DOGS ETC: Dog Trainer Kate Lloyd

05/11/2025

Tintin’s Training Tip 🐾👍
Do you participate in dog sports? Take your dog to the location where the Trial/Competition will be held, in advance, if at all possible, just to familiarise them with the space. Have a walk around, show your dog where they can go to the toilet, and watch out for any potential unexpected distraction issues - birds, possum poo, aircraft, stinky rubbish bins? How your dog responds during your visit might show you training gaps that you need to fill!
If your dog seems comfortable and relaxed, check to see if your dog can respond to known cues, both with and without a reward. If your dog can’t focus on you, can’t respond to known cues, struggles to settle, then it’s unlikely your dog is really ready to work in this location - revisit your environmental habituation process and then build in the training exercises that you will want your dog to demonstrate.
Visiting in advance will also help you prepare yourself, and this can help reduce your stress levels. Most of us struggle with Trial nerves - I know I do! How long will it take you to get there? Is there any shade in the car park? How far will you have to carry your gear? Are there places you can buy food and drinks? Are there accessibility difficulties such as stairs? The better prepared you are, the more relaxed and focused you will be on the day of the event.
Today, Tintin had a trip to KCC Park, as we have entered a Dances With Dogs competition in a couple of weeks time. We couldn’t access the indoor pavilion where the competition is being held, but we checked out all the surroundings and I could look in through the glass doors.
If you aren’t able to visit the actual venue, find out as much as you can about it and ensure you visit similar types of locations. We couldn’t go into the indoor pavilion, but Tintin has been into other indoor locations - Bunnings, Pet Barn, undercover car parks, community Halls etc. so it won’t be a completely unexpected environment for him.
Happy Training and Happy Trialing 🤗

03/11/2025

Kids and Dogs - Tintin’s Tips 🐾👍

* Separation without isolation - use baby gates to strategically control the movements of dogs and kids
* Set up a pet-free zone for the kids, and a kid-free zone for the pets
* Crawling babies can be unsettling or over-exciting for many dogs, and you may need to review your management systems during this stage. A double-fence can help keep things calm when you are not actively supervising interactions, by preventing the baby crawling right up to the dog’s area and putting their hands or face into the dog’s zone.

Here is a link to a free helpful resource that covers preparing your household for the arrival of a new baby, right through to kindergarten age.

https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/animal-welfare-victoria/community-and-education/responsible-pet-ownership-for-children/WAF_VIC_32ppg_Booklet_WEBAUG2018.pdf

14/10/2025

Tintin’s Training Tip 🐾👍
Socialisation and Environmental Exposure doesn’t end when your dog is no longer a puppy. Move into Maintenance Mode and keep up the exposure and socialisation as your dog moves through their adult life stages.
Today, Tintin had a walk through Drouin to see the sights, to practice walking by my side without sniffing or peeing, and to meet a new cow-friend 😆
Although I much prefer walking in quiet parks where there is no traffic or people, I force myself to take Tintin to busier places, for his own good.
Happy Training 🐾🤗

10/10/2025

Trick or Treat? 🎃
Tintin is getting ready for Halloween 🐾👻

And I am running a Special Discount on my online self-study course “Action! Train Your Dog To Be A Movie Star”

25% off - normally $59.99 AUD - reduced to just $45.00 AUD for the month of October

Teach your dog all sorts of tricks for treats 👍 so your dog can be a Halloween star at home 🤗

Course includes: over 6 hours of video, with more than 60 lectures - lifetime access, no expiry date so buy before Oct 31st while the discount applies.

Course covers basic training to advanced skills including stay, come, go to a mark, fetch and carry an item, pull on an item, go to sleep, speak (bark), wave, get in a box, follow a person, “puppy dog eyes”, prick up ears, paw at someone to get attention, jump through an opening, and much more.

