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"Pets are a gift, keep them
safe with Dog Guard!"
Several years ago, I had a Collie named "Duke." In those days pets and children ran free throughoutour neighborhood....but one day that changed for me.A delivery truck was driving down our street and Duke began chasing it on the passengers side, while another neighbors dog was chasing on the drivers side. The driver did not see Duke when he swerved to miss the other dog. Duke was hit....he suffered a broken back and pelvis....shortly afterwards he died from his injuries. The untimely death of a youthful Collie changed me into an overprotective "Anxious Annie." For years, the mere mention of unleashing any of my pets in our yard brought back those sad last moments with Duke.
A short time ago, I adopted a Welsh Corgi named "Rascal," and yes...his name suits him well.Spunky and full of attitude the little fellow & I were in need of obedience training. I made inquiries at my veterinary office about obedience trainers in the area and John Dahman, was one of them that was recommended to me.
Rascal and I began training with John. One day before class started I read some information he had regarding Dog Guard out of sight fencing. Later I discussed with John how the fencing could benefit Rascal. Shortly after our conversation our fence was installed. I was pleased with the prompt,professional manner the fence was installed and the caring follow-up service that was provided.
This is a "special thank you" to John Dahman, Dog Guard and his staff. Rascal is happier now to be untethered to a tie-out when he goes outside and Annie....well Annie, is not so anxious anymore!
Many thanks from Rascal and Annie.
 John,
Thank you so much for our Dog Guard invisible fence system. It is so nice just to be able to open the door and let the dogs roam the entire yard with no worries. Your installer did such a nice neat job without any damage to the yard. Your training and personalized attention made the transition so seamless and easy. The fence makes it so we let the dogs out more and leave them out longer which is really where they would prefer to be. We’re so excited to have it in time for spring and summer.
Thanks again.
Sincerely,
The Stock Family----especially Gigi & Bruiser
 Our dog Tessa came to us from Stray Rescue. She’d been found as puppy with a broken leg barely surviving on the streets. Still, she came to us with a sweet, sunny disposition and boundless energy. But she also came with several “issues”. We needed training, so we enrolled her in John Dahman’s basic obedience class at Cindy’s Critter Camp.
John has trained thousands of dogs and their owners. He’s truly an expert in canine behavior and is always willing to share his knowledge. During class, when owners would approach John with various unusual problems, he was more than willing to listen and always gave great advice.
Tessa is now finishing up advanced obedience with John. We are still working on some minor things, but the training has been money and time well spent. Taking her for walks is a pleasure rather than a tug of war. Her “counter surfing” has gotten much better, too. Before, nothing that even vaguely resembled food was safe on the kitchen counters or any surface she could reach. And she no longer helps keep the cat’s litter box clean.
There’s one other reason for recommending John’s training. Simply, it was a lot of fun. Both basic and advanced obedience training were something that Tessa, my husband and I were able to enjoy together.
Finally, John’s training has made Tessa a better dog, but her personality and love of life haven’t changed at all. She’s still the same lovable mutt; now she’s just a heck of a lot easier to live with.
Mary, David and Tessa Weber
Since I have a fairly unusual and primitive breed, Basenjis, it is important to find a trainer that understands the different type of personality my breed has. On top of that, I also show my dogs, so I can’t actually train them to sit automatically or whenever a treat is presented to them. They need to constantly stand when in a show ring, especially when being offered bait.
Finding John Dahman was a real treasure for me and my Basenjis. Not only did he recognize the different
training needs of my dogs, he also was willing to let me adapt his commands to fit our show training needs as well. He had excellent suggestions for dealing with Jagger, the stubborn one, as well as Quinn, the skittish one.
Training with John has turned out to be a very pleasant and fruitful experience, both for me and the Basenjis!
Debbie Brown-Thompson
Edwardsville, IL
 My 4 legged “Dennis the Menace” and “Dr. Jeckle & Mr. Hyde” were only a few of the names I had for my 2 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, named Radar. Whenever I would attempt a phone conversation, certain TV commercials would come on, anything crossing our yard, to various vehicle noises would set Radar off in a frenzy of barking that would rattle the rafters. Radar delighted in stealing anything I touched shoes, towels, plates…whatever caught his eye. Although he never destroyed the items, Radar would guard them and dare me to take them back. So I would get a biscuit and toss it in the opposite direction to break his
focus…then I would retrieve the item. Boy, did he ever have me trained!
