diff --git a/services/training/app/services/training_orchestrator.py b/services/training/app/services/training_orchestrator.py
index 0b3363dc..d2cc3dfd 100644
--- a/services/training/app/services/training_orchestrator.py
+++ b/services/training/app/services/training_orchestrator.py
@@ -177,24 +177,29 @@ class TrainingDataOrchestrator:
             raise ValueError(f"Failed to prepare training data: {str(e)}")
     
     def _extract_sales_date_range(self, sales_data: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> DateRange:
-        """Extract date range from sales data with timezone handling"""
+        """Extract date range from sales data with timezone handling and strict date format."""
         if not sales_data:
             raise ValueError("No sales data provided")
         
         dates = []
+        
         for record in sales_data:
             date_value = record.get('date')
-            if date_value:
-                # ✅ FIX: Ensure timezone-aware datetime
-                if isinstance(date_value, str):
-                    dt = pd.to_datetime(date_value)
-                    if dt.tz is None:
-                        dt = dt.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
-                    dates.append(dt.to_pydatetime())
-                elif isinstance(date_value, datetime):
-                    if date_value.tzinfo is None:
-                        date_value = date_value.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
-                    dates.append(date_value)
+            if not date_value:
+                continue  # Skip records with missing date
+            
+            if isinstance(date_value, str):
+                # Parse string with explicit format
+                dt = pd.to_datetime(date_value, format='mixed', errors='raise')
+                if dt.tz is None:
+                    dt = dt.tz_localize('UTC')  # Assign UTC timezone if none
+                dates.append(dt.to_pydatetime())
+            elif isinstance(date_value, datetime):
+                if date_value.tzinfo is None:
+                    date_value = date_value.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+                dates.append(date_value)
+            else:
+                continue
         
         if not dates:
             raise ValueError("No valid dates found in sales data")
diff --git a/services/training/app/services/training_service.py b/services/training/app/services/training_service.py
index 51361a61..1518e526 100644
--- a/services/training/app/services/training_service.py
+++ b/services/training/app/services/training_service.py
@@ -51,10 +51,6 @@ def make_json_serializable(obj):
         return obj.tolist()
     elif isinstance(obj, pd.DataFrame):
         return obj.to_dict('records')
-    elif isinstance(obj, datetime):
-        return obj.isoformat()
-    elif isinstance(obj, date):
-        return obj.isoformat()
     elif isinstance(obj, uuid.UUID):
         return str(obj)
     elif hasattr(obj, '__class__') and 'UUID' in str(obj.__class__):
@@ -132,8 +128,7 @@ class EnhancedTrainingService:
                    tenant_id=tenant_id)
         
         # Get session and initialize repositories
-        from app.core.database import get_background_db_session
-        async with get_background_db_session() as session:
+        async with self.database_manager.get_session() as session:
             await self._init_repositories(session)
             
             try:
@@ -431,8 +426,7 @@ class EnhancedTrainingService:
     async def get_training_status(self, job_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Get training job status using repository"""
         try:
-            from app.core.database import get_background_db_session
-            async with get_background_db_session() as session:
+            async with self.database_manager.get_session()() as session:
                 await self._init_repositories(session)
                 
                 log = await self.training_log_repo.get_log_by_job_id(job_id)
@@ -466,8 +460,7 @@ class EnhancedTrainingService:
     ) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
         """Get models for a tenant using repository"""
         try:
-            from app.core.database import get_background_db_session
-            async with get_background_db_session() as session:
+            async with self.database_manager.get_session() as session:
                 await self._init_repositories(session)
                 
                 if active_only:
@@ -494,8 +487,7 @@ class EnhancedTrainingService:
     async def get_model_performance(self, model_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Get model performance metrics using repository"""
         try:
-            from app.core.database import get_background_db_session
-            async with get_background_db_session() as session:
+            async with self.database_manager.get_session() as session:
                 await self._init_repositories(session)
                 
                 # Get model summary
@@ -526,8 +518,7 @@ class EnhancedTrainingService:
     async def get_tenant_statistics(self, tenant_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Get comprehensive tenant statistics using repositories"""
         try:
-            from app.core.database import get_background_db_session
-            async with get_background_db_session() as session:
+            async with self.database_manager.get_session() as session:
                 await self._init_repositories(session)
                 
                 # Get model statistics
@@ -577,8 +568,7 @@ class EnhancedTrainingService:
                                           tenant_id: str = None):
         """Update job status using repository pattern"""
         try:
-            from app.core.database import get_background_db_session
-            async with get_background_db_session() as session:
+            async with self.database_manager.get_session() as session:
                 await self._init_repositories(session)
                 
                 # Check if log exists, create if not