Perfect Manners Dog Training

Very happy with the results thus far. Patti is amazing. Very calm presence, and very effective techniques. My Alaskan Malamute, Sona is already getting better after 1 session. I’m looking forward to learning more. Highly recommend

I really want anyone considering Perfect Manners to know that the decision to choose this company to train or dog changed our lives in such a positive way! We are working with Patti to train our lab mix. We began working with a trainer because our dog was aggressive to strangers and is aggressive towards other animals. He is pushy with our children and throws tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. I can not even begin to praise Patti enough! She is teaching us how to show our dog who is boss. She has taught us how to properly correct his behaviors in a firm way that is not aggressive. Patti explains to us how our dog thinks. Understanding our dogs mind has empowered us to be his boss. After the first session our dog learned to hold a down position and with consistency he now goes down without forcing him. People are able to visit my home and the dog will lay down. Before that session our dog jumped all over and barked at them, without ceasing, through the entire visit. After the second session I was able to walk him on my own without fear of him trying to lunge at passing people or dogs. I’m amazed at the results I’m seeing every day using the methods taught by Perfect Manners and Patti. Also, as a person, Patti is so kind and we were immediately comfortable with her. She is SO patient with our dog and with our family. We can’t wait for her to come back and teach us more! Thank you, Patti for helping us stay in love with our dog as much as we were when we chose him (and more every day). Having a well mannered dog is making life with him enjoyable and rewarding!

Spectacular session yesterday! My aggressive dog is now an obedient dog, thanks to Patti and Perfect Manners. In one training session, our walking pattern changed from an embarrassing trip, where I had to apologize to people and explain to people my cute little dog is unfriendly, while she is lunging at them like superman, teeth barred and crazy barking/​growling during which my arm is getting stretched in painful ways. Not even babies in strollers were safe. Now, after just one session, our walks are calm and pleasurable, where little to no attention is paid to passersby. I have a new dog. I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t experience it for myself. I even took her to a pet store yesterday, which was unheard of, and she was fantastic. I’m much calmer too, since I no longer have to worry that my dog will bite anyone during walks and new social interactions. Patti is professional and amazing. You have no idea how relieved I am and so proud of my little crazy Daisy.

I’m so glad my wife called Patti to help us train Jack our Lab/​Massif. It’s amazing what was accomplished with an hour training… it actually only took 5 min on the walk. But Patti helped us on establishing ourselves as the pack leader. Jack fell in line, and now does not jump on us, plays less aggressively, and even knows the boundaries of our fence less yard. This was money well spent!
Thanks Patti!

We have a 5 month old pit bull, who was in need of some manners training. Patti came over and within the first 5 minutes I could tell this was a great decision! She was wonderful! She had such an amazing calm about her, that I loved! She showed me so many amazing things right away! She showed me how to walk him correctly, how to wait for his food, how to be the one who is in charge and not let my dog be in charge of me! I can’t wait to practice what she told me to and for her to come back for my next session! I know my puppy Apollo will have perfect manners when she’s done with us. Definitely worth every penny!

After rescuing my 1.5 year old boxer I came to the realization that I needed help «fixing» underlying issues. I called PMDT was able to make an appointment rather quickly and get started. I worked with Patti and had the best experience EVER. One on one training is the way to go. Patti was always available for questions and help, and I also had the privilege to work with Sandy also when I needed more help. I am amazed at the simplicity of training yet the effectiveness is incredible. I am blessed to find a trainer that understands-​not just the dogs needs– but mine also.
Patti always answered my calls and emails when I needed reassurance. Working with Patti and my rescue dog proved to be very beneficial in so many areas… some that I didn’t even think of. I’m so. Happy I made this investment into my dogs life. Now he is on his way to being the best dog ever!

I’m really not sure how I feel at this point, that’s why I gave the 4 stars. We were looking for a trainer for our 7 ½ month English Bulldog, found Perfect Manners here on Unilocal and was intrigued by all the great reviews and results.
Called made the appointment and Patti was scheduled to come out. Patti is very pleasant and professional but I’m not sure if I got my money’s worth. We sat and I explained to her the behavior or dog is going thru. Puppy/​Teenager, jumping on people, being defiant, not coming when called. She took Bam Bam for a walk, followed by me walking him, was taught to keep him close to me so he knows I’m in charge. Next step was inside, since he already sits was told to have him go down before feeding time and treats followed with Yes to make Yes a positive and No a negative. That was pretty much it.
Not sure if I had other expectations or what to really expect, I feel that it wasn’t any different than Youtube videos we’ve watched. I signed up for the General Obedience Training which is 3 more sessions for $ 375 total. We will do what was taught and we’ll take it from there, trying to stay optimistic, I will update progress as we move forward.
UPDATE: Had our second session with Patti, Bam Bam has improved so much. Now that I understand their approach, it all makes sense. Less is more and it works!
Highly recommend

