Who is private dog training for?
Private training is for you if:
- Your dog knows the commands but still pulls, lunges, barks at every passing dog, paces the house, or can't settle in a cafe.
- You've already been to one, two, maybe three other trainers.
- You're exhausted, and starting to wonder if this is just who your dog is.
What's different about how I train dogs?
Three things set my Melbourne sessions apart from standard pet training:
- A background most trainers don't have: a Bachelor's in Veterinary Science, a Master's in Early Childhood Education, and fifteen years across zoos, wildlife reserves, assistance dog programs, and pet training. The animals you can't manage by force teach you the most.
- No command list. I show you how to read your dog moment to moment, then how to set up the day so good behaviour is the easy choice.
- One clear framework, PACE: PLAY, ANCHOR, CALM, EXPLORE. Each mode has clear rules and none of them blur. Get the modes holding and most of what you came in to fix resolves on its own.
How does a private training session run?
The first session (90 minutes, $400)
The first 30 minutes is theory and methodology. I walk you through the PACE framework, explain how I read your dog, and give you notes to take home so none of it disappears after the session. Then we go hands-on: lead handling, CALM setup, PLAY structure, or breaking a reactive cycle on a walk, depending on what your dog needs that day.
You leave with a clear plan for the next week, built around what your dog is actually doing right now.
Follow-up program
After the first session I'll recommend whether a follow-up program is right for you. Ninety-eight percent of my clients, whether it's general pet behaviour, serious reactivity, fear-based cases, or aggression, find the four-week program is enough as long as they're committed. Ongoing sessions are $370 to $380.
Between sessions, you film your homework and send it via WhatsApp. I send back specific feedback. The video loop is where most of the change happens. I can describe what a good pop on the lead looks like, but until I can see your hand, your footwork, and the dog's response in your context, I can't fix what's actually going on.
Murphy
I bring my dog Murphy to most reactive-dog sessions. She's a black Labrador, certified assistance dog, and the most regulated dog I have ever worked with. Reactive dogs read her calm and start to mirror it. She's not a prop. She's a working partner who lets me show your dog what neutral, present, unbothered actually looks like.
What dog behaviour issues do I work on most?
- Leash reactivity (barking and lunging at dogs, people, bikes, cars)
- Anxiety and fear-based behaviour
- Resource guarding and household tension
- Dogs who can't settle at home or in cafes
- Pulling on lead and walking that boils over
- Adolescent dogs who suddenly stop listening
- Households with multiple dogs not getting along
Sessions run Wednesday to Saturday
I take on a limited number of new clients each week. The form below is the fastest way to check current availability. Tell me about your dog, what's happening, and what you've tried. I read every form myself.