Golden Standard Canine Training

Rachel E

2023-08

Carissa and Mary of Golden Standard did a fantastic job training our Mr. Murphy. They both taught us how to take charge of the situation, me more so than my husband! They both gave us the tools to stay in control of whatever situation arises such as when other dogs come around or even when our boy passes kids at the park. They made me feel more comfortable and confident going out with him or just having him off leash in our yard. When we started training he was around 6 months and he was becoming a bit of a menace, jumping on people, counter surfing, pulling on the leash like a maniac, etc. Walking around the neighborhood was more like having a sled dog pull you down the street after birds. In no time, Murphy was walking right beside us and he was no longer pulling me down the road. They fully unlocked his good boy potential. He still has his moments every now and again, however, now we know what corrective measures to do to stop that behavior when it starts. We took him on his first vacation immediately after his final session and he did amazing, everyone was so in awe of how great he was doing at such a young age. Training was a fantastic experience, when Murphy gets siblings we wouldn’t use anyone else to train them!

Patti Snyder

2023-11

Carissa is very knowledgeable and a great teacher. She gave me instructions and tips to help me train my golden, Lady to become a well behaved dog. She provided emails after each lesson explaining each step so I could review and continue to work with Lady every day. After 8 weeks Lady has learned so much and she now listens and obeys my commands. I am so proud that she has become the dog I always wanted her to be.Thanks so much, Carissa.❤️🐾

Megan Weber

2024-02

My little pup and I had a wonderful experience through Golden Standards 6 week on leash puppy training. The private lessons are awesome in regards to the fact that your pup is the sole focus and the training is adapted to them individually. My pup and I both learned a lot throughout the 6 weeks and I definitely recommend Golden Standard. Well worth the money and very affordable for the level of training and attention your pup will get. 10/10!

Brooke Pestka

2023-05

I have a 1 1/2 year old French bulldog, Muggsy, that was quite the comedian and had zero manners. She would pull on the leash, jump all over visitors, and just vibrate with excitement. After reading the reviews on here and meeting with Carissa, I knew we found the right place. Carissa is so knowledgeable and her ability to communicate with both Muggsy and myself was amazing. She gave me every tool necessary to get my silly dog under control. I am so impressed with the results and 100% recommend Golden Standard Canine Training!

Tony Auxier

2023-06

I can’t say enough about the excellent training and help we received from Carissa at Golden Standard Canine Training. We have a miniature schnauzer. Before getting help from Carissa, Darcy was a mess. She barked all the time, both inside and out. We couldn’t take her on walks because she barked constantly at cars, people, bicyclists, basically anything that moved. We couldn’t even carry on a conversation with our neighbors because she barked and lunged. In addition, Darcy pulled on the leash terribly. She was all over the place, making our other dog furious. She also was very aggressive with our other dog. She jumped on him, barked at him took away his toys when he was trying to play. Finally, we had to be careful when opening the front door because Darcy would bolt, leading our other dog, who never tried this before, right along with her. As you can see, we were at the end of our ropes.After just one lesson at Golden Standard Canine Training, we noticed a big improvement in Darcy’s behavior. After completing two months of training, we are absolutely thrilled! Now when taking a walk, Darcy heels and does not pull or lunge. We can actually walk by people without Darcy going nuts. She is also making friends with the kids in the neighborhood. She lets them pet her and does not bark. She even lets them give her treats! It is absolutely amazing! We can also go outside now, with Darcy not on a leash, and she does not run away. We go to the mailbox, talk with the neighbors, work in the yard and Darcy stays right with us.Not only does Carissa know her business when it comes to dog training, it is obvious that she loves animals. She worked with Darcy in a kind and patient manner, and taught us how to get the best out of our dog. I can recommend Golden Standard Canine Training without reservation. Carissa is always willing to answer any questions and is wonderful to work with. If you have a dog that needs help. Golden Standard Canine Training is the place you need to call.Tony and Karen Auxier

Aurora Lindop

2021-05

Carissa absolutely nailed designing a training regime customized to our needs and Dexter's personality. We live near Paducah, KY but the drive to Carbondale, IL was absolutely worth it. I researched many dog trainers in the area and am SO glad we picked Golden Standard. In the second photo he is gently playing with a kitten outside, OFF LEASH! Poor thing used to get chased up our trees. That's just one example of how far Dexter has come in only 8 weeks in training. He is only 10 months old and I cannot wait to see these skills develop even further. Truly a blessing. Thank you, Carissa. We will sincerely miss you!

