Light The Way Dog Training LLC

Light The Way Dog Training LLC My name is Nadine and I am a dog trainer located on the South Side of Chicago.

Newest blog post is up! This time we are talking about how important is it really to teach your dog to heel. Link in the...
12/12/2025

Newest blog post is up! This time we are talking about how important is it really to teach your dog to heel. Link in the comments!

Do you want to know how long before you can stop using food for your training? Check out my newest blog post, link in th...
11/22/2025

Do you want to know how long before you can stop using food for your training? Check out my newest blog post, link in the comments!

I have been thinking a lot lately about why I have chosen to train the way I do. I have been exposed to so many differen...
11/12/2025

I have been thinking a lot lately about why I have chosen to train the way I do. I have been exposed to so many different training styles over the years but why did I decide to keep some techniques but not others. I have a bunch of blog posts in the works to get these thoughts out so I hope you enjoy my first one! See the comments for the link!

Sochi was being a little annoying tonight while I was making dinner. Nothing crazy but every time I turned around she wa...
11/05/2025

Sochi was being a little annoying tonight while I was making dinner. Nothing crazy but every time I turned around she was under foot, right behind me. Instead of kicking her out of the room I pulled out her bed and put her on place. By doing that I allowed her to still be close to the action but let her see that she didn't need to be in the middle of it.

Once she had settled on place I released her to give her another chance to make decisions while free at liberty.

I don't just want to leave her on place and call it good enough. I want to use place to teach her the skills she needs so she can make good decisions.

When she came off she walked around a bit again but then picked up a chew toy and just played with that on her own!

Don't just stop at the obedience. Absolutely use it to teach manners and self control. But then make sure to give your dog a chance to practice that self control while at liberty!

Although Sochi did very well with her behavior while we were all sharing dinner she struggled a lot to settle down after...
10/11/2025

Although Sochi did very well with her behavior while we were all sharing dinner she struggled a lot to settle down after. She was moving all over the bed, pestering Blue, and overall just not having the calm behavior I expect from the dogs when on the bed. I gave her a few verbal reminders to calm down and even held onto her collar a bit to see if that would help her settle.

Nothing really worked so I just put her in her crate. She was struggling, so instead of continuing to fight with her I just removed her from the situation she wasn't able to handle tonight. Some nights she does great at settling. But other nights she just can't do it. And she had used up a good amount of her self control while we were sharing dinner. So I said okay, today just isn't one of those nights. Off to her crate she goes.

I always give her plenty of chances to relax but if she can't do it I remove her from the situation. I want her to see that calm behavior allows her to hang with me and Blue on the bed and wound up behavior gets her out in her crate. Eventually, she will get better at self regulation and she will realize what kind of behavior gets her more of what she wants.

Sochi is learning all about how we share chicken (and any food!) in this house. I don't mind sharing my food with my do...
10/11/2025

Sochi is learning all about how we share chicken (and any food!) in this house. I don't mind sharing my food with my dogs. But I do expect them to have good manners. I don't want them crowding into my space, whining at me for food, or trying to take food meant for the other dog.

Blue is great at this. He can relax around the food while he waits for me to offer some. I can tell him to go lay down and he will stop begging for food. And while he is always checking to see if I will share whatever I have he isn't pushy or in your face about it.

Sochi is pretty good about not crowding and can mostly wait quietly (she will whine a little here and there). She does not quite have the relaxing part down just yet lol. She is on full alert and a bit sniffy while waiting to see if she will get a bite. But for her age I'm pretty happy with her manners. We'll keep practicing and I know she will get to Blue's level eventually!

Today I got greedy. Sochi, Blue, and I had a great day. We took a nice long walk this morning. We had a great hike this ...
09/30/2025

Today I got greedy. Sochi, Blue, and I had a great day. We took a nice long walk this morning. We had a great hike this afternoon with my dad. After teaching some lessons I went to my parents yard to spend some time outside with the dogs.

Sochi struggles with reactivity, mainly towards dogs but sometimes people too. But we've made great strides. But we still have work to do and we are trying to find a good strategy that works for both of us. So whenever we are in the yard it takes effort from her and myself.

I was sitting on a bench with her on leash and we were working through her bouts of reactivity. And she was doing pretty well. I felt like we had a good strategy for today and she was being very sweet and cuddly. I took this picture after she had been hanging out like that for 15 mins. I was happy because I was actually able to enjoy our time outside together.

