Colleen and Dave Matthews - "Gracie" – Lab Mix
Proven, unbelievable results – that’s what Canine Academy will provide. We saw them in action at the Rochester Holiday Parade: over a dozen dogs representing various breeds and mixes, no leashes at the time, all obeying their owners. That compelled us to look into the Program and we can honestly say we’re not sure who got the most out of the Off-Leash Program: Gracie or us. You’ll often hear Canine Academy talk about confidence and safety – it’s true. Gracie was the most skittish dog: afraid of people, terrified by pretty much everything. We knew the possibilities, but were absolutely stunned by the realty! Before, the two of us had to chase and sandwich our dog between our garage and fence to get her in the house. Now, we just say her name or give a command and she comes running. Before, Gracie would act aggressively towards the mailman and timid when new friends would come over. Now, we tell her to lie on her mat and she stays there calmly. The trainers walk you through what you need to know and provide follow up classes where you’ll discuss additional situations others have encountered, so you’ll know how to respond. We even called Lisa the first week we had Gracie back and she walked us through a situation over the phone (talk about service and guaranteeing success)! It wasn’t Gracie’s fault – we just needed to understand how to guide her. This program is an investment, but the only regrets we have is that we didn’t bring her sooner and that we foolishly took her to basic obedience elsewhere. Our former trainer used techniques we weren’t comfortable with, while Canine Academy takes a positive reinforcement approach. Your dog will truly be treated like one of trainers’ dogs and we can see the excitement in Gracie each time we go back. Seeing is believing … if you’re on the fence, come see the Canine Academy dogs in action. We’re so pleased that we’ll be back with our next dog and the one after that!