Total Dog in Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia | Dog trainer

Total Dog

Locality: Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 403 779 336

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• Dog trainer

25.01.2022 Yesterday was the fifth and final session of our Menacing & Dangerous Dog Early Intervention Behaviour Modification Program. Last night we further increased exposure, removed all physical barriers and asked the dogs for a greater level of control at a distance to their handler. Well done to all; every dog has come a long way since September. Again, a big thank you to Kayna, Lauren and Marni for their assistance over the last four months.

22.01.2022 Recently I've had a few clients having issues in multiple dog households; particularly when introducing a new puppy into the home. I’ve also had numerous clients with puppies nipping, biting and mouthing the children. This video of Bear and Billy is a flashback to 2015 where there were issues between the older dog and the new puppy borne from failing to establish boundaries, control and structure. Billy was also nipping and mouthing the children. Indiscriminate puppy biting... is generally very easy to address in a short period of time by correcting the behavior and ceasing the play / interaction. Yelping when the puppy bites or ignoring the behavior seldom works and if it does, it generally takes a long time. Often there are minimal issues with introducing a new dog into the family but unfortunately this will not always be the case. Set yourself up for success when introducing a new dog into the family!!! Prior to the arrival of the new dog, start establishing boundaries with your older dog which must be adhered when the new dog arrives. When the new dog arrives, boundaries must be established immediately to avoid issues occurring similar to that of Bear and Billy. Often the most severe dog fights occur between housemates. If in doubt seek advice BEFORE issues arise!

22.01.2022 Some good advice from the Victorian Dog Training Academy.

21.01.2022 Happy New Year to all! 2020 has been an unusual and difficult year and the recent Co-vid outbreaks continue to confront us all. I'm sure we all hope and look forward to less challenging times ahead in 2021. This is a shared post from last year but the message is timeless; early intervention of behaviour problems can avoid much heartache, property destruction, injury and expense. ... We will be back from the Christmas break offering full services (Co-vid restrictions pending) from 11 January. Stay safe and we wish everyone peace and prosperity in the year ahead.

19.01.2022 **** Council Proposed Orders, Objections and Assessments **** If your dog ever comes to the attention of Council and legal proceedings may be pending, I will always strongly recommend seeking professional advice before making any statement to a regulatory officer. This is primarily because it is likely to be an emotional period and often statements made in an emotional time may overstate the facts or any flippant comments made may not necessarily reflect the facts of the matt...er. BUT, A client is being set up for a huge fall if the professional advice is, unknowing to the client, for the submission of inaccurate, outlandish, false and / or misleading reports or assessments. On a few occasions in recent years I have been asked to give second opinions on incidents and / or questionable assessments. The most recent was by far the worst I have seen. It was either a blatant fabrication of events and observations or the 'behaviourist' has limited knowledge of canine behaviour and what constitutes a dog attack. I tend to think it may have been a combination of both. These industry charlatans set the client up for a huge fall as they are often seen by Council for what they are ..... They also do a huge disservice to the credibility of the industry as a whole. I won't get into the potential risks to community safety. A person with a flashy website self proclaiming they are a "Nationally Accredited Canine Behaviour Specialist", among other things, does not mean that person has formal qualifications in training and behaviour recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework. It definitely doesn't mean they are ethical. Buyer beware!

19.01.2022 This is something I aim to condition in most dogs I work with; especially those with hyper-arousal issues and stress related behaviour. It is so important in addressing numerous behaviour problems.

17.01.2022 A leptospirosis case has been reported on the Northern Beaches. Leptospirosis is a rat borne infection that can to passed to dogs and people. It is particularly prevalent in wet conditions. After recent rain, be very wary of allowing your dog to drink from puddles or communal water bowls. https://www.facebook.com//a.5823422519047/1974718556000431

17.01.2022 A proactive desensitisation training regime combined with your initial actions to any fear related response will influence future behaviour in similar situations. Does your dog have noise phobias from storms, fireworks and other loud sudden noises??? Do you attempt to manage the situations as they occur or have you done pre-emptive training? Has your management and/or training strategies been successful. Australia Day is approaching. I noticed on New Year’s Eve, despite all ...Continue reading

