Intermediate Class at Trainers Academy, LLC
Dogs are accepted upon completion of our puppy class or at 5 1/2 months of age and older.

Class Requirements:

• Participants must pre-register to guarantee a spot in class
• Flat buckle or martingale collars, and harnesses are allowed
• Choke chains, pinch/prong collars or shock collars are not allowed in our facility
• Students must supply Trainers Academy, LLC with current veterinary records including:
• Bordetella
• DHLPP (Puppies are required to have a minimum of 2 in the series before beginning class)
• Rabies (Required for all dogs 6 months of age and older)
• Fecal check current within 90 days of the class start date. **NOTE: If your pup is taking medication to treat a parasite/s, they may attend class as long as you bring a copy of proof of treatment provided by your veterinarian.
• Students must bring or purchase a clicker and treats for week 1

***Click here for class rules, including age requirements for children to attend class

* Clicker training - learn how to teach behaviors such as coming when called, stay, leave it, and controlled/loose leash walking and more!

* Problem solving Q&A - how and why it's important to prevent unwanted behavior as the first step to changing it 

* Reactivity prevention - teaching your dog to connect with you, and choose calm behavior, even in an exciting environment

 
All of our classes are taught using the principles of positive reinforcement, and the clicker method. Click on the following link for our FAQ's article on clicker training; http://www.woofology.com/whyclicker.html and here for a short video http://www.video.clickertraining.com/free-01 

 

Read below for comments from past students (and click here for additional testimonials!):

"We've seen massive improvements. She pulled on the leash like a sled dog and now she loose leash walks most of the time. She is much more responsive to commands and the jumping on people has decreased immensely!  This class was truly wonderful. I grew up with labs that my dad would take to a trainer in the Plymouth area and I never expected to find another trainer that would meet and exceed that experience. The training was just what we were looking for and the adjustments to meet the needs of the individual dogs was wonderful. "

"The set up is perfect with the dogs separated and with such a good trainer/student ratio. It was great to be in a situation where the dogs are trained in a kindly, non-stressful manner. When a dog gets barking, their view is blocked off rather than any kind of reprimand which I really like. Everyone was great! I owe them all a big thank you."
~Pat Baron with Nevada

"The format of the trainer describing or demonstrating the behavior, then having us teach our puppies to do this behavior, is a perfect recipe for success. Every minute of the class was used productively, which shows great respect for our time and money, and our dogs were kept engaged and interested. Excellent in every way!  Rosie is responding to Sit, Down, Leave it, Stay, and Coming when called more often and more consistently."

• ~Jennifer Forche with Rosie
   

"Aggie has faster responses to commands, and has learned several new commands. The reassurance and support helped us understand her better, improved our family bond with her, and then improved her training."

~Michelle Richards with Aggie
 

"The class is broken down to small segments then those segments are focused on, it makes it easy to learn. The last "Competition" of red light green light on graduation day gave me the opportunity to remember what I need to do when there are HUGE distractions. Boom, he could walk without trying to jump on the other dogs.  He's now looking to me for direction!"

~JP Hayes with Sheamus

"I really enjoyed being there every week and I could tell Jarvis did too! They went above and beyond to make sure Jarvis was comfortable and didn't push him to far.  He is now more comfortable in the presence of people."

~Taylor Manley with Jarvis
 

"Very good class! Helpful tips and guidance in training our dogs to be the best they can be. We have the tools we need to continue on our own now that the class is completed.  Gambit is doing much better with his recall and his walking on leash has also improved a lot."

~Scott Klimecki with Gambit
 

"Tucker's loose leash walking has improved and he jumps on us less. He also comes when called much better. Tucker escaped from the yard recently, and he came to us immediately when we called him. So thankful!!!"

~Sheryl VanGorder with Tucker
 

"Abby pays more attention to me. I have been to 5 other various training groups and found yours to be the most helpful. Thank you!"

~Donna King with Abby
 

"Stella has benefited greatly from her training, her ability to focus and follow commands is much better. She's better behaved! She also loves coming to daycare!!"

