|
|
Good training can impress your friends and neighbors, or can even save your dog's life! Here are some recent students who dedicated themselves to the training methods taught in class, and the amazing results!
Do you have a story that would qualify for the Hall of Fame? If you are a Trainers Academy, LLC graduate and have an amazing or cute story to send us e-mail us at trainersacademy@aol.com, and include the program you graduated from, and pictures if possible.
|
 |
Charlie Cordova
One of your former students ( Charlie ) would like to say Hello. Charlie is doing great, still has energy going 24/7 and we love her very much. Thought you would enjoy this picture of her looking for mom as the car pulled up the driveway. She is definately not a puppy anymore. lol.
~ Frank Cordova
|
 |
Muggsy & Tucker Mahoney
"We took 1st Place for doggie/owner lookalike on Saturday at the Clinton Township Festival of Senses! I just wanted to thank you again, there is no way we could have done this with Muggsy and Tucker before they took the Intermediate class at Trainers Academy."
~ Ann & Russ Mahoney
|
 |
Mindy Zimmel, From Shelter Dog to Therapy Dog!
Mindy CGC TD, former shelter dog for 5 years, started her new career on
Monday as a therapy dog at Father Murray Nursing Center. The residents were
absolutely thrilled to have a regular visitor again! Mindy was a perfect lady,
graciously accepting pets of all kinds and wagging at everyone who looked at
her. It is so gratifying to see an Alzheimer's patient, who seems to be totally
unaware of his surroundings, reach down to touch her as she sat next to his
chair. I am so proud of my girl and thanks to Trainer's Academy for being so
supportive and helping her pass her certifications!
~ Chris Zimmel
|
 |
Kharma earns her Therapy Dog
Certification
At nearly
12-years-old, Kharma, a retired racing greyhound owned and loved
by Trainers Academy instructor Devene Godau, has become a
certified therapy dog. Kharma passed the Therapy Dog
International test. The TDI evaluator remarked that most therapy
dogs retired at Kharma's age! Kharma enjoys having one-on-one
time with mom (getting away from all the other kids, both 2 and
4-legged) so they hope to make regular visits to senior homes. |
 |
Reginald C. Spaniel earns Novice
Trick Dog title
Reggie
is owned and loved by Trainers Academy General Manager Jessica
Muzzarelli. He recently earned a
Novice Trick Dog title by demonstrating that he could
perform 15 tricks. Way to go Reggie!! Reggie also recently
earned his Canine Good Citizen. Not to bad for a dog that was
once considered unadoptable!! |
 |
Chase Persyn, Trainers Academy
Grad and Champion
I am not an
experienced handler or trainer. I needed help with my boy
Chase with regard to the Conformation ring. Lisa has helped us
both so much! We worked with her and got some tips and tricks
that enabled us to show and show very well!! With all her
input and help we mastered the show ring on May 1st,
2009. Chase was showing as a Champion in his Specialty show
against 8 other champions,(all older and more seasoned) and he
took the win!!! He now has his first leg on his Grand and I
now have the confidence to show him and show him well.
Thanks Lisa
again for all your help with Chase!
Sandy Persyn
|
 |
Asti Piscopo, Trainers Academy, LLC Grad (of multiple classes)
Lisa,
My name is Martha Piscopo, I am pretty sure you will remember
me and my lovely dog Asti (the over hyper Golden Retriever) we
are going back almost 3 years here I think. Asti went through
all your classes, and also through your AKC Canine Behavior
class. She passed all of her classes with flying colors and
even beat a school record - there wasn't anything she could
not learn!! My goal and dream for Asti was to make her a
Therapy dog (like her cousin dogs). But her "hyper-ness" was
just over bearing. I remember being disappointed and you
telling me that "she just has so much love in her that she
just does not know how to contain it, but she is a wonderful
dog." So that is what I worked with! Her love.
While in your class my sister was diagnosed with cancer, my
husband even had to step in for me once. Since then we have
moved my sister to Michigan and she lives alone, but with
myself and family within minutes to her. Asti stays with her
maybe 4 to 5 days a week. I can not tell you how everything Asti
learned so many years back has come in handy. I love when
she tells Asti to "stay" as she uses her for support, the
obedience she has for her, the communication and eye contact
that she to gives her. She loves showing company her fun
tricks too! One day she was not doing well and Asti told my
mother (so mom says).
But my all time favorite (which she has learned on her own) is
waking my sister up to the alarm clock, door bell or
telephone. Asti now has 2 moms and loves it. Don't get me
wrong here, she is still a hyper dog, but like you
said......just full of love.