Ellice Stoner

2023-05

We knew immediately this was the place our Belgian malinois/pit bull puppy needed to go. Our goal was to have our dog, Poppy, be more well-mannered in the house and on walks. So when Carissa said poppy would be staying in her home, and that there is a limited number of dogs she takes at once, it made sense. Very professional & efficient & our dog adores her now.

Tracie Moore

2022-05

We were very pleased with our experience with our five month old giant schnoodle, Sailor. Carissa is wonderful to work with! She is patient, kind, and very knowledgeable when it comes to working with dogs. Sailor’s behavior was evaluated by Carissa and she was able to give us many helpful tactics in which to deal with our giant puppy! Sailor responded well to Carissa’s instruction. She not only taught Sailor but also her humans! We appreciate all she has done to help us bring this sweet pup in to our family! You won’t go wrong with her help and teachings!

Jami Cope

2022-05

After getting my little labradoodle puppy, I knew I needed help right away, Carissa is a great teacher. Who not only taught my puppy but taught me how to teach my little girl. We went through her one on one training. And I also left my little girl in Carissa’s care for a week for added training. We had a wonderful experience and we continue to learn everyday I would recommend golden standard canine for a great learning experience

MCT

2022-05

First time dog human here. I started training with Carissa and my 10 month Westie to focus on impulse control, reactivity to deer, squirrels and just about anything outdoors!! We worked to reinforce the basic commands sit, down, stay, place, and come.Carissa boosted my confidence as my dogs handler and taught me so many little things like how to hold the leash more effectively and mark my pupspositive behavior more consistently. I’d read so many books and watched so many videos, but having a trainer right by my side made all the difference.Our last lesson included some agility and trick training that incorporated all the commands my pup had been working on. I had told Carissa I was interested in this and was really happy she thought to work this in.Carissa runs a professional outfit and every week provided me a handout covering what we worked on each week and how to keep working on the skills from the training session. Super handy. She’ll answer texts and overall I think Carissa and Golden Standard are top notch dog trainers.

Stacey massie

2019-05

Carissa is amazing! I now have a dog that I thought would never happen. Her prices are much better than some other training facilities. She really can read the dog and owner interactions. I was very impressed and recommend her to everyone. The picture below is my dog (goldendoodle) walking around the subdivision without a leash in her sit/stay position. When I said, "come," she was right by my side tail wagging (and there is even a rainbow behind her). It feels great to have a well behaved dog.

Jennifer Butler

2021-05

Carissa of Golden Standard did a fantastic job training my dog. She taught me how to take charge of the situation, she added new commands to my dog's arsenal, and she made me feel comfortable and confident that I could have a quality relationship with my dog. My 5 month old (super energetic) yellow lab was all paws and teeth before taking her to Golden Standard. She couldn't walk on a leash without turning into a yo-yo and wasn't listening to anything I said. It was as if she didn't know her name and I was speaking a foreign language when I tried to get her to stop jumping on people and pulling against her leash. Walks were dreadful because it was like being attached to a sled dog who was just going to pull me in whichever direction she wanted to go. Carissa quickly had Atley heeling and walking nicely beside me, sitting on command, going into the down position on command, doing sit-stays and down-stays, and magically turned my strong-willed pup into a dog who listened. Now I can comfortably take my dog on walks in/around other dogs and people and I can even take her hiking. I highly recommend Carissa and the training she gives you and your dog. It was a wonderful experience and I will definitely work with her again in the future!

Brandon Mayberry

2018-05

Cant say enough great things about Golden Standard. Carissa is great. We got a corgi puppy thinking we could train her ourselves and have a great dog. Boy was i wrong!I have had many dogs and trained them myself with moderate success. However, what took me many years to train into a dog, Carissa is able to do double in just a few short days.We started with puppy classes and then regular classes and every time we went, we could notice a change in not only our dog but also ourselves.After sending our dog to Carissa for a week, she came back better than ever. We are able to enjoy spending time with our dog and not have to worry about little pesky things like her running off or not listening.I highly recommend her services.

