Highland Park · Chicago North Shore · By appointment
Private dog training & behavior lessons in Highland Park.
Meet Marnie Harris, KPA-CTP, with over three decades of applied canine behavior experience. Private dog training lessons begin with your dog, your family, and the patterns you’re living with. Whether you searched for obedience lessons or help with a frightening behavior problem, we start by understanding what you need.
Start with Free Orientation, then a $120 first private lesson to understand what is not working, what your dog needs, and what could make life easier for everyone. No package commitment. No staged performance.
We welcome all behavior concerns, however serious. Please speak with us about your appointment so we can decide together on the kindest, safest route for successful help—at our facility or in your home. If possible, share three short videos of your dog in ordinary daily life, whatever the concern. There is no need to stage, provoke, or recreate any risky or dangerous behavior. Your safety and your dog’s safety come first.
Everyday skills and complex behavior
Looking for dog obedience lessons?
You may want calmer greetings, more attention on walks, easier household routines or a dog who can settle. Private lessons give us time to look at what makes those everyday skills difficult for your dog and work on practical communication in context.
When barking, pulling or difficulty following a cue is connected to fear, anxiety or overarousal, we look beyond the cue itself. Lessons are individualized; you do not need to buy a package to start.
Dog training lessons near you on the North Shore
CFG is based at 1906 Holly Road, Highland Park, Illinois, with appointments arranged individually. We welcome enquiries from Highland Park, Highwood, Deerfield, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Northbrook and Glenview. In-home availability and travel are confirmed before booking; we agree on the safest, kindest setting for your dog.
Start with Free Orientation, then request an available appointment through your family dashboard. The first 60-minute in-home lesson is $120 where appropriate.
Looking for a specific concern? Explore dog aggression help, barking and leash reactivity, fear and separation anxiety, or puppy guidance.
Every behavior concern is welcome
From puppy questions to serious aggression
There is no single label that explains a dog. We look at the dog, their history, their environment, the people and animals around them, and what happens before and after a behavior. Bring the concerns that matter in your household.
- Aggression and biting: defensive responses, snapping, growling, dog-to-dog fights, conflict at home
- Barking and reactivity: dogs, strangers, noise, visitors, walks, movement
- Resource guarding: food, toys, resting places, people or space
- Fear and anxiety: separation anxiety, distress when left alone, crate fear, handling or grooming difficulty
- Prey attraction and chasing: squirrels, cats, small animals, running children or fast movement
- Overarousal: jumping, impulsive chasing, frantic greetings and trouble settling
- Puppy development: social experiences, rest, play, confidence and family routines
- Compulsive-looking patterns: repetitive behavior or changes that may need veterinary assessment
Explore specific concerns: aggression · leash reactivity · resource guarding · dogs fighting at home.
What happens in your first conversation
We map the dog’s world—not just the problem behavior.
We examine what is difficult for your family, what is difficult for your dog, and what is already working. Together we identify practical adjustments, appropriate outlets, clearer communication, and the next steps most likely to help this individual dog.
Your Living Constellation is a developing shared picture of behavior, needs, relationships and environmental influences. The goal is language your family, pet sitter and veterinary team can understand and use consistently. Where appropriate, changes in the environment or communication can help a dog function more comfortably during the visit; results vary, especially in complex cases.
Three ordinary-life videos, if possible
Before your appointment, please share up to three short clips showing everyday routines, interactions, play, rest or the circumstances you are concerned about—only if you already have safe footage or can record without risk.
Never provoke aggression, stage a fight, approach a trigger or put anyone in danger to make a video. We welcome serious cases without requiring footage of dangerous incidents. Speak with us first so we can decide whether your home, our facility or another arrangement is the kindest, safest place to begin.
1 · Your profile
Returning families sign into their private dashboard. New clients begin with the CFG intake so their family and dog can be added securely.
2 · Available times
Only time windows published by CFG appear on the calendar. If no times are shown, there are no openings available to request yet.
3 · Confirmation
Requests are reviewed for safety, travel and the best setting for the dog. Appointment details and next steps are confirmed in your dashboard.
New puppy? Start with understanding.
Learn how to see the dog in front of you.
Not ready for an in-home appointment? The First Conversation is Marnie Harris's digital introduction to noticing what your dog is communicating, considering the context, and asking better questions before problems grow.
Especially useful as a starting point for puppy families—and available to any dog owner who wants to understand behavior, not just put a label on it.
A general canine behavior eBook, not a puppy-specific training course. Digital edition only; sold separately from the $120 home visit.
Questions families ask
Are these group obedience classes or private lessons?
These are private, individual lessons with Marnie. We work around your dog and household rather than a group-class timetable. Start with Free Orientation so we can discuss your goals.
Can I come for barking, anxiety or fear rather than obedience?
Yes. We welcome everyday training questions and serious behavior concerns, including barking, reactivity, aggression, fear and separation anxiety. Tell us what happens and how it affects your family. Read about anxiety and separation-related concerns.
Do you help with severe aggression or dogs who have bitten?
Yes. We welcome those concerns. Tell us about the history before booking so we can plan a safe starting point without staging dangerous behavior.
Is the first visit always at home?
Not necessarily. The $120 introductory offer is for a 60-minute home visit where appropriate; we discuss the safest setting with you before confirming. A facility-based or alternative arrangement may be recommended for some cases.
Will everything be fixed in one hour?
No one-hour visit can promise that. The first conversation focuses on understanding, identifying meaningful next steps, and making safe, practical changes where possible.
Do I need videos before I contact you?
No. Three ordinary-life clips can help, but they are optional. Never recreate unsafe behavior to film it.
Every visit is scheduled.
Boarding, pickup, delivery and other handovers also belong in the family calendar, with separate approval and availability. Unscheduled visits and drop-offs are not accepted.
This introductory visit is not a veterinary examination, a comprehensive medical diagnosis or a guarantee that complex behavior will resolve in one session.