I guess I just wanted to thank you after all these years and
let you know that Asti has found her purpose in life and she
is the most wonderful "Therapy Dog" I could of ever asked for.
I write this letter celebrating Asti's 4th Birthday and have
enclosed a 2 picture of Asti (my daughter is into photography,
the one is my daughter with her). Continue doing the
wonderful work you do there.
Sincerely,
Martha
|
 |
Molly Wallace, Trainers Academy Grad,
Dock Jumper and TDI certified!
Molly graduated in Spring 2006
with Lisa. She started dock jumping this summer with a third
place finish in Jr.division at Pet-A- Palooza 2 and an eleventh
place finish in the Pro division at the Bark in the Park at
Stony Creek. Her best jump this year was 15.2'. Molly is
looking forward to come back this winter for a tune up.
Molly Update, received January
2, 2009:
Happy
New Year! Just wanted to let you know that
Molly Wallace is a Certified Therapy dog for 2009. She is
affiliated with TDI Inc.
Have a Great Year,
Steve &
Molly Wallace
|
On November 6, 2008 we received the
devastating news that Clue crossed the
Rainbow Bridge. We
love & miss you Clue! |
Clue, Greyhound-Only Graduate and now TDI certified!
Clue took the TDI test again last
night (March 26) and he passed ... he failed on his first attempt
in January because he refused to sit (go figure!). And, although
the SIT requirement is waived for greyhounds, the evaluator who
administered the test the first time insisted that he sit anyway
and he was just too overstimulated to pay attention that time.
There were about 20-25 dogs of various breeds at the January test.
This time, however, we had a different
evaluator, there were fewer dogs present (4, including Clue) and
he got to take his test first, which helped a lot, since Clue gets
distracted easily in the presence of a lot of other dogs and
people. But, I am proud to say that he performed all of the
commands (sit, down, stay, come and leave it) beautifully. Other
components of the test included walking nicely on lead, supervised
separation, greeting a stranger, remaining calm in the presence of
children and when startled by a loud noise and exposure to a crowd
and medical equipment (he was exposed to a person in a wheelchair
and a walker), and being handled and groomed by the evaluator.
Here's the link:
http://www.tdi-dog.org/whatdo.html
Those of you who remember Clue when I
first got him -- he was afraid of a variety of noises, including
the ice maker, childrens' bicycles and the ice cream truck -- will
understand why I am so darn proud of my one time bad boy for his
wonderful accomplishment!
|
|
King Hardie Roos! |
Congratulations Hardie!!
Trainers Academy Greyhound Only
graduate, Hardie Williams was crowned King of the Beach 2008 at
the Beach Bound Hounds in Myrtle Beach in September 2008. Hardie
started out as Sarah Williams foster dog through Greythounds of
Eastern Michigan. He came to her with a fear of other dogs,
particularly a fear of other greyhounds. Sarah worked hard and
not only has Hardie made lot's of strides, he has made a
permanent home in her heart and her couch. Because of her hard
work Hardie is the perfect example of how much can be done with
the right training tools. We are SO excited that the attendees
of Beach Bound Hounds recognized how amazing this team is by
crowning Hardie King! Click here
to read Hardie's story in our testimonials section.
|
 |
Trainers Academy, LLC Announces
our New Canine Good Citizens!
Congratulations to our newest Canine Good Citizens:
Cheryl Miller with Abby, a
4-year-old Goldendoodle
JP Hayes with Angus, a 1-year-old Labrador Retriever
Tom Guibord with Misia, a 2-1/2-year-old Leonberger
Tiffanie Coe with Marek, a 7-month-old Leonberger (pictured,
left)
Steve Wallace with Molly, a 2-1/2-year-old Labrador Retriever
Susan Dodd with Breeze, a 2-year-old Golden Retriever
These teams participated on Trainers
Academy, LLC's July 2008 Canine Good Citizen Proofing Class. To
find out more about this class visit our
Calendar Page.
|
 |
Trainers Academy, LLC Announces
our New Canine Good Citizens!
Congratulations to our newest Canine Good Citizens:
Rhonda Shuster with Roxy, a
Goldendoodle
Denise McGee with Trooper, a Doberman
Robin Pierce with Melody, an All-American
Lisa Rogers with Eva, a German Shepherd Dog
Jason Hoover with Hope, a Brittany Spaniel (pictured, left)
These teams participated on Trainers
Academy, LLC's March 2008 Canine Good Citizen Proofing Class. To
find out more about this class visit our
Calendar Page.
|
 |
Trainers Academy, LLC Grad Passes
the Canine Good Citizen Test
Congratulations to our newest Canine Good
Citizen:
Sher Walker
with Molly, a Sheltie
Sher and Molly participated in
our October 2007 CGC Prep class, where we first give a mock exam
and then do exercises to address areas that need work. Mollie
passed with flying colors and we look forward to seeing her as a
Therapy Dog Superstar in the future! |
|
 |
Trainers Academy, LLC in the News
Trainers Academy, LLC trainer Liz Buchheister
and her dogs Lucy (pictured at let) and Annabelle hosted a
Therapy Dog Seminar at our Troy location in October 2007, and
Fox-2 News was there.
