DynamoDogs

01/07/2025

You got yourself a kelpie? (Or any other herding dog for that matter)
Make sure you know what you’ve got and treat them appropriately.

Give your dog some training and a suitable task to focus on, ie a job to do, and make sure you know what you’ve signed up for.
You’ll be in for a ride either way, so make the most of it!

So you got a kelpie.? Kelpie have become more popular as companion dogs. The cost of buying one relative to many other breeds and the numerous rescue groups trying to place non working working dogs has seen an influx of kelpies and kelpie cross dogs into pet homes. Kelpies make great pets and particularly well bred kelpies as quality breeders want good temperamented calm dogs able to think. A hyperactive adhd dog, contrary to popular belief, is not a suitable farm dog. It is probably not a suitable pet dog either but they are appearing more and more as well meaning people spring into action to find homes for these behavioural challenged dogs. A kelpie is a kelpie and is not the run of the mill pet. It is smart, really smart and can quickly train its owner without its owner even knowing he was being trained. It is energetic. It finds pleasure in controlling movement. Cars, bikes, skateboards, flies, birds, balls, shadows are all opportunities to work. It will react to movement and will do so continuously if allowed. It will stalk your cat chickens or any other living moving object. So you got a kelpie? Understand, you got a kelpie! Crate training your pet will help control it and give it down time. Exercise is important but not the be all and end all. You could end up with a fit idiot instead if just an idiot. Mental stimulation, rules and boundaries. Clarity and consistency in training. These are your responsibility when you have a kelpie. Heading to the dog beach and allowing him to run with the other dogs is not training. Its similar to handing your kids over to another bunch of kids to give yourself a break. They come back needing more training. 😳 So you got a kelpie? guess what, you now have a Kelpie, hold on for the ride or get yourself educated.

Writttn by Simon Leaning
Marionvale Working Dogs

27/06/2025

Why is play so important to your dog?

Daily playtime with your dog is an important part of a happy life together. Why? Because playtime is essentially practicing the prey sequence, which is essential to survival for a predatory animal, which is what your dog actually is. Plus, it’s a lot of fun. 🥳
So, what is this prey sequence thing? Let’s have a look-see at some details.

Officially termed the Predatory Motor Pattern (PMP), the sequence is often stated as follows: search > orient > stalk > chase > grab-bite > kill-bite > celebrate > dissect > consume.
Depending on your dog’s breed or breed mix, parts of the sequence will be stronger and other parts weaker, due to selective breeding.

For example, herding dogs have been bred specifically for the first parts (search, orient, stalk, chase) as those are important behaviours for moving livestock. Terriers in the other hand, often don’t have much orienting or stalking, but they are very strong on the chase-bite-dissect (as anyone knows well if they have ever seen what a Jack Russel does to a soft toy with a squeaker inside) 🐕🧸

Celebration can look different for different dogs as well, but this is generally where the dog will possess and parade around with the ‘prey’ item (the toy in this case). Although it might not seem like a big part of predatory behaviours, this is actually important. Especially for play, which is in essence just a practise run for the real thing.

So, why should you care about the PMP? Well, because it is an essential part of who and what your dog is. By offering a suitable outlet for the prey drive and the need to hunt gives your dog a big dose of breed fulfilment and an outlet for all their feelings. In short, letting them fill their bucket with appropriate searching, chasing, biting and dissection means there will be less of an urge to steal your socks, chase delivery drivers and rip up your couch cushions. 🧦📦

After all, all the so-called ‘problem behaviours’ your dog displays are actually perfectly normal for them. They just aren’t always suitable for a modern human lifestyle. So, spend some time figuring out what your dog’s original purpose was and what job they were meant to do, and then find a way to offer that through suitable play and activities.

If you want some help with it all, DM ‘here comes Johnny’ and I’ll send you a free resource that takes you through the details.

Now, go play with your dog. 🐶 🎉🧡

27/06/2025

This is my idea of a good time with dogs. Hanging out with a black dog reactive GSD and having her behave perfectly okay with my own dog, both enjoying off leash freedom

23/06/2025

Train FOR the situation, not in it.

You may have heard a whole heap of stuff about how you need to train your dog to not be reactive to stuff. Maybe you’ve tried feeding treats to your dog in an attempt to divert their attention; you’ve worked on redirecting their attention by doing the ‘look at that!’ game; you’ve gone out of your way to avoid triggers (hello 3am dog walking!); or maybe you’ve tried constantly correcting and popping the leash whenever your dog blows up.
Bu so far, nothing’s really working.

So, what is the issue here? After all, it is nearly impossible to get used to something if you never get exposed to it, right?
Well, yes and no.

Think of it this way. You want to expose your dog to their triggers so you can practise an alternative behaviour to do INSTEAD of blowing up on leash. But… (there’s always one of them) if you’re constantly going out chasing triggers to try practising with, you might actually end up making things worse. 🤯

Instead, focus on getting your dog to want to work with you and make this so stupidly simple that they just can’t say no to it. That is, make training first and foremost about you and your dog, rather than about the triggers.
‘But how?’, you might ask. Good question! 💡

Start by teaching your dog all the alternative behaviours you want them to do INSTEAD of blowing up on leash. After all, if we want our dogs to choose a different behaviour without hesitation or delay, we need to make that choice super easy to do. That is, you need to spend time building your dog’s motivation and enthusiasm for working with you first, before taking it out into the bigger world.
Build motivation for the task; develop clear communication so you’re both understanding what needs to be done and create enthusiasm for the job.