~Lora Strzyzewski with Stella
 

"Frankie is more responsive, comes when called, and walks better on the leash."

~Lynn Noum with Frankie
 

"Abby is listening quicker and starting to perform wanted behaviors quicker."

~Klare Horn with Abby
 

"This class has helped me understand my dogs behavior. Clicker training has allowed my dog to stay focused on me during our walks. Loose leash training is improving everyday. I'm glad I completed this class"

~Kathleen O'Shea with Stout
 

"Walking on a loose leash becomes easier with every walk. Things are also getting better with anchoring when the cat is around. We still have some work to do but we always get a response of shock when we tell people that Marvin is only 5 months."

~Lisa Marra with Marvin
 

"Shyla is pulling less on walks, and is listening better all the time."

`Carena Freeman with Shyla
 

"Giorgio is more responsive in every way and pulls far less on walks."

~Carena Freeman with Giorgio
 

"I think the help was great in the class and with the instructors, Bria and I both learned a lot."

~Jerry Thompson with Bria
 

"Harper pulls less on the leash , and her confidence has greatly improved!"

~Alison Smith, DVM with Harper
 

"Diesel's attention is even more solidly focused on me around many distractions. He also responds much more quickly, and is very willing to offer different behaviors when learning something new. He's much more engaged with me in public as a result of what we've learned about our training. I am grateful for all for all of the clicker training advice especially. It cleared up a lot of handler error related things I wasn't aware I was doing."

~Megan Giancarlo with Diesel
 

"All of the trainers were very helpful and answered any questions I had.  Allie and I really enjoyed the class and are so glad we chose Trainer's Academy! Thank you Lisa, Kristi, and the other trainers for helping us learn so many great training techniques!"

~Ashley with Allie
 

I particularly liked when they used each dog in the class (at different times) to illustrate different training techniques. Everyone (and every dog) was treated equally. Excellent job!!

~Dennis Stallsmith with Yager
 

"Great info, suggestions and lots of individual help!  Class was a great experience for both of us. Very helpful and fun! "

~ Martin Demlow with Casey
 

 "Even though Roxy is 3 year old rescue that we adopted in January, she needed to gain confidence and become the adult she actually is, and Trainer's Academy helped her do this. Roxy came in a "puppy" and left as an adult dog. She is much more focused. Everyone involved with Trainer's Academy - especially the instructors, and even the other attendees and their dogs, were all instrumental in Roxy's training. Since Roxy is a rescue dog, it (Intermediate class) helped us bond with her and her to bond with other people and dogs! This training was very personal and hands on, which definitely helped us learn from each other. Thank you everyone at Trainer’s Academy for all your friendship and expertise while Roxy attended the Intermediate Training Class.  I’ve attached her graduation picture that was taken that night."

~ Suzy & Patrick Medici with Roxy
 

"The time and money for the program was well spent! I feel that your staff was sincerely concerned with helping Prince to become a better dog and me a better owner. I found the in-class instruction easy to understand and execute and the weekly lesson plans extremely helpful. We will likely have Lisa come to our house to work on some home issues and would consider the advanced class perhaps in the fall. Trainer's Academy rocks!"

~Mike Richter with Prince
 

"This class is excellent, which we already knew as we had Dixie come thru it a couple years ago. Thank you Lisa and staff for this most excellent and fun class. We highly recommend it and have to our friends and family. Absolutely love the videos you now provide. Excellent help! Thanks again for all you do. Its fabulous!"

~Margaret Jankowski with Goldie

 

"The class was excellent. Sue is thorough with the materials and spends extra explanation personally when needed. I brought a rough edged dog (Sheltered for almost a year) to this class and she is way more receptive. Walking her is pleasurable for both of us instead of an aggravating event. Still we need to continue ongoing what we've taken from the class. I can see Kitas' face light up if she sees me get the clicker. We may inquire about advanced class in some months from now! Thank you! Thank you Sue Esper and the volunteers, you're all wonderful!"

