Your dog isn't the problem. Neither are you.
You need help. You've attended the puppy class, tried YouTube, you've even worked with another trainer. But if you're reading this, something hasn't worked. You're wondering if it's the dog, or you, or just bad luck. If you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed or just curious about what options you can explore with your furry friend, we're here to help.
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You've probably already tried a lot of things.
Maybe you went to puppy school and it felt like your dog was the only one who didn't get it. Maybe you called a trainer who came once, wrote a proposal that read like a car sale, and never quite made the problem go away. Maybe you've been told your dog is dominant, stubborn, anxious, reactive, "just that breed", or that you're the problem, and you've been quietly carrying that home with you.
You've probably spent more on treats and harnesses and online courses than you'd like to admit. You've probably cancelled plans because of your dog. You've probably had a moment in the last month where you wondered, for just a second, whether you're the right person for this dog at all.
You are. The people who told you otherwise, or sold you the thing that didn't work, are the ones who got it wrong.
Why I do this
I started Pet Professor in 2018 because a client rang me in tears. Another trainer had told him to lock his new puppy in a pen, not interact with her, ignore her when she cried. When he told the trainer it wasn't working, the advice was to double down and spend even less time with her. "I'm questioning why we even got a dog if we can't spend time with her," he said.
Unfortunately, that kind of old-school training methodology is still being used by well known trainers in Sydney in 2026. Luckily for this client, they called us before too much damage was done in such a crucial learning period. They trusted their gut and reached out, so that we could use our more ethical, more effective, positive M.E.T. method (management, enrichment and training) that kept them and their dog together, focusing on building their relationship and learning to communicate with each other.
I've worked with dogs for over a decade, but my most challenging dog, Hachi, I met when she was six years old. Since being rescued and rehomed from the RSPCA at eight weeks, she'd had medical issue after issue. A lot of her anxiety was driven by her early trauma. Anxious around dogs, around people, around kids, her world had shrunk to almost nothing. Watching it get bigger again, as we worked to build her confidence and find the perfect balance of training, management, enrichment and support from other animal professionals she needed, is how we work with all our clients now. If your dog is where she was, I've been there too.
With Mav(erick), my current Japanese Spitz, who comes with me on canine adventures, and sometimes sessions with dogs sensitive around other dogs.
Your dog isn't a project to fix. They're a puzzle to understand.
"Most trainers start with training first. I start with questions. What does your dog actually need?"
Your dog barking, lunging, destroying, shutting down, hiding under the bed when the doorbell goes. They're telling you something. Before we train a single behaviour, we work out what the message is. Is it pain? Sleep? Environment? An unmet need your dog has been trying to get across for months?
Training the symptom without answering that question is the ambulance at the bottom of the hill. My job is to help you build the fence at the top, so the problem stops rehearsing itself while we fix the cause.
In practice, that means a plan built for your dog, in your home, that fits your life. Not a generic program off a website. Something you can actually run between sessions, with a human who'll tell you honestly when it isn't working and change tack.
Health-first
We look at the dog as a whole, and try to find the missing pieces.
No aversive tools
Your dog needs understanding, not scare tactics. No prong collars, e-collars or choke chains, because the science says they make behaviour worse.
Why before what
We diagnose the function behind the behaviour before training the symptom. Every plan, every time.
Honest referrals
When training is not the right fit, we refer cases to vets, vet behaviourists and separation anxiety specialists as needed.
Our Three Pillars of Training
Most dog trainers start at Training and work backwards when it doesn't work. That's why most dog training plans don't stick.
Management
We change the setup so the problem behaviour stops getting another rep. If the delivery driver keeps triggering the barking, we don't train the bark away. We change the setup while the training works underneath. Most of the "miracle" results you see in the first two weeks come from Management alone.
Enrichment
Your dog has biological, cognitive, and social needs that don't get met by a 20-minute walk and a chew toy. A Border Collie who eats the couch isn't naughty. She's a working dog with a TikTok scroll for a life. Enrichment is the single most under-used tool in behaviour modification, and it's usually where the real shift happens.
Training
Once Management has stopped the rehearsal and Enrichment has taken the pressure off, we build the specific skills your dog needs to navigate the world. Force-free, reward-based, and built for how your dog actually learns (which isn't always what the textbook says).
The credentials behind the advice.
The dog training industry in Australia is unregulated. Anyone can print a business card. Here's what sits behind the advice you're about to pay for.
| Qualification | When |
|---|---|
| Cert IV Companion Animal Services Delta Institute | 2018 |
| Pro Dog Trainer Absolute Dogs | 2018–19 |
| Living and Learning with Animals Behaviour Works | 2019 |
| Separation Anxiety Training Dr Moira Hechenleitner | 2021 |
| Enrichment Framework Pet Harmony | 2022 |
The frameworks behind your plan come from Karen Pryor (Don't Shoot the Dog, 1984), Susan Garrett (Dogs That, Canada), Lauren Langman and Dr Tom Mitchell at Absolute Dogs (concept-based, games-based training), Leslie McDevitt (Control Unleashed, where reactivity work lives), Dr Kim Brophey (the LEGS framework from Meet Your Dog), and the enrichment work out of Pet Harmony. When your case needs more than training, my referral network includes Dr Joanna McLachlan and her team at Pet Behaviour Vet, Dr Emily Lucas from The Whole Hound, and Dr Vanessa Reid from Positive Pets Behaviour Vet, just to name a few.
In-home across Sydney. I come to you.
We work with clients all over Australia, but in-home visits are confined to the Sydney suburbs below. Travel zone pricing is transparent for when you are within the outskirts of our service area. If your suburb isn't listed but you're close, send a message and we'll find a solution.
Online training can be just as effective, in some cases even more so, than in-person training. If you are struggling to find a local trainer, or want to work with us but can't come to our venue or have us travel to you, reach out and find out more about the online training program. We offer the same level of training in our online sessions as we do in person.
Next
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Take our quiz, or give us a call
Both are free - the quiz will help you determine which program suits you best, or we can chat about you and your dog and find a solution that fits - no pressure, you'll likely leave the call knowing more about your dog than you did before you picked up.