“My wife and I had been frustrated with our two young chihuahua sisters, for some time. At 2 years old, we were still having a really tough time getting them to listen and learn even the most basic commands. It was, in short, making life uncomfortable for the girls and for us.

We recently had to go out of town for a couple of weeks. We had heard about Dawn Schertz, through Tendercare Veterinary, in Morton, and had been considering asking her to train our girls. Dawn was able to board them during our trip and train them at the same time. I tried to be optimistic. But, it was hard to imagine even a professional getting these two to learn anything.

When we returned from our trip, we went out to pick the girls up at Dawn’s farm. Dawn asked my wife and I to hide out of sight while she brought the girls out from the kennels and demonstrated what they had learned. What I saw blew me away! Not only did they sit, on command, but they also had learned to lie down, stay and to “go to your spot”. My next thought was, “Okay, they listened to and learned from someone who came to them as an authority figure. Surely, they won’t respect commands coming from us.”

But, after Dawn had demonstrated the commands with our dogs, we came out of hiding. After a few moments of initial excitement over the reunion, my wife and I each tried running through the commands with the girls. They listened and followed the commands!

It has changed our lives, for all 4 of us. Now, we don’t have to worry about the girls trying to burst out the door and make a break for it or causing chaos in two directions inside the house. We have more of a routine set up with them that includes refersher training and daily routines, but also allows for relaxation time for all. We are so much more relaxed with them and I truly believe that the girls are happier because they have a better idea of what we expect from them.

I would highly recommend Dawn’s services to anyone who is, and has been, having trouble training their dogs to follow even the most basic commands.”
— Mark and Dawn Wright/Morton, IL

“I rescued Cinnamon from the Ark in Lacon a couple years ago. She is such a sweetie! However, I have always struggled with her bolting out the door, pulling on the leash, and, in general, NOT listening. It was a safety issue for her that she was always trying to bolt. I needed her to listen to me, but had no idea how to train her.

Dawn worked with her and I have to say—I was totally shocked at the results. After a 2 week stay, Cinnamon would walk by my side without a leash. She also will come immediately on command. This is truly amazing. What surprises me is that she actually LOOKS at me, like she is waiting for my instruction. Not only does she behave much better, we have a better, closer relationship. We now go for walks all the time. Instead of her pulling me and being a stinker, I feel like we both are on a nice walk together. We both love it! At home, Cinnamon will come and sit by me any time I call her. THANK YOU Dawn!!!”
— Amy Funk/Eureka, IL

“Hi Dawn,

Sorry it has taken me so long to update you about June! I really couldn’t be happier! I think my favorite thing is probably our walks, because they are now so enjoyable for both of us. But really, she is just a MUCH better behaved dog in every way and I know I could not have accomplished it on my own.

I have recommended you to several people already, most recently to a couple who adopted a pit from the shelter who is young and untrained like Miss June was.

THANK YOU for being such an awesome trainer! Hiring you to work with June was worth every single penny. I wish you Happy Holidays!”
Sincerely,
— Denise Coleman/Canton, IL

“I would like to give my thoughts on “Canine Solutions”. I am the one who walks Wyatt everyday and it is now a joy to walk with him. I am 6’3″ 200 pound man who was having a terrible time walking Wyatt before Dawn trained him. Wyatt would bite and pull on the leash so hard my shoulders started hurting and I had tried so many different things. He would also lunge at cars or moving objects. Wyatt now listens to the commands I give him. Dawn not only trains the dogs, she showed me what I was doing wrong. She took time with me and my wife to let us know the CORRECT way to handle him. Wyatt is such a great dog, but we just needed the right guidance. Dawn did all of that in just two weeks and we have continued with what she taught us. Even my friend whose family raised German Shepherds in the past said “She knows what she is doing. Wyatt is so much calmer now”. My wife, Mary, and I highly recommend Dawn to anyone who needs help with their dog.”
— Terry L Smith/Peoria, IL

“To Whom It May Concern,

I have known Dawn for 9 years as a friend and as an employee for 6 of those years at my veterinary clinic. She held different positions while here Office Manager, Veterinary Technician, Reception, Behaviorist, and Dog Trainer. During that time I routinely referred training and behavioral cases to her. She held after hour’s puppy classes, did one on one training, and weekly private sessions at the clinic. The Staff and I always saw a difference in the dogs from start to finish. My clients were always very satisfied with her training and helping with their problems. Dawn is a very strong, confident, and trustworthy trainer. You are welcome to contact me for any reason.”