~Walter Stephenson with Kita
 

"The puppy class was great, but this one was so important as well. I really appreciate all the extra tips pertaining to my dog and she has come a long way in the past few months. I believe I have the tools to help her be a polite member of our family and am looking forward to fun and love with our dog! Thank you for giving each person in class personal attention and advice."

~Bonita Jalon with Poppilou
 

"Trainer and helpers were very friendly and extremely patient with us. They helped me reduce frustrating behaviors in Bailey and gave me hope for continued improvement. Everyone offered advice and tips to help the training along and where I could do something different or better."

~Ed Carpenter with Bailey

"I thoroughly enjoyed the class. I hope it won't be too long before an advanced class will be scheduled."

~ Teddi Kollenberg with Jesse
 

"I loved all the trainers...they all cared and were very helpful!  They went out of their way to make sure everyone got the help they needed Yay!!! Sue and staff"

"We were very nervous about taking Tank to training classes because we didn't want to be judged for having a dog with reactivity issues, but the staff did a fantastic job making us feel comfortable and relaxed, even when Tank would react to the environment. The weekly checklist helped keep us on track with training and the demonstrations that Lisa gave were very easy to follow. The staff was beyond friendly and welcoming, they truly cared about our situation."

~ Brandi Nichols with Tank


"The Class has been very helpful and I am looking forward to attending advanced class with him."

~Jan Benacquisto with Maxx
 

"I found that working with trainers at Trainers Academy was very helpful in better understanding my dogs behavior and how I can work on improving communications with her. I appreciate the amount of time and energy that was spent in working with me, even outside of class through email.'

~Danielle Grabowski with Izzy
 

"Wonderful experience, well worth the time and travel. I really liked the staff, genuine warmth and caring people. I was excited to see the discreet training system with the clicker. Very wise teaching to deconstruct behaviors and segment them for successful reproduction."

~Karen Wrona with Charlie
 

"Huck did two classes back to back (puppy moving right into intermediate) and it was a great experience for both of us. He loved coming to class and is always excited to get inside. Not only did he respond well to the training, I learned how to capture good behaviors and what to do going forward with whatever Huck needs to learn in the future."

~Susan Love with Huckleberry
 

"We found Sue to be extremely knowledgeable and eager to assist when we had questions. I found the way the dogs were positioned and having the volunteers there to help made me feel very safe in the class. IT was a great experience fro my first ever dog training class and I have already recommended you guys to others."

~Denise Wunderlich with Toby
 

"Barney and I thoroughly enjoyed Lisa's class. I really appreciated her expert advice, wisdom and never-ending patience, especially in dealing with a fearful dog like Barney. She and the volunteer trainers, Jennifer and Christine were very knowledgeable and helpful and fun, too!"

~Joanne Berry with Barney
 

 

"Thank you SO much. The training has helped with Boon's boredom, he is more attentive to us and he walks VERY well now.  And what we've learned has helped us with all of our dogs."

~ Melisa Mullins with Boon
 

"We had some behavioral issues that we brought into class. Sue was very helpful in offering advice and training me to think and see things as the dog does. Josie is getting more confident and has become a very workable partner in the training exercises. She very much enjoys her training time and learning how to please...which just breeds her confidence."

~Chris Skotzke with Josie
 

"I loved this class. Garrosh, Adam and I all learned so much and it was very affordable. It was important to me to find a class that was based on positive reinforcement and this class was exactly what I wanted."

~Kelsey Siembor with Garrosh 
 

"This a great class for dogs who are out of the puppy stage. It helps them become better members of the family by teaching their "pet parents" how to set their dogs up for success. It touches on everything from basic household manners (for example: sit/down, loose leash walking, recalls and leave it) to how to keep your dog mentally stimulated to help eliminate boredome behaviors. The class is an excellent balance of lecture time combined w/floor time to practice the exercises. Sue and the coaches are very dedicated to making sure that the people and dogs succeed. They understand each dog is an individual and will spend extra time w/anyone who needs or wants it. Roscoe can be alittle shy w/new people, but all of the staff took the time to let him approach them in his own comfort zone, so by the second class he was BFF's w/all of the staff (to the point where it was more challenging to get him to focus on me rather than trying see what Sue or the coaches were up to. That is a challenge I'm happy to have). You walk out of the class w/a clear understanding of how your dog learns and the benefits of clicker training."

