“Thank you so much Bonnie for all the positive reinforcement and encouragement. We found the glass window that goes to the door Sheba goes through. I just used the technique you sent me about waiting and she did it twice in a row to go outside. Yay! Thanks again.”
~ Amanda Kilmer, Muncie
“Hi Bonnie, just wanted you to know I took Beanie for a walk this evening in our neighborhood (where she knows where every dog lives, lol) and the difference was remarkable. I didn’t have to use a forceful correction at all & she hardly reacted to the dogs. Just a little whining when we passed by-I am thrilled! Thank you for your help.we will keep working on it!”
~ Valeri Griffith, Muncie
Bonnie Was Such a Lifesaver!
Bonnie is a knowledgeable, professional trainer as well as a genuinely caring person who makes you and your dog(s) feel safe and comfortable.
The Case of Charis, a Blind Senior Dog
I was lucky enough to find Bonnie when my Poodle, Charis, went completely blind (and almost deaf) at the age of 12. I had owned several dogs before but had never been very interested in dog training. So, I was having a hard time communicating with Charis even with simple but critical commands for a blind dog, such as “stop,” “walk,” “step up” and “step down.” Bonnie was gracious enough to take in a blind dog and her confused “pawrent” (me). She offered me with a lot of creative ways to communicate with my little princess, and after a couple of private lessons our life went back to almost normal (pre-blindness state). Thanks to Bonnie, Charis and I enjoyed a deeper bond during the last two years of her life.
The Case of Marco, a Rambunctious Puppy
Meanwhile, a Bichon puppy, Marco, joined our family. He was the cutest, but the most rambunctious, boy. Having had to take care of a blind senior dog, I was overwhelmed by this new puppy. So, I sought Bonnie’s help again. Her classes gave my puppy the chance to socialize (and burn up some of his puppy energy) in a structured environment. I’m most thankful that Bonnie allowed Charis to be present in the puppy classes, because there was no way for me to be able to attend the classes while leaving Charis alone at home. I really appreciate her flexibility!
Marco, who turned three in June (2011), has taken all Bonnie’s classes except the therapy dog course, and he is a super dog now. He knows and obeys all kinds of commands, and he can do agility and all kinds of tricks. I owe all this to Bonnie for helping Marco and I build a solid basis for good communication, even at a time when he was out of control!
The Case of Sophie, a Wild Adopted Lab Mix
Since Charis’ passing, Marco and I welcomed a stray black Lab mix, whom I named Sophie. She was my first large breed. Although Sophie was well behaved inside the house, she became like a wild dog once she was outside. She pulled the leash until I injured my shoulder. It was like I no longer existed once we got outside for a walk. (In fact, she got lost in the woods and a corn field a couple of times.) So, we went to Bonnie, and again she allowed me to have two dogs in her obedience classes. In Sophie’s case as well, Bonnie provided me with creative ways and tools to help me control and communicate with a big dog like Sophie. It was most helpful that she introduced me to a proper, safer way to use an e-collar. In a couple of private lessons I was able to communicate and bond with Sophie better. Now, Sophie walks right beside me (even when she sees a rabbit or a squirrel) without me using the e-collar(!). Bonnie always amazes me by how she comes up with creative new ideas that are suitable for the unique personality and needs of each dog.
Marco and Sophie still have their moments, but my friends and neighbors tell me my dogs are the most well-behaved, perfect dogs in the whole town! Lastly, Bonnie’s dog training isn’t just a way to make our dogs behave better, but it’s also a place we can develop a deeper bond with our four-legged kids.
THANK YOU, Bonnie!
~ Snow Hirose, Spiceland
A year ago, “Sage” and I had the pleasure of meeting Bonnie Krupa. We had just moved from Florida. Sage was found roaming the streets of Miami. We rescued her and moved to Indiana. She is a beautiful four and a half year old golden retriever who loves people and animals and well just everyone. I so wanted her to be a therapy dog and that’s how we met Bonnie. It was truly our lucky day. Sage was sweet yet undisciplined. In a matter of weeks, Sage learned enough to become a TDI certified therapy dog. Never would it have happened had we not taken Bonnie’s class. She is our very own “Dog Whisperer.” What is so amazing about Bonnie though is that she not only communicates so perfectly with animals, she also has a knack for getting our dog’s owners whipped into shape. Always, she approaches the animals and their owners with patience, concern and genuine caring. I am so impressed with Bonnie that when my neighbors adopted an adorable, yet slightly rambunctious golden retriever puppy, I insisted that they turn over Shelby’s training to Bonnie. Shelby came back a “new girl.” Always loveable, she now sits, stays and listens. You should know that we live in Fishers and the Indy area has no shortage of professional dog trainers. Yet they chose to “import” Bonnie. I know my neighbors believe they made the right choice as do Sage and I. If you have any training concerns, you and your dog will not be in better hands.