Rachel Dyer

2019-05

I brought my 1.5 year old golden retriever to work on e-collar training with Carissa. I had been training Indie since I got her at 8 weeks old, including basic obedience classes, but she still had some quirks to work through. Carissa helped Indie build her confidence and helped her learn how to behave both on leash and off leash. Now, Indie is a completely different dog and I can trust her completely off leash. HIGHLY recommend Golden Standard for any dog training! (Indie pictured with her celebratory treat for graduating to being trusted off leash)

Kyle

2019-05

Carissa is a phenomenal trainer. We worked with her over the course of the last few months to train our one-year-old rescue, Champ. And we couldn't be more satisfied with the service she provided. Carissa has a deep understanding of canine psychology, which is evident in her approach. After working with Carissa, we not only have the skills to keep Champ obedient, we understand why we are using said skills. Not to mention, all of this came at fantastic value; her prices are very reasonable. I would recommend Carissa to anyone in need of training!

Katie Hajny

2022-05

Carissa helped us overcome some hard obstacles with our dog Turtle. He started off extremely reactive to most things, and having no idea how to settle and relax. After eight weeks he’s a completely different dog! We now have the tools needed to further his training and we feel comfortable walking him in new environments that we never would have thought capable of going to. We appreciate everything she’s done for us!

Jeanne Wacker

2023-05

Very knowledgeable trainer. Taught us step by step how to understand and correct our very strong, high spirited, high separation-anxiety dog. So glad Golden Standard Canine was recommended to us. Has made our relationship with our dog so much better.

safiya payne

2021-05

I am so glad we decided to invest in training our 5 month old puppy. Carissa provided us with a solid foundation for basic obedience training. As first time dog owners, Carissa taught us how a puppy thinks, how to be a good leader for our puppy and the importance of setting clear boundaries. I am looking forward to perfecting the lessons we have learned. Highly recommend Golden Standard Canine.

Timothy Robinson

2019-05

We recently acquired our 7 month old pit bull mix from a couple who couldn't handle her exuberance and puppy traits. Now, thanks to Carissa's pleasantly assertive training skills and our following her homework instructions, after 7 weeks, we have a dog who now doesn't exhibit excessive barking, leash pulling, jumping on visitors, nipping at our other dog, and even sits and waits to be invited to eat at feeding times, and comes when called. Dogs need and want boundaries and discipline from their owners as pack leaders. Our pup is now a joy to be around. Kudos to Golden Standard Canine, and their very reasonable pricing structure. Thanks Carissa!!!

Liz Hunter

2020-05

Freddie is a happy-go-lucky puppy but we were having trouble with general manners and barking as a reaction to anything - excitement, play, begging, etc. With six weeks of training with Carissa, Freddie has nearly stopped barking when he wants things and has learned boundaries and manners. We can also now walk on a leash, stay on place, stay, crate without barking, down, and we're working on come. I would highly recommend training with Carissa for any dog. She gives you the set of general "good dog" skills but also focuses on the particular needs and issues the dog is having.

rona shasteen

2023-07

My golden doodle, Rambo, and I signed up for an eight week obedience training with Carissa at Golden Standard Canine Training. We had a wonderful experience and were so pleased with the results. Rambo was one year old and very rambunctious. He behaves so well now and is a joy to be around. Thank you for all of your encouragement Carissa.

John McCall

2023-10

Mary is a highly skilled trainer. Our dog Milo loved her and was always excited to go to training. Over the course of the training, Milo improved his behavior, learned to obey commands, and stopped barking incessantly. The training really helped improve Milo’s (and our) quality of life. Highly recommend.

