Goin' Muttz

Goin' Muttz Goin' Muttz aims to empower & educate dogs & their owners on how to effectively communicate.

As another year turns, I find myself feeling incredibly grateful 💛2025 you’ve been a big year. Hard at times, and deeply...
03/01/2026

As another year turns, I find myself feeling incredibly grateful 💛

2025 you’ve been a big year. Hard at times, and deeply rewarding at others.

My son started kindergarten, and my daughter finally got the okay from her specialist to begin daycare. I thought I would gain more time but wow, was I wrong 😅. School mum life is a whole new level of intense (there is so much on… all of the time). A huge shoutout to all of the parents out there, you are rockstars. It’s been a year and I’m still finding my rhythm 🫠.

Balancing the never ending “something” in my personal life - and this year those somethings have been big, yet again - alongside running a full-time Goin’ Muttz which is my heart and soul, supporting my shift working husband (which means I am on pure mum duty when he is at work for the 13 hours), managing at times a very debilitating chronic illness, and being present for my kids has been a crash course in patience, grace, and resilience.

This year has been huge for Goin’ Muttz. Both Canberra and Sydney are next level busy with a strong focus on assistance dog cases, private consultations and nose work.

I’m beyond thrilled (and honestly still a little in awe) that Alana has joined Goin’ Muttz. Her timing, her energy, her heart, it feels like the universe knew exactly what Goin’ Muttz needed. Having her by my side makes everything stronger, smoother, and brighter and I can’t wait to see all the families and dogs we’ll be able to support together in the year ahead.

2025 you’ve been full of lessons, growth, and learning to juggle it all while staying true to why I do this work.

Bigger and better things are coming, and we can’t wait to keep learning, teaching, and touching more lives, human and dogs alike. Thank you for being a part of our journey. We appreciate you all so much. Without you, there would be no us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, from my heart to yours 🐾🎅🎄🐶🥰☀️

For a while now, there was a part of my brain, my nose work dedicated part, that felt locked.I knew I was sitting on all...
22/12/2025

For a while now, there was a part of my brain, my nose work dedicated part, that felt locked.

I knew I was sitting on all of these ideas. I could feel them there, hovering just out of reach. But no matter how much I thought, planned, or tried to push forward, I just couldn’t quite bring them to fruition. Something was missing. A way of looking. A way of thinking. A way of doing.

It showed up quietly but persistently. In moments where I knew there was more depth available, more clarity possible, but I couldn’t quite connect the dots. I could sense a gap in my learning and because of that, a gap in my teaching.

That changed when I attended a weekend workshop with Dana Zinn and Sue Sternberg - the authors of The Dog-Drive Search. Just WOW!

Their work focuses on helping handlers become stronger, more thoughtful search partners by deepening our awareness of how our own movement, timing, and body language influence the dog, often in ways we don’t realise. They are all about supporting a truly dog-driven search to promote independence, joy, and enthusiasm.

What stood out immediately was the emphasis on seeing patterns we often miss. Seeing how small choices on the handler end shape the entire search.

Somewhere over that weekend, the locked door in my brain didn’t just crack open; it swung wide.

Ideas that had felt tangled began to organise themselves. My understanding of nose work shifted, not dramatically, but fundamentally. Nose work felt more honest. More respectful. More connected.

I finished the workshop feeling both grounded and energised - grateful for the reminder that learning is never finished, and that sometimes the growth we need most isn’t about adding more, but about seeing what’s already there through a clearer lens.

Some gaps aren’t holes at all. They’re invitations. And I’m really glad I said yes to this one.

To all of my nose work students, I HIGHLY recommend that you read The Dog-Driven Search (Amazon AU has the audiobook for $21 at the moment). 🎧📖

07/12/2025

Behind every polished assistance dog are countless moments like this. I’ve been putting focused work into helping Yoshi refine one of her vital assistance tasks: locating medication and retrieving it back to her human. It’s a skill that blends forward-thinking, problem-solving, scenting, and calm, purposeful movement.

Here we are at my daughter’s swimming lesson, working on proofing the task in amongst day to day activities.

We still have a way to go in “perfecting” the skill - I’m looking for a touch more speed - but I absolutely love Yoshi’s clarity and confidence.

This skill will one day mean independence and safety for her person, and that’s the heart of every moment we put into training. 💊🦮✨❤️‍🩹

Heart Rate Connection with Dogs 🐾🤍🌿When we hold or rest close to a dog we feel safe with, both our nervous systems begin...
05/12/2025

Heart Rate Connection with Dogs 🐾🤍🌿

When we hold or rest close to a dog we feel safe with, both our nervous systems begin releasing oxytocin - the same hormone that lowers stress and promotes bonding. This shift can soften the fight-or-flight response in both bodies.

As your breathing slows, your dog’s tends to follow. Over time, your heart rates can fall into a shared, calmer rhythm. This process is called biobehavioral synchrony and it happens without effort, just through warmth, touch, and felt safety.

It’s one of the reasons dogs can reduce anxiety, steady emotions, and make our bodies feel like they can finally exhale. 🫶🐶😮‍💨

I always go into an assistance consult prepared with a plan… but life rolls up on a motorbike wearing a LOT of high-vis....
04/12/2025

I always go into an assistance consult prepared with a plan… but life rolls up on a motorbike wearing a LOT of high-vis. 🍋🏍️🦺

That’s when you ditch the plan and let the real-world lesson take centre stage.

For many dogs, the postie ranks high on the “big scary things” list: a faceless, blindingly fluro figure, a noisy engine, and a sudden appearance out of nowhere. From a dog’s perspective, that’s a whole sensory overload delivered by one unexpected visitor.
Thanks to Alex from this potentially tough moment became something genuinely worthwhile. With a gentle approach and a willingness to pause, Alex unintentionally became our guest trainer - helping the dogs have a safe and positive experience. Watching them shift from hesitation to curiosity is exactly why real-world training matters.

