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"If
you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the
shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal
likewise with their fellow men." |
meet the instructors | news | links | testimonials | special events | our graduate brags Trainers Academy Testimonials 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. |
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Dolly - Intermediate Class Graduate
Hi Lisa and trainers,
Just wanted to give you some more good
news about Dolly. We took her up north for the Fourth of
July and on one of our walks she passed 3 dogs without barking or
jumping. She did bark at a fourth dog, but that was a very
loud and aggressive one who charges anyone walking by if he's not
restrained. Also on our walk, a fifth dog - a puppy - got
away from its owners and ran out into the street, right up to
Dolly. Dolly just sniffed it and wagged her tail and acted
like a normal, friendly dog! We were so happy and impressed!
I know she's still quite loud and reactive in class, but we are
seeing definite improvements at home when she only sees one or two
other dogs at a time.
We're going to continue working with
her at home for the rest of the summer and then we'll be back in
the fall for another class. Thank you!
Have a great summer!
Kristen
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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. Progress
follow up 2 weeks post-visit: 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. 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. |
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 Hardie
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Hardie - Greyhound-Only Graduate
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!!)
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 "No Marek, it's like this..."  "Come one, we are free!" |
Misia and Marek - Puppy, Intermediate
and Advanced Classes
Just remember that you are amazing and the work you did with Miss Misia caused me to fall in love with dogs. Lisa, I will be forever grateful to
you. When I first met Tom, I was like...oh you have a slobbery,
hairy dog....lovely. Now, I bought my own puppy, and I love them
both as though they are human children. |
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 Bruno before and...  Bruno after Lisa's training |
Bruno, Animal Welfare Society of
Southeastern Michigan - Private Training I foster for the Animal Welfare Society in Madison Heights. Early January the shelter rescued Bruno a 3 month old Rottweiler from Detroit Animal Control. He had been dumped there on Christmas morning with a severely broken leg. He did not receive any medical care for his leg and his body formed a false joint and healed on it's own. He was not in any pain and could run and jump like any fun loving puppy. I took Bruno home and what a sweet guy he was on the way home so mellow and cuddling while I drove. Well once in the house the beast came alive. I had never seen a dog mouth and nip as much as he did. I nicknamed him 'Jaws' as he would just be chillin' on the floor and then wham! He would just reach out and bite whoever was closest. He wasn't being aggressive, it was just his way, but if you were in his range, you got bit. After a week of this I contacted a trainer that works with one of the shelters vets. Her solution was to grab his jowls and yell at him to knock it off! Well that only worked for a short time. He was better for a week, and he would just go back to his ways. I had so many bruises on my legs and got worried that if this didn't stop soon he would never find a forever home. I met with another trainer, she had me hand feeding him which he quickly got bored with. She also had me correcting him with his leash and again, it seemed that he improved...for awhile. Bruno learned the basic commands and was a very quick learner. Let me mention that I respect both of these trainers and they are very good at what they do. But, Bruno was not responding the way we'd hoped, and the more I corrected him he would fight me. One day I grabbed his collar to pull him away from chewing a basket. He got mad and lunged at my arm and that really scared me. After all he was growing by leaps and bounds and I realized his size could do some damage. Apparently I needed another approach to help me get through to him. Early on when I got him, Jackie had told me to call Trainers Academy. So I finally did. Lisa was kind enough to spend a lot of time on the phone with me and offered to come to my home for a one on one. The shelter agreed to pay for this and let me tell you the results were amazing. With in two days of Lisa's visit Bruno had stopped biting me. There were times when I would see him start to go for my leg and stop as if he was thinking twice about it. I worked with him using positive reinforcement and when he was getting into things rather than yell or correct him I would redirect his attention to something he was allowed to do and reward him for it! He caught on real quick. Bruno has now been adopted to a wonderful family in Canada. I passed on all I learned to them and they continue to use the methods. Bruno gave them a run for their money the first week, but is now behaving as he should. I always knew he had it in him to be a wonderful dog. Thank you Lisa for showing me how to bring out the best in him. Deb Vaughan |
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Alfie Panetta - Puppy Class Graduate
(March 2008) Dear Lisa and
Friends, |
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Connor Harris - Puppy Class Graduate 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. Don Harris |
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 Daichi |
Daichi Scott - Private Counseling Client
Daichi came from a shelter and also seemed to have been in a neglectful situation. He seemed to be very distant and seemed to have had a fear of unknown. It was clear that he was not socialized properly as a puppy. Because he is so large, we felt that any misbehavior on his part, however slight, may cause a problem. We also wanted to undo some of damages that his previous life has done to him.
