Puppy Training
and Puppy School 

Our private training is suitable for puppies from 8 weeks old (please be advised that you should not adopt a puppy before 8 weeks of age) Our group puppy training is suited for puppies 8-16 weeks of age, your puppy must have his/her first vaccination to be able to attend class. A vaccination certificate must be provided.

We do Puppy Pre-School a little differently to others! That's because we are also adult educators and we want to ensure that your education is targeted to you and your puppy. We design every puppy class to our learners needs. On enrolment, you will be asked to specify what you would like covered in our classes and what issues you are currently having with your puppy. We then design the class based on that information. We have puppies from all over the Hunter Region coming to our classes including the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas. Most of the time, we will cover the following: How puppies learn Why we use positive reinforcement training How to read your puppy’s body language? What is your puppy trying to tell you? Toilet training Mouthing and chewing Loose lead walking Socialisation and habituation. What to do and how to do it. How to enrich your puppy’s life? Should I crate train? Where should my puppy sleep? Should I take my puppy to dog parks and dog beaches? Teach life skill behaviours for safety

Our trainer is highly experienced and a fully qualified Canine Behaviour Consultant with over 20 years experience. Our Puppy Pre-School is of the highest quality and therefore we do not use vet nurses, groomers, pet shop attendants or unqualified dog trainers or volunteer trainers to deliver our classes. We use science based, positive reinforcement methods and continually keeps abreast of latest research so you get only the very best and the most up to date information and knowledge for your puppy! We don't cram you into a small waiting room, make you sit in the back of a car park, put you out the front of a pet shop or expect you to come to a local park! Our training location is fully fenced and secure with over 2 acres accessible with a number of different spaces in that area where we can conduct our puppy training. We have small numbers of participants in our classes to ensure you get a great learning experience! We care about your and your puppy and we want you to feel confident in raising a behaviourally healthy puppy!

We pride ourselves on offering a high quality experience for you and your puppy so we only allow a maximum number of 4-5 puppies in each class. Our class sizes are strictly limited to ensure quality. The Pre-School class will operate when numbers reach a minimum participants. By enrolling you are reserving a space in one of our courses. If a class does not meet minimum numbers, the class may be rescheduled or cancelled.

Puppy Pre-School class will operate when numbers reach a minimum participants. By enrolling you are reserving a space in one of our courses. Our class sizes are limited to ensure quality. We regret that we cannot refund enrolment fees if less than 7 business days notice of non-attendance is given. NO REFUNDS will be given if less than 7 business days notice of non-attendance is given. If you cannot make a particular class in the course, no refunds will be given. We DO NOT provide make up classes if you cannot attend a class in the course. If you do give 7 business days or more notice, all refund requests must be made in writing. If we cancel a class, you will receive a full refund. Please carefully consider your schedule, commitment to training, and your dog before registering for class.

Sometimes Puppy Pre-School doesn't suit every puppy (and every owner!) For that reason, we offer Private Puppy Lessons for you and your dog! Puppies, like children, can be easily distracted and there are lots of things for them to learn. In outdoor settings, or small rooms with lots of other people and animals, your puppy can become quickly overwhelmed, stressed, confused or overly excited. Imagine trying to learn algebra for the first time in the middle of a theme park - that's what it is like for our puppies! Sensory overload. As an alternative to Puppy Pre-School Classes, we also offer private puppy training lessons where it's just you (and your family members) and your puppy. We have puppies and their parents coming from all over the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area. This way, you and your puppy won't be stuck in a small room with lots of other distracting stimulation. You'll also have more one-on-one time with the trainer so you can concentrate on precisely what you and your puppy need. While this is slightly different from the traditional puppy training you might be familiar with, research shows that training in high stress, high stimulation environments for some puppies can impair learning and have some negative consequences. Our modernised practices, supported by behavioural research, delivers affordable puppy training results. We also know puppy parents are busy, and there is a lot to take in for the humans too! So, we can work with a 'hybrid' online-offline approach if that is what you would like, that maximises your support and your puppy's learning while being flexible with your busy life. We DO NOT cover extensive behavioural issues you are having with your puppy in these Private Puppy Lessons such as growling, biting, separation anxiety, guarding food and problems with another animal in the home. For these issues, please book a Behaviour consultation.