Patti came out to our home to meet our two dogs who needed to work on some obedience issues. (12 yr old very stubborn dog and a 4 yr old playful dog who
has picked up every single bad habit from the older dog.)
Within minutes, Patti had the older dog behaving like a perfect gentleman! I was shocked at how quickly that behavior could turn around.
She asked us to take the dogs for a short walk — instructing us to keep the dogs to our side and never let them lead. The walks went great! I did not allow the dogs on furniture after that — and they were crated from too many «accidents».
Patti’s instructions were ~ «Teach them to sit, stay, and come.» Then call me back and we will proceed to learn some new commands.
Unfortunately, my inconsistent husband who could not be bothered with training did not comply with anything except to teach the dogs to sit before eating. I
did get the dogs to cooperate — taught them to sit/​stay/​come… but whenever my husband let them out of the crate — he never issued commands… My efforts were constantly undermined, and I am beyond frustrated. His idea of being a great dog owner was to give them cookies all the time — for no good reason. They did not earn them. I also keep stressing the importance of picking up the dog food dish after 15 min if they haven’t eaten. They had learned to graze. 2 yrs later I’m still reminding my husband to pick up the bowls.
Now we are dealing with urine marking on the furniture as the little one has reached maturity and the two males are in constant competition with each other.
I am hoping Perfect Manners Dog Training will create a class for dog owners who are not doing their dogs a service by spoiling them and never teaching them who the «pack leader» is. Trainers give suggestions/​tips. They do not do the work
for you or your dogs.
We paid for a «lifetime» of training… but for what?
Patti is wonderful — I recommend her, highly ~ but don’t ever hire a trainer if you aren’t prepared to do the follow up or do not have the time to devote to your dog… It’s a waste of money.

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14 Miami Ct
Naperville, IL 60 563
(630) 420‑7070 Perfect Manners Dog Training
Category: Pet Training
3÷18÷2012
If there were negative stars available, this is what I would have given Perfect Manners Dog Training. Sandy’s ego is so huge that there isn’t really enough room for anyone else!
This business was recommended to me, but after one visit, I knew that they were not for me, or for my puppy. I wanted someone to help with my dog’s barking when people came to the house. Although I understand the authority/​dog relationship, Sandy was to the point of being abusive with my small dog. He would yank her around and discipline her to the point that what else could she do but obey, for fear of being injured. When I spoke up, he gruffly started in on me, he’s the expert, etc. etc. After a while I tuned this egotistical maniac out and painfully watched every minute click by waiting for the hour to be up.
Unfortunately, he suckered me into buying a 4 pack session by telling me it would be esaier on the dog each time. I was very skeptical but reluctantly agreed.
The second session, a woman came. She was completely different than the ego maniac Sandy, but that’s not a good thing either! She worked on different things so the dog was completely confused. Plus, all she wanted to do was sell her boarding business that she has in her house.
I took the loss of the rest of the sessions and have much happier dog. I’ll take a little bit of barking over this any day!
Good riddance!
Update: Contrary to what Mr. Sanford has stated, I am not ficticious. I am a real person who had a real problem with his company. He seems to have difficulty accepting that he is not Mr. Wonderful. Customers beware! Show owner comment ”

Sandy was GREAT! He absolutely changed our lives. After one lesson with our puppy, Mocha, she was a different dog. We did the four lesson plan. Everyone who comes to our house is amazed by Mocha and we have recommended Sandy to MANY friends.

This is odd to me. I have seen nothing but good reviews here, but all were for Sandy, so who knows.
Sandy was all booked, so I was sent a newer woman trainer. She was nice enough, but somewhat unnecessary in her actions, I guess.
I had a very scared and resource guarding rescue dog who had been kept completely unsocialized and outside for much of her life. I was hoping for help on this and on the fact that my other dog and this rescue pulled hard on the leash when walked together.
The trainer came in and fitted both dogs with prong collars. She took the rescue out first, without me, and walked her around in my parking lot, giving her collar corrections when the dog wanted to pull back to me. The dog was petrified of life in general at this point anyway, so this made her very anxious.
Trainer came back inside, put the leash on my other dog and started to tell my dog to sit, and then corrected him repeatedly when he didn’t. Except… ummm… my dog had been trained in a different language and had no idea what she was saying. I feel it’s kinda unfair to correct anyone for not understanding your language. I did tell her he did not «speak English.»
I was told that if the rescue resource guarded me in the house, I was supposed to give her a correction on the prong collar and leash.
I was to practice with the prong collars on the dogs for walks for a few weeks and then schedule another appointment. I was told I should plan on walking the dogs on prong collars indefinitely; they didn’t necessarily need to be phased out. I decided to try it and give it a chance. The rescue dog became extremely leash aggressive to other dogs every time the prong collar was on because every time she went to jump toward another dog, she gave herself a correction. She would turn into a snarling ball of teeth and hackles every time another dog approached.
Meanwhile, when I gave my rescue a correction for resource guarding me in the house, she would cringe and cower, flatten out on the ground, and go right back to attacking the other pet coming near me. The collar corrections just made her fight harder and get more scared aggressive. She’d snarl, cringe, flatten out, lunge, snarl, repeat. If I had tried to actually physically correct the dog into behaving, I would have had to inflict a lot of pain because this dog wouldn’t stop for anything (note, the trainers did not suggest this route, nor did I do it; I’m just saying she has a high drive to fight or protect herself).
I decided to try to manage problems on my own in other ways and resolved most things faster and using less aversive training. The pulling was solved by using sense-​ation harnesses (if I’m gonna use a no-​pull tool forever, might as well use a nice one). The rescue’s leash aggression went down a lot after switching. The resource guarding was solved with a small squirt bottle. On the prong collar correction, she would fight and snarl and go nuts. A squirt from a spray bottle and she goes and lies down. Much easier on me. She stopped attacking in the house and can now have the cat climbing on her while she sleeps.
Are the dogs perfect? No, but I’ll settle for mostly good.
Do I think this dog trainer is bad? No, but I don’t think my dogs needed this strong of correction. Perhaps trying different options rather than a one-​size fits all approach would have been better. I’m sure this training works if you really need to show your dog who’s boss or if you have a very stubborn dog who will react well to leash corrections.
(I’m not all about positive-​only training, either, btw. I do use electronic collars on my dogs when they’re off-​leash in coyote areas, and I have given them the occasional smack, leash correction, stern look, or harsh words. I’m even ok with prong collars; for some dogs, they work super well.)
I really believe that with dogs, as with any animal or person, the best method to get something accomplished is the one that requires the least amount of force, effort and bad feelings.

