dog trainer
The Sydney
Dog Trainer
5 Good Reasons!
- Local and trusted dog trainer based in Sydney, for all your home dog training needs!
- Nationally Accredited Dog Trainer CIII Dog Behaviour and Training
- OVER 12 years dog training experience!
- EXPERT puppy trainer!
- PROVEN track record in helping 100’s of families with their dogs!
“Sydney’s Home Dog Training Specialist! If your after a qualified dog trainer/dog behaviourist to come to your home to help you out with some dog training, whether it be your dog’s behavioural issue or an home puppy training session at a super competitive price, then look no further than The Sydney Dog Trainer!
– MARK HICKEY TSDT CIII DOG BEHAVIOUR & TRAINING
dog trainer sydney
What is Home Dog Training?
Home dog training is where a dog trainer, sometimes referred to as a home dog trainer will travel to your home and help you with your dog's behavioural issue or conduct private dog obedience or puppy training session. Depending on the dog trainer, the session duration can range from 1 to 3 hrs. Home dog training visits are generally designed to be one off.
During a behavioural home dog training visit which is sometimes called an in home dog consultation, the home dog trainer will assess your dog's behaviour and then seek to remedy it.
NINETY-NINE PERCENT of behavioural issues are fixed or greatly improved by The Sydney Dog Trainer. One of the most important aspects of any home dog training visit is for The Sydney Dog Trainer to ensure you have a proper grasp of the behavioural modification techniques used during the visit.
Finally.... AT LONG LAST, in home private puppy training's biggest obstacle (that it doesn't allow for socialisation) has been REMOVED! The advent of early finish vaccines (up to 10 weeks) now enables the OWNER to SAFELY socialise their puppy outside of the home in the real world at their own convenience which is FAR BETTER than doing it within the limited confines of a puppy school.
This now makes private puppy training a GENUINE, REAL, SAFE alternative to puppy school. Private puppy training is fun, informative and tailored to YOUR family and YOUR home environment with an added 12 months phone support to get you through your first year!
So when someone tells you that "You need to go to puppy school to socialise your dog." You can let them know that it is no longer the case and that you can safely do it yourself.
Dog Behaviourist or Dog Trainer?
I'll let you in on a little secret. When you are googling for a dog behaviourist in Australia your search results may return dog behaviourist but in reality you will be getting a dog trainer. Why? Because there simply is no nationally recognised "dog behaviourist" titled courses in Australia to date.
There are dog trainer certification courses in which you will learn how to train dogs and treat dog behavioural issues, just as there are vet behaviourist courses...but on the other side of the completed course you'll be a Dog Trainer, Companion Animal Trainer or Vet Behaviourist....not "dog behaviourist" by strict definition.
So in Australia a dog behaviourist is generally....
A) An accredited dog trainer specialising in dog behavioural issues
or
B) A non accredited dog trainer specialising in dog behavioural issues
So who or what is The Sydney Dog Trainer? The TSDT is a nationally accredited dog trainer with a CIII in Dog Behaviour & Training who specialises in dog behavioural issues AKA a dog behaviourist. I also specialise in one on one in home puppy training consultations.
Dog Trainers Certificate
An Unregulated Indusrty?
You wouldn't go to an unqualified doctor to get medical help, would you? Yet hundreds, if not thousands of Australians every year unwittingly get unqualified or inexperienced dog trainers to help them with their beloved fur friends. Don't get me wrong these dog trainers are not doing anything wrong or illegal because the dog training industry is unregulated but this doesn't really help your cause as I am sure you rather a qualified and experienced dog trainer more than one who is not.
When choosing a dog trainer your first and foremost question should be are they a nationally accredited dog trainer...if not then move on to the next website! Be careful of vague answers such as I am qualified. You need to hear the words nationally accredited! Why? Because those words are your GUARANTEE that you are getting a professional help from a dog trainer that has completed a PROFESSIONAL dog training course by a GOVERNMENT approved provider.