In short, make training with you the highlight of your dog’s day. Play with them, be silly and do tricks together, get your dog engaged and onboard and show them that hanging out with you equals fun every time! 🥳🐕
(and no, this doesn't men you have to turn into a complete clown every time)

Once you have that pattern sorted, then you can start introducing distraction and competing motivators in the environment. Because once you have enthusiasm for what needs to be done, the work will be a lot easier for both of you. 👏

If you want some more information on how to build your dog’s motivation, comment ‘LET’S GO!’ and I’ll send you a free guide to help you reset your reinforcers and get your dog’s drive back. 💪

22/06/2025

“The danger is that pet owners demand a medication to resolve a problem, when the problem is actually them”.
Dogs have different needs and wants to humans, which we struggle to respond to, and instead, we "expect the dogs to adapt to our way of life".
"If you want a dog, expect it to do doggy things, and expect it to have doggy needs”

Excellent read from ABC news on the over-reliance on medication to ‘solve’ so-called ‘behaviour problems’ in dogs.

Dogs are increasingly being prescribed medications to treat "problem behaviours", but experts suggest non-drug solutions could be better.

20/06/2025

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few decades, you’ve probably discovered the wonder that is a special interest group on social media. You know what I’m talking about, that place where all the members have one thing in common: dogs, dog training and dog behaviour. Maybe you’ve even gone one step further and joined a group targeted at your specific breed!

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed you hop online thinking that this will be so much fun! You’ll get the chance to share pictures of your latest rescue with likeminded people, maybe ask a question or two about puppies or just talk about your favourite thing all day long, i.e. your dog: furry best mate and constant companion.

Keen for hearty discussions and interesting perspectives you venture out and ask a question of the group.
And then…oh boy.
The answers start coming. The so-called ‘facts’, the myths and all the straight-up nonsense about how you ought to train your dog; what you should and shouldn’t do; what your breed can and can’t do; how long things will take to teach and why this, that and the other method won’t work/is outdated/requires a superhuman level of precision and timing to actually get results and so on and so forth, ad nauseam.

So, in order to save you the confusion, frustration and most importantly, time, here are the top five popular ideas the internet would like you to believe about dog training, in no particular order:

#1: Your dog’s breed is too stubborn/dominant/dumb/plain old impossible to train
Reality: Your dog’s brain works just like any other. The basic rules of behaviour and learning apply to all dogs, no matter the breed. What differs, however, is what motivates the dog to want to learn and engage. Some dogs are all about food, other prefer toys and still others just want to sniff, chase or bite things.

#2: If you didn’t start training your dog as a puppy, it’s a lost cause.
Reality: You CAN, in fact, teach an old dog new tricks. Well-rehearsed and established habits are harder to break, but it’s not impossible. Just ask anyone who has finally quit their a-pack-a-day habit after a lifetime of smoking. You just need a clear plan (and maybe some help here and there).

#3: ‘Fixing’ your reactive dog will take years of dedication, if it’s even possible at all
Reality: Dogs with Big Feelings are just dogs and reactivity is actually fairly basic. The reason it drags on is because so much of dog training focuses on stuff that doesn’t move the needle. Focus on your dog’s specific fulfilment needs, practise with safe exposure and learn to communicate clearly: that’s the secret sauce.

#4: Never say ‘no’ to your dog
Reality: The word ‘no’ is important as it sets a boundary around what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour. Saying no to one thing allows you to say yes to a bunch of others. Teaching your dog what both words mean is the key to clear communication. (And yep, this applies to humans as well)

#5: You just need to show them who is boss
Reality: *sigh* Does anyone really still believe this in 2025? Who would you rather work for: an obsessive control-freak who keeps tabs on your every move, or someone who trusts you to know what’s right, and who will calmly call you out on your nonsense when you’re crossing the line?

Bonus, #6: Your dog just needs more socialising
Reality: Meeting and saying hello to every single person and dog out there won’t magically fix anything. What helps is having a purpose, clear and consistent boundaries and someone who helps guide you in the right direction when you’re unsure of things.

If you're stuck or in need of some help with your dog, reach out to a professional. There's bound to be someone out there you vibe with but if not, you could always chance it and ask the internet...
🚀🐕🧡

Send a message to learn more

08/02/2025

“It made the last 5 years make total sense to me now!! Thanks for the push, wouldn’t have done it otherwise!!”

Words from a training client taking my advice and heading out for herding training with her city-living border collie with a history of reactivity.

I am so frickin’ proud of Team Brontë for taking the step to try something that they were a little apprehensive about. Breed fulfilment is so important, and if you have a herding dog with big feelings, giving them an appropriate outlet like this can be a relationship lifesaver.

Huge thanks to Dave at Diggers Herding & K9 Education for running workshops for city folks with herding dogs. If you have a kelpie, border collie, cattle dog or similar, do yourself a favour and head out to see Dave. He’s the best. 🧡

05/02/2025

Before getting a dog, please make sure to research the dog’s breed/s and choose wisely, based on what suits your lifestyle.

02/02/2025

Time for a Very Important Question:
Are you Team Kelpie or Team Collie for season 3 of Muster Dogs?
(Assuming you’re all watching it, of course)

01/02/2025

Ever wondered what it’s like to tag along on one of the pack walks for ?

Well, here’s what it’s like at the back of the pack.
Nothing but nice calm and quiet.

Walks run a minimum of three times per month across various locations in Melbourne’s north. If you have at home and you want to join, ping us a DM and let’s talk!

30/01/2025

For all of you who are working on hard stuff with your dogs, whether that is explosive Big Feelings about stuff; a tricky obedience skill; recovery from a health set-back or anything else…
Here’s a tiny reminder that progress isn’t always linear.