~ Phyllis Hershman (and Sage)
We found Bonnie after meeting with 3 other trainers. Our pit bull, Jamie, was a handful to put it mildly. We tried treats, clickers and no pull harnesses but nothing was effective with Jamie. Bonnie demonstrated a remote collar on her personal dog and then allowed us to feel it and asked to put it on Jamie. In just 5 minutes, we saw a miraculous difference. Jamie was excited but walking calmly next to Bonnie. She allowed him to play but then got his attention and called him back to her. It was incredible, no yelling, no pulling and just a tap of a button and he was paying attention. After 3 lessons, Jamie waits at all the doors, walks politely on leash, greets my nieces and grandchildren politely and is a true ambassador for his breed. I can’t recommend Bonnie enough. She called and checked up on us throughout the training sessions and gave us her cell phone and email address if we had any questions. She was thorough, professional and has a true ability to work with rambunctious active dogs.
~ Robert Stiltes, Muncie
Bonnie helped me with my shihtzu Molly. Molly would never come when called, consistently had potty accidents in the house and was a terror whenever any dogs walked by the house. Bonnie came over and assessed the situation and came up with a training plan for us. She was very patient as we changed Molly’s access in the house and limited her freedom and worked to teach her some obedience commands. Once Molly learned nothing in life was free, she was a much happier and peaceful dog and I was a much happier and content owner. I recommended Bonnie to my neighbors and co-workers who also had problem dogs and everyone has had a wonderful experience.
~ Amy Clearwater, Pendleton
Bonnie is a versatile trainer who understands dog psychology and body language. She met our Australian Cattle Dog, Phoebe, who was afraid of anything on wheels-bikes, roller blades, tractors, and cars. Through a slow and patient training process, Phoebe, is now comfortable around wheels. We can’t thank Bonnie enough for her help and encouragement.
~ Joyce and John Biltner, New Castle
I will be honest. Our dog was a holy terror. We almost gave her up twice but gave Bonnie a call and prayed the 3rd time was the charm. It was the best money I have ever spent. Investing a little bit more upfront gave us peace of mind, sanity and the ability to truly enjoy our dog. Our Scottish Terrier, Susie, is the best behaved dog we have had and I am a true believer in remote collars. Once I saw how effective it was and how easy it was to use, I was hooked. We took Susie to Florida with us this winter and she behaved beautifully on and off leash at the beach, at the dog parks, at rest stops and our vacation home. If you have a problem dog, Bonnie can help you.
~ Bill and Marleen Turstena, Anderson
Bonnie is a wonderful trainer and friend. My ultimate goal was to give Maggie a job and share my dog with everyone. Maggie would not be a therapy dog if Bonnie hadn’t worked with her. I highly recommend Bonnie to anyone and everyone. Maggie and I are now active pet therapy volunteers in the Hartford City School System and Hartford City Library.
~ Sharon Hendricks, Hartford City
I recently completed two classes with Bonnie. The trainer I worked with for my older dog retired and referred me to Bonnie. I traveled from the Westfield area once weekly. I am very glad I did. Bonnie’s teaching style is positive reinforcement. She helped me teach my puppy to work for me because he wants to please me. In our puppy class we learned how to teach the basics (sit, down, heal, come, stay, wait, etc). We were in a small class which I was thankful because Bonnie was able to give us more individualized instructions. She taught so the others in class could learn from each others mistakes. The puppies were able to work on their social skills by having some time to play together. During the playtime Bonnie would introduce them to different sounds, items and textures for their paws. I believe this has helped my puppy be confident in different situations. I just started a foundation agility class. My puppy was the only dog with enough confidence to touch unusual objects (board w/rubber paint, exercise ball, bucket, etc) without hesitation. I believe this is from his experience in Bonnie’s puppy class.