There is one STAND OUT professional dog trainer certification course in Australia and that is The National Dog Trainers Federation CIII in Dog Behaviour and Training.
The National Dog Trainers Federation website states
"The National Dog Trainers Federation (NDTF) is Australia’s only government-approved provider for professional canine trainers. We offer a nationally recognised Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training."
How Much Is Home Dog Training?
Home Dog Training prices can vary greatly between between dog training businesses. People who have bought into a dog training franchise obviously have to pay that 50k plus back before they start getting a return on their investment on top of the franchisor cut on every job, so they will be at the higher end when it comes to pricing as they do not have a lot to play around with. They also do not have flexibility when it comes to pricing because the franchisor will dictate the pricing.
Sole traders or small businesses are generally more affordable. They do have costs but in general not to the degree of a franchisee so their pricing tends to be more competitive.
Generally a visit from a Professional Dog Trainer with the proper qualifications and experience will be similar in price as to what you would pay an electrician or plumber to come and do a couple of hours work on your house.
If you've found a "mow your lawn price" for a dog trainer to come and do a home dog training visit than your most probably putting your dog in to the hands of an unqualified and in experienced trainer. By the same token you could be doing just the same at the higher end of the pricing scale.
The only way you can be SURE you are getting what you are paying for is to make sure your dog trainer is A NATIONALLY ACCREDITED DOG TRAINER!
good dogs go to good places
Let’s face it. If your dog is out of control then he is pretty limited in the places he can go. Socialising your dog properly at a young age, learning to be calm and relaxed around other dogs(NOT SEEING THEM AS PLAY THINGS) coupled with good obedience training will allow you to have a dog to truly enjoy going to some really great places.
Home dog training services
The Sydney Dog Trainer provides professional home dog training services for behavioural, pupppy and obedience dog training all in the comfort of you own home or local surrounds.
Behavioural Dog Training
Puppy Training
Obedience Training
What Are The Differences Between The Two Major Dog Training Certification Courses?
Every now and then I am called by people who wish to em-bark, no pun intended. well maybe just a little 🙂 on a dog training career. Typically one of the first questions I am asked about is what is the difference between delta and the national dog trainers federation and which do you prefer. I usually say you need to give them a call and have a chat. I am then told they have called but would like a third party’s perspective. I typically reply in jest “don’t give up your day job.” Though tongue in cheek it is a serious response to a would be trainer. There are a lot of established dog trainers both big and small and the competition is fierce. After this I return to the question asked which no doubt has arisen from the information in our “about us” page that reveals I have completed the NDTF cert 3 dog behaviour and training course plus attended the DELTA 2 day seminar and that my wife has completed the DELTA cert 4 companion animal training course.
Remember the information below is one persons viewpoint (mine) and I am NOT speaking on behalf of delta or the ndtf. For a thorough and complete assessment of both training organisations, call DELTA and the NDTF.
What’s the main difference?
“The NDTF teaches you the full training matrix which is addition behavioural strengthening, addition behavioural weakening, subtract behavioural strengthening and subtract behavioural weakening.
DELTA teaches half of the training matrix which is addition behavioural strengthening and subtraction behavioural weakening”
Reliability?
“Both DELTA and NDTF have a practical complex skill component to their course. Students must teach their dog a complex skill such as retrieving a tissue on command and then putting it into the bin for example. The NDTF are INSANELY big on reliability and the proofing of behaviours and as a result the NDTF students dog must complete the complex skill in two different environments. One environment can be familiar to the dog, the second environment unfamiliar such as a park, sidewalk etc where there are more distractions around. The dog must also perform on command the behavior at least 3 out of 4 times in both environments. The command is only to be given once. The same stringent requirements were required for the scent detection elective.
The requirement for DELTA’S complex skill was to demonstrate that their dog had learned a complex skill. There was no requirement for the student to show the behavior being performed in any other environment or that the dog could perform the behavior successively on command other than the one time. Note: That was a few years back maybe 6 years ago and their requirements may now be different.”
Good canine citizen or obedient dog?
