Tucker Pup's offers outdoor dog training classes in Chicago that cover leash walking. In this class, we teach your dog to not pull or jump while on a walk.
Sample Pullers & Jumpers Class
This is a four-week mini-course that happens outdoors. We work on leash walking in real-life situations, including on sidewalks, at the park, under the el tracks, and past other dogs. The course addresses loose leash walking, jumping on people or dogs that you pass, and dealing with strange noises. This course does not address leash reactivity - this is covered in private lessons.
By conducting the course in the outdoors, we can more easily simulate real-world scenarios, noises, and distractions that you many encounter.
We meet at different locations in the West Loop - each course and date is slightly different. Each week, we will inform you each week of where we will be meeting. If a day is rained out, we will improvise, including going inside a store.
Please note that this class is not intended for overly reactive dogs who may exhibit overly aggressive behavior when passing other dogs or people. If you are wondering whether this is the right course for your dog, please contact our trainer - you may need private lessons, which we can provide.
Is there a behavior you're looking to cover but don't see it listed? Call us at 312-829-8787. It may be covered in this or another course, or in private lessons.
How To Enroll
Call us at 312-829-8787 or click here to request enrollment. We must receive payment in order to finalize your enrollment. Please note that we can take a credit/debit card over the phone. Class size is limited, so time is of the essence.
Course Details
Prerequisites: None
Ages: At least 6 months old and with the confidence to walk a relatively long distance at a decent pace. if you currently need helping getting your dog to keep moving, you might need an indoor class or private lessons first. Please feel free to ask our trainer for advice on whether you should sign up for this course.
Maximum class size: 6 dogs. We keep class sizes relatively small to increase the attention given to each person
What you will need to bring:
A six-foot leash. No flexi-leashes are allowed in class.
A regular collar. No prong collars, choke chains, or shock collars are allowed in class.
Soft treats. We sell and recommend Happy Howie's, which is a large log of meat that you chop into small pieces at home, using a chopper. You can buy these from us at the class. We recommend the Vidalia Chop Wizard or similar chopper.
A treat pouch that you attach to your waist, so you can keep your hands free and your pockets clean. You can buy these from us at the class.
Submit payment to hold your spot: Your enrollment is not finalized until we receive full payment. We accept credit and debit cards, checks, and cash. You can submit your card number over the phone if necessary.
Liability Waiver: You must sign our Liability Waiver in order to finalize your enrollment. We will send it to you, and you can sign it on your computer or mobile phone very easily. We would need the signed form before you attend the first class.
Vaccinations: Before the course starts, we must receive proof of the following vaccinations. They must remain current throughout the duration of the course.
You or your vet can fax or e-mail them us. Please supply the documentation at least a day before the first class.
Required vaccinations:
Rabies if 7 months or older.
Distemper and Parvo. (typically combined in a vaccination called DHLPP or something similar)
Bordatella (aka "canine cough" or "kennel cough")
Canine Influenza (the strain called "H3N2" at a minimum, although we recommend combining the vaccination with the strain called "H3N8" for full protection). Please note: The first time your dog receives this vaccination, it comes in two rounds, three weeks apart. You can start a course with just the first round. There is a nearby walk-in clinic that gives it inexpensively, with no appointment needed and no additional fees. Click here to learn more about this vaccination and why we require it.
You may substitute proof of titers instead of vaccinations if your vet believes titers are sufficient.
If you are concerned that you are missing a vaccination and don't have time to get it done, there is a walk-in clinic a few minutes from our facility that is open seven days per week, and will not charge an office visit fee if you are only there for vaccinations. We're not suggesting that you change your vet if you're happy with them, but this can be very helpful in a pinch.
Significant other: You can bring your significant other or a co-owner of the dog to each class for no additional cost. We recommend this, so that the main people in the dog's life are being consistent in their commands and handling skills. This will maximize your chance of success.
Children: Children who are twelve and older are welcome to attend the courses, as long as they are not being disruptive and stay at your side as we walk. They must be able to keep up, and not slow down the entire class..
Enrolling multiple dogs: You can enroll more than one dog in the course, but each dog must be accompanied by an adult.
Have your dog well-rested: We strongly recommend that your dog stays home and gets light walks on days when she is in a training class that night, so she is at full strength and attention. Dogs who go to daycare or play heavily at the park are normally too tired for class. If your dog normally comes here for daycare on the same day of the week as a training course, we will gladly switch you another day of the week during the course, then switch you back when it's over.
Other: Since this is a walking course, all participants must be able to maintain a decent pace and stay with the group.
Positive reinforcement only: As with all training classes at Tucker Pup's, this course uses only positive reinforcement techniques such as treats and praise. We do not use shock collars or dominance methods to achieve success.
Aggression issues: This is a course about teaching life skills and listening, not addressing aggression. Therefore, please note that dogs may not be in class who are aggressive towards other dogs, for obvious reasons. This includes snarling, growling, lunging, snapping, or attempting to bite. If your dog is questionable due to any of these reasons, you would likely need to take private lessons instead, and/or attend one of our Aggression Seminars. Once you pay for a course, if your dog shows these signs of aggression, you would likely be asked to not bring your dog to future classes due to the risk towards the other dogs. If this is the case, the course would not be refundable because by giving the space to you, we likely turned away someone else. You must make this assessment before signing up for the course, which may include speaking with our trainer. Even if your dog cannot come to future classes, you would still be able to attend, so all is not lost. We just ask that you strongly consider these points and if you feel you have signed up in error, please call us immediately.
Refund and cancellation policy: As is the case with most training businesses, our classes are non-refundable unless you cancel seven days in advance. This is because class size is limited, and by saving a space for you, we likely turned down a space for another customer. Click here for additional information about our cancellation and refund policy.
Private lessons: Most dogs do not need private lessons in addition to a training course. However, you may find that you need some help with a particularly challenging behavior in advance of the course's start date. If so, the trainer can likely come to your home or meet you at a central location to give a private lesson.
We used Tucker Pups for Puppy 101 Training. David Roos is a fantastic trainer. He works well with the puppies and the owners, often correcting or tweaking little behaviors throughout the class. He is encouraging without being demeaning, like some trainers can be with stubborn dog owners. He ultimately wants the puppies to grow and adapt to be beneficial to the owners' lifestyle, and if something doesn't fit, he provides guidance on changing the command or behavior to something that does fit. I'd recommend David for any new puppy or owners.
- Stacey Randolph
We had a great experience at Tuckers with Rachel and Brian. They were very attentive to each dog even though there were 4 others in the class. We saw great improvements with our pup Bauer and we are excited to see him continue to improve. We highly recommend this class and are even thinking of enrolling in the agility class this summer.