Weird is the new normal in assistance dog training.
�We don’t avoid those unpredictable moments - we use them. They’re where dogs learn confidence, curiosity, and how to stay grounded when life gets confusing.
Training doesn’t always go to plan. And honestly, that’s the best part. The messy, unscripted bits are where true progress happens - for dogs and humans alike. 🐾🫟📮💛

30/11/2025

We’re thrilled to celebrate another incredible milestone for Jane and Hattie. 🎉🐾

After passing their PAT for the second year running, their partnership continues to inspire with its strength, dedication, and heart. ❤️✨
And this year brings something truly special: Hattie is now officially certified to fly on commercial airlines. ✈️🐶

This new capability opens the door to greater freedom, broader horizons, and more opportunities for Jane to live life without limits. 🌏💛

Here’s to a team that keeps raising the bar. 🚀

23/11/2025

One of the most fun minutes in training to date. We had one objective for Stitch: get to Mum. The challenge? A maze of poles - and two very annoying human ‘road blocks’ on the outside whose only job was to block him if he tried to go around. What Stitch had to learn was that there was a small gap between the poles that he could slip through. We wanted him to slow, think, and problem-solve his way to the solution. And watching that little moment of resilience and cleverness unfold was brilliant. 🐾🦮💡🎯🧩❤️

22/11/2025

The many treat faces of Loki 🤪🥴🤡🤣🙃

Intro to Nose Work Graduates of my Sydney September starting class 🐕🎓Congratulations to Buddy, Bodhi, Meeko, Jett and He...
22/11/2025

Intro to Nose Work Graduates of my Sydney September starting class 🐕🎓

Congratulations to Buddy, Bodhi, Meeko, Jett and Hector 🥳🙌🎉🎊

You clever sniffers stole the show and my heart in equal measure.

This group was equally one of the most challenging (man, they kept me on my toes) and the most rewarding classes I’ve ever taught. Nose Work has a funny way of reminding us that learning isn’t a straight line - it’s more like a joyful, frustrating, surprising, imperfect, delightful, at times chaotic wiggle. Patience becomes your superpower, and suddenly the tiniest wins feel like fireworks.
And honestly… the magic is always in those small moments, the tiny breakthroughs that make you want to cheer loud enough for you to set off a chorus of happy tail wags. Celebrate those with all the joy you can muster - because they matter.

Proud of these pups, proud of their people, and so grateful for this journey. 💛🐾✨

19/11/2025

Nothing makes our hearts sing like seeing Miss Dory belly-up, wiggling like a happy little Vegemite and blissfully carefree, after giving it her all in a training session with Alana and me. 😆🐾💖🎉

🐶 Meet Julie – our newest Assistance Dog in Training. In her session with Alana, Julie gave us plenty of reasons to smil...
17/11/2025

🐶 Meet Julie – our newest Assistance Dog in Training.

In her session with Alana, Julie gave us plenty of reasons to smile right along with her. 😄💛

Alana worked on her down behaviour, and for an assistance dog, a “down” is so much more than a down. It’s the vessel to settling in public spaces, offering calm around movement, regulating excitement, and showing she can switch gears with confidence. She practised on a variety of surfaces and handled it beautifully - grass can wait for another day as Alana wanted to keep things positive and fair to help maintain that wonderful enthusiasm she brings to her work.

This was Alana’s first session alone with Julie, without mum present. Julie had a few moments, pausing and thinking about heading back home to mum. That’s completely normal for a young dog still building confidence away from their person.
Using treat-toss games helped her get moving again with fun, though Alana was mindful not to create a “plant feet = treat toss” pattern.

🌟But the biggest win of the entire session?
As she is new to assistance training, strategic resets are vital. While they were resting, a calm bull-breed dog wandered past about 5 metres away. Julie looked over with interest and stayed relaxed. No tension. No stress signals. Just quiet, thoughtful observation.
This moment matters because when Julie was a puppy, she was quite drastically attacked by a dog of this type. Her fear reactivity is rooted in a very real experience, and she has every reason to be cautious. So seeing her sit calmly, breathing steady, watching without worry… that’s huge.

Toward the end, Julie gave a little “no food, no thank you,” showing she was getting tired and that’s okay. To prevent a pattern forming, Alana shifted focus to offered behaviours, giving Julie space to think, choose, and re-engage on her own. She did just that, which not only broadens reinforcement beyond food but also strengthens her willingness to participate and offer effort independently.

Big feelings, small steps, beautiful progress. Go, Julie. 🥳

15/11/2025

🎯 With most of my reactive dog cases, I start with cause-and-effect games.
Why? Because many reactive dogs experience the world as unpredictable - they feel things happen to them rather than because of them.

These games help shift that narrative, giving the dog more control over their world. By experimenting and seeing how their actions create outcomes, dogs start to realise that they’re not passive recipients in their environment.

They begin to experiment, predict outcomes and watch how their choices shape the world around them - that’s early scientific thinking in action!💡

And in that process, they learn something powerful: their actions matter. That understanding builds confidence, independence, and a reassuring sense of control.

🧠 Why it matters: If we skip straight to “things just happen,” many dogs feel confused or anxious, especially if they haven’t yet learned the world is safe and understandable. They’ve never built the foundation of “my actions can make good things happen.”
But when they’ve already learned, “I can make things happen; I have some control,” it’s much easier for them to tolerate the moments when things don’t go according to plan. They’re more resilient in the face of unpredictability.

In behavioural psychology, this is the shift from learned control → learned safety. The more control a dog experiences, the safer they feel - even when life throws surprises.

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Gymea, NSW

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