“Our training instructors are pet dog trainers – we don’t aspire to teach people to train security dogs, obedience champions, detector dogs or to undertake any other specialised training but with the knowledge and practical skills we provide, you can go anywhere” extract from Delta website
“As you can see from the above extract DELTA is more geared to pet dog training. The NDTF is more geared towards obedience. The difference between pet dog training and obedience dog training can be summed up in one word ,RELIABILITY and who doesn’t want a reliable dog! Reliability can be the difference between life and death not only for working dogs and their handlers, think bomb detector dogs but also for the family dog. ” NDTF students are not taught to train security dogs but are trained to teach obedience and may choose electives such as scent detection and service dog training which all require high reliability.
Fears and aggression?
“My impression is that DELTA seems reluctant for its trainers to deal with these behaviours and would rather the trainer refer the client to a vet behaviourist. Remember that is the impression I get. Call and get the facts! The NDTF trainer is trained to deal with and treat a range of behavioural problems including fears and aggression. That being said if the NDTF trainer felt it was beyond his scope or experience he should not hesitate to recommend the dog to a more experienced trainer or to a vet behaviourist.” Tail chasing is one behavioural issue I have no hesitation in recommending a vet behaviourist.
What type of trainer do you want to be?
“NDTF allows you to employ any or all training methods. For instance the NDTF does not care if you wish only to use addition behavioural strengthening and subtraction behavioural weakening like DELTA or if you use the four quadrants.. What the NDTF cares about is that you KNOW ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS to train a dog. The path you take as a trainer is UP TO YOU.
DELTA made it clear or it did when I attended their two day seminar several years ago that to be a DELTA trainer you were ONLY to use addition behavioural strengthening and subtraction behavioural weakening. Subtraction behavioural strengthening and addition behavioural weakening WERE NOT to be part of a DELTA trainers tool kit.”
What are the similiarities?
“Both have really good experienced trainers on their team and both have a passionate love for dogs.
The skills and techniques for training complex skills are exactly the same.”
What are the trainers backgrounds?
“The NDTF trainers background seem to be mostly dog related especially in the areas of military, police, drug detection and man stopper experience. Areas where HIGH RELIABILITY is an important factor.
DELTA trainers backgrounds seem to be more from zoos and marine park backgrounds.”
Why did I choose NDTF?
“I’ll be frank. Delta offered only half the training picture and I wanted the full picture. The NDTF course enabled me to having the full training picture AND the freedom to choose what type of trainer I want to be. So what type of trainer did I choose to be? A balanced one that has the full training matrix at his disposal.”
Dog Training Guarantees
And My Thoughts
When googling best dog trainers or dog trainers you’ll invariably see ads with the words….NO RESULT NO PAY, LIFE GUARANTEE, SATISFACTION GUARANTEE and probably 5 or so more variants.
Clint Eastwood was one quoted from a movie saying “if you want a guarantee, get a toaster!” And he is pretty well on the money with that especially when it comes to dog training. A dog is not a toaster which is a man made product which can easily has the faulty part removed and replaced with a brand spanking new one. A dog trainer can’t remove the unseen broken part, he has to work with it using behavioural modification techniques to repair or rewire the issue.
The most a dog trainer should give is…..just like doctors…… a success rate. Doctors cannot give guarantees and it would be amiss of them if they did. Doctors can and do give success rates.
My experiences with dog training guarantees. Firstly as a dog trainer I have not hired a dog trainer that has offered a guarantee so my experience comes from clients who have hired dog trainers who offered guarantees only to hire or enquire of my services at a later date.
Firstly I am sure that the dog trainers who offer the guarantees will honour them so that is not the issue. The issue will lie with the client who hired their services.