Yes for Private Puppy Training we have 2 packages. Please see here

If you cancel or re-schedule your consultation / training lesson with us within 3 business days of your scheduled appointment time, the full fee will be charged. Please understand that we have other people waiting to see us and we also need to pay our bills and run our business. We are happy to re-schedule or cancel your appointment time if more than 3 business days notice is given. This must be done in writing to us via e-mail.

We do not need to see your puppy's behavioural issues happening at your home or at our practice. Just like a psychologist does not need to see your child having a meltdown in front of them to be able to help you and your child. We do not want to add any further stress or anxiety on your puppy so please, do not feel that you need to show us your puppy's behavioural issues. If we need to see your puppy's behaviour, we may ask for some video, however this is not common. We also encourage everyone to read our blog: “What is involved in a Private, One-on-One Dog Training/Behaviour Consultation” so you understand exactly what is involved.

Our one-on-one private dog training and behaviour consultations are tailored specifically for you and your dog. We gain an understanding of the issues you are having and give you individualised support and guidance to help your dog. We educate pet parents to understand why their puppies, adolescent dogs, adult dogs and yes, even senior dogs are crying out for help and how to best meet their individual needs. Training or behaviour issues that we can help with include: TRAINING Teach Sit Teach Come Teach Stay Teach Down Toilet training Pulling on lead Jumping Mouthing and nipping Digging and chewing We can help you to choose your next dog or cat including understanding which breed is right for you and your lifestyle Introducing a new dog or cat into your home BEHAVIOUR Anxiety or fear about people, other dogs or things Aggressive behaviours such as growling and biting Problems in a multi-dog household Guarding of food, toys, people and other things Mild separation distress Barking issues Introducing your existing dog to your new dog/cat (or existing cat to your new dog? Help with a rescue dog you just adopted Please understand, we do NOT have a magic wand and expecting us to fix your dog (and in one session) is unrealistic and not how behaviour works. Just like your psychologist cannot magically fix you if you are experiencing behaviour issues. We seek to get to the cause of the issue and then help you to understand, how you can help your dog. We also provide you with the knowledge and education so you can move forward in your relationship with your dog. The expectations you have of your dog can hinder your progress so we help you to address those as well. PLEASE DON'T DELAY IN GETTING HELP FOR YOUR DOG BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TODAY!

Your journey with us begins with a consultation where we will take a history to help us to determine the cause of your dog’s behaviour. We will discuss your expectations (and if they are realistic) and how to help meet your dog needs. We will then develop a plan to help you move forward. If required and depending on your dog's behavioural issues, this plan may then include a series of personalised training and behaviour sessions based on your dog's behaviour, your goals and your budget. Discounts are available for packages of three or more sessions. Many people ask how many sessions they will need. Sometimes, you may only need one session and other times you may need more than one. Just like when you visit a psychologist, there may be ongoing visits to help you see progress and some change in behaviour.

