A Sound Beginning

Shannon our trainer for Duke , a 3 year old pit / lab mix. I'm Duke's 4th home because of his reactionary behavior ( jumping, pulling, and mouthing). My vet. referred us to A Sound Beginning and it has been a wonderful experience. Shannon is very patience and thorough trainer which has led Duke on a path to being a better dog. When we first got Duke he could not be around my grandchild ages 3 and 5, now he will take treats out of there hands. Thanks Shannon.

We had a wonderful experience with A Sound Beginning Program after adopting our Great Dane, Bruce. Shannon came to our home and immediately made us feel supported and confident as we navigated the behavioral challenges that can come with adopting a shelter dog. Her calm, compassionate approach and positive reinforcement methods made a huge difference for both Bruce and our family. She gave us practical tools that really worked and helped us better understand his behavior and needs. We’re incredibly grateful for the guidance and highly recommend Shannon and A Sound Beginning Program to anyone bringing a rescue dog into their home. Thank you Shannon and A Sound Beginning!

We adopted our anxious and reactive pittie mix Beans from the city shelter in 2020 and could immediately see that we were going to need help with training. He was having frequent meltdowns outside (barking, lunging, pulling on leash) to the point that it was extremely stressful and difficult to even feel comfortable leaving our yard and any unfamiliar sound would set him off inside our home as well. Over the course of our in-home private sessions working with Steve at A Sound Beginning, we as pet parents were given the knowledge and tools we needed to help Beans feel more confident and safe out in the world. In fact, one of our favorite family activities now is taking extra long walks around our Pilsen/Chinatown area - not a single meltdown to be seen! He’s also become so much more relaxed in the home and although he IS still an anxious guy he looks to us for reassurance before reacting and that reassurance is generally enough that he goes right back to relaxing. Working with Steve and A Sound Beginning was truly a game changer for our family!

I used A Sound Beginning for training two of my Cane Corsos. One dog was trained at my house by Steve Frost for being overly protective of us to the point that she was becoming aggressive toward strangers. The other one was trained (we still go for practice) mainly by Marta Dzundza at the Naperville location. Both experiences were EXCELLENT! Training was always well controlled and safe. Their methods and expertise worked wonders and helped my dogs be better canine good citizens. I highly recommend A Sound Beginning training especially for dogs with issues.

As first-time dog parents, we truly couldn’t have asked for a better experience with Cassie, Laura and Jeff. From the moment Cassie walked into our home for a visit, she brought such a calm, peaceful energy that immediately put both us and our dog at ease. What stood out most was her incredible patience and the way she leads by example; never rushed, never overwhelming, just steady and kind. Our dog absolutely and immediately melted in her arms during both training sessions at our house, which said everything we needed to know about the trust she builds so naturally. She didn’t just train our dog, but she taught us. She helped us build a strong foundation with behavior basics, understand what he (our dog) is feeling, and gave us so much confidence through her thoughtful feedback and guidance. We walked away feeling more informed, capable, and connected to our dog than ever before. Cassie also provided prompt resources after our sessions to learn more and shared super helpful documentation for us to continue our learning. We are so grateful for Cassie and would recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone looking for not just a trainer, but someone who truly understands and cares.