Upon completing our puppy class I enrolled in the advanced obedience class. Again, it was a small class which offered a lot of individualized instruction. When I would make a mistake causing confusion to my puppy Bonnie pointed this out in a way that I didn’t feel stupid. She made me feel like I made a mistake everyone else makes and helped me quickly correct it helping my puppy learn quickly. This class took our education from puppy class to a higher level. I felt more confident in walking my puppy without him dragging me down the sidewalk! That says a lot because my puppy comes from a history of pulling sleds. The distractions she provided during the stays were wonderful! This really helped solidify my puppy’s stays. Bonnie worked into our classes things we would regularly encounter in our daily lives. In my opinion the best one we did was practice bringing a bag of groceries in from the car to the house. While working on heal, leave it, sit & stay and turns we pretended to carry a bag, unload it and put the items away. I really enjoyed this practical training. It helped me realize I can train my puppy at home even if I only have 5 min. I worked at home while doing several things around the house (laundry, dust, vacuum, etc). Upon completing the advance obedience class we took and passed the Canine Good Citizenship test! I never thought my puppy would have his CGC at 7 months old!
Bonnie is very knowledgeable with all breeds, owner’s experience and communicating. She made our classes fun, practical and educational. I definitely will train my future dogs with Bonnie. I believe she is a wonderful instructor. She is very capable of teaching all levels of dogs and owners.
~ Susan Slagle, Indianapolis
Hi Bonnie,
Piper and I would like to thank you so much for the amazing experience we had attending your CGC/Therapy Dog classes. Piper
enjoyed going every time, and so did I! Your personal attentiveness with us, and all of the positiveness we received was by far the BEST!!
I highly recommend you to ALL new and old dog owners all the time! Piper proudly represents YOU and your Advanced Technique Training School, and we’re complimented every time she’s at a facility.
Thank you again so much, it’s paid off a thousand times over!!
~ Laura Bruccoleri and Piper too.
When I first contacted you I was desperate for help with my rescue dog, a pit bull named Daisy. I was facing a tough decision and considering giving her up. When we started class Daisy was wild, unpredictable, and I felt like I had no control of her. As the weeks progressed with your guidance and some practice I watched my dog transform before my eyes. All of my issues with Daisy began to disappear, she became a well behaved dog and even picked up on a few fun tricks.Without your help I’m not sure what would have happened to Daisy and I. We are so thankful to have experienced your basic manners class! I would tell anyone who is struggling with their rescue dog to seek out Bonnie’s help and not to give up on their pet. The struggle is worth it!!!
Thank you,
~ Brittney Collins, Muncie
Bonnie Krupa is an amazing dog trainer and amazing at training dog owners, too. My husband and I got a rescue pup last December and we didn’t know very much about raising a good dog. We provided lots of love and puppy food, but it was obvious that he needed more to be happy, healthy and a good-natured friend. Bonnie provided professional training, encouragement and positive techniques to effectively turn our “wild boy” into a socially acceptable companion.
We started in a puppy class where we learned all the basics in a fun and social environment (sit, stay, lie down, wait, off, drop it, leave it, stay, come and loose leash walking). Most importantly, we were able to talk with Bonnie about specific issues we were having with our pup and she effectively taught us techniques to use at home to help solve the problems. Our puppy would not bark to go outside when he needed to go so Bonnie gave us tips on how to teach him to ring a bell. He never has an accident now because we can hear that bell all over the house! He was a big “beggar” at the table whenever we sat down to eat so Bonnie suggested we give him a special “place” to stay during dinner times. Now all we have to do is say “go to your place” and he curls up and sleeps on his little rug through our meal times. Barking outside was a problem, as well. Now we praise him for being a good watchdog, but when we use the word “quiet” he knows everything is safe and he stops his woofing.
Our next class with Bonnie was Therapy Dog Training. It was a wonderful process with both dog and handler taking baby steps toward becoming confident, courteous, calm “therapists” who can now go into schools, hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities to help make others happy, to provide social interactions and to share some love!
Bonnie is doing great things for so many! She is so smart and kind and provides relevant, effective and positive results!! We recommend her highly and so does our Bichon!