17.01.2022 If a puppy is biting/mouthing a person and then given a tug or another high value alternative, the pup in effect is being rewarded and the behaviour is unlikely to reduce let alone become extinct; especially in the case of high drive working dogs. These photos are resultant of a four month old dog that was literally using her owner as a tug toy. There was no aggression involved but the dog had no bite inhibition and this type of play was fun and highly rewarding. The advice f...rom the puppy school trainer was to give the dog a tug toy when she bit. When the owner of the pup told the trainer that strategy wasn’t working, the owner was blamed by the trainer for getting the pup too aroused. WRONG & WRONG! The trainer was in effect advising to reward the dog for biting. Putting the blame back onto the owner when the strategy didn’t work is nothing short of farcical! It’s a good idea to see the interactions between handler and dog before making these assumptions because this was clearly not the case. This is a relatively easy behaviour to address yet an experienced trainer touting Delta Society qualifications was incapable of addressing such a simple issue. Buyer beware!!! This is yet another example of failure from the dark, emotive side of the dog world. Save yourself time, money and flesh; retain a trainer employing sound, balanced methodology.

15.01.2022 Yesterday evening was the third session of our Menacing & Dangerous Dog Early Intervention Behaviour Modification Program. All dogs have been making steady improvement and last night we further increased exposure. Some pleasing progress. A big thank you to Lauren and Marni for their assistance and photography skills.

13.01.2022 Hope everyone has had a wonderful Australia Day (those lucky enough not to be working) whether it be catching up with family and friends or having a relaxing day enjoying the fine weather. We had a fabulous time in and on the water; Lilith and Bodo in their favorite environment. We'll be back at work from Friday.

12.01.2022 A big thank-you to Dr Lewis and his crew at Collaroy Plateau Veterinary Hospital. Lilith is recovering well; albeit frustrated that she can't be outside playing.

11.01.2022 ** We Now Have Limited Training Vacancies for Obedience and Behaviour Modification ** From mid November until early December we are almost fully booked with Safe Dog Handling workshops; regionally and in Sydney. We will not be booking basic obedience training during this period. We currently have limited vacancies for training and behaviour modification until mid November then from the second week in December. So if you want that perfectly trained dog (well, almost perfect) f...or Christmas, get in early! Contact us for more information.

11.01.2022 We're in Dubbo to deliver safe dog handling training to Council staff. We are staying overnight at the NRMA Dubbo Holiday Park. We travel regionally and interstate many times a year and I must say it is the most dog friendly accommodation I've encountered. There's an enclosed yard adjoining the cabin, an enclosed leash free area and plenty of open space surrounding the park to exercise your dogs. You may even bring dogs in the cabin with you (not on furniture!!!). We're back in Sydney on Wednesday.

11.01.2022 ** Dangerous & Menacing Dog / Early Intervention Behaviour Modification Program commencing March / April 2021 ** It is the intention of Total Dog to conduct the above mentioned program aimed at assisting people seeking a revocation of Dangerous or Menacing Dog Orders or as an early intervention for dogs with aggression issues. We seek expressions of interest from people interested in joining this program. It is proposed that the program will be conduct on the North Shore of S...ydney at St Ives Showground but due to ongoing maintenance of facilities at the showground, the venue will be confirmed at a later date. Based on the successful program Total Dog piloted for Ku-ring-gai Council in 2015 and run numerous times since, the program will consist of five one hour sessions over a four month period. This is to allow time for real change to be observed in the dogs’ behaviour over an extended period. Additional sessions may be booked during this period if required. On completion a training report and an assessment of temperament will be provided for each dog. The objectives of the program are: Know the correct application process, Know your requirements and the responsibilities of Council, Develop a basic understanding of what determines canine behaviour, Develop a basic understanding of the principles of dog training, Develop a basic understanding of desensitisation and counter-conditioning, Develop an understanding of environmental management, Distinguish between desired and non-desired interactions, Develop a better understanding of handling hyper-aroused, anxious or aggressive dogs, Manage nuisance behaviours such as excessive barking and boisterous behaviour by way of exercise, environmental enrichment, environmental management, structure, training and healthcare, Manage behaviour problems such as aggression and anxiety by way of environmental management, structure, training, desensitisation, counter-conditioning, environmental conditioning, socialisation and healthcare. Know your responsibilities under law. Due to the nature of the training, positions are limited. If you are interested in booking, please contact us at [email protected] or 0403 779 336

