Happy Hound University
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
(18)
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
(18)
18 customer reviews
Caitlyn R.
I really don't even know where to begin with this review but here it goes. I rescued two, very fearful, people reactive dogs back in May. It very quickly became clear that they were VERY uncomfortable with anyone coming into our home. At this point I began my search for a dog trainer.I was SO SO SO close to giving my money to one of those "fix it quick" dog training companies. Thanks to some helpful advice I received online, I quickly realized that your every day, run of the mill dog trainer is NOT equipped to handle such cases, and can often make the behavior worse over time.Knowing that I needed someone who actually knows what they are doing, I looked for local trainers on the "Certified Professional Dog Trainers" directory, and found Mary.It was such a joy to work with her. Given that my pups are afraid of strangers, it just so happened to work out perfectly that Mary was, in fact, a stranger. She took me step by step through the process of getting my dogs acclimated to people by having me practice techniques on her, and by the end of our sessions together, my pups were wagging their tails and excited whenever she would arrive. While stranger reactivity doesn't go away overnight, she equipped me with the skills I need to slowly acclimate my dogs to people over the years and years we will inevitably spend together. I could see that she was a little sad on our last session, which is such a testament to how much love and care she brings for her clients and their dogs.To sum it up in one sentence: I couldn't recommend her enough More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Caitlyn Sendra
I really don't even know where to begin with this review but here it goes. I rescued two, very fearful, people reactive dogs back in May. It very quickly became clear that they were VERY uncomfortable with anyone coming into our home. At this point I began my search for a dog trainer. I was SO SO SO close to giving my money to one of those "fix it quick" dog training companies. Thanks to some helpful advice I received online, I quickly realized that your every day, run of the mill dog trainer is NOT equipped to handle such cases, and can often make the behavior worse over time. Knowing that I needed someone who actually knows what they are doing, I looked for local trainers on the "Certified Professional Dog Trainers" directory, and found Mary. It was such a joy to work with her. Given that my pups are afraid of strangers, it just so happened to work out perfectly that Mary was, in fact, a stranger. She took me step by step through the process of getting my dogs acclimated to people by having me practice techniques on her, and by the end of our sessions together, my pups were wagging their tails and excited whenever she would arrive. While stranger reactivity doesn't go away overnight, she equipped me with the skills I need to slowly acclimate my dogs to people over the years and years we will inevitably spend together. I could see that she was a little sad on our last session, which is such a testament to how much love and care she brings for her clients and their dogs. To sum it up in one sentence: I couldn't recommend her enough More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Dina Skinner
Mary is so patient and knowledgeable! Loved her!
Reviewed on Facebook
Dina S.
Loved her! Â Kind, patient and knowledgeable!
Reviewed on Yelp
Dan B.
Happy Hound and Mary changed the game for my wife and I...we found out we were expecting our 1st child the day after we picked out our puppy. Almost immediately we started working with Mary both in home as well as puppy classes. Both were amazing and provided different levels of attention, distraction and challenges. The class size is small and you definitely don't feel lost in the shuffle like you do at larger classes. Now, 6 months old and near our due date Theo knows how to sit, lay down, come when called, target hands, walk, leave things alone, drop when asked and all in all just a great, well trained dog. My wife and I could NOT recommend Mary more, time over time I told people that it's not like working at a big box store but Mary really understands what is going on and connects with your dog so well. Mary also took time to learn what was important to us and didn't force any agenda for tricks or a certain type of training. She always took time to explain what she was doing and made sure to train us as well. Seriously, not even a thought here...I watched difficult dogs succeed like crazy and a 10 week old puppy learn to love to sit and lay down. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Mary W.
Mary was wonderful with our rescue pup, Winston. She gave us many techniques to deal with potty training. Â We also had the issue of trying to train Winston with the distraction of a stubborn 14 year old Bichon who didn't see the need for training. Â Mary helped us to work with both dogs to instill good behaviors in both dogs. Would highly recommend Mary to anyone in need of a dog trainer. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Kelly E.
After adopting our 3 year old pit, we noticed she started becoming leash reactive. She looked very stressed out on walks and would bark/lunge/growl at every dog she saw. It was immensely frustrating. But Mary came in and we couldn't be more thankful!! Mary's knowledge with force-free training and fear based reactivity has changed our lives. Athena can now walk around the neighborhood with minimal reactions (she's still a work in progress). Mary taught us so much and gave us the tools to help our girl become less fearful and more confident. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Jessica K.
