Frequently Asked Questions

Your puppy needs to be between 7 and 20 weeks to join. Small breeds may join as late as 18 weeks however large and giant breeds are recommended to join Delta Level 1 instead.

A puppy develops rather quickly and by 20 weeks it moves on from the baby stage and goes onto being a teenager. As soon as a puppy has lost all its baby teeth and has a full set of adult teeth, it is no longer called a puppy. It is an adult from around 12 months of age.

Yes it can, providing it has started the course. Most breeders have already given the puppy its first vaccination and this is enough to get it into a class. If you choose to wait until the entire vaccination regime has been completed, you are actually wasting valuable learning time as this is when socialisation is peaking.

Of course they can! Piglets need good socialisation skills and training as much as puppies and they can easily join a puppy class. They will learn the same skills but have their program modified slightly to incorporate handling and animal husbandry.

All puppies and dogs will get a certificate for passing their course providing they completed it. They must attend at least 4 out of 6 lesson in puppy classes and 5 out of 7 in dog classes in order to get their certificate.

If the attendance was less, then the dog will receive a Certificate of Attendance and not a pass in its level.

If for some reason, you cannot make it to class, we will do our best to provide you with a catch up lesson during the week or possibly jump you into another group doing the missed lesson.

Puppies can be very distracting and cute and find it very hard to sit still for 2 whole hours so we prefer to do a puppy free theory lesson so we can get the important stuff out of the way. During this lesson we will ask you about your home set up and discuss many topics such as toilet training, mouthing, boredom and more. We also discuss the learning theory so you are equipped with the knowledge to train force free!

Any dog can come to classes providing it has the ability to cope when surrounded by other people and dogs. It does not matter if it has not learned anything yet, that is the trainer’s job, however if you are unsure whether your dog will be able to remain calm, an individual assessment is recommended first.

Any dog breed can join classes. As far as I can see, as long as it has fur, can bark and has 3-4 legs, it is a dog!

A dog has to be over 4 months and fully vaccinated to join these classes.

All my classes are kept small so they remain personal and more manageable. Keeping the dogs happy, stress free and giving them space is very important.

I also abide by a strict code of ethics set by Delta Society Australia and the Pet Professional Guild Australia which sets our class number to 6-8 dogs maximum per class.

I run dog free theory lessons before every course so I can get through the bulk of the information you need without the distraction of your dog. During the theory lesson, we discuss learning theories, methodology, what you will learn, what you need to work on before starting, you learn about canine body language, learn about abnormal behaviour, familiarise with terminology that will be used in class, you will be briefed on OHS to ensure everyone is safe throughout the course, I will get information on you and your dog and you will learn about rules and how to manage your dog during the course.

Once we have all this out of the way, we can get right into training when you start the following week with your dog!

All puppies and dogs will get a certificate for passing their course providing they completed it. They must attend at least 4 out of 6 lesson in puppy classes and 5 out of 7 in dog classes in order to get their certificate.

If the attendance was less, then the dog will receive a Certificate of Attendance and not a pass in its level.

Sometimes owners cannot get to class on time because of traffic, car issues, work, babysitter issues, sick children, school events, dog is unwell, etc. We will try to organise a catch up lesson with you before the end of the course to make up for the lost lesson however there is no guarantee as it can be difficult to add people in to other groups.

If you cannot complete the course at that time, your paid fee will be held and used when you re-enrol however if you cannot return at all, then you will receive a 50% refund as you have taken up another person’s spot.

If too many lessons are missed, then I might suggest withdrawing from the current group and starting again in the next new one.

Yes, it can but we have to monitor it a little more carefully. With the females, if they come into season, they need to defer from classes until they have finished. If this is the case, they can start again in the next course at no extra cost.

With the male dogs, owners need to be prepared for ‘male’ behaviour- posturing, urine marking on everything and possibly challenging of other dogs. I don’t exclude dogs just because they are entire however owners need to be watchful of their dogs as their hormones play a role in their behaviour.

Again, these dogs are not discriminated upon and can join classes if they can be managed well enough. However, if they struggle in general, an individual assessment and one on one training would be recommended first. Once it has learned the coping skills to allow it to be closer to dogs and people, it could then be added to a group.

If I suspect your dog has underlying anxiety that requires further assistance, then I will discuss other options with you to ensure we give the dog the best chance to improve.

