Found Chicago Boarding & Training Center

"I had a terrible experience with Found resulting in having to rehome my ~ 1yr old Dachshund anyhow. My sweet boy had developed leash aggression and reactivity to all the noises in my condo building. I went to Found for assistance and paid $5K for a 6-week board and train program after my dog bit me due to reactivity. The bite was significant and I ended up having some additional medical complications as a result. I didn't expect my dog to come back completely void of negative behaviors; however, I did make it clear that I would only participate in the training if they felt my dog's behavior would improve within the setting and he would follow commands. The trainer met my dog and stated he felt confident that my dog and I would do well with the training. I also made it clear that I have Chronic Migraine Disease and their location was a bit far for me to travel (a point they now deny ever hearing up front nor having any record of). I missed 2 of the 3 training sessions that should have happened at their facility. I attempted to get them to add those sessions 2 additional sessions to my in-home follow-up sessions and they agreed. Unfortunately, however, they took so long to set those up (I called and kept leaving messages or never getting through) that my dog ended up aggressively (not even reactively) biting one of my door staff at my condo building. The bite was significant and my door staff had to seek medical attention and threatened a law suit. I decided that it was best to change my dog's environment bc condo living seemed to be the thing that triggered his behaviors. He now lives with a family with a house/yard and kids and has not repeated his aggression and has had no further training. When I attempted to receive some kind of refund for the 4 unused sessions, I went around in circles with their training supervisor and his supervisor. I was spoken to as though I was the one on the defense for not having come to the 2 training sessions and for having not scheduled the follow-up sessions in a timely manner. I explained my issues with Chronic Migraine Disease and difficulty reaching anyone to schedule the follow-up sessions and was further put on the defense. They told me they had no record of knowing about my disability up front and only a few records of my attempting to reach them. They then stated that had they known about my disability, they may not have agreed that my dog and I participate in their training because they would not have felt it was possible to achieve success with my dog if I could not be consistent due to my disability. I attempted to reason with the training supervisor and his supervisor and was flatly told that refunds went against their policies. It was a significantly expensive waste of money and their training was with an e-collar, which I was fine with for training and some follow-up, but it became clear the expectation was for him to be with the e-collar and treats indefinitely while back with me until his behavior changed. This also didn't seem to make sense to me because I paid for him to board and train and go home with the actual trainer for 6 whole weeks. This seems like a long enough training time with a trainer to have some amount of improvement in behavior. Also, I was supposed to get regular report cards, which I was led to believe would be specific updates on my individual dog, but they were just videos of my dog in group play with other dogs. In these "report cards" my dog was barely discussed and there wasn't ever mention of how he was doing on leash or with noise reactivity. I admit the training process would have gone better without my medical limitations; however, the training specifically for my dog was not what I was promised. I didn't expect them to refund me for the whole training, but a portion of it for the sessions that could not be completed due to their poor phone answering and message-taking skills would have been a good faith/good business practice. I would never recommend this place for training to anyone."

"My partner and I moved from New York to Chicago and wanted to find a great board and train program for our pup while we were traveling. We had done some training in the past, and our rescue organization and trainer in New York actually recommended Found! They have an amazing reputation and truly live up to it — we found that the staff was extremely communicative, friendly, and professional. You can tell how much the trainers are committed to training the dogs, and our dog loved the adventure dog program. We learned so much about how to communicate with our dog more effectively. Jen is amazing, and we’re very thankful that we went with this facility. They have a top notch team, and we highly recommend them!"

"Our dog, Wilson, went through the adventure dog program for three weeks. He recently went back for a week long board and train while we were on vacation. Wilson is an absolutely wonderfully trained dog. Friendly and full of personality but also reliable off leash, around other dogs, and in new situations. We ❤️ the found trainers!"

"My Dog and family are extremely happy to have joined the Found Chicago Board and Train program. My dog was a persistent leash puller and pulled my elderly mother down a few times to fall. After the board and train, our walks are so enjoyable and stress free! If the facility was closer to my home, I'd definitely join their group classes to keep the learning going. Miss you, Trainer Will! Thanks for all your team's hard work!!"

"I can’t believe I’m just now writing this review. Three years ago, our dog Arthur was completely rehabilitated mentally at Found. Our trainer was fantastic. Arthur is a German Shep/Pitbull/Chihuahua mix, and had bitten three people in Chicago. After the two week boot camp, he is such a good boy and we can take him anywhere off-leash without having to worry. He responds properly, respects us as his alphas, and hasn’t had any aggression issues since learning the power of “place”. Thank you so much, Found! You changed our lives with Arthur and no one can put a price tag on that."