~ Jill Jereb, Muncie
In May/June of 2013, my wife and I took our 1.5 year old pointer/pit bull mix Basil to the Basic Manners I class. We were a little anxious before the first class, not knowing what to expect. However, Bonnie did a great job of explaining what we would be covering over the next six weeks. Over the duration of the course, we definitely saw a vast improvement in Basil’s behavior. He reacted very well to the training and we feel as though he’s a better dog now. We initially went to the class because we are having a baby in December and wanted Basil to have some more discipline when baby arrives. He got that and then some! I would highly recommend Bonnie Krupa and the Basic Manners course to anyone who is looking for a great place to begin training a dog or young puppy.
~ Shawn Murphy, New Castle
Thank you for teaching me how to be the best dog for my people. When I first came to your class I didn’t listen when my people were talking to me. You knew right away what was going to work for me. I remember the collar you put on my neck and when I felt the vibration I knew that I needed to pay attention. After that I was good enough that my people let me take more of your class’. My favorite classes were the Agility training, Therapy, and what my Mom call’s our Shopping class (I remember ice cream at Ritter’s). I can’t wait for my new little sister to start her Basic Manners class with you!
~ Lizzie Heritage
We want to let everyone know what an outstanding trainer you are. When we started our training with you we were not sure we would be able to reach our goals. You helped us realize that every dog respond’s differently and we were able to see that in your training methods for each dog in our class. With your help Lizzy has exceeded all of our expectations and we couldn’t be happier! We call ourselves “Bonnie Lovers”.
~ Ron & Myschael Heritage
We are thankful that someone recommended Bonnie Krupa, Advanced Canine Training to us. Bonnie is an excellent trainer, full of doggie wisdom… she knows her stuff!! At our first Basic Manners Class, Lucy, our Corgi, Husky, Lab had to be separated from the other dogs during the social time because she wasn’t receptive to other dogs approaching her. Over the 6 wk. class we used the wisdom and knowledge Bonnie had imparted to us, and Lucy slowly improved in that area. Bonnie was very helpful with everything we worked on and any time I had a question via email, she responded quickly. She has such a good raport with her students and student’s owners; full of patience, kindness and grace. There’s always an atmosphere of love at Bonnie’s training center. Lucy truly loves Bonnie and she was always excited to go when the leash came out on Sunday night. Lucy graduated from the Basic Manners Class in March 2014 and of course, Bonnie had caps and gowns for the students and photographed each graduate… it was so darn cute. We were certainly looking forward to the next training session. Thanks Bonnie for being such a blessing.
August 2014 ~ Our Therapy Dog Class began. For five of the six weeks we brushed up on manners, learned many new things that we needed to know and do, to be able to visit nursing homes and hospitals. Sometimes there were as many as 10 dogs in class and it was so highly organized and such a calm atmosphere that I was totally impressed. Near the end of the six weeks, Lucy was so much improved in the social skills with other dogs that Bonnie said she deserved an award!! We are very grateful for the way that Bonnie instructed us to learn everything necessary to have a great therapy dog ministry. Lucy graduated as a therapy dog the last week of Sept. and made her first visit to a local nursing home the following Friday. Lucy was a hit at the nursing home and is now on a regular weekly schedule to visit the residents. We thank God that He gifted Bonnie to be such a superb dog trainer. Bonnie, you’re the BEST. We woof you!!
~ Arla, Kerry, Zoey and Lucy Clark
I would highly recommend Bonnie Krupa as a dog instructor. My two puppies attended her 6 wk obedience class. At first they were definitely out of control -after all they were only 5 months old. By the end of the class, they were doing the following: sitting, lying down, socializing (a bit) with the other dogs, staying (a bit), and even mastered a trick. the change in them was PHENOMENAL! I think my husband and I were also changed, because we are now equipped with the knowledge to continue the training
~ Susan Bailey, New Castle
I really enjoyed the training class and without your help Lacy would have been a really unruly English mastiff. You helped her so much and I am trying to continue the work. Your classes are really helpful and I would recommend your class to anyone that would ask me who could do a good job. I hope to continue to sign up for your classes.
~ A thankful owner, Linda Goble
My experience with Bonnie Krupa at ACT was more than I expected. My rescue dog, Lily, had serious issues. Bonnie’s training and techniques have given Lily (and me) a much happier existence. Lily listens and follows commands; shes much more relaxed. I would recommend ACT to anyone who is interested in a happy, well-adjusted dog.
~ Rosalee Bernard with Lily the Puggle, Anderson, IN