y atento que Cas! Si eres como nosotros, que enfrentas dificultades con tu perro y necesitas ayuda, considera My Clever Canine. A través de ellos, nuestra perra puede disfrutar de los paseos y de los hermosos bloques de Chicago como nunca antes."
— Kathleen M.
"Words cannot express how grateful I am to have met Caz and I highly recommend her! I had been through two other trainers to address Blue’s fear based people aggression issues and I was feeling extremely helpless and hopeless that we would ever be able to move past them. At the initial evaluation, Caz spent nearly 3 hours with us, assessing Blue (and me to be fair 😉) and, despite Blue lunging at her a few times, she had Blue following her every command by the end of it. She had a list of recommendations for us to enact immediately to get on the road to recovery and also recommended a 3 week Board and Train to reset us both. As hard as it was to drop Blue off that first day, I had the utmost trust that Caz only had Blue’s best interest at heart, even with all the lunging 🤦🏻♀️, and I knew she would take amazing care of her. Caz kept me extremely updated on her progress, sending pics like the one below along with training videos that I could reference to stay on track once Blue came home. By the time I picked up Blue from her Board & Train, she had gained so many new skills, an immense amount of confidence, and a great love for Caz! We have come so far in such a short time and are looking forward to even better days ahead all because of Caz’s incredible training, guidance, and friendship!"
— Jennifer S.
"Wow wow wow. We couldn’t have come across a better place for our puppy Greta. We heard many times that “she's a lot of dog,” but Caz is the puppy whisperer for sure. She is honestly the first trainer who has gotten to know our active German Shepard and really gotten to the bottom of things. Big plus, Caz can teach us how to maintain and continue to develop our girl. ❤️🐾🐾"
— Kate P.
"I’m long overdue in writing this review, but Caz is the best! We worked with a few different dog trainers in the city but nothing clicked until we found My Clever Canine. Our dog James can be dog selective and struggles with impulse control. He was welcomed with open arms and we have made huge strides in our training since working with her. Caz treats James like family and there is no one else I trust more with his care. James is now so much better behaved and we can do activities that we didn’t think were possible before finding Caz. We (and James!) are so happy to have found her!"
— Shruti V.
"We love Caz and could not recommend her training program more. Our rescue, Queso, was anxious and overwhelming to take care of. After only two weeks training with Caz, our relationship with Queso was transformed for the better. We couldn't believe how quickly he improved, gained confidence, picked up skills. Caz always communicated with us at the beginning and end of our training Day, giving us tips of how to work on him at home and how to communicate better with him. Not only did she train Queso, but she also did training sessions with us and taught us how to build trust and a mutually reassuring relationship. Before going to training, he was very difficult to walk - he would run ahead, tug the leash, react to every dog. Caz gave us the resources and confidence to work on this and taught Queso how to walk in a less anxious and reactive manner. We were so impressed with her training program that we continued to send him to daycare regularly and continue to see improvements every day. Queso is now thriving and we now feel comfortable with him in almost any situation. Thank you Caz!!!"