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Saturday 9am - 2pm Sunday 9am - 4pm

Herdy Nerdy Dog Training - Fear Free Herding Breed Specialist, Pakenham (2025)

30/03/2025

Important Notice:

We would like to inform you that, for the foreseeable future, we will not be taking on new clients. This decision has been made to allow us time to restructure, rebuild, and most importantly, focus on recovery.

As many of you know, the dog training world can be filled with controversial opinions, methods, and people. It can be challenging to find a place where your personal morals, ethics, skills, and knowledge align comfortably. Unfortunately, there are toxic individuals who form fake friendships for the sake of feeding their egos, seeking validation, and pushing their own opinions, often at the expense of others.

Through my journey of continuing education, particularly within the veterinary medicine field, I’ve come to realize that much of what I was taught in the past conflicts with what we now truly understand about dogs. The most difficult part of this has been realizing that this new knowledge is often not accepted by certain communities. Some in the dog training community seem to prioritize their own qualifications over those of professionals with higher education in veterinary medicine, nutrition, or behavior.

I will always remain a Fear Free, Welfare First trainer, and my ethics have not changed. However, I have made the decision to step away from the Force Free community as a whole. I will no longer tolerate the bullying, exclusion, or “mean girl” behavior that some individuals engage in.

For my current clients, please rest assured that nothing is changing.
For those who have sent enquiries already, you are still welcome to on-board.

We thank you for your patience and understanding while we take this much needed time.

To be clear; I will continue to be Fear Free, Force Free, whatever label you wanna use. I do not and will never support the use of aversive methods- whether they're being applied to dogs or humans.

25/12/2024

Wishing our Herdy Nerdy Family a Very Merry Christmas!!!

12/11/2024

Behaviour Suppression refers to the process of reducing or eliminating undesirable behaviours typically through the use of punitive measures or aversive techniques. These methods have serious ethical implications, especially when used without an understanding of the potential negative effects on the individual or animal involved. Often behaviour suppression appears to have worked because the behaviour stops- but lets look at what’s really happening….
1. Positive Punishment: Introducing an aversive stimulus following the unwanted behaviour. For example, a dog receiving a reprimand or a shock from a collar when it barks excessively.
2. Negative Reinforcement: Removing an aversive stimulus when the desired behaviour occurs. For example, releasing pressure on a head halter when it stops the pulling.
3. Extinction: Ignoring the behaviour so that it decreases over time due to lack of reinforcement.
It's important to note that behaviour suppression primarily focuses on reducing undesirable behaviours without necessarily promoting positive or desirable behaviours. It does not address the need or emotion behind the behaviour- all it tells the dog is that they cannot communicate their needs or feelings in that way. The dog will still feel the same, but has now lost their way to communicate it. This is dangerous for many reasons, but most commonly the responses are:
1. Behaviour Escalation: This might look like your dogs aggression or reactivity getting worse- this is because their concerns that bad things will happen near their trigger were reinforced by the addition of the aversive. Essentially, we confirmed for them that they had a reason to be worried in the first place.
2. Shut Down: Essentially, the dog gives up. The root cause of the behaviour still has not been addressed but the dog learns it is hopeless to communicate their needs or emotions. This is often referred to as learned helplessness.
Behaviour suppression is not recommended or ethical due to the potential negative side effects of punishment-based methods. Fear Free methods reliant on positive reinforcement and a holistic approach leads to more lasting and ethical behaviour change.

08/11/2024

BENEFITS OF TRICK TRAINING
Did you know that teaching your dog tricks goes beyond fun and games? It’s a fantastic way to bond with them while reaping numerous benefits! Here’s why you should start training today:
1. Mental Stimulation: Tricks challenge your dog's brain, keeping them sharp and engaged. For our highly intelligent working breeds, it can be a good way to get that brain firing and find a good use for all that mental energy!
2. Physical Exercise: Many tricks involve movement, providing a great way to burn off energy. Trick Training is a great way to burn some energy on a rainy day!
3. Strengthened Bond: Training sessions enhance the bond between you and your dog through positive interaction.
4. Improved Behaviour: Trick training involves lots of repetition and rewarding success- This helps make our dogs feel good and gives the brain a well needed boost of happy chemicals!
5. Confidence Boost: Successfully learning new tricks boosts your dog's confidence and sense of accomplishment. This can be super helpful for nervous or fearful dogs and young dogs who are bit overwhelmed by the world!
Share your dog's favourite tricks below! 🐶✨

05/11/2024

IS OBEDIENCE REALLY THAT IMPORTANT?

