Lisa (Laney) Patrona, Dip. CBST, CPDT-KA, ACDBC, AABP-CDT
President
Trainers Academy, LLC

Read what Lisa's students say about her:

• "I really loved the support and dedication I felt throughout the class from Lisa and her training staff. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for training."
• ~Michele Murto with Bella
   

• "Everyone was incredible, I cannot thank the staff and volunteers enough. My Moss has been re-homed a few times before she got to us. I think if she would have been trained she wouldn't have had to be re-homed. Luckily for us, she's found her forever home."
• ~Tiffany Inman with Moss
   

"I realize this is a very old blast from the past but I truly had to share this with you.  Beatrix who is now an 11 year old Leonberger has of late developed some arthritis.  Not a surprise, she is a 'mature' Leo and this happens.  Her vet recommended physical therapy.  Off we went to the Animal Rehab center in Commerce.  We met with a great vet and therapist and were sent home with exercises and appointments for PT which officially starts tomorrow.  so...the exercises....i got home, studied the written instructions carefully (they had demo'd while we were there) and duh...the light went on.  This is TRAINING.  I mentally broke down the exercises into smaller steps, found my bait bag and clicker in a drawer, got out the high value treats and lo and behold, Beatrix came over tail wagging with a 'we are going to train!!!!!' look in her eyes.   To be honest, we had not done any real training for a couple of years (yup...we were training when she was 9!!!!) and she was delighted.  

My points in all of this: positive reinforcement training is a life style.  You never know when the dividends will pay off big time.  it doesn't matter how old the dog/cat/pony/horse/mule, you can use this awesome tool whenever you need it.  

 

"Hi Lisa,

I just want to give a heartfelt thank you for your help with River. I know we still have a lot of work to do, but we're feeling much more hopeful than we were before starting the class. I was truly feeling like a complete failure as a doggy parent. But I'm feeling much more optimistic now that we're starting to form a plan for her. 


The extra time you spent advising us on the phone, through email, and after class is VERY much appreciated. I can't thank you enough. Jessica has been very helpful and supportive as well.

We thought the class was great. The extra resources and homework provided were very helpful. Also, we really enjoyed the fun and supportive environment of the class.  We all had a lot of fun! River is still enjoying her new plushy toy - it's a miracle she hasn't torn it to shreds yet! 

I'm sure we'll be in touch!"
~Kate, Johnathan and River

"The class was great. Lisa, you are amazing, a pure dog whisperer! In nineteen years and three dogs before Tucker, we have been fortunate to have positive reinforcement training (except for the first class, which I quit after two hours because I could not treat a dog the way were were instructed, but that's another story). Your class was simply the best! The instruction was easy to follow and there was plenty of time to practice. The volunteers were knowledgeable, helpful, and loved the dogs. There was plenty of individual attention when it was required. We look forward to taking the Advanced Class and/or working with you privately for some refresher training. Thank you so much!"
~Joe Lafata with Tucker

"A fresh breath of air compared to where we took Nova for her beginners class. Loved the explaining of rationale, variables that change the situations and behavior, tips and tricks to advance or make task easier. Always had guidance from trainers. Would HIGHLY recommend to anyone, especially with Lisa!"
~Stephanie & Kyle with Nova

• "Lisa you are so kind to respond to our questions, particularly over email.  You were so supportive, thank you!!"
• ~Michelle Richards with Aggie

"I felt pretty defeated walking into the first class, but now feel much more confident in my ability to continue helping Chloe be the best dog she can be! Chloe is more in tune with me and listens more regularly on the first call of her name. Chloe is calmer and more eager to please.  I'll recommend Lisa and Trainers Academy to my friends and family in a heart beat. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!
~Nichole Capogrossa with Chloe

"Lisa, as always, goes above and beyond to help with behaviors and patiently explains the thoughts behind what is the best way to proceed. She takes time with each of her students (both human and canine) so that the lessons being taught are understood. Dixie has special problems and we were not made to feel like outsiders. Lisa took the time and precautions to make us feel included and not "problems". When you have a reactive dog, there is a stigma attached. Lisa never made us feel that way and she has taken time with Dixie outside of class to try and help her. All of that is very, very appreciated. If there were more classes to take, we would sign right up. We will be continuing with daycare."
~Lisa Rogers with Dixie

 "Lisa and the trainers were so good, so helpful, so smart,firm but fair, and nothing but love kindness and understanding. Terrific, we loved it!  I also wanted to say thank you Lisa, we really appreciated the help on resource guarding his food. It's not cured completely but almost...much better every day!"
~Wes with Scout