E-mail us if you would like to be notified when we schedule
our next Therapy Dog Seminar
|
|
 |
Congratulations Zane!
One of our Troy DayCare players,
Zane the Australian Shepherd, finished his Canadian Kennel Club
championship on October 13, 2007. What a pretty boy!! |
 |
Molly Wallace, Trainers Academy
Grad and Dock Jumper!
Molly graduated in Spring 2006
with Lisa. She started dock jumping this summer with a third
place finish in Jr.division at Pet a Palooza 2 and an eleventh
place finish in the Pro division at the Bark in the Park at
Stony Creek. Her best jump this year was 15.2'. Molly is
looking forward to come back this winter for a tune up.
Molly & Steve Wallace
|
|
 |
Trainers Academy, LLC Grads Pass
the Canine Good Citizen Test
Congratulations to our newest Canine Good
Citizens:
Denise McGee with Maggie and Gracie,
both Dobermans
Chris Banish with Emme, a Cockapoo
Rachel Greenwood with Toast, a Greyhound
Connie Fett with Daisy, a Greyhound
Kathy Siarto with Teagan, a Labradoodle
|
|
|
Lucy, Therapy Dog Extraordinaire!
Lucy, a big black furry Newfoundland is quite a celebrity for those
who hang around the Rochester Hills Public Library (RHPL). Lucy is
the Library Reading Dog*. Each Wednesday, you can find Lucy hard at
work at RHPL. Lucy has her own corner of the library where she
listens to the children read stories to her. Her "students" enjoy
her enthusiasm (tail wags) and encouragement (big wet kisses) as
they
read. Her favorite author seems to be Dr Seuss.
Lucy also loves to do school visits where she gets to be the center
of attention, while her two-legged mom, Liz reads a favorite Newf
story. Lucy also visits local assisted living homes. The seniors
enjoy having a dog around the house even if it is only for a visit.
Lucy began her training at Trainers
Academy, LLC with Puppy, progressed to Intermediate, and then CGC
class. Soon after passing her CGC, she tested and passed her therapy
dog certification with Therapy Dogs, International (TDI). With
almost 100 visits now, she holds a Therapy Dog Active title (TDIA).
In order to pass the TDI exam, Lucy and Liz had to use all the
elements learned in class. Controlled walking, leave it, friendly
greeting, sit, down, stay, and even stand are used in most every
visit. Thank you to her teacher, Lisa!!!
Liz is currently working with Lucy's sister, Annabelle, enrolled in
Trainers Academy, LLC's Advanced class. While doing "Sit, Down, Sit"
exercises at home with Annabelle, Liz reports Lucy is in the
background bobbing up and down. Never underestimate the power of a
clicker!
*The "Paws A While to Read" program uses registered therapy animals
and their handlers to help improve the literacy skills of children
in an effective and unique manner. The children pick stories they
want
to read, usually with an animal theme, and read them aloud to the
dog. The premise of the program is that children will find reading
to an animal to be less intimidating; it's a special time for them
that is helpful and fun and will become a positive environment in
which learning is facilitated. If you would like more information
about the reading program or TDI, you can contact Liz through the
Trainers Academy office. Call 248-244-1372 or e-mail us at
trainersacademy@aol.com.
|
Piglet shown here in Best Friends
Animals Society's Not Left Behind about the rescue efforts
in the Katrina Region. |
Trainers Academy Graduate AND a Cover Girl?!
Trainers Academy, LLC is proud to know Piglet, a wonderful dog
that
was saved from the Katrina Region by Best Friends Animal Society
and
Serenity Animal Hospital (in Sterling Heights, Michigan) last
year.
Piglet is featured on the FRONT COVER of the book, Not Left
Behind:
Rescuing the Pets of New Orleans. We urge you to take moment to
look
at the picture taken during Piglet's rescue. It will warm your
heart:
Not Left Behind
To read more about Piglet and her life since being rescued,
please see the following articles:
Piglet Graduates from School
Piglet Finds her Forever Home |
|
|
|