Click on the link below ⬇️ or use the Coupon Code HALLOWEEN25 at checkout.
https://www.udemy.com/course/action-train-your-dog-to-be-a-movie-star/learn/lecture/45751325?couponCode=HALLOWEEN25

05/10/2025

My dog Badger stars in the Halloween movie “Boys In The Trees” 🎬
Set in 1977, this Australian film follows two boys who reconnect over their memories and fears as they walk through the woods on Halloween night.
In memory of Badger, and to celebrate his appearance in the film, I am running a Special Discount on my online self-study course “Action! Train Your Dog To Be A Movie Star”

25% off - normally $59.99 AUD - reduced to just $45.00 AUD for the month of October 🎃

Have fun training your dog to be an Animal Actor! Tips, tricks and techniques from a professional animal trainer

Course includes: over 6 hours of video, with more than 60 lectures, covering basic training to advanced skills including stay, come, go to a mark, fetch and carry an item, pull on an item, go to sleep, speak (bark), wave, get in a box, follow a person, “puppy dog eyes”, prick up ears, paw at someone to get attention, jump through an opening, and much more.

Click on the link below ⬇️ or use the Coupon Code HALLOWEEN25 at checkout.
https://www.udemy.com/course/action-train-your-dog-to-be-a-movie-star/learn/lecture/45751325?couponCode=HALLOWEEN25

30/09/2025

Wooooooh 👻🎃
Halloween Special 😁

25% off my super-fun self study online course “Action! Train Your Dog To Be A Movie Star” 🤩 valid until October 31st.
Click on the link, or use the Coupon Code HALLOWEEN25 at checkout.

Over 6 hours of video tutorials - normally $59.99 AUD - reduced to just $45.00 AUD for the month of October.

Use the skills taught in the course to make your own spooky Halloween movie, or teach your dog some fun Halloween-themed tricks! See my link in the comments for an idea 👍

Links to all my online courses can be found on my website www.dogsetc.com.au

Have fun training your dog to be an Animal Actor! Tips, tricks and techniques from a professional animal trainer

18/09/2025

As a follow-up to my previous post, which includes a link in the comments to a video showing Adelaide trainer Daniel Tropeano spending over 17 minutes choking a struggling and highly stressed dog while attempting to drag the dog onto a pedestal, I’d like to show a video of how I approach this sort of confidence building exercise even with a dog that won’t take food in that situation.
Gentle leash guidance, and break the task into small achievable steps. Yes, I am inducing mild stress, but the key factor is that it is MILD stress and the dog achieves success in a short timeframe. There is no long drawn out adversarial battle, I’m simply helping the dog overcome a mental obstacle using gentle pressure and release techniques.
Thank you for watching and please choose your dog trainer carefully.

https://fb.watch/CcfjKiKVIb/?fs=e

16/09/2025

**Warning - Sensitive Topic**

I was recently made aware of a very disturbing video of an Adelaide dog trainer using a slip collar to force a dog onto a pedestal - the video shows the trainer spending 20 minutes trying to drag the dog onto the pedestal as the dog chokes and gags and pants and salivates. The trainer claims that he is teaching the dog to "work through the pressure" in order to "grow".

I have this to say. The training in the video is animal abuse. I am not a purely positive or force-free trainer. I use slip collars for certain training purposes. I understand that dogs benefit psychologically from overcoming mild stress. I believe it is important to expose dogs to resolvable stress in order to develop a resilient dog. But the training shown in the video is unacceptable.

I am attaching a link to a video by Dr. Melanie Uhde which clearly explains the science behind the benefits of "escape training". Dr. Uhde's presentation points out the following key features in how this approach should be carried out in an ethical welfare-driven manner, which I quote below:

* "Unnecessary discomfort does not produce thoughtful learners"

* "How the learning starts matters"

* "Heavily reinforce the wanted behaviour first BEFORE introducing any pressure"

*"Pressure has to be adjusted to the individual dog - sensitive dogs need a lighter touch to get started"

*"If negative reinforcement is handled poorly you don’t get clean avoidance learning, you get a dog stuck in a frantic escape phase, that’s not good training, that’s just creating stress"

The Adelaide trainer claims that the dog will not take food or toy rewards which is frankly rubbish - this dog will definitely work for food or toy when in a suitable environment.

I will put a link to the Adelaide trainer's YouTube video in the comments - it is upsetting so I understand that many people will choose not to watch it. Please AVOID this trainer and do not be sucked in by clever-sounding justifications for animal abuse. If the trainer is happy to publicly show this training, I dread to think what he does when he is not filming.

