About Chiara
Business Owner and Qualified Professional Trainer and Behaviourist
My passion for animals has been with me as far back as I can remember and my career with animals actually started in the early 90’s where I worked as a veterinary nurse at the West Brunswick Vet Clinic. While working there, we launched our very first puppy preschool program and continued to run them regularly for the next 10 years.
Having then moved to Point Cook, I found myself to be the only positive dog trainer in the Western suburbs at that point so in 2001 I resigned from the practise and I registered Point Cook Dog Training as a business. I started running my own puppy classes at home for various veterinary clinics and eventually adult dog classes at a local community centre in Point Cook.
Eventually I found the perfect venues and I now run puppy classes at Direct Vet Services and adult dog classes at Mutts Day Care and Boarding.
I also have another fully qualified dog trainer who runs classes for me in veterinary clinics Richmond.
During the day I do behavioural consultations for dogs with more serious issues such as anxiety and aggression as well as private lessons for the common issues such as pulling on leash or not coming back when called.
Besides Stanley, my little Jack Russell Terrier who I adore, I also have a menagerie of creatures, furred, feathered and scaled, from chickens, to lizards and turtles, fish and horses, all of which at some stage in their lives, have had some form of training!
Qualifications
- Certified Veterinary Nurse – 1992
- Certificate IV Companion Animal Services – 2006
- Accredited CGC Instructor and Assessor – 2006
- Senior First Aid – current
- CAP Level 1 (Clickers Trainers Competency Assessment Program Level 1) – 2015
- Leading instructor at ‘Ask the Trainer’ stand at Dog Lovers Show Melbourne – 2015
- Author of ‘What Can You Teach Me? A step by step guide to basic dog training using Positive Reinforcement’ – 2015
- mindDog Australia trainer 2017
- PAT (Public Access Test) Victorian Assessor for mindDog Australia 2017