Elite Dog Academy

I adopted Sam in early June 2008 from Tampa Beagle & Hound Rescue. He was clearly a great dog but had a bad habit of "door bolting" and in general had low confidence, etc. Being a rescue dog this was understandable. Sensing that Sam was a smart boy, and still young at 1.5 years, I sent Sam to Elite Dog Acdemy for a 14-day training camp after speaking with Cindy on the phone. Her private home is amazing and Cindy was obviously a very experienced and caring dog trainer. So off to training camp Sam went. Sam came back so different - he was calmer, more confident, and didn't run out the door anymore, which is great unless you like chasing a young fast dog around the block when its 100 degrees in Tampa! He learned his commands in no time, and now I can command him to sit, down, off and so forth whenever required. Since Sam is young and full of energy, these commands are great to control him both indoors and outdoors - plus Sam can show all my friends and neighbors all the commands he knows and how well he can behave with just hand signals. So, thanks to Cindy for helping Sam become the best Beagle he can be !!! I highly recommend Cindy and Elite Dog Academy for that special dog that just needs some training for whatever issue or need. All the Best - and thanks again more

Personally, without Cindy's help I don't know where I would be. I adopted Skye when he was 1 year old. He came to me with a whole host of behavior problems, including reactivity towards other dogs, reactivity towards noisy and/or moving vehicles and separation distress that resulted in bites to my thigh. Determined to not give up, Cindy became my hope for a happier, well-adjusted dog. With her help and expertise Skye has blossomed. He is a constant companion and accomplished Rally-O and Agility dog. Before, he could not walk out the door without reacting to something moving in his environment including bicycles, motorcycles, trucks, and especially dogs. Now we can go for long walks without incident. I am so grateful to Cindy for all of the help that she has given to us. Cindy is an incredibly professional and compassionate person. She has an amazing ability to translate her extensive dog behavior knowledge into clear-cut, understandable behavior plans. This ability and her immeasurable patience allows her to take any willing dog owner and equip them with the necessary tools to properly handle and rehabilitate a dog. Cindy has an amazing talent to work with people as well as dogs, which makes her such a gem for Tampa." more

"While I have enjoyed every minute that my little rescue, A.J., has been in my life, he had started to develop some undesirable behaviors. I wanted to be sure to address them quickly, so I sought the help of Tampa's top dog trainer - Cindy at Elite Dog Academy. Though my biggest challenge with A.J. is really that he's too cute, too smart, and too stubborn for his own good, Cindy and her doberman sidekicks, Ramsey and Kenji, were able to give both of us the help and guidance we needed, as well as tools that will keep us working together long into the future. We still have a long way to go (at the end of the day, all behavior modification takes time, patience and practice), but I know with the handouts and “homework” lists that Cindy provides, and knowing that she's out there when I need her, A.J. and I will continue to make the progress we need to be a happy, balanced 'family.'" If you are looking for a dog trainer in Tampa I high recommend her. more

Cindy was the third dog trainer we saw after trying to solve our dog's aggressive nature. She was the only one that was able to help us. I highly recommend her. more

We adopted our second dog, Max, from a shelter semi-spontaneously over the holidays two years ago only to discover that he was probably there because he can open refrigerators. And cabinets, tupperware, and even locking garbage cans. The first time we told him "no" he started growling at us, so it was time to get him to training, post haste. We were incredibly fortunate to find Elite Dog Academy. Through their program, Max transformed from a potentially dangerous and unstable dog - both to himself and to us and others - into an incredibly sweet and well-mannered bulldog/beagle mix. He looooved the training, and we kiddingly told friends that the process was kind of like marital counseling - Cindy taught us how to be on the same page about things to be better dog owners. I only wish we still lived in Tampa so we could take the more advanced courses... the thought of flying back has crossed my mind more than once, that's how good they are. As lifelong dog owners who will undoubtedly be able to reuse the techniques we've learned with our future dogs, it was worth every penny to us. more