What is a Free Consultation/Demonstration?
What type of training methods do you use?
What type of training programs do you offer?
What is the Sit Means Sit collar?
Does this training work for small dogs?
Does my dog always have to wear the collar?
Does your training work with aggressive dogs?
What is a Free Consultation/
At Sit Means Sit Chicago we start by meeting with you and your dog. Our consultations are completely free of charge. This is an opportunity for you to evaluate our training, and for us to make an accurate assessment of your dog’s needs in relation to your goals. We take notes on your lifestyle and your dog’s specific behaviors and temperament, so that we can make an qualified recommendation for you.
The consultation allows:
- A time for you to see the level of our training with one of our trained dogs
- A time for us to share all of the different types of training approaches to consider
- A time for you to ask us direct questions about the realistic expectations of training for your dog
- A time where we may demonstrate our training with your dog so you can see the potential with our training approach
- A time where we can make quality recommendations for training with us
- A time for you to make a qualified decision based on your personal experience
- Bottom line, it’s a “Sit Means Sit Test Drive” that is a must anytime you are considering training your dog
The free consultation will last forty minutes to an hour. In order for us to design a package for you and give you a fair and accurate price, we must fully understand all of the above factors, as they all relate to the amount of time we would expect to be working with you and your dog to achieve your desired goals. The only investment required for this is your time. During the consultation we will be able to develop a personalized training plan that best suits your dog’s temperament and your specific needs.
Keep in mind, that anyone who says that they can train your dog should be willing and able to show you their level of training with one of their dogs and most importantly, show you how their training works with your dog. Naturally this should be without any investment or commitment. There is no cost or obligation associated with our free consultation.
Schedule your free consultation
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What type of training methods do you use?
The unique Sit Means Sit training model uses attention-based training to redirect behaviors and teach dogs new skills like proper manners. This approach to training allows our Sit Means Sit Chicago trainers to use a variety of attention based modalities such as leashes, flat collars, food, toys, and naturally our specialty, the patented Sit Means Sit collar. Just as in sports and academics, no one is ever punished into excellence; so we teach with a healthy level of clear guidance, direction, and enthusiastic praise. Through repetition and proper progression, excellence and proficiency is achieved. We are best known for our off leash results around severe distractions, both on and off the owner’s property. We address many different areas of training, including:
- Barking
- Aggression
- Fear and anxiety
- Behavioral issues
- Basic obedience
- Puppy and adult manners
- Pulling on the leash
- Counter surfing
- Jumping
- chewing
- Advanced obedience
- Special needs (Deaf, Blind, etc.)
- Off leash reliability
Our training is safe, confidence building and free of confrontation, conflict and confusion. There is no yelling or punishment in our training progressions. The collar (as is with all other training modalities), does not train a specific skill such as “sit” or “down”. We as the trainers train the skill. Our patented collar simply acts as a neutral attention aid, and once we have the dogs attention, we begin shaping a skill by guiding and directing the dog. As you view our portfolio of dog training videos and pictures, we hope that you will pay close attention to the attitude of all the dogs trained by Sit Means Sit Chicago. We direct our focus on generating and maintaining a happy and relaxed attitude in all of our dogs. This is why we are committed to showcasing our training via the Internet and in public in order to share our training options around Chicago and around the world. Throughout the year we do a large number of public demonstrations (for indoor and outdoor expos, seminars and events) around Chicago and the United States. Talk is cheap; we will show you the difference we can make!
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What type of training programs do you offer?
Sit Means Sit Chicago offers different training models with each “program” customized to the specific needs of your dog, your family, your goals, and your circumstances.
Our training options include:
- PRIVATE LESSONS – Imagine having a dog that garners compliments everywhere they go. A dog that responds to your every command regardless of distractions. Each of our personally tailored Private Lesson programs will help you and your dog become a team to eliminate behavioral problems and develop impulse control, confidence and attention. Private Lesson Programs are designed for the family who wants to be directly involved and personally responsible for the success of the dogs’ training. Private Lessons are similar to a teacher coming to teach you how to “home school” for your dog’s primary education. Private Lessons are conducted at your home, at a park, or in another location of your preference. The number of private lessons to reach your goals will be determined at your free consultation.
- BOARD AND TRAIN IMMERSION – Imagine having all of the hard work completed for you. Picking up your dog that is so good that you just need to maintain the excellence that has been instilled. A dog so well trained that they respond to your commands regardless of distractions. Each of these personally tailored programs will help your dog develop impulse control, confidence and attention – while still maintaining their personality. Immersion programs are designed for the busy family who needs help with the foundational stages of training. Immersion Programs are also ideal for the dog and family who needs an experienced and certified professional to help them start with behavioral adjustments/aggression management. Our Board and Train results are backed by Lifetime Support! Once meeting with you and your dog, we will recommend the number of private transfer lessons and continued reinforcement to keep your dog’s excellence consistent. Board and Train Programs range from 10 days to 3 weeks depending on your training goals and opportunities.
