Percy

Meet Percy- our handsome one year old, 100 pound yellow lab puppy. He’s smart as a whip and quickly mastered commands such as going to the bathroom outside, sit, shake, lay, and cage as a puppy. He’s been a really GOOD dog since the day we brought him home from the breeder. As a large and ridiculously strong dog, he would pull when we walked him. Being a little person, I knew I couldn’t control him if his puppy curiosity got the best of him. He’s a gentle giant, but his curiosity, and general puppy tendencies made it hard for us to have company over or take him on outings. We decided to attend the beginner class at Canine Academy, which helped take him another giant leap forward in his training that, candidly, we couldn’t have done alone at home. When we finished the beginner class we had another glimpse of what a GREAT dog could mean for our family. When I say that the off leash training was life changing, I mean it! Investing in off leash training opened a whole new world that we could safely explore, walk, and just be out and about with our entire family! When company comes over we don’t have to worry about him jumping up on them or their snacks on the counter. Our little tiny puppy baby has gone from a good dog to a GREAT dog. He’s happier as a result and knows what’s expected. He’s calmer, more relaxed, and able to live his best life- all thanks to his training. I’m not struggling to control a giant dog who could easily out muscle me. We don’t build our plans around the dog, we build them with our dog!  

Nicole & Time Betzler

Marv

Marv is a yellow Labrador Retriever that joined our family in the fall of 2020. We knew we needed to seek professional training for Marv since neither of us had any experience in raising a puppy but wanted our dog to be obedient, trustworthy, and well-socialized with other dogs.

We started Marv in Canine Academy’s Beginner program when he was just 13 weeks old and were so impressed with the progress he made in those four weeks. What surprised us even more was the progress we made! The program equipped us with the confidence and tools to reinforce Marv’s training every day at home. There were videos and printouts that we could reference back to whenever we wanted. Additionally, the staff had great suggestions for practicing different training exercises at home and were always available to answer questions.

Deciding to continue Marv’s training through the Intermediate program and Off Leash program was a no-brainer for us once we saw how far he’d come after completing the Beginner Program. With each week, we became better owners and Marv became a better dog. The consistency in messaging and training Marv received both at home and at Canine Academy really helped turn him into a GREAT dog …all while maintaining his silly and playful Labrador Retriever personality.

Since graduating from the Off Leash program, we regularly attend the Great Dog in Action Outings to reinforce all the things that both we and Marv learned, to keep Marv socialized with other dogs, and to get feedback from the trainers (and usually, most of that feedback is corrections for us…not Marv!). We love hearing people say “Wow, I can’t believe he’s only a year old. He’s so well behaved!.” We love taking Marv off-leash to an open field to play frisbee and having the comfort that he will always come back when called, no matter what type of distractions may be around. We love knowing we can leave him with a friend or family member when we travel and that they won’t have any problems controlling him.

The training programs at Canine Academy are an investment in your dog and your family’s future, and we think it’s one of the best investments and decisions we have made. We now spend time enjoying walks with Marv instead of him pulling and tugging on the leash. We can have guests enter our home without him jumping up on them. We can leave him in his crate to go run an errand and not have him constantly barking. Marv has brought so much joy to our lives, and the staff at Canine Academy has played an integral role in that by making him into a GREAT dog! Thank you, Lisa & staff!

Jeni & Tony

Maggie & Sullivan

Five years ago on a beautiful fall evening we brought a new yellow Labrador retriever puppy into our home.  “Maggie” became our “girl” and part of our family.  We enrolled Maggie to take the beginner and intermediate training classes with Canine Academy.  While this training provided Maggie with the tools she needed to follow our commands, under high distraction she was still unpredictable.  The following Spring while on a walk on Paint Creek Trail, Maggie had the urge to go swimming. She pulled her leash out of our hands, jumped into the creek during the spring high water runoff and was swept downstream where her leash got hung up on a branch of a submerged log.  Sue and I looked at each other with horror as we both thought Maggie was going to drown.  Somehow the leash came undone and Maggie swam to the bank and climbed out wagging her tail, smiling!  It was at that moment we decided to enroll Maggie in Off Leash Training. It was a difficult 6 weeks without her around but after completion of the training we were elated with the entire process and the Canine Academy staff that trained and cared for Maggie.  Off Leash training was just what we (and Maggie) needed allowing us to travel, walk downtown Rochester, shop in pet friendly stores and shopping malls, go to outdoor concerts in parks and dine in pet friendly restaurants.  She learned to always come when called ensuring her safety. In other words, having a dog that we could make part of the family on any variety of outings.