We wanted him to feel safe and secure with us, strangers and other
dogs (we are still working on cats). We wanted him to relax and to
enjoy his new life. We wanted him to be socialized so that we can
enjoy his company with many other people.
Although I have had Akitas before, and I was used to handling a
large dog and can teach the basic obedience, Lisa (Laney) Patrona
has taught me how to "undo" experiences that a dog may have had
before, which was helpful. We have never had a completely grown
Akita before and this was a new territory for me.
I can say that Daichi now accepts new environments and people
well. We can have contractors and guests come over, and once he is
done sniffing those guests, he usually finds them uninteresting
and goes back to his nap. Several months ago, this would not be
conceivable.
We cannot thank you enough. My husband is now better trained (not as well as the dog) and now that he uses the proper leash, he enjoys walking him more. Daichi keeps walking even if:
1. A dog comes up barking Daichi has become such a joy to have around. Regards, |
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Lou Wells - Behavioral Consultation
Client
Hi Lisa,
I wonder if you remember my
Beagle, Lou. To jog your memory, Lou had some anger and object
guarding issues. He will still steal things and run and hide in a
corner, but he will always drop them when I say “Drop it”. You
gave us really good advice that I followed.... Lou no longer is
dangerous to people at all.
I told you I was going to give him away. I was afraid I wouldn’t be a good pet owner. I realized that he probably didn’t have much of a chance of being adopted, so then I knew I was his best chance of surviving. Lisa, basically I wanted to thank you for helping make it possible for Lou to have a chance. Paul Wells |
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Cinnamon Donahue - Intermediate &
Advanced Class Graduate
Cinnamon was abandoned in a house and it was reported to the MI Humane Society. The Animal Cops - Detroit film crew went with the investigators to the rescue (her rescue has aired on the show). She was obviously a nursing mother and quite malnourished. The investigators found her 14 puppies in the basement. All of the puppies survived and were adopted. I went to an adoption at a dog day care facility and fell in love with her sweet and beautiful face. I quickly learned she was not always sweet. She was very aggressive toward other dogs. Numerous times she pulled me down while going after another dog. After trying on my own to "train" her and 2 different training schools, I was at my wits end. I spoke with my uncle (a professor who specialized in behavioral techniques). He recommended I read the book "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor. The book emphasized training techniques such as clicker training and positive reinforcement. I looked for a school which utilized these techniques and found the Trainers Academy, LLC on the web. Cinni was so aggressive during the first session of the intermediate class we were kept behind the desk and that is where we stayed for the entire 6 weeks. I took advantage of the Intermediate Class Guarantee and repeated the class 4 times. By the end she was able to be out in the middle of the room with all of the other dogs. She also went on to graduate from the Advanced class. My hat is off to Lisa and her staff. They taught me the skills I needed. They helped me understand the process of conditioning Cinni to tolerate other dogs and lots of other tricks! I am now able to take Cinni to dog parks, dog day care and even did the Humane Society's Mega March a few weeks ago.
I can't thank Lisa and the other
staff at the Trainer's Academy enough! Now, I have that sweet
dog.
Sincerely,
Mary Donahue
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Daisy Fett - Greyhounds Only, Intermediate, Advanced & CGC
Graduate - DayCare Client
I dropped a treat on the floor as I was getting ready to take Daisy to day care. She just about had it in her mouth when I said, "Leave it!" She immediately looked up and came to me, leaving the treat where it was.
It started me thinking about how much Daisy and I have learned
this past year. I could only speculate as to her background. I
know she was trained to race, rejected by the track, and spent the
rest of the time on a Greyhound farm in Oklahoma.
We have many more things to learn, but thanks to the special
Greyhound class, intermediate and advanced classes, CGC sessions,
and behavioral counseling she is a joy to live with. I feel like
we are a member of one special family (Trainer's Academy). When
she first came from CA, I felt alone and insecure "raising a
Greyhound," but thanks to Dr. Karen, from Serenity Animal Hospital
for recommending Trainer's Academy, I now have some confidence,
and so does Daisy. She actually seems much happier, knowing what
is expected of her. I no longer try to force her to do what I
want, by tugging and pulling. It may take a little longer, but she
eventually she comes along. I allow her up on the furniture,
because I now know she will come down upon command.
You have a great program and staff. I am very grateful we found
you... even if it is a little far to drive.