"Thanks so much, Lisa and all of the wonderful assistants who helped so much (and care so much) during the classes.  Brava and I learned a lot.  I’ll keep working with her on her training.  She also loves to come to day care, which she will continue to do every Wednesday."
~Anne with Brava

"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

"Hi Lisa..  Just wanted to again thank you for the excellent class and everything you and your team does everyday to help dogs better themselves!!  
Keep up the great work!
Your friends... Dan, Margaret, Goldie, and Dixie

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

"Lisa, 
Thank you so much for coming over and spending time w/ ZuZu (and us). You were FANTASTIC!  
We are all working with ZuZu using the training tips you gave us.  She is actually doing very well with them.  I am shocked at how quickly her behavior is changing!!!"
Sincerely,
Larry & Molly & Jennifer & ZuZu

"Hi Lisa and everyone else : ) Thanks SO much for all the help you gave me with Maxx!! He's come a long way that's for sure! I just love when he's happy!!"
~Janet Benacquisto with Maxx

"Thank you very much, Lisa! 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. We both truly enjoyed the class and have learned so much. We also appreciate your insight and expertise on Tank's behavior management, you made us feel more than comfortable during class. I'm more confident in my training skills, as well as Tank's skills. We definitely will stay in touch!"
~Brandi & Tom with Tank

"The class set up was excellent where each dog had it's own area. Lisa was very thoughtful when having one dog go out at a time and managing the dogs and the classroom. We gained a lot of great, useful info and help. The training guides with videos are great too."
~Erin Considine with Percy

"I love the theory behind it, and really enjoy that dogs become willing and excited to do certain ‘signals’ and excited to learn and focus on you. I also always appreciate Lisa’s attitude as people are learning and making mistakes. I’ve found many trainers over the years can be very condescending with the imperfections of people and their dogs and Lisa always meets them where they are at, offers sound solutions and encourages them. If you do that, people want to come back and learn. I spent some time in the 90’s involved in training and it was before the positive reinforcement concept was more popular, so it was some correction based training back then. Having experienced that, I know nothing compares to Positive Reinforcement/Clicker training in how dogs learn, nothing teaches more about understanding dog behavior and what motivates them, and I’m so glad Breeze and I have been having fun with this over his lifetime."

Susan Dodd with Breeze

"I received great instruction and saw results.  I really felt like Lisa cared about how I was doing with my dog and really wanted us to succeed.  She was available for answering questions and giving additional help.  I look forward to more classes in the future and we can hopefully get our Good Citizen certification."

Patsy Hogan with Lando

"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

"Thank you so much for a great experience with Pork Chop. We had been very apprehensive about how he would do but he really came out of his shell and surprised us on wanting to learn. Starting with a frightened, timid rescue dog to having a playful and willing to learn boy has been an amazing transformation. He has come a long way and we thank you for the tools to help us continue to work with him to have him be even happier. He is now eagerly sitting for treats at home!!

Thank you,

Stacy, Joe and Pork Chop"

"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 and Jeni

"I wanted to thank Lisa for showing me how to train a dog properly or I may have a mess on my hands today. Because of her, I know what NOT to do and if I were to listen to the German Shepherd "expert" at another place, I would have a HIGHLY leash reactive dog on my hands, maybe worse! They kept insisting I use a prong collar or at least a choke chain. Good thing I know that the best way to train is positive reinforcement.

Once again, Thank you Lisa for teaching me how to train a dog properly and use positive reinforcement techniques. You have definitely given me the right foundation to work with dogs and know right from wrong!"

Sharon and Amos
 

I can't thank you enough for the wonderful training session.

As you know, I have been through several trainers in the last 15 months and I have never felt more confident and hopeful than I did after you left.  You are truly gifted in your trade and I am greatful I finally found someone whose methods are simple, clear and make perfect sense to me.

I love my baby with all my heart and it was killing me to see her so upset all the time.  I felt like I had failed her.  But now I'm hopeful she will be able to overcome her fears, gain confidence and become the happy-go-lucky pup she was meant to be.

Thanks again for all your help.

Shelley and Zenna"
 

"This program was absolutely wonderful. People who have seen Gumbo terrorize our house before have walked in amazed at how calm and obedient he is now. I was initially worried that obedience would change Gumbo's "personality," but that never happened, and it has made my life so much easier now that Gumbo is an obedient dog.

Thanks Lisa and everyone! Gumbo and I had an absolute blast."

