Dog Training in Waukegan, IL

My husband and I cannot express enough our deep appreciation for the tremendous support we have received from the entire team at DTE Western Chicago over the last year as Bentley, our miniature dachshund, has gone through his training to become a certified service dog. From the very first day on March 17th, 2025, the expertise and incredible knowledge demonstrated by Tim, Katie, Grace, Pauline, and Jamie convinced us we had found just the right place for Bentley’s training (and ours as well!). We’ve gone through all three two week intensive sessions (These are awesome one-on-one training experiences by the experts.), numerous group sessions (We recommend you attend these whenever possible. These sessions are so interactive and fun and provide a great platform for ongoing training.), several camps (These are great opportunities to refresh skills and manners and for your furry friends to just have fun!). Bentley loves the training team at DTE and gets so excited when we go to the training facility. Bentley has passed all three levels of the AKC Canine Good Citizen Tests, thanks to the ongoing patience and guidance from the DTE Team who are AKC certified as evaluators. Tim and Katie have continued to expand and grow the training experiences they offer along with their training team and most recently, Erik joined the DTE Team. He too has brought tremendous knowledge and support for our ongoing training journey and his group classes have been both fun and educational. We tried another dog training group before finding the DTE Team and wow, what a difference. The professionalism, experience, and entire program at DTE is well worth your investment of resources, most importantly, your time commitment with your furry best friend. All our love and gratitude to the DTE Team! Richard, Bettina, and Bentley

Our little guy LOVED going to puppy training! We look forward to working with you all in his next chapter!

DTE is a fantastic group to work with. My partner and I recently adopted a 3 yo pitbull who was stubborn and leash reactive. Working with Grace at our home was a god send. Pricing is fully reasonable for everything you get. We also love having the option of drop in days. And being able to bring our dog to group classes after initial training is super helpful to reinforce the behaviors even confronted with other dogs and distractions. They were willing to work with us to adapt to exactly what we needed which was amazing to have flexibility. I honestly don’t think they could run their business any better, everything is set up so well, and the whole team is wonderful. Absolutely love bringing my dog back regularly, and he loves everyone there!

Poppy and I have completed 5 private lessons with Grace. Each session has been very targeted towards one or two particular behaviors which makes it easy to understand and focus on the goal. We’ve made great progress regarding Poppy’s over-reaction to other dogs. I tried other training methods but none were effective in curbing her behavior. We’re on the right track and I’m looking forward to the group classes.

I couldn’t be happier with our experience! The training has been absolutely fantastic since we started. Not only did my dog make incredible progress, but I've learned so much too. The trainers are patient, kind, knowledgeable, and truly care about every dog’s success. The two week camp was great, my dog was excited to go every morning. The weekly group classes are a lot of fun, each session is clear, positive, and again my dog loves to go. I've been amazed at how much Hunter has learned so far and continues to learn, I am so happy I chose DTE for this journey. Highly, highly recommend!

My dog Miki and I had a great experience from the time I had an informational call to having a meet and greet with Ms. Grace as well as training with her. My questions were always answered quickly through texts, and if not, Ms. Grace would have lots of helpful information. Ms. Grace also gave us lots of helpful suggestions with supplies that would help me train Miki easily too. Miki & I enjoyed and learned a lot with Ms. Grace and from time to time Mr. Erick when he came with Ms. Grace. We also got to train with Ms. Grace’s dog! It was a lot of fun.

I can't thank you enough for all the work you did with Kelce. We look forward to the group classes

My dog (Peaches) and I started training a couple of weeks ago. Although we have only had a couple of in-home classes thus far, I can see a big improvement. Peaches has learned several different commands and is successful most of the time. As for me, I'm more confident dealing with her behavioral issues. For the first time in a couple of months, I feel positive. The trainer (Grace) has been excellent with me and Peaches. Her instructions are right on point. I'm so happy Peaches and I have her as an instructor. I would not hesitate to recommend Dog Training Elite to anyone.

We’ve been working with DTE for a couple months now after getting a new puppy who proved challenging to train. From the start Grace was so easy to work with and explained the why behind the way they train puppies. Our little Luna has made such great strides in her first 5 sessions and is getting better each day we practice her commands. We’re looking forward to bringing Luna to the in-house classes to see her progress further. Can’t recommend DTE enough and you’ll be in great hands if you are paired with Grace.

Pauline has been amazing training our Sheltie puppy Fin. She helped us and stayed very flexible with our crazy schedule along the way! Fin was able to learn basic commands in a timely manner and Pauline was always very patient and kind with Fin. Can’t recommend her enough!! She’s very knowledgeable and good with dogs and with dog training.

Paulina, Jaime, and Grace are amazing ladies! They were so patient with Benny as he was very anxious attending facility classes. Hes been so much better with his obedience, behavior, and commands. He loves classes as much do I. The classes are so much fun, Benny is tired after class. I love how the girls change it up every weekend with different challenges. They put in a lot of hard work, love, and effort in Benny. Appreciate you all!

My 7yo dog and I have worked worked with several trainers through out the years, and the group at DTE in Naperville has been my favorite. They really listened to what it is my dog and I were looking to get out of the training and work so that their program fit our situation! Grace does a phenomenal job listening f to the owners and reading the dog during the one on one session!! Cannot wait to go join the group classes.

The team at DTE have been fantastic helping us work with our anxious Rottie. I am very grateful I found them because he is doing better already. It takes time and patience but it is worth it.

Excellent facility. As with any training, it’s really what you do at home that makes the most difference. DTE gives you the tools to make that difference!

We found DTE after looking for additional training support when one of our dogs attacked our other dog. It was a beyond stressful experience for us, but when I first reached out to DTE, the owner (Katie) was so kind and patient and empathic as I shared our concerns and she shared the training options. We just completed the in-home training program with Grace, and are looking forward to starting the group component. Grace has also been extremely kind and understanding. She is extremely knowledgeable and always ready to answer our questions and provide any additional direction. We are so grateful for Grace's help and guidance, and our dog has shown incredible growth in terms of his response to our commands. Our deepest thanks to Grace and DTE

Grace has been super helpful with our dog. A once super timid and shy boy is growing confidence by the day thanks to the detonation and knowledge of DTE

We love going to the group classes they offer. We had a great time Saturday in downtown Naperville walking the river walk. It was a great teaching lesson for Holly with all the people and distractions that were around. Holly is doing so well with the training she gets from Pauline, Grace and Jamie. At almost one year old we are so pleased at all she has learned. 5 Stars all around!

DTE is genuinely AMAZING!!! They have helped teach me and my girl luna so much and they do it all with love. Definitely give them a shot you won’t regret it!

Wonderful experience. Great training. Seeing results a few days in. Looking forward to the group classes for more socialization. Would highly recommend. They’re very experienced and knowledgeable.

We reluctantly decided to try e-collar training after not having the success we desired with only positive reinforcement methods and we are SO glad we did. Our very yappy and reactive miniature dachshund is well on her way to being the pet we always knew she could be. After a very pleasant and informative initial interview with Pauline we decided to proceed with DTE. Grace and Pauline helped us understand and debunk our misconceptions regarding using e-collars. Our in home sessions were with Grace who's patience and incredible knowledge about dogs and training has been amazing. We, Lexi's humans, have been the main training challenge but Grace never made us feel like we were failing. With encouragement and humor she patiently helped train us as much as she did Lexi. We are looking forward to joining the group classes and will update our review as we progress. Thanks DTE for giving us an option that actually worked for our issues! Lexi is quieter and calmer in what used to be embarrassingly chaotic situations. We can't wait to continue this journey with you all!