Mary has been so helpful and is so knowledgeable, and I think that I've walked away from every lesson learning something new and valuable. Before starting personal dog training sessions with Mary, I didn't even know where to start, but I feel like I have been equipped for the long-run. Thank you, Mary! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Tiger Paton
Competent, compassionate, and thoughtful - highly recommended :)
Reviewed on Facebook
Julia Helmer
I really enjoyed working with Mary as did my husband and our cattle dog mix, Logan. We had specific behavior issues that we wanted to address with Mary and she listened to us and laid out a plan for each session and how we were going to tackle each behavior. She also explained the scientific and biological background regarding certain instincts or behaviors which really helped to put the problem in perspective. Mary uses positive reinforcement which our dog responded to so well and she really helped us help Logan be a better family member. Thanks, Mary! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Barbara Cronin Powers
Mary has been wonderful to work with! We called her when our 5-month old puppy needed additional training and we wanted a force-free trainer, and she has been very helpful. She answered our many questions in between training sessions and was positive, professional, and very informed about her work. If we need additional support with Theo in the future, we will definitely reach out to Mary, and we recommend her to anyone else looking for a force-free, loving approach for dog training! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Steve Helmer
Mary did a great job providing us the right approach in training our puppy and the tools/advice needed so that we could put in the effort when she wasn't around to really improve his behavior. We had used a different trainer previously and also interviewed a few others and Mary was substantially better than anyone else. The biggest thing for me was that she was a certified trainer, where everyone else we met was 'self taught.' I also appreciated that she sent us follow up notes after each session since there is a lot of information presented in an hour. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Kayla Weber
Mary is an incredibly compassionate and humane, science-based trainer. Highly recommend her!
Reviewed on Facebook
M.E Eccles
We specifically chose to reach out to Mary because of her belief in using positive, force-free training methods, as well as her ethical statement on her website FAQ that it is irresponsible to guarantee results. It turned out to be the best decision for learning about and training our dogs. Mary's positive and caring demeanor made it so easy to work with her. Both dogs loved her and she was able to demonstrate the training techniques. Mary provides typed up notes of each session, which is fantastic because there is so much to remember! She is prompt and her rates (particularly the packages) are really good. Pixie and Raggles have learned so much and we are so grateful to have engaged Mary as our trainer. We can't recommend her highly enough! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Allison Curts Doruff
Our pup is a 2 yr old Australian Cattle Dog rescue who came with no history. He wasn't a difficult dog but he was stubborn, different than any dog we've had and we were totally stumped. It was important that we help Emmett's transition in his new home and we needed a professional, not someone who only helped with basic obedience. After researching the many trainers in the area, we felt Mary Thompson and The Canine Perspective was what we needed. The "no pain, no force, no fear - force free training" was important to us. During our first session with Mary, we saw an immediate transformation with Emmett. Mary is phenomenal in her calm demeanor, training style, and extensive canine knowledge. Mary also sends a follow-up email of each session with step by step instructions, with additional links, for continued training & practicing for real life situations. We will call on Mary for any future training when needed. We now better understand the canine's perspective! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Barb P.
Mary was absolutely wonderful to work with! We called her when our 5-month old puppy needed additional training and we wanted a force-free trainer, and she has been very helpful. She initially helped with obedience work, and once we later learned that our puppy had separation anxiety, we called her again. She supported us every step of the way, and our once very anxious, loudly-howling pup is now quiet and happy when left home alone. What an amazing turn-around; we're so grateful to Mary! She answered our many questions in between training sessions and was positive, professional, and very informed about her work. If we need additional support with Theo in the future, we will definitely reach out to Mary, and we recommend her to anyone else looking for a force-free, loving approach for dog training! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Kaitlin Krupp
I love working with Mary! She has helped all of our dogs in our rescue program. She’s worked with everything from dog reactivity, to resource guarding, and even helped our dogs become more comfortable with nail trims. I highly recommend her!
Reviewed on Facebook
Kimberly H.
Mary Thompson made a life-changing impact while working with my dog, Sadie; this was particularly important to me due to Sadie's fears and anxieties that makes her a challenging dog to handle. Over a period of approximately one year (both in group and individual classes), Mary helped Sadie learn to better manage anxiety, become more consistent and reliable in basic obedience skills/commands, improve her focus/attention, and gain the ability to perform a variety of tricks. Most importantly, Mary's teaching style is evidence-based, scientific, gentle, and centered on positive-reinforcement techniques; she continues to improve her knowledge and technique through ongoing training and attendance at a variety of educational programs to continuously improve her skillset. Though Sadie can often be fearful of strangers, she was always happy to see Mary, which I think is a testimony to the type of trainer that Mary is. In addition to helping Sadie, Mary helped me learn how to most effectively work with Sadie. She is excellent at communicating concepts and ideas, as well as helping me shape my own behavior in working with Sadie. After our individual sessions, she provided me with written documentation and guidance for working with Sadie outside of session. Interpersonally, Mary is a pleasure to be around and someone from whom I could easily learn.I am very grateful for all of the diligence, care, and kindness that Mary has shown Sadie. I would easily and gladly recommend her to anyone looking for training; it was my greatest regret to move away from the area of lose her as a trainer. She's the best! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