So fast forward to the fall of 2017.  A phone call from Lisa about another young Labrador retriever that has a medical issue, needs post-surgery care and a forever home. He’d been a Leader Dog in training with Lisa until sidelined by elbow dysplasia and would be making a career change.  “Would we consider a brother for Maggie”?  So after thinking it over, we said yes!  We met “Sully” and discussed physical therapy and surgical after-care with the veterinarian.  We knew we were in for a lot of work and the work turned out to be more than either one of us imagined but we were committed.  We followed doctors’ orders and grew to love Sully as much as we love our Maggie!  It was a long 3 months of crate rest, therapy and veterinary visits but in January of 2018, Sully was finally off restrictions and entered Canine Academy for Off Leash Training.  The Canine Academy staff did a marvelous job training Sully and now we are the proud owners of two off leash graduates!  We are so grateful for the dedication, the caring and compassion of the Canine Academy staff as they train and care for our dogs. Just this past week, both dogs used their skills as they accompanied us to a local elementary school where the children read to them as part of March Reading Month activities. We couldn’t be prouder of both of them!

After Sully completed his Off Leash training, Lisa set up visits for Maggie to be re-introduced to her brother and it went very well.  When we took Maggie and Sully home, Sully entered the house, got a nice long drink out of Maggie’s water bowl, looked around, sighed and laid down on his bed.  Sully knew he was home and settled right in.  It was like Joanna Gaines was saying. “Welcome home Sullivan, welcome home!”   Thank you, Lisa and Canine Academy staff, for enabling our dogs to be Great Dogs!

David and Sue Boes

Mellie

View fullsize

View fullsize

Mellie is my second dog that was trained by Lisa.  The first was so successful that there was no question that Mellie would go through the program as soon as I could get her enrolled.  Mellie was 9 weeks old when I brought her home.  She is a Labrador Retriever Mix.  She always had a great personality and has never met a human that she doesn’t like, but by 6 months she was getting hard to handle.  She was so enthusiastic about meeting new people, old friends and other dogs that she could be intimidating.  She also got into a great deal of puppy mischief at home.  I replaced one cell phone due to her teeth and had to make sure there was nothing that she could eat on the kitchen counter.  She was always too close when I ate my meals.  So, off she went to Lisa.  I got her back at almost 8 months old.  She was a different dog.  Still a cuddlier and sweet tempered as before, but now she listened!  She doesn’t stick her nose in my plate and my new cell phone is safe.  Walks with her now are a dream, whether on or off-leash.  I always planned to make her a therapy dog, so that’s the next goal after she turns one.  Now everyone in the condo complex loves her and she is welcome everywhere a dog can be welcomed.  Thank you, Lisa.  You did it again!!

Sue Mason

“Maggie”

The Aycock Family – “Maggie” - Labrador Retriever

View fullsize

We brought Maggie to Canine Academy under pretty desperate circumstances.  She had recently growled and snapped at our 6 year old boys, who love her dearly.  We had had serious discussions about finding another home for her.  Dave found Canine Academy after desperately looking for alternatives to giving up Maggie and we gave them a call. Lisa spent a great deal of time with us on the phone listening to our situation and advising us realistically and honestly about what she could provide and what she sensed might be the problem with Maggie.  Maggie had recently been through so many changes - including moving twice and having knee surgery.  And she had not been raised with these two rambunctious boys who wanted to love all over her.  Maggie had also never really been trained.  Lisa talked with us about how Maggie was living under the pretty constant stress of not being assured that she could rely on us for her safety.  It really made sense and even more so now that we have her back.  She was nervous and easily agitated before the training and now seems calm and assured.  She was a huge puller when we took walks before the training - she now will walk comfortably and not pull.  She was a big barker when we dropped the kids off at school - now she does none of that.  She used to get very "mad" when people came to the house - now we can put her in a stay and it actually works.  It's much more comfortable for our guests and our belief is that it is more comfortable for Maggie as well.  Oh yeah - and now she comes when we call her :-)  We highly recommend the Off-Leash Program - it has allowed us to keep our beloved Maggie. 

Dave and Angela Aycock

"Toula"

The Faklaris Family - "Toula" Labrador Retriever

View fullsize

Toula was a very rambunctious lab who loved to jump on people, listened only on special occasions and, one time, knocked over my 76 year old mother. I really needed to train Toula but did not have the time as I was relocating to NY. I knew about Canine Academy's Off-Leash Program when I took my other Lab, Teddy, to their Obedience Class.

I enrolled Toula in the Off-Leash Training Program and it was the best thing I ever did. After 6 weeks, Toula returned home a rock star. I take her on walks and she heels like a champ. She runs around at the park and always comes when called. I take her to my nephew's soccer games and she stays in a down-stay perfectly. In fact, I have had numerous people approach me and compliment Toula's behavior. I have found it easier to tire-out a puppy with both a mental and physical 'workout'.

Canine Academy gives me the confidence to take Toula anywhere and people do not mind when I bring her to their house, to outdoor BBQs, or to the lake house. 

Toula is my 4th yellow lab and I usually have to wait untIL they are 2 years before they settle down and behave. Toula is 9-month old and very well behaved. In hindsight, I wish I would have taken all of my dogs to Canine Academy. I will surely enroll my future puppies in the Off-Leash Program.