Buck Hales

2020-05

When Blu and I arrived for our first lesson he was excited out of his mind, straining at the leash, barking and being very uncooperative. By the end of our first lesson Blu walked in a controlled fully attentive way. A different dog! Carissa Hofbauer approached our first lesson as walking on six feet. You just have to get the dog to pay attention to you and so you have to know what to do-- the training teaches the owner as much as the dog. Mark their accomplishments with a "yes" and a treat. Yes they will work for food. We've made significant progress with Blu but our goal was to have our two Weimaranars behave as good citizens and be under our control. After four lessons with just Blu, Zelda joined the lessons. She serves as a good distraction for training Blu and was very cooperative in her lessons. We were introduced to electronic collar training and have advanced to recall from 30 feet with Blu. We are so pleased with the experience with Carissa and highly recommend her as a dog and owner trainer.

Grace Darmour-Paul

2023-05

I cannot recommend Carissa enough! My main mission was to get my dog to cooperate on walks, and I feel like she is a new dog after a few sessions with Carissa! My dog is following my commands better than ever before, and most importantly, I know what to do with my dog with confidence. There are so many YouTube videos and techniques out there, but having a dedicated teacher makes all the difference. Golden Standard Canine was definitely worth my time and money! Highly recommend!

C Neilson

2018-05

When we started training, our rescue was under-socialized, and did not interact well with other animals or some men. Not only did Golden Standard conduct a behavioral test before beginning training, but she made herself available to answer questions even if we were not in the classroom. Golden Standard truly cares about the well-being and happiness of not just the dog, but the owners as well. You can tell when she interacts with the dogs that she loves what she does. It only took five training sessions for us to have a well-mannered, social dog who absolutely adores going to flirt with Golden Standard's own Silver, and he does not know a stranger. We could not be happier with the dog we now have and all of his basic skills. We plan to go back in the future for more advanced training because he enjoyed it so much.

Rich Kuenneke

2020-05

Carissa helped me learn how Toby - our very energetic Siberian Husky - thinks. We've noticed a huge difference in Toby's behavior since we received her training. Highly recommended. Great investment for both you and your dog. Toby's going to have a great life thanks to Carissa's help!

Gail Robinson

2018-05

After going through other general classes in the area, we realized our dog needed more intensive training. Carissa was professional, experienced, and extremely thorough in her training with our Golden Retriever. We participated in the 2-week training, and Carissa carried out an individualized training plan for our dog with the remote collar. The follow-up reinforcement has been very commendable and our 8 month-old puppy made great strides! Carissa's biggest strength is that she communicates well with both dog and owner. I would highly recommend Carissa if you're serious about having a dog who is well-trained and behaved for daily living.

Debasmita Gupta

2023-05

Carissa was everything and so much more for us. Her techniques were spot on and tackled the issues right at the root. She is very systematic and thorough with her training. The training modules were scientifically designed. Just within a couple of days we noticed considerable difference in our 5 yr old dog who has had no previous training. He has become calm, has increased attention span, doesn't run away when not on leash, doesn't pull on leash when on walks, and follows instructions like "sit", "down", "stay", "come", etc. We would recommend her without any hesitation. Thank you, Carissa for the amazing transformation of our fur baby!

Trisha Crawshaw

2022-05

We had such a wonderful experience at Golden Standard Canine Training. Carissa is organized and professional. She sends (VERY) detailed instructions at the end of every training session. These "cheat sheets" made working with our pup SO much easier at home. We didn't have to second-guess or struggle to remember what we learned earlier in the week.Carissa is also very easy to understand. I was pretty intimidated before we started training. I didn't know anything about correcting our pup's unruly behavior. Carissa's knowledge and skill quickly put me at ease.She broke down all of the new information so it was easy to understand and implement.On a more personal note, Carissa is super fun and relatable. We always enjoyed our weekly training sessions. She even gave our pup a graduation gift after he completed his training. I can't imagine how different our experience might have been without Carissa's leadership. Seriously, she's the best in southern Illinois.Overall, a wonderful trainer and person. Definitely recommend.

bree-anna Pelkey

2023-05

We took our 1 year old boxer for 8 weeks of training. We didn’t know what to expect but are so happy we chose Golden Standard Canine Training! Best training in Southern IL! Such a wonderful experience. We have seen so much growth in our pup and wouldn’t have been possible without Carissa’s help!