But as time went on she started getting more reactive. And the strategy I had been using was not working like it had. And I got frustrated, I felt like she wasn't trying any more. And because I was getting frustrated with her she was getting frustrated with me. I let that go on way longer than I should have before I decided to call it quits and take them home.

Later that night I was talking to my mentor about what happened. After I told him the story he asked me "what did you learn?" I said I felt like the strategy I had thought was going to work for us wasn't going to work after all. He said that wasn't true, with the way I told the story I had felt like it was working at the time, and calm me was probably more right than frustrated me.

He told me that I have to be more aware of her time limits. She was doing well and then, without any huge changes, started getting worse. That should be a sign that I should put her up instead of pushing for more. Her self control and restraint had been delpleted, she had nothing more to give.

But I had gotten greedy. I was enjoying the time out side with my sweet, snuggly puppy that I have been wanting to have. And I was blinded to the effort it was taking from her to be that way. Instead of saying "that was a great 20 mins, let's call it before it's too mu

Fall group class is starting October 14th!Our 6 week Basic Obedience Group Class is designed for dogs of all ages. Each ...
09/27/2025

Fall group class is starting October 14th!

Our 6 week Basic Obedience Group Class is designed for dogs of all ages. Each week we focus on important everyday skills that make life with your dog smoother and more enjoyable. You’ll also get midweek training tips by email to keep the progress going at home.

Every registration comes with a lifetime membership to this class for the life of your dog. That means you can come back for refreshers any time your pup needs a little tune-up.

We wrap things up with a graduation where dogs show off their skills, earn certificates if they pass, and of course celebrate with a special treat.

Classes start Tuesday October 14th at 7:30pm. This will be the last class of the year!! So sign up now!

https://lighttheway.propetware.com/
Once signed in click: Book Now > New Group Class Reservation > Add Your Dog > Pick the Basic Obedience Class!

Very excited to be shadowing daycare with Chad Mackin today and tomorrow! I'm hoping to be able to offer socialization a...
09/08/2025

Very excited to be shadowing daycare with Chad Mackin today and tomorrow! I'm hoping to be able to offer socialization after some of my group classes next year!

I was reminded of a good lesson on our morning walk today. Whenever Sochi p**ps I usually have her sit while I pick it u...
09/01/2025

I was reminded of a good lesson on our morning walk today. Whenever Sochi p**ps I usually have her sit while I pick it up so she doesn't drag her leash through it. Today I put her in her sit and she did it but rather quickly popped up and was moving around. So I recued her sit and again she did it but then quickly jumped up. I repeated a third time and she was flat out refusing to sit.

At this point I was getting frustrated. She knows sit. She doesn't hold the position super long just yet but she can hold it for a bit at least. But instead of getting even more mad that she was ignoring me and upping the pressure to make her do it, I took a second to take a breath and reassess. I just so happened to look down at the ground and saw it was covered in tiny ants! They were everywhere. They were crawling on my shoes and I looked at her butt and there was some in her fur!

She wasn't being a brat, she literally had ants in her pants! I wouldn't want to sit in that either! So I quickly just picked up her p**p and moved us away.

I'm glad I was able to catch myself before I got too mad at her. It was a good reminder that if your dog isn't doing something they are usually good at there might be another reason. A distraction they are not ready for, an injury, or even ants! Take a breath and give your dog some grace.

🎓🐾 Ready to set your dog up for a lifetime of good behavior? 🐾🎓My 6-week Basic Obedience Group Class is perfect for dogs...
08/21/2025

🎓🐾 Ready to set your dog up for a lifetime of good behavior? 🐾🎓

My 6-week Basic Obedience Group Class is perfect for dogs of all ages and skill levels! Each week, we’ll teach essential skills every dog should know, while giving you the tools to make training fun and effective at home.

✨ What’s included:
✅ Weekly in-person lessons
✅ Midweek training tips emailed to you
✅ Real-life, practical skills
✅ Graduation day celebration
🎉 All passing pups get a certificate and every dog gets a special treat!

Class starts next week and spots are limited!

Follow the link below to register!
https://lighttheway.propetware.com/

08/04/2025

I received an ultrasound report today that my dog Blue has two masses in his abdomen. The specialist is very concerned they are cancerous. We will be going down to U of I next week to consult with their oncology department.

Please bear with me during this difficult time as my response times are likely to be slower as I try to navigate this news. Thank you 💙

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Longwood Drive
Chicago, IL
60643

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