Before you book, it is important that you have realistic expectations about what we provide. We do NOT have a magic wand to fix your dog. Our consultations are about helping you to understand why the behaviour is happening and then how to help your dog. How we propose that might be different to your expectations and that is ok. As long as you keep your mind open to learning new information, that is all we ask of you. It is important that you are able to dedicate the time and effort to implement you plan so that you can see improvements in the behaviour of your dog. We are not responsible for the outcome as we do not live with your dog and we are not implementing the training on a daily basis with your dog. It is our responsibility to provide you with the most up-to-date, scientific based, positive reinforcement information in regards to training and behaviour. It is your responsibility to implement it when you go home. We also discuss your expectations as many times, pet parent expectations of their dog and their behaviour are unrealistic. Expectations are disappointments waiting to happen so shifting your expectations can go a long way in improving your bond with your dog. Your expectations of what we can provide also need to be address as many people come to us expecting we will magically fix their dog. This is not the case just like when you go to a psychologist who cannot magically fix your behaviour. Changing your dog’s behaviour requires you to change your behaviour first so it is important that you are committed, willing and able to put into practice what you have learnt in our private sessions/consultations. As much as we would like to have a magic wand and solve all your dog's behaviour issues immediately, behaviour change involves time and involves many factors. We do not fix your dog's behaviour just like a psychologist does not fix a human's behaviour. We seek to understand the cause/s and develop a care and support plan to help your dog feel better about the world and have better coping strategies. Many times, we also educate the pet parent as a lack of knowledge and understanding of the canine species can impact the relationship you have with your dog. Depending on your dog's training and behavioural challenges, you will need to understand that you may need several sessions before you gain the knowledge and understanding as well as the skills to help your dog.

If you cancel or re-schedule your consultation / training lesson with us within 3 business days of your scheduled appointment time, the full fee will be charged. Please understand that we have other people waiting to see us and we also need to pay our bills and run our business. We are happy to re-schedule or cancel your appointment time if more than 3 business days notice is given. This must be done in writing to us via e-mail.

We do not need to see your dogs behavioural issues happening at your home or at our practice. Just like a psychologist does not need to see your child having a meltdown in front of them to be able to help you and your child. We do not want to add any further stress or anxiety on your dog so please, do not feel that you need to show us your dog's behavioural issues. If we need to see your dog's behaviour, we may ask for some video, however this is not common. We also encourage everyone to read our blog: “What is involved in a Private, One-on-One Dog Training/Behaviour Consultation” so you understand exactly what is involved.

1. You will need a suitable dog. Some people already have their own pet dog that is suitable to be trained to be an assistance/service dog. Others will need to acquire a suitable dog to be an assistance/service dog. It is best if your dog is desexed. 2. If you would like to ‘owner’ train your assistance/service dog, meaning you train your dog to be an assistance/service dog, you will need to be capable of doing this. This means you will need to be physically and mentally able to do this training with the dog and also take on the responsibility of owning a dog. Training an assistance/service dog can take up to 2 years so you will need to be able to work consistently throughout that time period to achieve a certified status. 3. You will need to dedicate the time to undertake the training and meet with us on a regular basis for your private lessons. You will also need to be able to work with your dog in between our lessons in order to practice what you have learnt with us. 4. You will need to be able to have the funds to care for a dog (veterinary treatment, food, bedding, collar, lead, grooming etc.) and afford the training necessary to reach assistance dog level. Whilst most of the training will be conducted by yourself, you will still need to be able to afford our services in order to train you to train your dog. 5. A dog is usually a 12 to 15 year commitment. It is a big responsibility to have a dog, so you need to be able to commit longer term to having a dog. Please think seriously about all of the requirements listed above. Adopting a dog and then having to re-home the dog because you cannot fulfil those requirements can cause a lot of distress for that dog.

1. You will need to train your dog in basic obedience type behaviours such as sit, down, come, stay, stand, walking nicely on a lead, settling etc. These behaviours will need to be taught on and off lead. 2. Your dog will also learn physical tasks if you are training your dog for task training. This can include picking up things for you and bringing them to you, turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, cupboards, fridge etc. If you have a psychiatric assistance/service dog, depending on your condition, your dog can learn to: alert to panic and anxiety keep people at a distance from you prevent people from approaching you from behind interrupt night terrors give deep pressure therapy 3. The third thing your dog will need to learn is public access skills. This includes: car and public transport travel if applicable getting in and out of lifts going up and down stairs going through manual and automatic doors working under distraction going into shopping centres/supermarkets and grocery stores walking past other dogs without reacting and so on. The dog needs to be able to access public areas and be well behaved.