The ends do not justify the means. There is a far more humane way to teach resilience and confidence as described by Dr. Uhde and as applied by ethical modern balanced trainers that does not involve this level of stress and discomfort. Not to mention the risk of damaging the dog's trachea.

Thank you for reading my rant.

05/09/2025

I have relocated to the lovely town of Drouin in Victoria :-)

I will continue to post Tintin’s Training Tips to help you with your training goals 👍

Existing clients can contact me any time for refreshers or problem-solving advice including video reviews (you send me a video of you training your dog for a critique). And I’d love to hear from you - please keep me updated on your dog training fun and achievements 🥰

All my online training courses can be found on my website - see link below - Scent Detection for Fun or Sport, Rally, Dances With Dogs, Dog Acting, Herding Games and Recall with more courses coming in 2026
https://www.dogsetc.com.au/?page_id=1185

For Drouin/Warragul residents, I am open by appointment for sales of training gear - Black Dog Wear and Mendota brands - harnesses, head halters, recall training leads. Also clickers, treat pouches and training pods (lotus balls). Contact me through this page :-)

I will be back in South Australia in 2027 🐾🤗

10/08/2025

Today Tintin and I took part in a Dances With Dogs competition, and achieved a First Place in Freestyle Starters. We performed our routine to the music from the TV show "Rawhide".

My online self-study course "Beginning Dog Dance For Fun Or Sport" shows you how to teach your dog both Freestyle and Heelwork To Music, including lots of different freestyle tricks, and a variety of heel work positions and transitions, as well as tips on choosing suitable music for your dog and choreographing your routine.

If you love music, and want to teach your dog some fun tricks and have a great bond, this course is for you!

Only $39.99 🙂

Here's a link to the course :-)
https://www.udemy.com/course/beginning-dog-dance-for-fun-or-sport/?referralCode=C5B5E6DC42FC8004334C

08/08/2025

Have fun training your dog to be an Animal Actor! Tips, tricks and techniques from a professional animal trainer.

Sign up for my online self-study course "Action! Train Your Dog To Be A Movie Star"

Here's a link to the course.
https://www.udemy.com/course/action-train-your-dog-to-be-a-movie-star/?referralCode=EF9F6731C6AC4E06A800

“Action! Train Your Dog To Be A Movie Star” contains over 6 hours of video, with 60 lectures, covering basic training to advanced skills including stay, come, go to a mark, fetch and carry an item, pull on an item, go to sleep, speak (bark), wave, get in a box, follow a person, “puppy dog eyes”, prick up ears, paw at someone to get attention, jump through an opening, and much more.

Examples of training equipment including target sticks, platforms and target mats, the movie trainer’s “Look Stick”, and how to use these in training.

Training principles are woven through the course lectures, including the 3 D's of training (Distance, Duration and Distraction) and how to apply them in your training, the use of reward signals to communicate with your dog when it has responded correctly, and how to train silent cues.

Get tips, tricks and techniques from a professional animal trainer. What is an A to B? What sort of dog do you need? What kind of work do Dog Actors do?

The lectures use real examples from films, TV shows and commercials that my dog, or dogs I have trained, have appeared in, to illustrate the professional methods that you can use to teach the acting skills to your dog.

But - guess what - even if your dog isn’t called up for an acting job, you will still have tons and tons of fun training your dog to perform these skills!

Only $59.99 AUD and you get lifetime access to the course - no cut-off date.

Have fun training your dog to be an Animal Actor! Tips, tricks and techniques from a professional animal trainer

02/08/2025

*All SOLD pending pick up*

Flirt Poles - “Rat On A Stick” dog chase toy.
Nearly all gone! Last remaining 😮 Were $45, now $25.
Pink only. Toy included. 160cm long.
Perfect for using up energy in a small space.
Keep the toy low to the ground and let your dog chase and catch it.
Ideal for small to medium breeds - terriers to border collies.
Video in the comments of my previous Belgian Laekenois having fun with our flirt pole.
Healthy outlet for your dog to use their natural prey drive.
Pick up from 6 Gumeracha Road O’Sullivan Beach by appointment.