3266 N. Elston Avenue, Chicago, IL
Group Training Classes in Chicago
Positive reinforcement for the urban pup
January Group Classes
New classes and sessions open every month! Check back frequently.
Monday, January 5 • 6:00 PM
5-week course - $250
Foundational Obedience
Calm Copilot
Tuesday, January 5 • 7:15 PM
5-week course - $250
Wednesday, January 7 • 7:15 PM
5-week course - $250
Canine Good Citizen
Puppy 1
Sunday, January 11 • 10:00 AM
5-week course - $250
Sunday, January 7 • 11:15 AM
5-week course - $250
Intermediate Obedience
Sunday, January 11 • 12:30 PM
Wednesday, January 14 • 6:00 PM
4-week course - $200
Leash Walking & Polite Greetings
Saturday, January 17 • 10:00 AM
5-week course - $250
Foundational Obedience
Saturday, January 17 • 11:15 AM
5-week course - $250
Buff Pups Canine Fitness
The Line Up
From beginner basics to advanced real-world skills, designed to improve leash skills, focus, impulse control, and urban behavior.
Foundational Obedience
$250 / 5 classes
This class is all about building a solid foundation for you and your pup! Our goal is to help you start off on the right foot with foundational skills.
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Foundational skills such as
Sit, down, stay
Leave it
Recall
Touch
Leash walking
Find it
Eye contact/engagement
Release cue
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Best for dogs who are new to training, easily distracted, or need help focusing in busy environments. Great for high-energy dogs or recent rescues starting fresh.
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Your pup is six months or older
Vaccinated
Intermediate Obedience
$250 / 5 classes
This class will work on proofing existing skills like stays, recall, and leash walking as well as more advanced skills like place and heel.
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Build on skills learned in Adult Dog 1, plus
Relaxation
Heel
Place
Tricks
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Best for dogs who know the basics but struggle with consistency, impulse control, or working around distractions like other dogs or people.
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Has taken Adult 1, OR instructor approval before signing up for a class
Your pup is six months or older
Vaccinated
Advanced
Obedience
$250 / 5 classes
This advanced level group class will work on proofing skills to and learning complicated sequences of behaviors.
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Build on skills learned in adult 1 and 2, plus
Combining behaviors
Long distance sit and down
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Best for dogs ready to level up their obedience with advanced skills, off-leash reliability, and real-world challenges like public spaces or group settings.
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Has taken Adult 1 and Adult 2, OR by instructor approval
Your pup is six months or older
Vaccinated
Reliable Recall -
2 Class Workshop!
$90 / 2 classes
This two-week workshop focuses on making your dog’s recall rock-solid through fun games, challenges, and real-world proofing practice.
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Building strong recall foundations and cue clarity
Games that make coming when called fun and reliable
How to practice around distractions
Timing, body language, and reinforcement placement
Tips to maintain and strengthen recall long-term
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Dogs who already know foundational obedience, but need reliability recall.
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Basic obedience
Your pup is six months or older
Vaccinated
Loose Leash Walking & Polite Greetings
$200 / 4 classes
This class teaches polite greetings and leash walking skills to help your dog navigate city streets and meet people with confidence.
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Ways to approach (and be approached) by people as well as skills to call your dog away when needed.
Loose leash walking in the city.
Games and leash walking exercises that you can add as additional tools in your leash walking tool belt.
How to teach your dog not to jump on others
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Best for dogs who get overly excited or unsure when meeting people and need help with leash manners in busy environments.
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Has taken at least one basic obedience class, OR instructor approval before signing up for a class
Your pup is six months or older
Vaccinated
Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
$250 / 5 classes
Designed for you and your pup to build real-world skills and prepare for the official CGC test.
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CGC Test Prep Skills:
Polite Greetings
Handling skills
Leash Walking with distractions
Stays with distance and duration
Recall from a distance
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For dogs over 6 months who are looking to grow their obedience and temperament skills in a goal-oriented class.
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Has taken at least one basic obedience class, OR instructor approval before signing up for a class
Your pup is six months or older
Vaccinated
Puppy 1
(10–20 weeks old)
$250 / 5 classes
A complete puppy foundations class featuring obedience skills, confidence building, social play, and weekly Q&A on common puppy issues.
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🐶 Engagement & focus games
🎓 Obedience basics
Sit, stay, down, stay🔄 Drop it and Leave it
🐾 Leash walking & recall
👋 Polite greetings
🐕 Appropriate play with other puppies
💬 Preparing for vet visits & city life
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For families looking for a balanced mix of training, socialization, confidence work, and real-life puppy guidance.
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10–20 weeks old
At least 1 round of core vaccines
Reactivity
$450 / 6 weeks
This class is for dogs with leash reactivity/frustration in a safe, group setting. Class size is 4 dogs and taught by two certified trainers.
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Improving handling
Management skills to help you navigate city walks.
Counterconditioning exercises to help reduce reactions over time.
We will give you more information about why reactivity happens, body language, and changes we can make in our daily lives to help you and your pup.
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Best for dogs who get overly excited or unsure when meeting people and need help with leash manners in busy environments.
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Your pup is six months or older
Vaccinated
Calm Copilot 1
$250 / 5 classes
A mix of relaxation techniques, focus exercises and pattern games to give you the tools you need to navigate city life.
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Pattern games
Relaxation
Redirection techniques
Look at That (LAT)
Calming touch and massage with Caragh from Wellness & Wags
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This class is perfect for adolescents, dogs with leash frustration, and any city pup that could use a little more calm and focus in their life!
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Has taken at least one basic obedience class, OR instructor approval before signing up for a class
Your pup is 12 months or older OR instructor approval
Vaccinated
Calm Copilot 2
$250 / 5 weeks
This class builds on Calm Copilot with more relaxation techniques, focus exercises and pattern games.
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Calm Copilot 2 with amp up distractions and add in new exercises to increase engagement and focus in any environment.
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This class is perfect for adolescents, dogs with leash frustration, and any city pup that could use a little more calm and focus in their life!
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Has taken Calm Copilot 1
Vaccinated
Buff Pups:
Canine Fitness
$250 / 5 weeks
A fun fitness class for dogs that builds strength, balance, and confidence with wiggles, wobbles, and bonding!
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how to safely use fitness and agility equipment
how to build strength, balance and stability
new ways to engage your pup in distracting environments
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Best for folks who want to work on new ways to engage and enrich their pup’s life through exercise, strength, and agility training methods. Great for folks who might want to dip their toe in dog sports to learn a bit more about how to get started.
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Has taken at least one basic obedience class, OR instructor approval before signing up for a class
Your pup is six months or older
Vaccinated