I only use force free training methods in my dog training classes and there are particular pieces of equipment which go against my methodology and code of ethics. For this reason, choker or check chains, prong collars, electric shock collars, chain leashes, Sporn or Lupi harnesses are NOT allowed to be used. Retractable leashes are also banned from classes as they pose an OHS risk.

The equipment I DO recommend is head halters, normal flat collars, martingale or limited slip collars, basic harnesses and front attachment harnesses, nylon, cotton or leather leashes with a minimum of 1.2m in length.

No because I am a force free dog trainer. Bullying has been proven to be traumatic to the dog, exacerbate anxiety, can trigger aggressive behaviour, fear, phobias and redirected aggression.

If you are seen intimidating your dog in a class, you are warned and if you still choose to work with your dog in that manner, you will then be asked to leave the course.

Not necessarily as you will only use treats to train a new behaviour. Once this has been proofed and generalised to various environments and situations, you gradually wean or phase the treats out and then the dog is expected to naturally perform. I do recommend by this point to substitute treats for a life reward such a play, off leash entitlements, attention, chasing a ball, swimming, etc.

And greediness is not a result of training with treats; it tends to be either genetic or because treats were given for no particular reason. I always encourage the dog to perform a simple act before it gets ANY treat.

Classes, no matter what level, are not about what your dog can and cannot do necessarily; it is more about your dog learning to be reliable in a variety of situations with a variety of stimuli. Your dog may be really well behaved at home but as soon as you add in variables, it all falls apart and this is because your dog has failed to generalise the behaviours. Coming to classes and starting from the bottom helps it work on impulse control, learn to generalise behaviours, learn to focus despite distractions and gives you tools and strategies on how to transfer this back to your home, when on walks, when at the dog park, when there are visitors, when at the vets or groomers, etc.

In saying that, if your dog clearly demonstrates it can cope and learn really well in a class, then it would be given more advanced work to do so it does not get bored or frustrated.

When dogs join the Canine Classes, they are no longer puppies and this means their social skills may be different. Some dogs may have not been to puppy classes, have not had a chance to interact much with other dogs or just don’t know how to and there may also be a very big size difference too. Other dogs may have had a bad experience or be generally anxious and fearful and for these dogs, play is not something they look forward to.

If you have a sociable dog and are also looking for play sessions, then I recommend play dates with your friends or consider dog day care.

In Canine Classes, the emphasis is calmness in the presence of dogs and reduced frustration when they are on leash.

Owners need to bring lots of treats, some toys, poop bags, their walking equipment, a stuffed Kong or pig’s ear, and the dog’s mat to every class. I do also recommend owners bring a treat pouch so they do not rely on plastic bags or containers to hold their treats. Vaccination certificates must also be brought in to be cited.

All dog must be assessed before they can start day care because we need to ensure they are friendly towards both other dogs and people. We do not accept dogs that display aggressive behaviour with intention to cause harm.

Before your dog can attend, a comprehensive profile form needs to be completed so we have a good idea about your dog and its habits. This form will also ask you for your emergency contacts and have waivers to sign.

We have the space to take up to 50 dogs however we feel this is too many and dogs will not have enough space to run around so we will only be taking up to 25 per day.

We will divide dogs into 3 smaller groups as our pens are divided into 3 large runs. We will match dogs up with others who play in a similar way and have similar personalities. We will not put nervous dogs or young pups in with dogs that love to hoon around. Big dogs and small dogs may be together if they match in play styles.

We provide toys, beds, food and water all day. All you need to do is ensure your dog is wearing a collar and comes in on a leash. If your dog needs special food, please let us know so we can feed it separately.

At this stage we do not have enough floor staff on board to take dogs out and supervise play at the same time, however during some of our private lessons, the trainers may take your dog out for an hour to serve as a distraction! We will ask for your permission before this happens.

We will accept dogs are young as 3 months of age.

Adult dogs need to be fully vaccinated or have a current positive titre test to prove there is substantial immunity against the diseases.

We do accept pups after they have had their second vaccination.

We require at least a C3 however a C5 is preferable.

All dogs must be desexed before they become sexually active. Female dogs have their first season at 6 months of age and can get pregnant if they come across an entire male dog! As romantic as it is having ‘relationships’ develop at day care, we don’t want to be responsible for babies!!

Male dogs must either be desexed by 7 months as stated on the Code of Practise or can be chemically castrated instead. Please speak to staff about this.

If you are running late, please let us know as soon as possible. We cannot keep dogs overnight so if you cannot get to the day care centre by 7pm we will need to call your emergency contact to collect your dog. A late fee may be incurred.