~Jessica Aumack with Roscoe
 

"What I liked most about this class is that you are learning the tools needed to train other behaviors in the future. It wasn't a "here your dog is better" kind of class, it is learning how to teach behavior, which is what makes the class effective."

Matt Grabow and Bubba
 

"We already did the Intermediate  class with both of our dogs Molly and Misty. Wasn't such a good idea to take them both at the same class. Molly was doing great but our Misty had a lot of problems. We got all the help from Sue and her team and at the end of the class she was doing a little bit better. But we needed more help with Misty and so we decided that we take the Intermediate  class again only with Misty. She was doing so much better than the first time and Sue could help us with other problems we had. We still have a lot of work ahead but know we  have a better understanding what to do and can work on it.

"This is the third class I've taken thru Trainers Academy and I have nothing but praise. I've taken class with Lisa and Devene and they are both wonderful and it's obvious they love what they do. Thanks for teaching me how to train this smart little puppy of mine!"

Jennie Lynn & Ellie
 

 "My 9 month old beagle really took to the class.  I learned correct and incorrect ways of training which made it so much easier when I learned the methods taught in class.  The clicker method I like and by far it is very effective with my pup.  My dog gets so excited to come to class its so cute to see her so anxious to get out of the car and begin class.  Class was a wonderful experience for both of us and I have a foundation to build on for her continued training.  Thank You!"

~ Lorraine Yoskovich with Brinkley
 

"I can't say enough good things about Trainer's Academy. Greg and I have been impressed since day one of the Puppy Primer Package. We had an amazing and rewarding experience in intermediate class and we learned so many new techniques to better handle some of Rocket's difficult behaviors. It was so fun to see Rocket learn and progress as the weeks went on. Rocket absolutely LOVES coming to Trainer's Academy and we are so happy to be a part of this wonderful program. Thank you for loving our pup and thanks for all of your help and knowledge!!"

~ Gina & Greg Kent with Rocket
 

"We loved this class, as we knew we would because we loved the Puppy class as well. Each dog and handler was given individual attention and the class format was modified as needed to suit the dog's personalities and confidence levels. We learned so much and it's amazing how quickly dogs understand commands when using the clicker method. In only 6 weeks we saw such a dramatic difference in all of the dogs in our class - confidence up, boredom/distraction decreased, etc. Thank you Lisa!"

~ Ashley & Chad Blake with Arlo
 

"The intermediate class was very good. I have been through other training programs and find Trainers Academy to be much better in many ways. It was much more positive and encouraging. I would have liked to take Cooper through their puppy class, but we didn't adopt him as a pup. Cooper's only complaint is that he never got to sniff any of the other dogs. He'll get to do some sniffing in day care which we are going to try out. Thanks for a good experience."

~ Joyce Karner with Cooper
 

"Jeni is becoming much more comfortable around other dogs... the exposure to other dogs in a controlled environment has been very helpful for her. She still has a long way to go but the class was the perfect environment for her to work on her relaxation skills. She is quickly becoming much more social with people and in fact I would hardly consider her shy anymore, we had visitors over the other day, a male and a female and she approached BOTH of them on her own with no prompting and allowed them to pet her. Interacting with the staff at Trainers was helpful with this. If we had not had enough individual attention and care to Jeni's special needs in the class she would not have been able to be successful. Participating in a class with Jeni would not have been possible with any other program... Lisa was absolutely wonderful in helping Jeni and me both feel comfortable in class and not pushing either of us beyond what we were ready for. She also was great about letting me dictate the direction of each class for Jeni when I knew she was overwhelmed, but giving lots of valuable advice along the way for helping her relax. I appreciated her taking a phone call outside of class to discuss some of Jeni's anxious behaviors and how to help. All of the instruction was very quality advice for every dog owner and every dog!"