- GROUP CLASS – Our fun, active, and challenging group classes help keep your dog socialized around strange dogs and people in a managed environment. Our group classes will proof the skills you and your dog learn in Private Lessons or a Board and Train Immersion. You and your dog will learn advanced obedience in our group classes, allowing you to take your dogs’ training as advanced as you desire! Your dog will learn to listen to you even in very high distraction, and you will stay fresh and sharp in all of your dogs’ training skills. Group class is a must for dogs that are aggressive, fearful, or over excited. You will receive weekly support from a professional trainer in a controlled environment, and our group classes are a great opportunity to practice and strengthen your dog’s off-leash control. We hold group class both at our facility and at several different parks around the Chicago and the Northern Suburbs (real world training!). The group calendar is found under the “Group Class” tab above.
Our most popular training model is our Board and Train Immersion. During your dog’s Board and Train Immersion your dog will live with the Sit Means Sit trainers as a family member for a designated period of time and be fully immersed into training. Your dog is treated like one of our own personal dogs and is with our trainers all day; not just kenneled and taken out for training sessions. Our board and train dogs receive an extraordinary amount of hands on training hours (35-110+ hours depending on length of stay) and work with all of us, ensuring transferability. Your dog will truly work, live and play as one of our very own.
At Sit Means Sit Chicago our Board and Train Immersion dogs work with us in a variety of settings including our facility, our on site trainer quarters, and most commonly – out in the real world. For the very best training results, Sit Means Sit Chicago focuses on training as a lifestyle like in your real life (with all of life’s distractions!). Our facility is in bustling Avondale and directly across from an active five acre public park. Our professional dog trainers schedule limited dogs at a time to ensure direct attention and proper progression for your dog during their Board and Train. We understand being away from your dog can be emotionally challenging, so we give peace of mind by sending you several video updates of your dog in action during their stay.
The time period and follow up we will recommend for your dog is matched with your individual needs, your dog’s temperament, and your dog’s expected learning curve. We will determine our best recommendation at your Free Consultation.
At Sit Means Sit Chicago we want your dog training experience to fit your specific and unique needs. For example, if you predominantly have your dog with you at work, we will make sure to train with you in that exact environment. Your success is insured with our results oriented year round support, including lifetime phone/email consulting, lifetime unlimited group training, and lifetime reinforcement visits as needed. This means, we truly are, the trainers for the lifetime of your dog when you choose a Board and Train Immersion Program.
Our training recommendation and the cost is dependent upon our evaluation of your dog and what you tell us about your lifestyle needs. We offer the free consultation so that you can meet us and evaluate our training, and so that we can meet you and your dog. Once we are able to assess your dogs needs, your goals for them, and any other unique circumstances, we will be able to determine the best training recommendation and give you an accurate price quote. We do not see dog training as one size fits all. Your dog and your situation is unique, and your training should be fit to that uniqueness.
Schedule your free consultation
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What is the Sit Means Sit Collar?
Imagine being able to reach out to tap your dog on the shoulder to say “Excuse me, doggie, I need your attention.” The Sit Means Sit collar acts as that simple tap on the shoulder!
The Sit Means Sit collar is patented and developed from micro stim units used in the medical and athletic fields. In the medical and athletic fields these micro stim units use low-level, very adjustable electronic stimulation to create a muscle contraction to help alleviate pain, promote blood circulation and create healing. With our SMS collar an adjustable super micro stim signal is manually sent from a remote and translates into a “tap” delivered to the Sit Means Sit collar. The sensation starts at such a low level, that it is imperceptive to most people. This signal from the Sit Means Sit collar is also incredibly adjustable in the same way that your voice is, and is completely controlled by you, the handler.
Sit Means Sit Chicago teaches attention-based dog training developed by Sit Means Sit Founder and CEO, Fred Hassen. Sit Means Sit utilizes a variety of tools, treats and toys that enable our trainers and clients to gain the dog’s attention without confrontation, bribery, or raised voices – even in some of the most distracting environments. The revolutionary way we use the Sit Means Sit collar allows us to use an electronic collar in a way that is totally counter intuitive to the old school “correction /compulsion” approach. Don’t believe this can be true? Schedule a free consultation and we will show you! The cue from the collar is the cornerstone of teaching attention both in close and long distant proximity, as well as distracting environments. Our ability to generate consistent quality levels of attention, allows us to induce a steeper learning curve for the dog than any other training.
Your dog will very quickly associate for us (and you!) the collar’s tapping as a cue that we are communicating to them, capturing their attention, and followed by praise and reward. This is no different than tapping a person on the shoulder to get their attention and thanking them for it. Naturally the goal of tapping them on the shoulder is not to surprise or intimidate them, but rather to let them know that you want to communicate something to them. Adjustability in the tap levels is necessary because just like different people prefer and respond to different degrees of temperature, sound and touch; so do dogs. There is no way to determine what levels your dog will respond to until we begin to interact and teach them. The versatility of the SMS collar’s long range capacity, the weather and water proof tolerances, and micro stim levels, allow a “training affect” to move into areas of high distraction and new environments with ease. The integration of the SMS collar will also significantly shorten the time period spent training, simply because a major challenge in teaching has always been about gaining and maintaining the dog’s attention.
