Dog's Best Friend

My husband and I (and our corgi) had a great experience at Dog's Best Friend. Chas and his daugher, Sam, are professional trainers whom I would recommend to any dog owner. They were able to provide us with a great balance of the one-on-one training we required in the beginning as well as dog socialization when we transitioned to the group lessons. Even during the group lessons, Sam or Chas would ask each of the owners questions regarding behavior and well being. I believe us humans learned just as much (or more) than our dog as they have provided us with the foundation for continued training for years to come. It is obvious that Chas and Sam truly care about each of their clients and I would certainly recommend this family-owned business to anyone.

I enrolled my dog, Messi, a Coton du Tulear, in Chas Rooney's training program when he was just four months old. Before I even drove to Apostle Island to pick him up from the breeder, I researched trainers and interviewed them on the phone and in person. During my conversation with Chas at his home, I was impressed by his experience, his deep understanding of dog psychology, and his passion for his work. Chas is assisted by his two adult children, a son and a daughter, to whom he has passed on both his passion and his knowledge. The three Rooneys are all very professional, but at the same time, friendly and approachable. They take a sensible and logical but no-nonsense approach to teaching owners how to train their dogs to be obedient while remaining happy and active. The Rooneys are quite clear on precisely what owners need to do to achieve their individualized training goals. They are not shy about letting you know what you are doing wrong, but are equally quick to praise what you are doing right. They have a genuine love of dogs and this is reflected in their compassionate yet strict approach that involves immediate correction, but also lots of positive reinforcement. Their whole approach reflects a well thought out philosophy of how to train a dog without negatively affecting his spirit or personality. Messi and I began with a series of private lessons and then "graduated" to group lessons with other dogs and their owners. These lessons - and the daily one half hour homework - have molded my happy but undisciplined puppy into a happy, affectionate dog who LISTENS.

I'm writing this review SUPER HAPPY!! I have a 200lb dog who was reactive and territorial with other dogs. He loves people, but it was hard to take him anywhere because there MIGHT be another dog. But after a year of training with Chas, I'm fresh off 2 camping trips with my dog. He was great!! People who HAD dogs were complimenting ME on how good my dog was. I kept looking at him like he was a "POD dog", because I couldn't ask for a better dog. He displayed no aggression, rarely barked at other dogs and if he did, stopped immediately. It was awesome :)