Dear Lisa, Kara, Amanda, and the amazing staff at Canine Academy,
We can’t thank you enough for all you have done to help and support us in the training process for both Bella and Lil’Mama. Our lives have forever been changed because of the support we have received, and continue to receive, from you all. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! 😊
Bella, our 3 year old lab-pit mix, joined our family as a puppy from a rescue. We tried several different training programs with her at local pet stores and such and while she learned how to army crawl and shake her obedience was less than desirable. Bella had a mind of her own – if there was something on the counter she was counter surfing before you could blink (butter was her favorite – it would be gone in a few seconds). You really couldn’t sit down and relax because just as you sat down she was off getting into something else. We loved our sweet Bella, but we were at a crossroads with her. We soon found Canine Academy and enrolled her in the Beginner class, and then the Intermediate Class. Bella took part in the day training and while not “great” just yet we were definitely seeing improvements. After much consideration, and discussions with Lisa we put Bella into the off-leash obedience program at Canine Academy. We were sad when we had to leave her for the 6 weeks, but the time did fly by, and we were able to call to get updates as well as see her progress on the blog. The day we went to pick Bella up was just amazing. Amanda walked into the building with Bella and I couldn’t believe just how well she was doing. She was walking confidently, obeying commands, and when we were finally reunited she greeted us nicely without jumping up and anyone toppling over. Finally, after a few visits we were able to bring her home! The first few days were amazing – she wasn’t counter surfing, she wasn’t jumping on people when they came in the door, she would down and stay while we ate dinner instead of getting on the table… it was amazing! We kept waiting for the “honeymoon” period to be over… when is she going to realize she’s home? But, here we are 4 months later and she is only getting more confident, and more obedient each day. She is such a well-mannered dog that we can take places, go for walks with, and relax on the couch with every day. We seriously can’t thank Lisa and her staff at Canine Academy enough.
Lil’Mama, our 1 year old pit mix puppy, joined our family last summer. We quickly placed her in the beginner class at Canine Academy and then the Intermediate class. She was doing excellent learning the commands, taking walks, and listening at home. While Bella was away in the off-leash program we continued Lil’Mama’s training in Intermediate and Day Training – she really was doing well and we didn’t see a huge need for the off-leash; I even remember telling Lisa (just before we brought Bella home) that Lil’Mama is good – we’ve got this. Well, Bella came home and after seeing her confidence we realized that Lil’Mama could use some continued work and support. While she was already a good dog, we wanted her to be a great dog – primarily to stop jumping on people all the time, and heel without pulling us! So, we enrolled her in off-leash. In June Lil’Mama left to go spend 6 weeks with Lisa, Kara, and the rest of the staff at Canine Academy. Once again, we were tracking her progress through frequent calls to check-in and the pictures and posts on their blog. The 6 weeks flew by and about a week ago Lil’Mama came home. We can take walks and do a simple let’s go, or a heel and she walks confidently by you (not pulling you down the street). When visitors come by she keeps all 4 paws on the ground. Both Lil’Mama and Bella are doing fantastic – we were even able to go out to eat on a patio with both of them this past weekend!
While both puppies still have their abundant energy and love to play they are confident in themselves and are obedient; they are well-trained and we can’t thank Lisa, Kara, Amanda, and the rest of the amazing staff at Canine Academy for all of their support through the process and their continued support as Bella and Lil’Mama continue to improve on a daily basis.
Thank you for everything,
Trisha, Kirstin, Bella and Lil’Mama