For several months I considered getting us into obedience training classes, but put off this decision until one evening a guarding issue resulted in Radar biting me. With my pride bruised and hand injured, a visit to the emergency room, and 7 stitches later… I decided Radar and I needed obedience and behavior training. I consulted my veterinary’s office for training school names. One of the calls I made was to Cindy’s Critter Camp. Cindy listened to the issues Radar & I were having and suggested the beginning
Obedience classes with John Dahman. Cindy also suggested that I should start having Radar sit & wait for a moment before I let him outside and before I fed him. This met with some protest from Radar the first few times…as he was spoiled. Then he got the idea and began to comply with my commands.
During the past 5 months, Radar and I have completed 6 weeks of beginning obedience, 6 weeks of intermediate obedience, and will be completing 4 weeks of electronic collar training with John as our instructor. John’s classes were always fun while he taught us important skills. He would always begin and end classes addressing any questions or concerns we had, and the best part was the classes were small enough to where if there was an issue he could help us. John had many favorite sayings such as “ I am going to teach you, to teach them,” and “these critters love to learn.” Those are my 2 favorites and they are so true.
The training did not end when we left class. It took time, patience, and dedication to work though the exercises at home which began creating a bond between Radar & I. Each week during class Radar made me proud of the progress we were making.
Soon Radar & I will be completing the electronic collar training which John teaches individually. The electronics is set at a low level to encourage Radar to respond appropriately. This training has also helped me with Radar’s barking and guarding issues, as well as, doing some off lease work with him. The off lease work was a big step for me to take with Radar….but with John’s guidance we are proceeding forward.
“Thank you Cindy,“ for being compassionate and providing Cindy’s Critter Camp as a safe place to bring our pets for training.
“Thank you John,” for sharing your wealth of knowledge and encouragement that has helped change Radar from a “Crazy Corgi” into the fun loving companion.
M. M.
Highland, IL
I gave away many dogs in the past because I thought they were “problems” dogs. It turned out I was the problem. We bought Kobe, a Sheltie puppy, 6 years ago and went through John’s basic training classes, He is the best dog we have ever owned. I bought Bailey, an Irish Setter bird dog 1 year ago and went through John’s basic course and now we are doing her field training. She is an amazing hunting dog because of John. His superior training methods and knowledge of dog behavior is incredible. I would never own another dog of any kind without John’s training.
Dr. Richard Boatman
Troy, Illinois
5-26-09
 Early in the year, we adopted a German Shorthaired Pointer named Barley. He had several issues—severe separation anxiety, jumping, digging, all of the things you would come to expect from a stray puppy. We enrolled him in the basic obedience class at Cindy’s Critter Camp with John and we began to see Barley change. Getting him into a class where he could “learn how to learn” helped us and Barley adapt to living together. Barley became happier having tasks to learn every day, and it helped him channel his physical and mental energy.
We were so pleased with our results and with John’s expertise, that we enrolled him in John’s electronic training course. Now, we have what I personally never thought possible—a dog that comes when called and can walk with us off-leash! And not only that, John helped us correct all of Barley’s jumping and digging issues as well. We cannot say enough of John’s expertise and it is obvious that his skills are backed by years of experience. Because he has trained such a vast number of dogs, John helped us to avoid all kinds of common problems we could encounter being new to dog-handling. That way, we were able to work with John to very quickly, easily, and painlessly train our dog to come when called and heel off-leash. We recommend this affordable training class to anyone with a dog of any age.
Thank you, John, for helping to turn our dog into a better behaved, happier dog! Now, we can spend more time focusing on the fun part of being dog-owners.
Dr. Ty and Mrs. Laura Parker
Collinsville, IL 62234
John,
I am writing you to let you know how well we enjoyed your classes both the beginner and the field training were a delight for us and our dog Austin.
When we first came to the Critter Camp for training my wife was really skeptical about the training. We wanted a dog, but did not want the headaches that sometimes went along with having a dog, let alone a puppy. We knew that Brits were on the high side as far as activity but we wanted a dog that was good with kids, and had good behavioral traits. We purchased him from a local breeder and instantly fell into “puppy love” with him in our home.