Sandy came to our rescue as I was reaching my wit’s end with my puppy Michael Jackson. He was so excited to see and smell and frolic around, walking him was a chore as all he did was tug, tug, tug and wrap his leash around your legs and become easily distracted. After one session with Sandy, the Dog Whisperer, the puppy was on command, following lead directly, knew to untangle himself and was fully listening to me.
The first session we had, he sat down and got a full history of Michael. He learned my biggest issues, observed him and his personality and was able to figure out the big problem preventing us from co-​existing without headache. In my case, Michael was assuming he was the ‘pack leader’ and we were having an battle between us for the leader position. He gave me a few hints to assert my dominant position, and after putting them into place, in a short time, we were fine.
In teaching my dog the «down» position, which he now does for me with no hesitation, Sandy got bit by Michael, as he wasn’t really feeling it. But he managed the nip, which did not cause any damage to Sandy, the dog complied. and that to me, watching, was captivating. Watching Sandy work with my dog was like watching the dog transform right before my eyes. and I can’t explain how happy it made me. Tears may or may not have formed.
What I like most about Sandy, though, is that he gives you the skills to train your dog yourself and he gives you homework to do in between sessions. Now, while he offers a package of 4 one hour sessions for $ 395, and that includes him coming to your home… he told me that because my dog was catching on so quickly that it wasn’t needed. So, as someone who is budget conscious, while paying $ 95 for a session might seem like a lot, know that he isn’t out to rob you blind. After two sessions, Michael and I were well on the way to being a happy pair and even now, he’s sitting across from me happily as I type.
People should know in advance that he is anti-​PetSmart or chain store training sessions, and believes that your dog should obey your commands not because you’re holding a piece of chicken liver in your hand, but because they love you and want to please you. Truthfully, we’re due for a brush up session or two… I will be exploring that in a few weeks, as I want Michael Jackson to learn some more advanced skills.

Sandy is wonderful and very gentle with my dog Buddy. With his guidance, Buddy has changed from an insecure dog who barked at anything and everything into a calm little guy.
It is a pleasue walking with Buddy now. He no longer pulls, barks or lunges at others dogs. People on the riverwalk have even commented to me that I have «such a well-​behaved dog.»

Great trainer, great trainer, great trainer! Sandy was referred to us by the Dog Patch pet store in Naperville and I’m glad we had the recommendation.
Go to his website and watch the video… it gives you insight to his personality and philosophy and you’ll probably be sold. The man is a «dog whisperer» and really knows what he is doing. He’s an in-​home trainer and if I remember correctly, he charges $ 100 per session and goes for four sessions.

We were completely hesitant to bring in a dog trainer. We thought that was for other people, not us. But, we were at wit’s end with our dog. He was a dog like no other and we really wanted to keep him. That is when a friend referred us to Perfect Manners. I had to wait a couple weeks for a weekend appointment, they book out quickly, but when my day came, Sandy arrived exactly on time. He spent an hour or so with us and our dog. We learned a lot and received a lot of homework so we could work with our dog better and he could live up to our expectations of him.
A year later we called Sandy back to help us with some more advanced leash training. The weather was getting better and I really wanted to hit the pavement with my pooch. After one visit, a change of collar and some homework, we no longer have to avoid kids on bikes, other dogs on or off leash because we are quite adept and walking on and off leash.
Sandy has been the a great influence on me, my husband and my dog. We are far more exercised than we were, our shoes do not get eaten and the dog plays well with others. I will share with you one little secret. Sandy at Perfect Manners is bi-​lingual — that is, he speaks both Human and Dog. And he can translate for both species. Made all the difference in our world!