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"Lightning entered my life on April 2, 2000; just a few short weeks after the loss of my Shepherd mix Clancy. Clancy was the first pet I had ever lost and his passing was sudden and difficult; but Lightning seemed to come equipped with the power to heal my broken heart.
Experiencing the transformation that a Greyhound goes through from track life to home life, all their firsts; climbing onto the big comfy couch, curling up in bed with you, throwing stuffies in the air, are wonderful and precious and I am so glad that I was allowed the privilege.
Lightning opened my eyes to the greatness that is the Greyhound and will forever have a special place in my heart."
-Jessica Muzzarelli
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Greyhounds-Only Training Class
Our next session is the Lightning Memorial Session: Thursdays 11/6 - 12/18 at 8:30 pm Call 248-616-6500 to register
The first
week, we will meet for 60 minutes (this shorter time for their
first visit is less
stressful for the dogs), weeks 2-6 will run 90 minutes. This
will allow more time for group discussion and floor time!
Trainers Academy is proud to present this greyhound-focused training class developed through our years of interaction with several of Metro-Detroit's greyhound adoption groups. Greyhounds-Only was developed to help newly retired racers transition from racer to household pet. This class was designed for greyhounds that have had no formal training. The background of a racing greyhound is so different than a puppy raised as a pet. We have often heard people underestimate the skill of a retired racer. So we created a class that helps explain why greyhounds may seem more difficult to train than the next door neighbor’s lab seems to do with ease. We will also help you jump the learning hurdles, and teach you how to make learning fun for your dog. We will even address the dreaded greyhound sit!  In class we also strive to help you communicate more effectively with your dog, which will only help deepen your bond for the rest of your life! This class will teach you how to clicker train your greyhound. Some of the behaviors we will work on includes:
We will
also have behavioral discussions and talk about ways to build
confidence. Click here to see a slide show of previous Greyhound-only Classes. Testimonials:
I don’t think words can ever
express how grateful I am that Trainer’s Academy, and
especially Devene, came into my life.
My story is lengthy, but very worth reading.
Last December I became a member of
GEM (Greythounds of Eastern Michigan) and made my home
available as a foster home.
Little did I know how much my life was about to change.
I was asked to take a greyhound for a week because his
foster family was taking a vacation.
I then found out, that because of his behavior, his
foster family had no intentions of taking him back after
vacation. Not a
big deal? Maybe
not for your typical foster, but Hardie wasn’t typical, nor
was the life he’d had thus far.
Hardie wasn’t quite 2 when he first came to GEM.
He was placed within 3 months of his arrival and 2
weeks later a brindle female was placed in that same home.
He stayed in that home about 4 ½ years with the last
18 months being miserable for him.
He and the brindle female, for reasons we’ll probably
never know, were banished to a garage with no real human
intervention. Those
18 months changed Hardie, and not in a good way.
He came back to GEM January 26, 2006 and stayed in a
few different foster homes and then was finally placed in my
home as a foster January 5, 2008.
That next day I took him to a Meet & Greet just to
see how he acted around other greyhounds.
I needed to see for myself if he was really as bad as I
had been told he was. Well,
words can’t describe the fear in his eyes and the defensive
behavior he had if another greyhound just made eye contact
with him. All I
can say is “thank God for muzzles” or there would have
been bloodshed. I
immediately wanted to get this boy help.
I began calling everywhere ... and I do mean
EVERYWHERE. I had
trainers tell me that Hardie couldn’t be helped without even
evaluating him. Well
that wasn’t good enough for me.
I’ve worked with other dogs that had issues and I
knew in my heart that I could help Hardie with the right
trainer. Trainer’s
Academy was the first training facility that was recommended
to me. When Lisa
returned my call and I told her Hardie’s story, she
recommended that he attend Devene’s “Greyhounds - ONLY”
class. There was
one beginning in 2 weeks and there was 1 opening left, so I
took it. That
first class Hardie had to be pulled through the door.
Just the sight of other greyhounds made him shake
uncontrollably. We
went through 2 of Devene’s 6 week courses with Hardie.
Devene and her “Greyhounds – ONLY” class has
changed his life. He
has learned to make right choices.
Now when he’s uncomfortable in a situation, he leaves
it instead of lashing out.
Last night I started my volunteer work with Trainer’s
Academy. Two
other GEM’s were going to be in the class so we decided to
car pool. Everyone
was to meet at my house.
When Helen arrived with her greyhound Dollar, we
decided to see how Hardie would react to Dollar through the
fence. He was
excited to see Dollar, even did a half hearted play bow,
jumped in the air, barked, tail wagging, as if to say “come
play with me”. That
is a total “about face” from where he was 4 ½ months ago.
May 10, I decided I didn’t want
Hardie to ever leave my home and I signed the papers to adopt
him. Because of
Trainer’s Academy and Devene, Hardie has gone from being a
scared, defensive greyhound, into a loving, happy, and
sociable greyhound. Thank
you Devene for saving this sweet boy!!
Sarah Williams
Hardie (Thanks Devene for believing in me - slurp, slurp!!) Greyhound-Only Grads
I wanted to tell you about
something that happened recently. I had all four of my
dogs out for a walk the other day -- something I rarely do
because I didn't actually believe I could control four dogs
if, say a rabbit darted across our path, but it was a nice
day and they all really wanted to go at once, so I
gave in.
Anyway as we were walking, there were a bunch of kids going by on bikes and skateboards so I put all four of them into a sit and then a down and told them to stay and I was so proud of them. They all stayed put the entire time, even though one of the kids stopped and said, "can I pet your dogs?" Simon was the first one to try to get up and I gave him the "uh-uh" (a no-reward mark) right away and he went right back down. I was just really proud of all of them. (Clue is the best :- ) They were kind of far from home with a lot of distraction and it was the whole pack, but they were all perfect! I was actually kind of surprised myself, I have to admit, but we have been practicing our obedience commands on walks, in pet stores, at meet & greets & all kinds of crazy places, sometimes with treats and sometimes without treats, just to stay in practice and I guess it has really paid off! That's a long, long way from ol' Clue who couldn't pay attention for 2 seconds in class, huh? So there's a little story you can share in your next class about Clue the Class Clown. He sends you kisses.
Have a great day!
Allison
Carey & Clue This article was e-mailed to Michigan ReGAP (Retired Greyhounds as Pets) adopters and was written by ReGAP member and freelance writer, Ken Martin (ken_marten@yahoo.com). Since sighthounds (such as greyhounds) are bred and trained to hunt by sight, getting them to focus can be a challenge. But the Hiners were up to the challenge, and as you can see, it paid off: REGAP member Ruth Hiner, owner of Freckles and Connie, has nothing but praise for "Greyhounds Only: A Class For Retired Racers," an obedience class offered by Devene Godau, CPDT of Trainers Academy, LLC. A recent afternoon romp at the local dog park almost turned into a lost greyhound search, were it not for training learned in the class. Ruth and the hounds were inside the fenced-in park when another dog owner accidentally left the double gates ajar upon exiting. "The next thing you know, I saw Freckles outside of the park, building up a head of steam to chase after the dog that just left," Ruth said. "I yelled for Freckles to come, and he ran back into the dog park. Then I told him and Connie to stay as I ran into the gate system to close both of the gates." Ruth's quick thinking and stay-calm attitude, combined with the skills taught to both dog and handler at Trainers Academy, saved the day. "If it wasn't for the recall and stay exercises in the obedience class, I would have lost my boy," Ruth said with a shudder. "If this isn't a good enough reason to recommend Devene's class, I don't know what is. |