We worked on the training aspects just as you requested all during our 6 week beginner class, and my wife noticed differences in Austin’s attitude. He knew in his mind that he was 2nd in command of our pack, and it was up to her to change her mind. It took awhile, and even through the field training, his attitude was changing as to how he viewed our pack order. It has been a chore for us to get Austin and his attitude in check and now have the dog we dreamed of.
Thank you for your patience, practice, and instruction.
Kent & Lisa Schoeck and Family along with Austin
This is a testimonial for John Dahman. We have a German Shepherd who is what John calls a rebellious teenager. We enrolled her in the beginner and intermediate classes at Cindy's Critter Camp. Dakota still needed help. Thanks to John he helped by talking us into us doing the electronic training. After doing that she is much better. Dakota still needs some work, but she is at least easier to live with. Thanks John!
Tina Misegades, Marine, IL
John, I wish to thank you for your assistance in training my Red and White Irish Setter, Tennessee Belle II, or Tennie. I knew when I bought her that she had been mistreated by her first owner. She has great blood lines as field trial dogs on both sides. Tennie is very soft and you recognized that she had to be handled carefully because of the earlier mistreatment. You had live birds for her to work on and you made her steady on point, which she still is. You tried several ways to get her to retrieve and she was reluctant. You said that she had been hit when she was supposed to retrieve and would do so after several birds were shot over her. One day a bird flew away into a large field wounded. Later, another bird was pointed and again flew away wounded, but we saw where it went down. My brother-in-law took her and went after the bird, she pointed and he shot and she went over and stood over it as she always did. He picked it up. On the way back to me, Tennie took off with her head up. She found the other bird, picked it up and ran about 100 yards to me and dropped it about 5 feet from me. You were right, I was not near her so she brought the bird back to me. Thank you John, she was difficult to train, but she is a great little bird dog now. Ron Yarbrough, Ph.D.
 We have a five year old Scottish Terrier, Nicholas. Nick is our baby and you know we don’t spoil him!!! Nick has always had us trained – he knew he would get a snack after he came inside, so he would go to the door, bark and we would let him out, just to have him immediately turnaround and want back in to get his snack. And you know what; we would give it to him! We knew we had to do something to try and correct this and Nick’s other issues. Our journey with John began in July when I called Cindy at Cindy’s Critters Camp and enrolled Nick in basic obedience training with John. We had never enrolled any of our dogs in obedience school before, but are sure glad we did with Nick! Nick learned to do what we asked of him instead of us doing what he asked of us.
One night Nick, being the stubborn boy that he can be, didn’t like what he was being told by my husband, so he proceeded to bite him. We were distraught. Because of this and some of Nick’s other “behavior issues” we thought we were going to have to do the hardest thing – put Nick down.
Teary-eyed, I called John and desperately asked for help. I didn’t want to lose my dog. John immediately put me to ease and told me that wasn’t going to happen and he will correct Nick’s behavior. He suggested the electronic collar training. At our first class, Nick learned to immediately come to us when he was called. Class number two – Nick was off leash and came to us when called. (I never ever thought that would happen!) Class number three – Nick has learned to walk with us instead of us walking with him. Class number four will be this weekend and John has ensured us that Nick will walk with us off leash! John has taught us how to correct Nick’s behavior issues and it has worked. He is a different dog. We are once again the boss in our house, not Nick.
I can’t say enough about John Dahman. He has a wealth of knowledge, is an expert in dog training, very compassionate and is always available for you, the owner. He definitely is a master in his trait! I highly recommend John and Cindy and will always remember what they have done for Nicholas and us. We can’t thank you enough. Thank you!!!!!
Tom, Lisa and Nick Miller
Belleville, IL
Dear John:
I am writing you to express our satisfaction with your training of our Labrador Retriever, Annie. Annie is bred certified pointing Lab and as such she is hunted quite a lot. I trained her myself to be a field dog but I strongly feel that the success I have achieved is primarily due to the obiendnce training she received from you.
People that I hunt with are amazed that she minds as well as she does and she responds to commands. As you know, dogs like Annie are typically high strung and have a lot of energy. Your method of training was simply followed as I trained her to locate birds and make complicated retrieves.
I would not hesitate for a moment to recommend you to anyone who wants to have a dog that is a pleasure to be with.