Intermediate class graduate Joel Brockberg with Gumbo

 

 

"Our experience (Otis and me) with the Trainers Academy and the volunteers was tremendous.  Lisa was extremely helpful in addressing a neurological problem with Otis and helped us address the issues with our vet.  Her keen awareness of what Otis's milestones should have been for his age and his shortcomings helped us get to the proper specialists for Otis.  She was always very patient with him and very loving.  He gets so excited when we arrive for day care.  The day care experience has been very therapeutic to his rehabilitation.  We cannot say enough about our experience and we are looking forward to additional classes."

Puppy class graduates Carrie Barrett with Otis

"This class was fantastic!  Our puppy has come a very long way from Class #1 to Class #6, and my wife and I are so please to have enrolled Teddy Bear into this course, as we found it to be worth every penny.  We both learned so many useful tips to allow for the training to become a normal daily practice for us to use with our Teddy Bear at home.  He loved the class as much as we did and it was always something we looked forward to attending each week.  Teddy will definitely continue his education with the Trainers Academy."

Puppy Class graduates Frank Ellero with Teddy Bear

"Overall, the training classes were great! I trained all my dogs with old fashioned 70s training, but the experience you get from only positive training is much better. The level of trust and friendship between my dogs and I just rose to another higher level. I have read numerous books about positive training. Patricia McConnell and Temple Gradin are my heroes, and everything that they say makes sense, but it is a whole other story to put this info into the real world.  This class finally connected the dots for me, and now I am able to put the book knowledge into the real world because thanks to Lisa, I know how to. Lisa's knowledge about the dog world is really great, and I am happy that I took her class."

Intermediate Class graduates Silvie Van Etten with Luna

"Best puppy training I've ever been to, because I learned the most and brought the dog to a higher level of obedience than either of the other two dogs I took to puppy classes from other sponsors."

Puppy Class graduates the Kirkland Family with Caleb

"You run a great program! Lisa, you are terrific- engaging and interesting. You have picked some great support people in your staff.  The amount of information you provided was enormous and helpful.  I really appreciated the hand outs- I refer back to the notes every time Sully and I work together (especially since
many times I was distracted by my canine friend while you talked).  I feel so much better equipped after these 6 weeks. You can laugh about me and my first phone call to Trainers Academy, thinking that Sully was too old (advanced) for the beginner class...I sure do!

Hope we can come back soon and continue (my) education!"

Intermediate Graduates Amy Pilzner with Sully (pictured at right)

"I have been in other training classes and this one is by far the best.  Your class teaches the most positive, most sensible and humane way to train.  It's amazing how my dogs respond to the positive reinforcement!  They are happier than before the class started and so eager to learn!  I feel so much more in control of them!  Our home has become much calmer.  Thanks Lisa, and others.  You've all made this experience wonderful.  See you in more future classes."

Intermediate Graduates Dawn and Charles Fedraw with Portia  and Harley

"Muffin has been to Puppy Class and Intermediate Class, both have been taught by Lisa, who I might add, is the BEST!  Muffin has learned so much and at present she is the "queen" of the "leave it" command.  This is the one she does best.  Muffin has learned to transfer this command to all areas around the house, which makes life so pleasant at our house.  I can't say enough about Trainers Academy.  Each and everyone of my experiences have been very positive."

Puppy and Intermediate Class Graduates Ann Hager & Muffin

"Lisa is wonderful! I felt very confident in her ability to help Ellie and I communicate better."

Intermediate Class Graduates Rob Denton & Ellie

Olive - Private Behavior Consult

Olive was rescued from Detroit Animal Control as a pup. She had several issues when we started working together - including sensitivity to strangers, especially men, coming into, and being the house. She had already nipped at a man and was very difficult to control anytime someone knocked on the door, or rang the door bell. 

Most concerning to the client though, was that Olive had also exhibited worrisome behavior around their young daughter, Alexa. So the owner set up a private consult with Lisa.

Progress follow up 2 weeks post-visit:

Things are going great!  Olive is adjusting to the (training) very well.

We have been working with her every night when Chris comes home from work with him knocking on the door and Olive going to her pillow and staying there until he/me releases her.

Olive is getting a hand of "moving on" when Alexa approaches her. I have noticed that sometimes I don't even have to say anything to Olive she just gets us and moves on. The sit, lay, stay on her pillow is also working well, we went outside the other day and worked on it also.

All in all I think Olive is making good progress. I work with her on average about an 1 hour to 1.5 hours a day and always when Alexa is around.
 
Lisa, thank you so much for the tools to teach Olive to be a great dog. I will keep in touch.

