K9 University Chicago

We adopted our dog Indy (a now 2-year-old rescue) a year ago, and over the first few months discovered how reactive she was with other dogs, making walks difficult and even just making it hard to let her run around in our backyard, with so many dogs in our neighborhood. We tried some basic obedience training, and another training service who came out to our house for a handful of sessions, but we still didn't see much progress in controlling her aggressive reactions. We found K9 University as a potential board-and-train option that had experience with aggressive/reactive dogs, and signed our pup up for 3 weeks with them to work on obedience and getting her to more easily disengage when she sees another dog. K9 was excellent about taking care of her during that time and proved they know how to handle dogs with reactivity alongside all the other dogs they're boarding. Our trainer Jon was fantastic in explaining what he would work on with her and in giving us summaries and videos/photos during the 3 weeks. We were shocked to not only see her progress in those updates, but then also so impressed to see the changes that were evident in the walks we took her on afterward -- much less leash-pulling, and with the help of some commands and high-value treats Jon taught us how to manage with her, we can now usually pass by a dog on the other side of the street without her lunging/barking/growling (she would never be able to do that previously). Jon also came to do an in-home visit post-training to make sure everything was going well after the fact, which was awesome! She's still working on it and has her moments when startled by other dogs suddenly rounding a corner in close quarters, and because we don't know her past prior to being rescued, we're unsure if she'll ever be able to be buddy-buddy with most dogs she encounters. But the change in demeanor, obedience, and tolerance of other dogs has improved DRASTICALLY since that training, and we now bring her only to K9 for our boarding needs, especially because we can periodically add-on some brush-up training for her while she's there. We've also noticed that Indy is more obedient at home now, even when other dogs are not present, which has been so welcomed. We recently had a baby, and she is becoming the best big sister and is very gentle and respectful with him. Thank you Jon and K9 U for everything you've done to help get our dog to where she is today! She loves you guys and we do too!

My dog absolutely adores this place. I’ve been taking her there since she was a little puppy, and I make sure to take her there once a week. It’s a great way for her to socialize, meet other dogs, and have a blast. Every time I pick her up in the afternoon, she falls asleep and sleeps until the next day, completely exhausted. They offer a wide range of programs, including training classes, boarding, and even sending you pictures of your dog throughout the day. The staff there is incredibly awesome, very friendly, and attentive. It takes me almost an hour to get there, but I find it to be definitely worth it.

I have a 120-pound Bloodhound. We've already tested some facilities, so I can say without a doubt that the K9 is the best boarding/daycare place in Chicago! Fantastic team, perfect structure, I totally recommend K9.

They have a few kennels with rubber floors that are perfect for old dogs, which is awesome. They are a bit far away from me in Chicago, but they do pickups and drop offs for only $20 each way, which is totally worth it. Lastly, and probably most importantly, they have an emergency pickup service. If you do any house sitting or just worry you may be caught away from home longer than expected then this is an amazing service to sign up for. They people were super pleasant and they send great pictures of your dog.

I have been bringing my dogs to K9 university since 2005 a total of 4 different dogs. I love that my dogs are treated like family. When my current dog arrives, it’s like the show Cheers everyone knows her name. This week 1-2026 , they had a birthday party for her with treats and gifts. It is well organized and the staff really cares. RIP, Ruby as she was a great person and her legacy lives on.