Thank you,
Dr. Tammy Dugger, DVM
Tremont Veterinary Clinic, P.C.

“Thank you to Dawn Schertz at Canine Solutions…. We were at wits end to find a compassionate trainer to come to our home and help us with our new Grandpup Hazie who had a food aggression issue with only one of our other dogs….We could not get her to replicate her aggressive behavior anywhere else….. We took her to several local facilities all with differing opinions! Canine Solutions actually came to our home, allowing us to repeat the scenarios here that triggered our pups response… Three visits later with proper correction and support and she is a totally different dog… We had tried all the “by the book” methods, yet Dawn really listened, observed and responded to each specific issue! She is truly “the dog transformer”… Its as if she spoke to pup and our pup listened! I love that she also showed us how to “play” with our four legged family members too! Worth every penny…. I highly recommend Canine Solutions…. Now onto obedience class with Canine Solutions!”
— Melissa Kehoe

“We rescued our Tikka, a young Lab and Hound mix in November 2013. She is an energetic dog with a great spirit. After a short time, she became more and more aggressive while on the leash. Her barking and lunging at cars, dogs, and people while out and about was becoming quite dangerous. The sight of a mail truck was an absolute disaster. We were enjoying our walks with both our dogs less each day.

I had heard that Dawn was working in the area and made contact. Tikka spent a day with Dawn and it made a remarkable difference. Tikka learned to walk on the lead with composure and poise. The newspaper lady stops to pet her now and the neighbors no longer ignore us or cross the street to get out of our way. We are dog owners who love our dogs. We made a commitment to Tikka to give her a better life and feel that Dawn’s work with her has helped put us all on a better path. We recognize that one day does not make a great dog so we continue to practice and work with Tikka daily as she hones her new skills. We won’t hesitate to take Tikka back for extra time with Dawn to earn more when needed. Thanks to Dawn, we are all a lot happier and safer.”
— Terri and Larry Patterson

“Dear Dawn,

This note is to let you know how much we appreciate everything you did with Ben, our rescue boxer. As you will remember he had been abused and was just less than one year old when we got him. He had not been, in any way, in a normal or good environment.

We felt a real need to give him a good life, with training and socialization. You provided the training and made sure he was socialized. In fact, he is so social now he feels like everyone is his friend! He also obeys when it is necessary for him to do so. He has become a real love of a dog and so much of that is due to your help.

We could not have asked for more. Thank you so very much!”
— Ron and Mavis Berke

“Dawn has helped me with my Boxer, Bruno. I started taking Bruno to day care when he was about 6 months old. Sadly my energetic Boxer puppy ended up spending more time in ‘time-out’ than playing with the other dogs. He was not an aggressive dog, but when he played in the group, he simply ignored everything around him. I was discouraged with day care. After all, I wanted to do something good for my dog and he never got to play because he was out of control. That’s when Dawn was introduced to me and she offered to work with Bruno. Only after a few sessions with Dawn and my out of control Boxer puppy was suddenly allowed to play in the group and he learned to listen.

Bruno, still a very young (3 years old) strong and energetic Boxer, is now welcome at any daycare or dog park. I have been asked many times by the day care staff how I managed to train Bruno so well. He knows day care etiquette and the staff always uses Bruno to introduce new dogs that have trouble with day care groups to integrate them. Hard to believe, but my stubborn, crazy young adult Boxer has become a ‘role model.’

Dawn and Bruno have bonded for life!! Dawn still checks in with me and Bruno on a frequent basis to check up on him and whenever she’s in the neighborhood, she will make sure to come on by and pay Bruno a personal visit. I will recommend Dawn to anyone that needs professional dog training! I will trust her with my dog in any situation and if I am ever in need of dog training again, I will not hesitate to consult her. Thank you Dawn – you are the best!”
— Corrinne & Bruno, Stuart/Florida