Connie Fett
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Conor Gaffney Farmington Hills
Puppy Class Graduating July 18, 2007
 Conor (pictured at right) enjoyed puppy class and we learned how to have a better puppy and how to have fun with him. Conor is our third puppy (Fergus and Quinn, the other two grads are pictured at right) to attend Trainers Academy Puppy Class. We could not imagine having a puppy and not attending Trainers Academy. We live in Lapeer and travel 60 miles to get to class, which indicates how highly we regard your organization. This is our second puppy to have Devene as an instructor. She is wonderful with the puppies and their puppy parents. Quinn, our Westie, attended Trainers Academy with Devene as an instructor and even 2 years after attending class still will come when she is called. She will drop whatever she has in her mouth, even across the yard, when we tell her to leave it. She still enjoys her tricks and playing with Conor and Fergus, our nine year old Trainers Academy puppy.
Thanks for all the attention and
information. It was a great class!
Mary Gaffney
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Muffin & Ann - Puppy
& Intermediate Graduates & DayCare Clients
I took my
puppy, Muffin to Puppy class and Intermediate class and daycare at
Trainers Academy, LLC. Muffin learned by the clicker training method
and it has worked very well. Lisa (Laney) Patrona, the new owner is the top of
the line and is well educated and gifted in training, counseling and
caring for dogs. I would recommend Trainers Academy to anyone
wishing the best training and education for their pet. The Daycare
program is top of the line also. |
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Both are Greyhound-Only Class Graduates and part of Allison Carey's family! |
Hi Devene:
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
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Precious & Suzanne DiCicco - Intermediate Class Graduates Suzanne sent this great news to her instructor, Lisa (Laney) Patrona, Dip. DTBC, CPDT, CBC: Hi Lisa, |
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Freckles great recall saved his life!
Connie & Freckles both held a "stay" so their mom could secure the gate at a dog park. |
Freckles & Connie with
Ruth & Chris Hiner - Greyhound-Only Class Graduates 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." |
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Breeze and Susan Dodd - Puppy & Intermediate Class Graduates Is there such a thing as too good of a recall? This cute story was sent by one of Lisa's recent graduates: Dear Lisa, I wanted to share a cute story with you, after all the emphasis in puppy class and intermediate class on the distance recall, and getting your dog to want to come to you. This past weekend I took Breeze to Ohio to see his breeders. The visit was planned because Breeze has turned out to have wonderful conformation and they wanted to evaluate him. The breeder was playing with him a little on a show lead to see his movement, but whenever Breeze caught a glimpse of me, Mom, he made a bee-line for me. In the house they asked me to call him to see if they could catch his gait going from the kitchen to the living room. I called him and he galloped to me, just as I heard the breeder saying something like "see if you can get him to come, but more slowly". Forget trotting. Of course they did get an opportunity to see him move, I just had to hide behind the car. It was great to see how determined he was to get to me when separated. Pretty Cool! -Susan Dodd |
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Dear Lisa (Laney) Patrona: It's been awhile since I've contacted you. I consulted you concerning my dog Rocket about a year and a half ago. It's been a while since I have checked out the Woofology web site, so I was surprised and happy to see that you were listed as the owner. Congratulations! That's wonderful. Everything is going well with our 3 dogs, Coral, Jake and Ari. We welcomed Ari into our home, going on a year ago, and she's wonderful. A little talkative, but a huge cuddler. We feel very fortunate to have 3 fairly normal dogs to help make up our family. We still appreciate your help, but more than that we appreciated knowing that there are people out there like you, who possess the genuine expertise that is so desperately needed. I'm going to recommend you to my friend. She has a huge black Lab, who is a wonderful dog. He just needs a little training. I'm not sure exactly what she is looking for with him, but I know you can point her in the right direction. I attached pictures of Coral (black Lab), Ari (golden Lab), and Jake (Shih-Tzu). I may pester you again sometime in the near future with a couple of questions. I hope you don't mind. Congratulations again on all your hard work! Lisa Newman |
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"The program makes training fun.
I feel I have bonded even more with my dog and she really looks
forward to coming to class. The training makes it easier to
understand my dogs perspective, therefore building a better
relationship. My kids also love some of the activities. I would
recommend this program to everyone who gets a dog."
Beth North &
Boo |
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"I enjoyed the Intermediate Class. I
learned a lot about clicker training such as what to do and what not
to do with clicking and treating, along with so much more valuable
information, it was worth the 63 mile drive to Trainers Academy, The
staff was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable."
Karen Dawson &
Birdie |
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"Lisa is an AWESOME instructor
and as a result of taking my bull mastiff there over 2 years ago
have recommend her and your training over and over again... As
well as passed on valued dog & training information to others! -M. Jeske |
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"Congratulations Lisa! If anyone can do it you can. We appreciate all you and your trainers did to help up train Gabby." -Herb and Sandy Kaufman |