Any size and breed of dog can be an assistance/service dog. What is more important is that the dog has the right temperament to be an assistance/service dog. Please note that dogs with anxiety / fear or extreme arousal issue ARE NOT suitable to be assistance dogs. We also encourage owners to look at rescue dogs. Rescue dogs from reputable rescue groups, pounds and shelters can make fantastic assistance/service dogs. PLEASE NOTE: We do not help people find a suitable dog to be their assistance dog however, we can conduct an assessment of the dog to determine if there is potential for the dog to be suitable for assistance/service dog work. In regards to the age of the dog, we have found that sometimes puppies can be too much for an owner to deal with. There are lots of puppy behaviours that you will need to deal with first before starting ‘official’ assistance or service dog work. Adult dogs can be assessed and if suitable, can start assistance dog training once they have settled in. If you are going to get a puppy, we recommend you seek our services immediately so that we can set the foundation for your puppy to be an assistance/service dog. We usually recommend dogs over 2-3 years of age. Older dogs can also make great assistance/service dogs.

If you have already adopted a puppy and would like to know when to start training, we advise you contact us for some puppy training that is focused towards assistance dog work. Whilst we will not be doing any assistance dog work as such, we can guide you on how to successfully raise a confident and happy puppy so that he/she is ready for assistance dog work. The most important thing we want you to do with your puppy is to get to know each other and have some fun together. This period of time is so important for you and your puppy to build a bond and enjoy a trusting relationship. We don't advise dogs start assistance dog work until they are at least 2 years of age. This is for a number of reasons but most importantly, your dog should be allowed to mature so that they can actually do the work required of them as assistance dogs.

Dogs who display aggressive or reactive behaviours. Dogs who have fear / anxiety disorders or mental health conditions themselves. Dogs who have arousal and/or excitement responses that are extreme. Dogs who cannot calm when there are distractions. Some medical conditions will exclude a dog from becoming an assistance/service dog.

We cannot give exact quotes because every dog and every person is different. There are so many factors that will determine how many lessons you need and how long it will take to achieve your PAT test. We advise people to budget for a maximum of at least one lesson every two weeks for approximately one year. Please contact us for a quote and let us know if you have any NDIS or insurance funding.

As we have limited spots to take Assistance Dog Clients, if you cancel or re-schedule your training lesson with us within 7 business days of your scheduled appointment time, the full fee will be charged. As you can appreciate, when we take on an Assistance Dog Team for the full year, we are providing you with a position in our training program. Please understand that we cannot operate our business with regular cancellations and rescheduling. We do this to protect our small business and pay our bills. We are happy to re-schedule or cancel your appointment time if more than 7 business days notice is given. This must be done in writing to us via e-mail.

If you cancel or re-schedule your appointment with us within 3 business days of your scheduled appointment time, the full fee will be charged. Please understand that we have other people waiting to see us and we also need to pay our bills and run our business. We are happy to re-schedule or cancel your appointment time if more than 3 business days notice is given. This must be done in writing to us via e-mail.

A menacing or dangerous dog is a dog that has been declared or will be declared by council as being menacing or dangerous under the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998. Please contact us or book a Behaviour Assessment / Temperament test. If your dog is lunging, barking, whining, growling at other dogs and/or people or you have a dog that is showing any aggressive behaviour, please book a behaviour consultation. If you feel your dog is dangerous to the public or other dogs, please seek a behaviour consultation immediately.