So what do I mean? Let’s take the NO RESULT, NO PAY or SATISFACTION GUARANTEE as our first example. The problem with this guarantee is YOU have tell the trainer after having him invest two hours or more of his time trying to help you that you won’t pay because your not satisfied. Now if you are iron clad and a tough nut then you’ll have no problem with this and you won’t have to pay a cent but the fact is most if not all people who were in this situation, at the completion of the dog training session would find it very hard not to pay for the visit….even it if was a complete shambles. The reason is most people are nice people, most people would rather avoid an uncomfortable situation {For those alpha male and females out there please note I am saying most…not all:)}
So how do I know this….a phone enquiry told me that he wasn’t happy with a visit he had from a dog trainer for a puppy training visit. He said stuff he was saying didn’t sound right etc. This guy clearly wasn’t happy and still paid. I did the same thing to a plumber who couldn’t clear a blocked drain, that the next plumber I called was able to!
Now on to the “I will come back as many times or unlimited times” or life of dog guarantee. Once again this guarantee offered will no doubt be honoured by the trainer but will it be honoured by you.
My experience with clients who have purchased the bells and whistles dog training visit and paid a premium for it face this scenario.
Scenario one, the dog trainer is inexperienced, a newbie and is still unable to help resolve or improve the behaviour on successive visits. After the 2nd visit, the client will say what is the point in getting him back again for a 3rd of 4th visit…..simply because your not seeing any improvement. The problem with this is you have paid a big premium for this guarantee that your not going to use. I have encouraged these people to use the guarantee but they won’t, they’re at the I’ll try another dog trainer stage.
Scenario two is exactly the same as scenario one however the dog trainer is experienced and knowledgeable however the dog has a critical period issue. If the dog has a critical period issue then no amount of visits or training will be able to help the dog. You’ve heard the term scarred for life…well that is a critical period issue. So once again after no improvement you will stop getting the dog trainer around for a 3rd or 4th visit.
What’s the reality? The reality is if your dog has a behavioural issue and you have qualified and experienced dog trainer visit….then in all likely hood you’ll only need the one visit. Why? Well I’ve been doing home dog training for over 12 years and it is very rare for me to do a 2nd visit. I offer phone support but the thing that I am great at is teaching my clients how to train their dogs. My clients are my real stars. All of my great reviews are because my clients have listened and followed through with the training and recommendations that I gave them.
So do I offer any dog training guarantees? Not on your life. I know that some dogs can have critical period issues which means no matter how good of a dog trainer /dog behaviourist you are, you will not never be able to help that dog. The other reason is I feel it is really unfair to lure you in with a guarantee that I know in all probability you will not use or take up.
Do I have a good success rate? Absolutely! I would say 99.8% of the time. It is very rare that I walk away from a visit shaking my head thinking “man! they’ve got big problems”
Why do I have a good success rate? Well, firstly there are jobs that I will not take such as issues that are dog park related. The dog park is an environment in which you have have little or no control of the dog. The owners expectation/goals for their dog’s behavioural issue in this environment is for all intended purposes unrealistic. A wise dog trainer once said “you can’t train a dog without a lead!” The dog park is an off leash environment! so I’ll stick with the wise dog trainer.
Secondly, I’ll only take jobs that I have loads of experience and success with!
You’ll find that the best dog trainers usually don’t offer dog training guarantees simply because they don’t have to! Their reviews, experience, qualifications and no nonsense honesty will draw you to them. After you’ve made an initial enquiry you’ll find that the best dog trainers won’t pester or hound you (pardon the pun) by calling or texting pressuring you to make a booking.
Offering a dog training guarantee for a dog is simply a marketing ploy…something to get you over the line, to get a booking. It is business motivated….not dog training motivated.
There is only one guarantee I am happy to give and it should be the most important guarantee that you look for from a dog trainer! Nationally Accredited Dog Trainer!
In an unregulated dog training industry, I can GUARANTEE YOU, that when you hire The Sydney Dog Trainer that you will be getting a professional dog trainer WHO IS a Nationally Accredited Dog Trainer, WHO HAS a Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training and WHO HAS 12 yrs plus home dog training experience. Now that is something I CAN guarantee!
Speak Soon!
The Sydney Dog Trainer provides home dog training services to Sydney, Inner West, Hills District and other suburbs