E. Maria Faklaris

"Duke"

The Ferguson Family - "Duke" Labrador Retriever

View fullsize

The Ferguson Family - "Duke" Labrador Retriever
When we adopted Duke from Leader Dogs for the Blind, we thought we had a great plan. The dog would be a little older, so we would miss the "puppy" stuff. Since he was with Leader Dogs, he would be partially trained. What we had totally forgotten was that he was a two-year old champion bred Labrador. Having trained two dogs from puppies before, we would only need a series of community based dog training classes and we would be set. Well, six weeks into it, after trying choker collars and gentle leader collars, and treats, and cajoling and whatever, Duke was still out of control on a lead.

We had heard about Canine Academy from other folks in the community and entered Duke (and ourselves) into the Beginner Program. Duke (and we) improved so we moved on to Intermediate. While these programs produced phenomenal improvements, there were still concerns about Duke's ongoing aggressiveness when confronting other dogs while on a lead. For Duke's safety and our peace-of-mind, we entered all of us in the Off-Leash Program. While Duke was the primary focus for the first several weeks, we were all involved shortly thereafter and Canine Academy made sure we have constant opportunities for continuing success. While Duke still has his "moments",the training and follow-up has put us in control of those situations resulting in Duke's safety and our peace-of-mind.

"Maggie"

Duane & Diana - "Maggie" - Lab

Metamora Canine Academy’s motto is: “HAVE A GOOD DOG, WANT A GREAT DOG?”™

Maggie, our 1 ½ year old lab, used to be our dog from hell. Now Maggie is not only a good dog, she is AWESOME! 

Duane and I decided to take Maggie to Canine Academy while we went to Arizona for 6 weeks. Maggie had already completed 6 weeks of the Beginner Class, but she needed more. We figured she might as well be doing something constructive while she was in the kennel, so we signed her up for the Off Leash Program. Duane and I called it “boot camp”. It was the best thing we could have done. Before we took Maggie to Canine Academy, she was aggressive and I didn’t trust her. I never knew when she would get one of her little attitudes as I called them. Not that she would hurt anyone intentionally; she just didn’t know how to control her excitement. We always had to have Maggie tied up or put up the gates to keep her away whenever we had company.  What fun was that having a Lab and not being able to let her be with us?

View fullsize

I am happy to say that Maggie is part of our family. No more being tied up, no more gates and no more table with our shoes on it so Maggie wouldn’t chew them. The gates and table came down the day we brought her home from Canine Academy and we haven’t had them up since.  It is so nice! Gretchen would call every week with updates on Maggie’s progress and kept telling us “we are going to be amazed”. Amazed wasn’t the word. It is unbelievable what they can do in 6 weeks. We now take Maggie everywhere we go, which is something we could never do before. It was embarrassing to take her out in public as she would bark out of control. We take Maggie to walks without her leash and she listens when we give her commands. She is a real joy to have in our family. We always have people telling us what a well mannered dog we have. We tell them if they only would have seen her 4 months ago and are excited to tell them that we took her to Canine Academy. We came some close to getting rid of Maggie. I didn’t know how we could ever live with her for the next 10+ years with the bad behavior she had. I always worried that she could hurt someone, but not anymore!

We liked Maggie before, but we LOVE Maggie now.

The Off Leash follow up classes we attend are very helpful and fun too. It is great seeing all the dogs in a group and how well they behave. Duane and I would highly recommend to anyone who wants not only a GREAT dog, but an AWESOME dog!

Thank you everyone at Canine Academy, you are the best!

Duane and Diana

"Luke, Sara and Dylan"

The Zolno Family - "Luke, Sara and Dylan" - Lab, Retriever, and Retriever

View fullsize

Our precious black Labrador, Luke, was a challenge from the moment we got him at 7 weeks old.  We already had a 1 1/2 year old Golden Retriever (Sara) at home, and I was prepared for the extra work involved with two dogs, but completely unprepared for the neurotic behavior of Luke.  He suffered from separation anxiety, literally dragged me whenever on a leash, thought the word “come” meant run as fast as you can in any direction not near my owner, and couldn’t sit still for more than 30 seconds.  I went to bed exhausted every night and was ready to tear my hair out in frustration when a friend of mine told me about Canine Academy.  I was dialing the phone before he could finish his sentence.  I will always remember the first time we saw Luke after he completed his 6 week off-leash training.  I cried, not only because I was so happy to see him, but because I knew not only his life, but mine had been changed dramatically.  He was obedient, perfectly trained and a complete joy to be around.  We were so shocked and impressed, that within one month, we brought our Golden Retriever, Sara, in for the Off-Leash Program and currently have our third dog, a Golden Retriever named Dylan, in the Program.  We would never have considered getting a third dog if it weren’t for the training at Canine Academy. We now have 3 dogs under 3 years old and when you enter my house, you wouldn’t even know they are there. I have been through training programs with other dogs I have had through the years, but no one has had the abilities of the staff at Canine Academy.  Their continued support after your dog comes home makes the transition easy and comfortable for you and will give you the confidence you need to maintain the training they have given your dog.  I want to thank the entire staff at Canine Academy, particularly Lisa and Gretchen, for everything they have done and continue to do for us and our dogs.