If you have a pet or retired racing Greyhound and would like to undertake the assessment for muzzle exemption, here are the steps you will need to follow: STEP 1 Contact GREENHOUNDS NSW to enrol your greyhound in the in-home re-training program. Contact Greenhounds NSW to enrol in your Greyhound in an in-home re-training program. This is a self-guided 6-week course designed to help owners prepare their greyhound for the Greenhound assessment. In order to participate, an existing pet Greyhound must be: * Microchipped * Lifetime registered with a council * De-sexed (unless the greyhound is registered with Dogs NSW for the purposes of showing) NOTE: There is no charge for participating in the in-home 6-week re-training program. STEP 2 Undertake the in-home 6 week re-training program. The aim of this program is to assist owners to prepare for their Greyhound's green collar assessment. It covers many different situations that a Greyhound may come across in its daily life as a pet. If your Greyhound has been a pet for some time, parts of this guide may seem very basic. However, it has been written to also take into account the Greyhounds who are new to pet life, some of whom may have come straight from the race track or an impound facility. You will be sent a workbook by Greenhounds which will enable you to record and self-assess your Greyhound's progress through the 6-week in-home re-training program. STEP 3 Book your Greenhound Assessment with us At the end of the 6-week in-home program and completion of the workbook, please book in for your Greyhound's Greenhound assessment with us. We are fully certified with Greenhounds as an approved assessor. The assessment is undertaken to determine if your Greyhound is suitable for a muzzle exemption. The focus of this assessment is safety and socialisation in public. For this reason, Greenhounds stipulates that the assessment not be carried out at the owner's home. We conduct the assessment at our premises in Adamstown, NSW. As pets may act differently in the presence of an owner, owners are expected to be absent during the test. It is expected that an owner will present their Greyhound for assessment in good health and a clean condition. The Greenhound assessment is designed to identify that a Greyhound is: Friendly, approachable and manageable; Shows no aggression towards other dogs (particularly small ones); and Shows no aggression towards humans (particularly in the presence of food and toys etc.) Immediately following the assessment, we will advise owners of the outcome. If a Greyhound is found to be suitable, it is eligible for an exemption from muzzling when in a public place. If a Greyhound is found not to be suitable, it will not be eligible for the muzzling exemption, however, the Greyhound will able to re-take the assessment at a future time. We will provide feedback to owners as to the reasons why a Greyhound was unsuccessful, advice on how to overcome the issues and when it might be appropriate to re-book an assessment. STEP 4 If your dog passes, Greenhounds NSW will issue you a Green Collar If your Greyhound passes the assessment, we will advise Greenhounds of the outcome and your greyhound will be recorded on the Companion Animals Register as "muzzle exempt". Once Greenhounds receives the completed workbook from you and assessment documentation from us, the Greenhound collar with ID tag and certificate will be issued. The fee for the green collar and associated administration costs is $49.50 paid directly to Greenhounds NSW.

There are many things you can do to help your feline friend. Our qualified feline behavioural trainer is an excellent detective who can help to investigate why your cat is behaving the way he/she is and put into place a number of strategies to help modify this behaviour. Here are some issues we can help with: Litter training Destruction Vocalising Litter box issues Urine marking Inter-cat aggression Fearful, timid or shy cats Scratching in inappropriate places Aggressive behaviour towards people Meowing and yowling Enrichment and meeting your cat's needs

In these private consultations, we first start off by taking a history of your cat to obtain information that will help us to determine the cause of your cat’s behaviour and how to then help your cat. We will ask lots of questions! We then discuss a treatment plan and give you strategies to implement when we leave. It is important that you are able to dedicate the time and effort to implement these strategies consistently at home so that you can see improvements in the behaviour of your cat. Changing your cat’s behaviour requires you to change your behaviour first so it is important that you are committed, willing and able to implement these strategies.