Dogs cannot be kept at the venue overnight as we do not have the required permits to do so.  We are not a boarding facility. If you are after boarding, please speak to the staff as we are offering pet sitting.

If we feel your dog is unwell or in pain during its stay at day care, we will contact you to come and collect it and if necessary, take it to your vet clinic. If we cannot reach you, we may decide to take it to our nominated vet clinic and any fees incurred will be billed to you.

Whilst we do our best to ensure the dogs play happily over the day, we cannot prevent every single incident and it might be as simple as a torn claw getting tangled in a long coat, a baby tooth falling out, a nick on an ear from some eager chasing or a sprain from too much running around. We do our best to prevent this but dogs are dogs.

If we feel the injury requires veterinary attention we will contact you first and if we cannot reach you, we will take it to our nominated vet clinic. All fees incurred will be billed to you.

Bookings can only be made via phone once it has passed its initial assessment. We will then be able to advise you if compatible dog friends are available on the day.

We prefer to not have large amounts of cash on the premises so for 10 and 20 day passes we prefer that the client pays by credit card at reception

Whilst we spray our centre, bowls, toys and floors down often with F10, we cannot guarantee that certain viruses such as Papilloma Virus and Canine Cough will not occur.

Please note that disease such as HGE (Haemorrhagic Gastro Enteritis) is NOT contagious from other dogs and can result is your dog being admitted to intensive care. It is not caught through exposure to urine or faeces.

It depends on what the issue is as some occur just at home whereas others occur out of home. The location is decided after some basic history is taken and the trainer has a better idea of where the best training should be.

We can do private lessons at home, at the training venue, at the dog park, at the local shops, in public spaces, the beach, etc. It all depends on what the dog needs.

Yes, we do because these dogs need more help than others and our job is to reduce the need to use aggression. If your dog displays aggression when people come over to your house, please leave the dog outside first so it can be assessed safely.

Ensure it is wearing a collar and has a leash to hold onto so it cannot rush at the trainer.

Ensure you have told the trainer if your dog has a bite history.

Sometimes training alone is just not enough to resolve the issues because the dog suffers from a generalised anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, fear aggression, PTSD and more. When we are dealing with dogs this fragile, they need further intervention and very likely anti-anxiety medication as their brains will simply be blocked from learning.

Only a veterinarian can prescribe these however I always highly recommend seeing a specialist in this field such as a Veterinary Behaviourist because they have in depth knowledge on behavioural problems.

As much as we have a large venue, we still need to abide by the Code of Practice for an animal facility and our floor space suggests that we can only take up to 20 dogs at one time. This is to ensure all dogs have adequate space to move around each other and to minimise stress.

Aside from the main venue, we also have two fully services toilets and a kitchen. Our kitchen is basic and has a sink with hot and cold water, fridge and freezer, toaster, microwave and coffee machine.

We also have a large number of chairs and some tables that can be used.

Dogs will also be able to access our small courtyard which is fully fenced in and attached to the main venue.

Dogs will be provided with water bowls and fresh water as required.

We do have dividers in our facility to pair up dog groups according to their play style however we cannot accept dogs that may be a danger to other dogs or people. We want to minimise any chance of conflict or injury to others at the party.

During the week our facility is both a dog day care centre and training centre therefore we must minimise the risk of disease entering it. All dogs coming into our venue, whether it be for day care, training, private training or dog parties must be either fully vaccinated or have a positive titre test. Certificates must be cited.

We understand some dog parties may be for dog clubs and breed clubs and this means many of those dogs will be showing and/or breeding. We accept dogs that are not desexed for dog parties however we will not accept responsibility if two dogs pair up during the session and a pregnancy occurs. Entire male dogs will also need to be monitored continuously to prevent any conflict with other males.

We do not have a problem with entire males urinating everywhere!

If your dog or dog friends gets sick, you will need to notify us and let us know the nature of the illness. Your vet will need to clear that dog of anything contagious before it can attend the party.

If your party has to be cancelled, we will offer you a full refund if the cancellation is at least 48 hours prior to the event.

If the party is cancelled with less than 48 hours notice, we will refund you 90% of the payment and you will lose 10% of the payment.

If for some unseen reason you need to cancel the party, we will need at least 48 hours notice as we will be preparing for the event the day before.

We have quite a large variety of toys, walking aids, training aids and treats on display in our show room. We are more than happy to sell any of these items on the day if you or your friends are interested.