Thank you, again
Tom Butts
I'm not really sure where to start, so here I go! My family and I had been searching for a yellow lab puppy and after months of searching we had found a reputable breeder and picked one out. On May 23rd we picked our little guy up knowing that we were in for some fun times, and some not so fun times. Luckily, our lab "TJ" picked up potty training within the first week, which really got us thinking that we may have a special puppy on our hands. We had worked with John before on a previous lab we had and knew that John knew his stuff. We decided we better enroll TJ into the basic obedience class. After the third session and TJ doing what John said to do before we even had the chance to tell TJ what to do we realized it was time to go to the next level. After the 6 week session we went to the electronic class. This was nice because it was one on one and John was able to critique both myself and the dog. After the 1st session I decided to try to get TJ off the collar at home with perfect success. I started by taking him outside to the bathroom then right back inside. After a few days of this we started going to an area pond where he could run, yet stay in the safety from cars. By the 2nd session TJ was walking by our sides in our neighborhood which doesn't have sidewalks so, every walk we did was in the street and TJ never tried to bolt from us. We have been offleash except where we legally have to be for 3 weeks now. Because our experience has been so wonderful with John we have decided to take TJ to the next level of training coming the beginning of the new year. Obviously, TJ is a puppy and he has his times of immature puppyhood, but this has been so enjoyable and the training has just made our lives much eaiser and has given us the techniques to keep our family going strong with our new addition.
A big thanks to John and Cindys Critter camp in Maryville, IL.
Thank you,
The Grieshabers
 We are a dog-loving family with three dogs of our own. One of them, however, had aggression issues from the time he was young. Beau is a very cute cream miniature poodle. He had a tendency to growl and aggressively bite on occasion. We had almost given up even though we loved Beau and felt he had potential to be a loving dog. We didn’t know where to turn and had resorted to contacting “No Kill” shelters to see if we could find him another home when we came upon John Dahman’s name. We had heard of John previously, but we had no experience with him. We began to make some phone calls and set up an appointment to meet with John. When he gave us the details of his program, we decided to bring one of our other dogs to training, as well. Gem is a Yorkipoo, who is somewhat hyperactive and didn’t come when called.
John provided four weeks of electronic dog training for Beau and Gem, and they both behave so much better than they did before!!. The results we have gotten have been fantastic!!! Both dogs come running when called. Beau’s biting behavior has subsided. As John says, Beau acts like he has decided to “just be a dog”. John has taught us enough about electronic training that we feel we can continue to work with our dogs on our own, as well.
John Dahman is a very personable man and has great passion for what he is doing. He has a genuine kindness and caring for the animals he trains. We highly recommend his services and feel his prices are very reasonable.
With much gratitude,
The Wilson Family
.jpg) We were first referred to John Dahman almost four years ago after we got our first dog, Tucker, a Siberian Husky. Tucker completed the beginner and intermediate obedience courses taught by John and also obtained his Canine Good Citizenship.We were so impressed with the results, we went on to do the electric collar training with John. Once again the results were so awesome and we felt comfortable with Tucker being off leash when it was safe to do so. In May, we took on another Siberian Husky, Eva. Eva was rescued from a local area police department. We immediately went out and purchased an identical leash and collar from Cindy's Critter Camp where we had trained with John a couple years earlier, and we began obedience training with Eva on our own. Eva was a fast learner and learned her new name, but was hesitant to come when called. We were uncertain about the electronic collar training with Eva because of her unknown past, but sought out John for his advice. After consulting with John, we decided to go ahead and give the training a shot. Eva was a slow learner and has some avoidance issues, but John was not worried. He was determined to get Eva where she needed to be. John asked up to extend our training for a couple sessions at no extra cost. You can tell John really loves his work and genuinely cares for animals. Needless to say, Eva finally got the picture and responded remarkably. John Dahman is a very professional dog trainer. He is an animal lover and is very personable. We recommend his dog training services to anyone who is seeking obedience or behavior correction.