Carrie

Progress follow up, approximately 4 weeks post-visit:

Over the weekend we had a cable guy come over and one of our (male) friends came over also. Olive did great... When the cable guy came over Olive was in the kitchen with me and I told her to sit, lay, stay where she was, and I could not believe my eyes - the cable person was in our house for about 30 minutes and Olive never once got up to go meet him. I kept telling her to stay and rewarding the good behavior. Once the cable guy was gone I released her. She was great!

Later on that night our friend came over. I told Olive to go to her pillow and did the same sit, lay, stay until she was calm. Once she was calm I released her. Our friend was so impressed (Olive nipped at him before). The whole time he was here he was able to walk around our house with out the fear of Olive nipping at him. He kept saying how impressed he was with Olive.

Progress is being made :) to be continued..

Thanks again for everything
Carrie

Progress follow up, 1 year and 3 months post-visit:

I can not believe that it has been a year since you were at our home.  I can't tell you enough how thankful we were to you have you in our home.  Olive and Alexa are doing great together.  We have not had any problems what so ever.  Alexa is now 2-1/2 and just loves Olive.  

We have set boundaries for both of them when they are around each other.  I can tell you that I feel comfortable leaving Alexa in the same room as Olive.  Within the last few months Alexa wants to pet Olive but we have made it clear to Alexa that she can only pet Olive when Mommy and Daddy are there.  A cute story I want to share with you.  Alexa has two blankets that she sleeps with.  The other day we were upstairs and Olive was laying down just watching what was going on.  Alexa went into her bedroom to get one of her blankets.  When she came back into our bedroom with her blanket she put it on Olive and told her night night. Chris and I realized after your visit that we thought we were doing the correct things with Olive and in fact we were doing the opposite.

Olive has continued to be great with people that come into our home.  When someone is at the door I tell her to go to her pillow and she stays there until I release her. 

I have told everyone I know that has a dog to take them to see you for any training needs. 

Thanks for everything.

Carrie


"Saturday mornings are a major high point in the week for Arielle and for me. I continue to be amazed at how much we are learning and how much fun it is. Lisa is fantastic! "

Puppy Class Graduates Jan Bragoli & Arielle

"I have owned dogs all of my life, but I have never had such a positive response from my dogs as I have had with this program. Thank you Lisa for giving me the knowledge to teach my dog to become a great companion."

Puppy Class Graduates Lisa Vanston & Rocco

"I've been to Trainers Academy with all three of my dogs. Lisa is the best instructor I have experienced."

Puppy Class Graduates Lisa Fox & Ruby

"I wish Lisa taught the next level of classes. I considered re-doing the Intermediate class, just to be under her tutelage, but typical of Lisa, she was very unselfish and said that Kona was ready for the Advanced Class. She knows how to train dogs, but she also handles the owners very well. I respect her professionalism."

Intermediate Class Graduates Michael F. Smith & Kona
Editor's note: Good news, Michael... Now Lisa teaches our Advanced Course! Please visit our class schedule to see when our next class starts.

 "This was my first experience with a puppy class and I had a great time. I would recommend it to anyone who gets a new puppy. Even if you think you know what you are doing there is always something to learn. "

Puppy Graduates Heather Lestczyrsk & Porsche

"Hi Lisa,

I had you this past summer for puppy class, actually Conner had you. You may remember a certain German Shepard plush coat, that took the class from behind the counter in Farmington Hills.

Conner is doing fine, he is one year old now and still a puppy.  His manners are much improved since you saw him last, and he continues to amaze me as to how smart he is.  I know, I am a little prejudiced, but he picks things up so fast. Only dog I have ever had, where you can tell him to go get his red ball, or the green one and he will.  If he has not finished his dinner and wants a biscuit, I tell him not till he is done with his dog food.  And darn'd if he doesn't  go finish it and come back for a biscuit. 

Thank you for your help."

Puppy class graduate Don Harris with Connor


"Lisa is awesome! She is very knowledgeable and worked with everyone on an individual basis. She was able to address any problems and help people with their puppy's personality. All the other trainers were very helpful. You could tell that they all love dogs and I think the puppies could tell too."

Puppy Graduates Linda Hildbold & Haiku

“Lisa really knows dogs and how they perceive the world around them.  This really helps an owner work with and understand their puppy during the training process.  A positive attitude and consistency are what training is all about, along with taking time everyday to have fun with your pet, and to form a life long bond.”

Puppy Graduates Jan Dahl & Franklin

Regards,
Konomi Gamo Scott

Lou Wells - Behavioral Consultation Client