Unlike Shania Twain, I am impressed by rocket scientists. You know what doesn’t impress me much? Seeing dogs hauling along in a heel, not taking their eyes off their handler. Dogs who sit for everything. Dogs who are more concerned with following orders than being an actual dog.

So, why do so many people focus on this?

Many people believe, falsely, that an obedient dog is a good dog. They’re not wrong- all dogs are good dogs. But their level of obedience has very little to do with it. Teaching some obedience skills can be super beneficial for a dog – having them recall means they can experience off leash freedom, having them able to walk nicely on a lead makes it easier to take them out on adventures.

Instead of Obedience, we prefer to focus on Life Skills. The difference being that Life Skills serve our dogs and have a purpose in keeping our dogs happy, healthy, safe and social members of society.

When teaching your dog life skills- some things to consider:

 How is this skill going to make my dogs life better?
 Does this skill impede on my dogs ability to enjoy life and just be a dog?

Your dog does not need to walk in a fancy heel their whole walk- they need to sniff and explore and enjoy their walk – after all, who’s walk is it anyway? . Instead, we teach them how to walk nicely and ask to access things without ripping our shoulders from their sockets.

For our reactive dogs- obedience is not going to make them feel safe. Obedience is not going to change the emotions behind the behaviour. Demanding obedience in the face of fear will almost certainly make it worse though….

Obedience is not the solution. Life Skills & Manners are far more important.

01/11/2024

WELFARE FIRST

We make so many choices for our dogs every single day- many of those choices we make control every aspect of their life. We control when they eat, what they eat, how they access that food, when they leave the house, where they sleep and more… It is our job as Dog Guardians to make sure those choices are in their best interests. Our furry friends bring us endless joy, unconditional love, and companionship – the least we can do is ensure they live their best lives. Here’s how we put Welfare First when considering our Training choices:

 Proper Nutrition: Feed your dog a balanced diet suited to their age, size, and health needs. Consult your vet for the best options. Links between good nutrition, a healthy gut biome and good mental wellbeing are strong- its as though there’s a 2nd brain in your dogs gut! Good nutrition = Happy gut biome = happy dog!
 Regular Exercise: Keep your dog active with daily walks, playtime, and mental stimulation. That exercise doesn’t need to be a walk though! You can exercise your dog at home playing Herding Games or using things like Flirt Poles. Remember though that exercise alone is not going to wear out your dog- you need to wear out their brain too! A calm dog can only be achieved when our dogs are content and their needs met!
 Routine Vet Visits: Schedule regular check-ups to catch any health issues early. Preventative care is key! We recommend all clients have a Vet Check before commencing training- why? So we can make sure that we are addressing the root cause of the behaviour and that we are working with a dog in their best state possible for learning!
 Love and Attention: Spend quality time with your dog. They thrive on interaction and affection. Put the screens down and go on an adventure together!
 Safe Environment: Dogs thrive when they know they are safe. Make sure YOU are their safety- comfort them when they need it, support them when they’re having a hard time and make sure they know you have their back at all times. Bad or Negative things should never come from you or because of you!

29/10/2024

ENRICHMENT

What is Enrichment and why does your Trainer keep talking about it?
Enrichment can be defined a few different ways- for us we define it as “Meeting the dogs physical and emotional needs through the use of activities that encourage species specific appropriate behaviours”
For our dogs, those behaviours include (but aren’t limited to) :
 Licking
 Sniffing
 Chewing
 Socialising
 Hunting & Exploring
 Scavenging
 Digging & Tunnelling

The enrichment you choose for your dog should be designed to meet your DOGS needs- somewhere many people go wrong is trying to use enrichment to meet their own needs. Getting 5 minutes peace while your puppy gnaws away at a Kong should be a bonus, not the goal! A Few tips for Enrichment:

 Teach your dog HOW to do the activity first. Even if it seems really obvious to you what needs to be done!
 Start everything very easy! Stuff Kongs really loose to start with, don’t screw a Twist and Treat shut etc.
 Don’t Freeze everything all the time- This one drives me insane! Frozen food has little to no scent- our dogs LIVE for a sniff! Would you want to eat all your meals frozen with no olfactory input? Neither does your dog.
 Use recycling around your home- ripping and shredding boxes is a fantastic predatory outlet!
 Needing some quiet time? Go for sniffing activities- 10 minutes of sniffing burns the same energy as 45 mins of running!
 Struggling with destructive behaviour? Find a way to build it into your dog’s day in a way that doesn’t ruin your things! They have a NEED to do it, so you may as well give them a safe way to do so!