Before you book, it is important that you have realistic expectations about what we provide. We do NOT have a magic wand to fix your cat. Our consultations are about helping you to understand why the behaviour is happening and then how to help your cat. How we propose that might be different to your expectations and that is ok. As long as you keep your mind open to learning new information, that is all we ask of you. It is important that you are able to dedicate the time and effort to implement you plan so that you can see improvements in the behaviour of your cat. We are not responsible for the outcome as we do not live with your cat and we are not implementing the training on a daily basis with your cat. It is our responsibility to provide you with the most up-to-date, scientific based, positive reinforcement information in regards to training and behaviour. It is your responsibility to implement it when we leave. We also discuss your expectations as many times, pet parent expectations of their dog and their behaviour are unrealistic. Expectations are disappointments waiting to happen so shifting your expectations can go a long way in improving your bond with your cat. Your expectations of what we can provide also need to be address as many people come to us expecting we will magically fix their cat. This is not the case just like when you go to a psychologist who cannot magically fix your behaviour. Changing your cat’s behaviour requires you to change your behaviour first so it is important that you are committed, willing and able to put into practice what you have learnt in our private sessions/consultations. As much as we would like to have a magic wand and solve all your cat's behaviour issues immediately, behaviour change involves time and involves many factors. We do not fix your cat's behaviour just like a psychologist does not fix a human's behaviour. We seek to understand the cause/s and develop a care and support plan to help you dog feel better about the world and have better coping strategies. Many times, we also educate the pet parent as a lack of knowledge and understanding of the feline species can impact the relationship you have with your cat. Depending on your cat's training and behavioural challenges, you will need to understand that you may need several sessions before you gain the knowledge and understanding as well as the skills to help your cat.

1. On the day of your appointment, make sure you are prepared by having some food ready to be used for training your cat. Cooked meat is our preferred healthy option for your cat. Remember to cut the food up into small pieces. NO DRY TREATS OR DRY FOOD PLEASE. 2. We will arrive ON TIME. PLEASE be home at the allocated time of your appointment. We have clients before and after you and if you are late, we cannot run into the next client’s appointment time. This means if you run late, your consultation will end at the allocated time and you will not receive your full allocated time. Please respect our time. 3. CANCELLATIONS OR RESCHEDULING: We require 3 business days notice for cancellation or rescheduling otherwise the full consultation fee will be charged. 4. NO SHOWS: If we turn up and you are not home and you have not told us or given any notice, the full consultation fee will be charged. Please be respectful as we have set aside time for your consultation that others could have taken.

If you cancel or re-schedule your consultation with us within 3 business days of your scheduled appointment time, the full fee will be charged. Please understand that we have other people waiting to see us and we also need to pay our bills and run our business. We are happy to re-schedule or cancel your appointment time if more than 3 business days notice is given. This must be done in writing to us via e-mail.

Located in Kotara, NSW, our home office is the default location for 'Private Lessons and Behaviour' Consultations. The address will be provided on booking. Should you require an in-home consultation, please contact us directly for a quote as an extra travel fee applies. However, our group classes are held at Adamstown Public School.

Dogaholics Dog Training and Behaviour services in and around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area. We also have clients from Central Coast, Port Stephens, Maitland and the Hunter Valley areas. Services include: Puppy Pre-School Private Puppy Training Private, one-on-one dog training Behavioural Consultations Dog Training classes School Support Dogs Training and Assessment Greenhound Assessment for Greyhounds Behaviour Assessment / Temperament Test for Menacing or Dangerous Dogs Assistance / Service dog training Cat Training and Behaviour Services

1. On the day of your appointment, make sure you are prepared by bringing plenty of food to be used for training such as cut up cooked chicken breast, cooked kangaroo sausages or any other meat that is healthy for your puppy. You can also bring cheese. Remember to cut the food up into small pieces. 2. Your puppy/dog will need to have a flat collar (normal) collar/harness and you will need a lead. No choker chains are allowed in training. Please also bring a mat for your puppy/dog to sit on. 3. Please ARRIVE ON TIME. We have clients before and after you and if you are late, we cannot run into the next client’s appointment time. This means if you run late, your consultation will end at the allocated time and you will not receive your full allocated time. 4. CANCELLATIONS OR RESCHEDULING - We require 3 business days notice for any changes or cancellation otherwise the full consultation fee will be charged. This is to protect our small business so we can continue to pay our bills and continue to operate. 5. NO SHOWS - If you do not attend your consultation and do not give any notice, the full consultation fee will be charged and there will be NO REFUNDS. Please be respectful as we have set aside time for your consultation that others could have taken.

Yes we have Puppy and Adult Dog Private Packages. For Puppy Packages, go to our Puppy Page For Adult Dog Training Packages, go to our Adult Dog Training page