Send your dog to charm school with today's side deal: for $50, you get three weeks of dog training (a $112.50 value) from AnimalSense, a canine training and behavior academy. Choose from seven Chicagoland locations in Oak Park, Uptown, Logan Square, Schiller Park, Geneva, Oak Brook, or Palatine. Check the schedule to see if the location nearest to you has classes, and buy up to two Groupons for your pet pal to complete a standard six weeks of training.

AnimalSense began in 1999 with a set mission to help dog owners live peacefully with their dogs, by using training methods backed by the steady hand of science. Classes only ever teach dog-friendly methods of positive reinforcement, a pleasant, pain-free experience for dog and owner alike. Class sizes are limited to allow for one-on-one instruction. The variety of classes available makes enrollment in the program sensible for beginners and previously trained dogs alike. Classes include options for dogs of mostly all temperaments, from a session for shy dogs, to Intro to Agility for fledgling performance hounds. This Groupon is not valid for special aggression classes such as Doggone Issues.

Give your dog the confidence and focus to lead a fulfilling doggy life, increasing both its happiness and your own. AnimalSense offers a flexible schedule to fit increasingly hectic human lives, ensuring success for all involved.

Reviews

Nine Yelpers give AnimalSense four stars. AnimalSense has received numerous mentions in the press, including the Pioneer Local, and owner Jamie Damato was included as an expert in this ABC News story about the dangers of retractable leashes:

• Jamie Damato, a certified dog trainer and behavioral consultant from Chicago, said she banned all forms of retractable leashes from her classes when she opened her dog training business, Animal Sense, in 2000. In the beginning, she kept photos of injuries on hand to show owners who were insistent on using them. Damato said it's not just the injury factor that drove her away from retractable leashes. Letting a dog roam too far, especially when training, allows the dog to find all sorts of trouble. – Sarah Netter, ABC News
• Holly Light of Oak Park enrolled in one of Damato's classes last fall with her puppy St. Bernard, Woody. Up to then, she'd had five other dogs, and had taken them to dog obedience through the Park District of Oak Park. Those classes taught owners to correct their dogs when they displayed behavior they didn't want, Light said. Damato taught positive re-enforcement when dogs behaved correctly, ignoring poor behavior. "I was skeptical, but I was totally amazed at how much it worked," Light said. "I actually signed up for the next class, as well." – Chris LaFortune, Pioneer Local