Your dog can sit at home. In the outside world, it all falls apart.
There is a necessary step between teaching a behaviour at home and having it hold up in the real world. Group classes bridge that gap.
Small groups of no more than six dogs, Saturday mornings in Camperdown. Structured training that builds the skills your dog can't practise in your lounge room.
Easy to reach from Newtown, Marrickville, Petersham, Enmore, Leichhardt, and across Sydney's Inner West.
Most group classes run 10 to 15 dogs, so no single dog gets individual attention.
Small group means I know every dog by name, I'm reading every body language cue in real time, and I'm adjusting the session on the fly. Your dog isn't just another number behind three Labradors.
Fixed-date programs mean the same dogs train together for all six weeks. That's how you build real familiarity and confidence, not by chucking your dog into a different group every Saturday and hoping for the best.
We cap our class numbers deliberately so every dog gets personalised attention each class. The curriculum, whilst set, is applied to your dog in a way that builds their skills so you don't feel left behind from the other attendees. All classes are run by the same trainer each week, so they always know where your dog is at in their skill level, can see where they're making genuine improvements, and can offer personalised tweaks for your dog.
What a typical session looks like.
Every session runs for 45 minutes. Same structure each week so the dogs know what to expect, but the skills build on each other.
Settle & warm-up
Arrive, find your dedicated space, and let your dog orient to the environment by building focus.
~5 minLearn New Skills
The core of the session. We work on building two or three new skills, or progressing skills from the previous week, adding distractions, distance and duration. We use games-based and pattern training to skill your dog up quickly while keeping it fun for everyone.
~20 minProofing Skills
This is where the games-based training really comes into its own, helping you proof skills under pressure. Your dog learns that focus pays off even when things get exciting. You'd be surprised how hard skills can be with other dogs moving around.
~15 minDebrief & homework
You leave class knowing the specific homework skills to practise before next Saturday. You get homework built around what your dog actually needs to work on, not a generic handout.
~5 min
New students start with Foundations.
Foundations is not a beginner puppy class. We expect you will have taught your dog some basic skills, or attended classes with another trainer, before you start. Everyone here learns all the same training games our Skills Unleashed members use, so no one feels lost when they level up.
Returning to Pet Professor and ready for Skills Unleashed? Book Skills Unleashed direct.
Foundations
Your dog has the basics but falls apart the moment another dog walks past. This is where they learn to hold it together: around real dogs, real distractions, same group every week so they actually build familiarity instead of just surviving chaos.
What you'll work on
- Recall that works when other dogs are around, not just in your backyard
- Loose-lead walking foundation skills most people are never taught
- Impulse control around food, dogs, and people
- Boundary skills that improve your dog's stay
- The necessary skills that build off-lead reliability
- Games-based learning alongside peer dogs
Skills Unleashed
Best suited to Foundations graduates or dogs Marianne has seen in a private session before. You can book direct, and if it turns out not to be the right level we will move you into the one that is. This is where you stop managing your dog and start trusting them: complex environments, multiple distractions, real off-lead work.
What you'll work on
- Off-lead reliability in busy, unpredictable environments
- Reliable recall and emergency stop, the ones that matter
- Holding focus when multiple dogs are doing interesting things
- Heelwork and distance work
- Trick training and enrichment games (because training should be fun)
Let's check your dog is set up to succeed.
Group classes work when every dog in the room is ready for one. Answer three quick questions about your dog and I will point you to the right next step, whether that is booking Foundations or having a chat first.
First, a safety question
This keeps every dog and handler in the room safe. There is no wrong answer. A 'yes' just means we check a few more things about the incident, in case there is a better program for your dog.
"Marianne truly works together with your dog."
"Marianne has been amazing with our Australian Shepherd, Eden. We first did one-on-one sessions as Eden was very timid and very shy when we received her as a 4 month old, and the training and support from Marianne was invaluable. We began participating in group classes when Eden was 7 months of age (at this time of writing, she is now 3 years old) and haven't looked back!"
"Marianne is a fantastic trainer, incredibly patient & her ability to tailor training sessions to the individual dog is a real skill. I have worked with other trainers with a 'one-size-fits-all' approach, but Marianne truly works together with your dog."
May & Eden
FAQs
- All dogs starting with Pet Professor begin in Foundations. That is where you and your dog get confident with our training games and learn all the cues, because the Skills Unleashed members already know most of those games from their own time in Foundations, so we don't break the skills down as much there. If you genuinely feel Foundations is not the right level for you, you can book a 30-minute private assessment at the same venue straight after class, and we will work out whether Skills Unleashed is a better fit. If you have already worked with Pet Professor in a private program or previous classes, you can book Skills Unleashed direct using the returning-client link on this page.
- Reactive dogs need to build skills in a one-on-one setting before a group will help rather than overwhelm them. I screen every dog before enrolment. If yours isn't ready, I'll map out a private training pathway that gets them there, and they'll have priority entry into the next cohort once they are.
- Small is deliberate. I know every dog by name, I'm reading body language cues in real time, and I'm adjusting the session on the fly. Compare that to a 15-dog class where the instructor can't see your dog behind three Labradors. The same dogs train together for all six weeks. That's real familiarity, not chaotic exposure at a dog park.
- Your dog on a flat lead (not a retractable), a treat pouch loaded with high-value treats (think cheese, chicken, something your dog would sell a kidney for), and a bed. I'll provide any training equipment we need for the session. Wear clothes and shoes you can move easily in. Give your dog a smaller breakfast before class, because they'll eat their calories during the session, and toilet them before you come into the building.
- If your dog is sick or in season, let me know as early as possible. They skip that week. You'll still get the homework and any catch-up resources or videos from the session you missed, so you can practise at home and slot back in next Saturday. I don't offer refunds for individual missed sessions.
- 4 Australia Street, Camperdown. There's street parking on Australia Street and the surrounding streets. Get there 10 minutes early on your first week so you're not rushing. Easy to reach from Newtown, Marrickville, Petersham, Enmore, and anywhere in the Inner West.
- Foundations graduates can move into Skills Unleashed (Saturday 11 am, same location). Skills Unleashed graduates can repeat the class as we cover new concepts each term. You can also join our Canine Adventures program during the week if you are within the eligible service area, and these structured enrichment walks are where your dog gets to use everything they've learnt in real life. You also get priority rebooking, a $50 referral credit, and access to booster sessions if you want a tune-up down the track.
- Dogs need to be at least 16 weeks old at the start of the program. If your pup is younger than that, register your interest and I'll pop you on the waitlist for the next cohort that fits their age. In the meantime, the quiz can point you toward what to work on at home right now.
- That's about $66 per session, with a qualified behaviourist reading your dog in real time, not a volunteer running a one-size-fits-all curriculum. It is a small group so every dog gets personalised attention, and the same dogs attend every week, so it is not a revolving door. You're paying for structured skill-building with someone who actually knows what your dog did last class.
Marianne Dawson
Behaviour Trainer & Founder, Pet Professor
Cert IV Companion Animal Services
Force-free, evidence-based, games-based training for dogs and cats across Sydney since 2018.
About Marianne
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