10.01.2022 ** Dangerous & Menacing Dog / Early Intervention Behaviour Modification Program commencing June / July 2021 ** It is the intention of Total Dog to conduct the above mentioned program aimed at assisting people seeking a revocation of Dangerous or Menacing Dog Orders or as an early intervention for dogs with aggression issues. We seek expressions of interest from people interested in joining this program. It is proposed that the program will be conduct on a Sunday afternoon on ...the Northern Beaches / North Shore of Sydney; the venue will be confirmed at a later date. Based on the successful program Total Dog piloted for Ku-ring-gai Council in 2015 and run numerous times since, the program will consist of five one hour sessions over a four month period. This is to allow time for real change to be observed in the dogs’ behaviour over an extended period. Additional sessions may be booked during this period if required. On completion a training report and an assessment of temperament will be provided for each dog. The objectives of the program are: Know the correct application process, Know your requirements and the responsibilities of Council, Develop a basic understanding of what determines canine behaviour, Develop a basic understanding of the principles of dog training, Develop a basic understanding of desensitisation and counter-conditioning, Develop an understanding of environmental management, Distinguish between desired and non-desired interactions, Develop a better understanding of handling hyper-aroused, anxious or aggressive dogs, Manage nuisance behaviours such as excessive barking and boisterous behaviour by way of exercise, environmental enrichment, environmental management, structure, training and healthcare, Manage behaviour problems such as aggression and anxiety by way of environmental management, structure, training, desensitisation, counter-conditioning, environmental conditioning, socialisation and healthcare. Know your responsibilities under law. Due to the nature of the training, positions are limited. If you are interested in booking, please contact us at [email protected] or 0403 779 336.

06.01.2022 "You take your car to a mechanic for a scheduled service. The cost for this service is $500. You pick up your car and the only work the mechanic did was check the tyre pressure. You enquire as to why the brake pads, oil and filters haven’t been changed and he replies I can’t do that and keeps your money. He then refers you to a mechanical engineer who will charge you $1000. The engineer uses the wrong oil which causes greater wear and is detrimental to performance. He doesn...Continue reading

05.01.2022 Since I posted about our current Menacing & Dangerous Dog / Early Intervention training program a few days ago, I've had a number of enquiries as to when the next program will start. Due its nature, I normally run this program once a year but I will consider running an additional course if there is enough interest; most likely commencing late January. If you have a dog that is subject to a Council imposed Order or you have a reactive dog and would like to participate in this program please express your interest by emailing me at [email protected] .

04.01.2022 11th November, Remembrance Day May we remember: those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, those who served, those who suffer, the families of all and those providi...ng support for all. A prayer for those currently serving overseas and all members of our Defence Force. We remember our Infantry Tracker Dogs, the Engineer EDD's, RAAF MWD's, Army MPD's and Special Operation Dogs. They serve and have served and we remember those who also paid the ultimate sacrifice. Lest we never forget today or any other day.

04.01.2022 THE NIGHT MONSTER TURNS FOUR!!! It’s been an interesting four years and I can honestly say I’ve never met another like Lilith; she’s different. She’s had big shoes to fill in the last six months and has risen to the role in her own unique way.... Happy Birthday Lilith.

02.01.2022 IS SHE FOR REAL? "A ROBOT K9 POLICE UNIT"? THIS IGNORANCE HAS TO STOP! Has this clown ever seen a handler and his dog together??? No dog has a better life than a law enforcement working dog; they are with their handler more than the handler is with their family. They are worked everyday, trained and exercised. There is no greater bond! The cruelest thing I have ever had to do is retire my working dog; he was never the same in retirement as the family pet.... There are more than 100 dog teams in NSW Police; 32 injuries in three years is not substantial; around 10 dogs a year require veterinary treatment for an injury? How many were actually inflicted operationally? Honestly, who voted for this clown!

01.01.2022 What has been the most unusual year is coming to a close. Despite the most recent setback, which I'm sure is just an isolated incident, we can look to the future with optimism for more stable times. Bodo, Lilith and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and prosperity in the year ahead.