Puppy Training in Chicago
The Puppy Pack Leader Program is Chicago Dog Trainer’s private training session built specifically for puppies between 8 and 16 weeks old, the age range when the habits that shape a dog’s whole life are just starting to form. It’s designed to get new puppy owners in the Chicago area started on the right foot, covering the basics every puppy needs to learn before bad habits have a chance to set in.
The session works with your puppy and your whole family together, so everyone in the household learns the same techniques and expectations from day one, rather than a puppy getting mixed signals from different people using different approaches.
What’s Included in a Puppy Pack Leader Session
Puppy Pack Leader is a private, two-hour session, working with your puppy directly rather than in a group class with other dogs and owners. Family members age 12 and older are welcome to attend, so everyone who will be helping raise the puppy can be part of the same training session and hear the same instructions firsthand.
Discounted rates are available for more than one puppy. The session includes a one-hour follow-up appointment within six months if you need extra support putting what you learned into practice.
What Puppy Pack Leader Covers
New puppies come with a predictable list of challenges, and Puppy Pack Leader is built to address the ones that show up most often:
- House Training — Puppies learn a consistent routine for going outside, reducing accidents in the house.
- Crate Training — Puppies learn to settle into a crate calmly, which also supports sleeping through the night.
- Nipping and Chewing — Puppies learn what’s appropriate to chew and mouth, and what isn’t.
- Basic Household Rules — Puppies learn the foundational expectations that make life easier for the whole family, from not jumping on furniture to responding to their name.
Every one of these is easier to teach early than to correct later, which is exactly why this program exists as its own track rather than a scaled-down version of adult dog training.
Why Training Starts This Early
Puppies between 8 and 16 weeks old are in what’s often called a critical socialization period, a developmental window when they’re unusually open to new experiences, people, and routines, and when habits, good or bad, tend to stick. Training that happens during this window tends to be more effective and longer-lasting than the same training attempted after a puppy’s habits and instincts have already settled in.
That’s part of why Puppy Pack Leader exists as a distinct program rather than just an earlier version of the adult Pack Leader Program. A puppy’s needs at eight weeks, learning to be handled, learning basic house rules, building trust with new people, are genuinely different from an adult dog’s needs, even when some of the underlying techniques overlap.
Puppy Pack Leader vs. the Adult Program
Puppy Pack Leader is specifically for puppies 8 to 16 weeks old. Once a puppy is older than that, or if your household includes an adult dog that could also use training, the Pack Leader Program covers the same private, one-on-one approach for dogs past the puppy stage.
For puppies or dogs dealing with more serious behavioral issues, such as aggression or severe anxiety, Chicago Dog Trainer’s boarding school and bootcamp programs offer a more intensive option, with the dog staying at Little Dog Farm for a longer, structured training period.
About Chicago Dog Trainer
Chicago Dog Trainer is run by Marc Goldberg, co-author of three published books on dog training and behavior, including Let Dogs Be Dogs, The Art of Training Your Dog, and The Joy of Playing With Your Dog. His approach centers on communication and leadership between a dog and its family rather than punishment or force, an approach that shapes Puppy Pack Leader from the very first session a puppy attends.
Marc and his team have trained puppies and adult dogs throughout the greater Chicago area for years, working out of Little Dog Farm and, for owners further away, offering sessions by video.
If you have a new puppy between 8 and 16 weeks old, the earlier you start, the easier the rest of your dog’s training tends to be. Call 331-286-1174 to schedule a Puppy Pack Leader session, or ask about video sessions if you’re located outside the immediate area.