~ Gabi Vannini with Jeni
 

"Overall I really enjoyed this class and found it more effective than a similar class I previously took my dog to at a different establishment. I appreciated the instructor's knowledge and enthusiasm. I also liked that the teaching methods were adapted to each individual dog's personality so that no dog was overlooked. My dog really enjoyed coming to class every week and responded well to the clicker."

~ Carrie Fienberg with Indy
 

"Thank you for this class! Gibby's improving every day and we're thankful to have such a great training resource... He's much more attentive and focused on me when we are "on", and seems calmer at home too... I liked that reasoning was explained along with instruction, not just 'do this, do that'"

~ Amy DeLong with Gibby
 

"I loved the experience I had at Trainers Academy's Intermediate class. Devene was an amazing teacher. She made the class fun for me and my dog Chopper. I can't believe how far Chopper has come since the first day of class. He is a two year old boxer who was dog aggressive and didnt listen to me very well. Now after the six week class, I can have him in a room with other dogs and he is relaxed and not being aggressive at all. Plus at home he is a great boy and listens so much better. I recommend Trainers Academy to anyone at any level with their pets."

~ Jennifer Ross with Chopper
 

"So happy we found this place! This was our second class, and we will be back for a third. The staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and able to customize group options and activities for individual dogs. I love that we can watch others and also have time to practice as a group/individual. The instructor and volunteers truly care about our pups!!! I also think the graduation ceremony and contests are fun to wrap up the class!"

"Enjoyed the class and I learned some great techniques. Everyone was so well-prepared. Your love for dogs was quite evident...

"We learned so much in 6 weeks and we really needed the help, especially with our puppy Misty. Misty is doing so much better at home and when we go for walks. Molly and Misty getting excited when I get the treats out and we start practice at home. It is funny to watch them, because Misty is always watching what Molly is doing she even learned to give her paw because Molly loves to do it. We still have a long way to go, but it is not so frustrating anymore. Thanks to Trainers Academy.

The staff was great and we would recommend Trainers Academy to everyone who considers dog training lessons."

~ Heidi & Dieter Feunfer with Misty & Molly

When asked what she liked most about the class, student Carol McAndrews said this:
"1) giving my dog quality time and stimulation, she needs both 2) being trained myself -understanding the psychology and the little things that make a difference with a dog. 3) the socialization aspect - my dog doesn't get enough opportunities and has a little fear occasionally due to history. Is getting better and better and this helped.

Sue is an excellent instructor. Both Brooklyn and I had learned a lot by the end of the 6 week class."

~Carol McAndrews with Brooklyn 

"I can't say enough about the great experience Paige and I had at Trainers Academy. I was so nervous to take her, but everyone at Trainers Academy was so helpful and understanding -- the set-up really put me at ease, and Paige had a blast. I had tried traditional training techniques with her, but she just wasn't responding to them. She was barking like crazy at other dogs when we were out on walks, she was acting out when she didn't get what she wanted, and my days were spent trying to get back all the things she would steal from around the house. But the positive reinforcement techniques are great -- Paige LOVES our training sessions, and she responds to my commands so quickly now. She still has her days, but all the issues we were dealing with are improving. We have much more fun together now, and the games and training we learned in class allow Paige to put her energy into something productive and positive. Thanks for everything!"

~ Elizabeth Simmonds with Paige
 

"Being a first time dog owner, I thought the ideals of the academy and all the trainers I got to work with are great! I learned a lot and had fun! Thanks for the class and sharing your knowledge."

~Andrew Fleming & Raina
 

"This was my first experience with clicker training (I used the pop version earlier) and I love it. My dog, Fred, is a foodaholic which made it easy to get his attention. The best part is how kind this training is to my dog. I enjoyed seeing him "get it" when I worked with him to learn a new skill. Everyone in class made such progress with their dogs. And the dogs seemed happy to be in class. What a difference this type of training is to my previous training experiences. I am so glad I came. I have more to learn about clicker training and am excited to continue my education as well."

~Joan Johnson & Fred

 
" I would highly recommend Trainers Acedemy to anyone looking to get help with training their pets"

~Jennifer Fairbrother & Kimber