The ultra adjustable and versatile Sit Means Sit dog training collar excels in all environments and training areas from pet training to advanced working K9s. Dogs trained with a Sit Means Sit dog training collar and the Sit Means Sit system will even listen without the collar on!
Interested in what the Sit Means Sit dog training collar feels like? Read this article for a better understanding of the feel and adjustability of our remote electronic dog training collar.
Our Sit Means Sit professional dog trainers use this collar daily when training pet dogs from Chihuahuas to Great Danes as well as with their personal dogs. The Sit Means Sit Dog training collar performs perfectly in a variety of working applications. The waterproof dog collar receiver and transmitter, and the custom Sit Means Sit small antenna can withstand the abuse from hunting and protection work as well as hold up in real world applications with busy pet dog owners.
The small dog collar receiver size allows the Sit Means Sit Dog training collar to comfortably fit even our tea-cup friends and the versatility of the system allows even the most stubborn dogs to be trained quickly and easily without raised voices, bribery or confrontation.
The Sit Means Sit Dog training collar has a programmable transmitter which can be configured to provide the dog trainer with a variety of configurations to suit each individual dog. It can also be expanded to handle up to three dogs from one dog training collar remote. With a reliable range up to 1/4 mile (440 yards) and the comfortable “Soft Coat” Transmitter finish, this unit is a pleasure to handle. Dog Training Gear for the Real World!
The Only Remote Dog Training Collar You Will Ever Own. Sit Means Sit is the only company to provide a REAL LIFETIME warranty with our product. There is no fine print to read or glitches that will catch you when you really need it. Sit Means Sit provides a hassle-free exchange warranty so that if ANYTHING ever happens to your dog training collar, we will replace it. Don’t worry if your neighbor’s dog chews it up, or even if your pet elephant accidentally steps on it and smashes it. Send in the broken pieces and the warranty service will have it quickly replaced with a new one. Next week, next year, or 10 years from now. It’s truly the only dog training collar you will ever own!
Watch our videos to learn more!
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Does this training work for small dogs?
Absolutely! Sit Means Sit Chicago has successfully trained hundreds of small dogs. Small dogs and large dogs learn by the same basic principles of attention with motivated learning. One general difference we have seen over the years, is the owner’s tendency to tolerate more extreme behaviors from their smaller dogs as opposed to their larger dogs. These behaviors include aggression, fear, excessive barking, and even housebreaking or marking problems. Our customized approach to training dogs of all sizes and temperaments, allows us to fine tune our training progressions to suit even the smallest of dogs, with the biggest of challenges. We have a number of videos showcasing how well-trained a small dog can become with a Sit Means Sit Chicago trainer.
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Does my dog always have to wear the collar?
Training with the Sit Means Sit collar implements the same principles of any learning program that uses a variety of teaching aids. Reinforcement, in any and every form, is a required component for proficiency and a necessary part of your dog’s life. Even after they are trained, it will still be necessary to maintain your rules and boundaries both in and out of the home. To put it into perspective; you can hire a tutor to teach you to speak French, however if you do not reinforce their teachings through regular use you will not be as fluent.
The good news is, that with proper progression and thorough training your dog will become increasingly more reliable. This translates into more freedom for the dog and less stress for the owner. Proofing your dog to be reliable without the use of the Sit Means Sit Collar is a matter of transferring attention through conditioning. There are three broad phases of training that you will encounter as you train your dog. Sticking with your training and reinforcing your rules consistently, over a period of time, will define your dogs level of reliability in every case.
We advise all our clients to implement the use of the Sit Means Sit Collar consistently and without hesitation for a minimum of 90 days post-program completion.
Some folks have asked if we can train dogs without the SMS Collar, and naturally the answer is Yes! We are expert dog trainers first and foremost and obviously the SMS Collar is simply a training tool like a leash or food. With education we help people come up to speed with modern dog training, and the free consultation naturally allows for a conversation about the dog and owners needs and preferences so we can create a plan for success!
Schedule your free consultation
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Does your training work with aggressive dogs?
Absolutely, Yes. Our training system is heralded among owners of aggressive dogs here in Chicagoland and around the world, as “the program that saved my dog’s life.” The professional dog trainers at Sit Means Sit Chicago have successfully trained hundreds of aggressive dogs (and their owners) and we do not discriminate based on people or dog aggression. We also welcome all breeds, all ages, and all behaviors. As we say, “Talk is Cheap”; watch some of our dog training videos that feature aggressive dogs being trained by our Sit Means Sit dog trainers. Due to the nature of aggressive dog behavior, prior to trying modification attempts yourself, it is highly recommended that you contact a professional dog trainer first: even if you don’t call us. This is to ensure the highest degree of safety for both you and your dog, and to induce a positive change in an aggressive dog. All dogs can learn impulse control, having a trainer coach you and your dog safely and effectively ensures your confidence.
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