I spend most of my week rehabilitating reactive adult dogs. Almost every one of their owners says the same thing. They wish someone had shown them this when the dog was twelve weeks old. That is what these six weeks are.
Book assessmentSmall classes in Melbourne's south east.
Most puppy classes are run by people who only ever work with puppies. They will teach you to sit and to fetch, and everyone has a nice time.
I am the person those owners call eighteen months later, when the same dog is lunging at everything on the street and they have stopped walking it in daylight. I know exactly which small habits at twelve weeks turn into the behaviour I get paid to undo at two years.
So this class is not really about tricks. It is about building the things that stop your puppy ever becoming that dog.
You avoid certain streets. You have stopped having people over. Someone has suggested you rehome them. Nobody ever plans for that. It just arrives, one small habit at a time.
What owners of reactive dogs tell meSix weeks now, or eighteen months of undoing it later.
Book assessmentThe single thing that matters most. A puppy that checks in with you by default is a puppy that will still listen at eighteen months, in the street, with a dog coming the other way.
Not playing with every dog it sees. Calm near them. This is the one that prevents reactivity, and it is the one most classes get backwards.
Loose leash walking from the start, before pulling becomes a habit that takes months to undo.
Sound, surfaces, people, movement. A confident puppy grows into a dog that copes. A worried one grows into a dog that reacts.
You leave each class with something specific to practise. That is where the actual progress happens, not in the hour with me.
A handful of puppies, not a hall full. Enough other dogs to learn around, few enough that I can watch yours properly.
Classes are small, so places go.
Book assessmentTalk to me on the call. There is a real window here where socialisation matters enormously, and there are safe ways to use it. Do not just wait it out.
From eight weeks, no. Earlier is better. The habits you want are easier to build than to repair.
Balanced, modern and tailored to the dog in front of me. Puppy work is largely food and engagement based. We will explain everything we do and why before we do it.
Normal, and one of the first things we sort out. It is also the thing that worries new owners most, so you will not be the only one asking.
A flat collar, a standard lead and good treats. That is it.
Tell me and we will work it out. Life happens, and a missed week is not the end of the program.
A short call. You tell me about your puppy and what you are worried about, and I tell you honestly whether the class is the right fit. No pressure either way.
Book assessmentFree, and no obligation. Classes are small, so places go.