What’s your favourite enrichment? Tell us below!

25/10/2024

THE FIVE FREEDOMS

What are the 5 Freedoms and what do they have to do with dog training?
The Goal of Fear Free, Force Free and Welfare First Training is to ensure that we teach & raise our dogs in a way that does not impede on their 5 Freedoms, but instead aims to make them key to the choices we make for our dogs.
The 5 Freedoms are:

Freedom from Hunger & Thirst
Freedom from Discomfort
Freedom from Pain, Injury and Disease
Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour
Freedom from Fear & Distress

So, how do we incorporate this into our training?

 We don’t use training that include starvation or food restriction, or rationing. This includes not using protocols like “Nothing in Life is Free” and training dogs on empty tummy’s!
 We don’t use discomfort as a training tool. This means not removing or removing access to bedding, kennels, toys, food or pain relief to name a few. We also don’t use tools that require the dog to feel uncomfortable such as head halters, saddle harnesses and no pull harnesses.
 We investigate the underlying reasons for behaviour FIRST and make sure that we address any injury, pain or disease process that might be happening to cause or drive the behaviour.
 We encourage normal dog and breed specific behaviours- this includes limiting Fetch and replacing it with Herding games and the inclusion of Enrichment that helps to mimic species specific behaviours like scavenging, hunting, sniffing and socialising
 We don’t use tools that cause fear and distress such as shock collars, prong collars, yelling and psychological intimidation.

Every animal has the right to feel safe, comfortable & to be treated humanely.

21/10/2024

UH OH!

Our email appears to be malfunctioning - looks like it's been happening since around Saturday evening! 🤦🏼‍♀️

For those of you waiting on replies to enquiries, please hold tight! If you've reached out by social media before, feel free to flick us a message and let us know you've emailed so we can keep an eye out for it!

It looks as though the malfunction is with me sending emails rather than receiving them!!

FRANKSTON CREW: I haven't forgotten you, my emails are just not making it to you! I will book your sessions in today- if the times don't suit, please message me on FB or IG!

27/09/2024

Empowered Explorers Blog- NEW WALK! Lakeside Hike & Bike Trail located in the Lakeside Estate of Pakenham! A Lovely, easy walk suitable for most!

11/07/2024

ETHICS BEFORE EGO.

This is probably one of the most important skills any trainer can have.

So, what is it?

A Trainer who puts ethics before their ego will.....

😊 Refer out to another trainer when they are not skilled enough to handle the case in front of them

😊 Seek Further Training and Education to keep their skills and knowledge relevant & up to date.

😊 Use the most up-to-date science backed methods of training at all times

🙂 Speak nicely about other FF Trainers and their skills. They won't gossip about them, talk down to them, treat them like less , exclude them or prevent them from learning and growing. FF Trainers should be team players who work together for the good of the dogs and the industry.

And above all...

🔥 They will put the welfare and wellbeing of you and your dog ABOVE ALL.

They will not:

🙅‍♀️ Become argumentative, publicly attack or vilify , create childish memes and aggressive posts/comments about people who question them or seek studies to back a particular stance

🙅‍♀️ Take on or Continue to work with a dog when they do not have the skills and ability to help that dog

🙅‍♀️ Place blame on Owners or Owner Compliance

🙅‍♀️ Make claims that they cannot back with relevant studies or observations.

🙅🏼‍♀️ Gossip, Talk "S**t", Talk down to or about, shame, or otherwise bully other FF Trainers.

Don't forget that you can and should ALWAYS ask your Trainer questions about their education, their recent learning and their views of what is happening with your dog. It is ok to seek a second opinion. Just because a Trainer has been around for a while or holds a well known Qualification does not make them all knowing!

Choose Kind. Choose Qualified. Choose Ethics over Ego.

Herdy Nerdy Dog Training - Fear Free Herding Breed Specialist

30/03/2025

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12/11/2024

08/11/2024

05/11/2024

01/11/2024

29/10/2024

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11/07/2024

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