Derek and Kristy Hoelscher
Troy, IL
My name is Andrew Addington and I am 23 years old with a condition known as Williams Syndrome. Several years ago my mom started a search for a service dog for me. I have senseory issues and needed a companion. She ran into all sorts of obstacles. She finally decided to contact Cindy's Critter Camp. Much to her amazement she was able to meet with John and find out he was qualified to train a service dog. I needed training too. So we met with John and he introduced us to Stewart. Stewart was a Golden Retriever who was homeless. John thought he had potential and began working with him. He did great! I had always wanted a Golden Retriever and Stewart was perfect for me. We became a team in December of 2004 and now Stewart is a wonderful part of our family. We have been a lot of different places (including the Biltmore Mansion!) John and the Critter Camp have helped us all along the way!
Testimonial for John Dahman:
It is always a pleasure to find someone who exemplifies the term "expert." John Dahman has the title of Master Trainer. He is much more than a superb dog handler and trainer. He exhibits the characteristics of one who knows and lives integrity, caring and honesty in his work as well as in his life. John and his organization helped me find the dog of my dreams, one who might have been put to sleep otherwise, and Mr. Dahman refused compensation for doing so! Dahman is the best.
Sincerely,
Lou Mitchell of Edwardsville, IL
We lost our first dog, Duke, over a year ago to a very sudden and short illness. We first met John when he helped us train Duke as a puppy. He was the best dog, and a lot of those qualities had to do with the wonderful training he received from John. After losing him, were were lucky to get his baby brother, Max, another Sheltie. Maxi came to us at 8 months old, he was very timid at first. It took a while for him to warm up to us, but once he did, he had so many of the qualities that his brother, Duke, had as well. He, however liked to run out of our yard and didn't often listen. We were so scared of him being hit, that once again, we turned to John for help training him. He has now completed his obedience course and come when called course as well. Max is a wonderful, loving pet and who is also now very well trained. Thank you, John, for helping us once again welcome a wonderful addition to our family.
The Randoll Family and Max
St. Jacob, Illinois
Our 52 pound, six month old chocolate lab "Maggie" had issues that we tried to resolve on our own. Very worried about her continuous jumping on our glass storm door, we decided Maggie needed professional training. We chose John Dahman because of his qualifications descrbed on Cindy's Critter Camp internet site.
Maggie began 6 weeks of basic obedience class. We learned how to teach her to heel on a leash, sit, lay down, and hold her position. However, still frustrated because she wouldn't stop chewing on her leash, maggie went on to 4 weeks of electronic training. John explained that electronic collar training is safe and would resolve her behavioral problems (jumping, getting in the trash, chewing etc.) By the second class, Maggie was no longer chewing on her leash. By the last class, she was coming to us when called and heeling off leash. Maggie doesn't jump as much on the storm door. We still need to work on that and her other issues at home because training is an ongoing process. After 10 weeks of training, Maggie is calmer and listens much better. I would recommend getting professional training. We were very pleased with John and would recommend him.
Kathleen and Mary Ann
 I had just gotten not one but two Boston Terrier's, named Jack and Jill. I knew that they are high energy dogs and required plenty of space to run and need a lot of attention. I had a Boston Terrier earlier but had to put her down due to old age and I knew the attitude that comes with the Terriers but I did not imagine just how much it would be with two of them. They constantly fegyd off of eachother's energy. They were out of control and my family wasn't happy at all.
That's when I decided to get them obedience lessons through Cindy's Critter Camp and that's where I met John. The lessons went well and Jack and Jill learned quickly, but my high energy dogs need more. They would not come when I called them; they would get into everything, all the time. There was no peace with the dogs when they were out of their kennels. I discussed my situation with John.
John suggested that I try the electronic training system for Jack and Jill in order to get them to come when called and to also keep them out of trouble when they were out of their kennels. After one session with John, Jack and Jill were coming when called (the first time) and there was finally peace in my house again.
I could not leave Jack and Jill unattended in the yard due to the fact that they would run off. One day I left them outside for a second and they were gone! I called and called and there was no Jack and Jill to be found. Next a car pulls into my driveway and has them in her car, she had seen them outside before and was nice enough to bring them home. That's when I discussed with John about installing the Dog Guard undy underground fencing. He responded quickly, installed the underground fencing, went through the training with me and the dogs and it's been a blessing since day one! I can let Jack and Jill play outside for hours and don't have to worry about them at all.
I continue to use John as a trainer and look forward to doing business with him in the future.
Thanks John.
Sandy from Collinsville, IL
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