Training & Behavioural Modification
A relationship-based approach to your dogs learning and behaviour
- Not sure where to begin when it comes to training your puppy or adult dog?
- Frustrated on a regular basis by your dog’s behaviour?
- Want guidance taking your dog’s skills to the next level?
- Looking for new ways to keep your dog mentally and physically active?
- Looking for a Nationally-Accredited Dog Trainer?
We all want the very best for our dogs, but they don’t come with a one-size-fits-all instruction manual.
The very best approach is to support a healthy relationship from the very beginning with your dog – as with most things, prevention is better than cure, and getting started early with training and positive exposure can help establish social responsibility, healthy boundaries, clear channels of communication, a good bond, an eager learner and a trusted companion.
Good training needs a kind heart as well as a cool and well informed head
– Konrad Most
At Riverina K9 Services, we believe every dog has the potential to be emotionally stable, well-trained, biologically fulfilled and supported.
We can help with:
- Preparing Owners for a Puppies arrival
- Training for new puppies – starting from 8 weeks of age
- Training to elevate your dog’s skills to the next level
- Behaviour modification of existing nuisance or problem behaviours
- Tailored training programs to help with specific requirements
Together, we’ll create clear communication channels between you and your dog, and provide a rewarding training experience for all involved.
Our approach to training:
- Is tailored to suit the needs of you and your dog
- Can take place at home, in an appropriate public space or via a virtual training session
- Is conducted at a pace both you and your dog are comfortable with
- Gives you the tools and skills to support and maintain positive behaviour in your dog
- Helps to build and maintain a healthy relationship between you and your dog
Our training program Levels
Beginners & Puppies
- Puppy-Preparation Programs
- Puppy Training Programs
Intermediate
Advanced
Training for puppies and younger dogs
When it comes to training your dog, starting as early as possible is ideal. Young dogs are keen to learn, and training your puppy right from the beginning is an important part of giving them the best start possible.
Training a puppy is a bit like building a house.
How?
Well, just as the designing, engineering and initial foundations have a major impact on the end result of the house, training puppies is all about building good quality foundations for future success and stability. Building up younger dogs the right way will give them skills to learn efficiently, build trust, develop healthy coping mechanisms and live out each day to the max. You can take comfort in knowing our approach to training is nationally accredited – we work across all age groups too, from puppies through critical periods of development, right up to older dogs well into their senior years.
Initial groundwork and foundations with your dog involves building their confidence, supporting resilience and adaptability. We use play, positive interaction, markers and rewards to build a strong relationship, good focus and attention.
Drive building exercises, learning about positive exposure and nurturing their motivation and engagement are key throughout your sessions.
Our puppy and beginner programs can teach you how to:
- Build clarity in communication between you and your dog
- Construct and maintain a strong bond with your pup from the beginning
- Set realistic goals
- Use play in your training
- Understand the learning theory and its application
- Use rewards and reinforcement schedules
- Setting criteria
- Use luring, shaping and capturing
- Start acquisition of markers
- Navigate problem puppy-behaviours
- Successfully toilet and crate train
- Get your puppy used to manual handling
- Establish rules and boundaries in the home
- Teach essential good manners
Foundational and Fundamental skills include:
- Basic recall skills
- Foundational obedience and impulse control skills
- Positive socialisation and exposure
- How to encourage relaxation in different environments
- Leash skills
- Focus and engagement skills
Addressing problem behaviour
We all become dog owners with the best intentions: to give a dog a good home, welcome them into our family and enjoy their company. But the reality is every dog is different, and each dog will have different strengths, and potentially weaknesses you may need assistance working through.
- Dogs do speak. But only to those who know how to listen – Orhan Pamuk
All dogs deserve the chance to improve their behaviour, with the right assistance from their owners. Problem dog behaviours are often the result of a dog trying to ask for help. By learning how to give this to them in the most efficient and fair way we can resolve issues and bring not only balance but also joy, respect and trust back into the relationship.
Problem behaviours may include:
- Excessive Barking & Vocalisation
- Scavenging
- Digging
- Resource guarding
- Nipping/Biting
- Chasing/stalking things
- Jumping up
- Inappropriate elimination
- Chewing
- Hyperactivity
- Overstimulation
- Anxiety
- Fearful behaviours
- Reactivity or Aggression
- Escaping
We believe in an integrated approach when it comes to behavioural modification and conditioning. We’ll work with you to try and understand the underlying issues, and create a guided solution-focused approach to help you get back to enjoying a positive relationship with your dog sooner.
Our approach:
- Tailor a conditioning or training programme to most effectively meet the needs of you and your dog in a positive way
- Provide guidance at a pace that is comfortable and sensitive to the progress of your dog
- Agree on the best strategy which is fitting for the abilities of both you and your dog
- Nurture and support clear ongoing communication between you and your dog
- Give you the skills to build and maintain a positive relationship with your dog
- Provide honest and trusted advice with your dog’s best interests at heart
- Provide ongoing support and consultation in person or online
Intermediate and Advanced skills
So you’ve mastered the basics with your dog and are looking for a new challenge? We get it – dog training can be a great hobby and the possibilities are pretty endless once you start. We love enthusiastic and motivated Guardians who want to keep learning and working with their dogs.
We can provide both intermediate and advanced training to move onto when you are ready to keep developing your dogs skill set.
We can work with you to teach your dog:
- Scent work
- Dog sport skills
- Complex behaviours
- Continued Social Responsibility
- Advanced recall and obedience
- Assistance-based tasks
Train with us, and you’ll benefit from our professional, accredited advice and ongoing support throughout your program.
