Training With Hart

16/12/2025

🎄 Holiday and New Year Update 🎄

As the year comes to a close, I just want to share a few updates and say a huge thank you to all our wonderful clients and their families for the support throughout the year. It’s been a big one for us!

In 2025, the TWH team tripled in size, and it’s been such a pleasure welcoming Melina and Lindsey. They’re both doing an amazing job supporting clients and progressing so well with their studies and I couldn’t be prouder.

💻 Zoom Sessions Available 💻
Erin has a limited number of ZOOM ONLY sessions available on 10th January. These are suitable for initial behaviour consults and follow-ups. With in-person consults fully booked until February, this is a great option for anyone needing support earlier.

🗒️ Communication 🗒️
Replies may be slower from now until the end of January. We’ll do our best to respond to enquiries and appreciate your patience during this time.
• Lindsay will be in Townsville and has availability for follow-ups or new clients
• Erin will be away on placement until 19th January
• Melina is heading to Canada for a white Christmas and will return in late January

✨ Pricing Updates ✨
From January, our prices will be increasing. However, any sessions booked before the price increase will be honoured at the current rate, so now is a great time to secure your 2026 consults.

If you’d like to book or have any questions, feel free to get in touch via the link below:
👉 www.trainingwithhart.com.au/contact

Wishing you and your animals a calm, safe, and happy Christmas 🎄🐶🐱

07/11/2025

Hold My Leash - It’s Exam Time! 🐕‍🦺📖

I’m heading into exam period for 4th year vet school, so things are about to get pretty study heavy for a little while! 📚🐾

If you’ve reached out or are planning to book a session, please know that I might be a little slower to reply during this time. I really appreciate your patience and understanding while I focus on smashing out these exams and continuing to learn everything I can to better help you and your pets in the future ❤️

If you have any enquiries about puppies or manners sessions, click the link below and fill the contact form. Melina and Lindsey will get back to you as soon as they can.

www.trainingwithhart.com.au/contact

Thank you all so much for your ongoing support. It truly means the world.

Erin

Picture: Foster kitten Darcy so the post doesn't get lost. P.S. Darcy and his sisters will be available for adoption soon through Tropical Queensland Cat Clinic

23/10/2025

🎉 CONGRATULATIONS LINDSEY HARRIS BSc (Hons) PGCE MSc MRSB🎉

It’s official... Lindsey has completed her Master of Science (Clinical Animal Behaviour) and we can finally add the MSc beside her name with the rest of those letters!

This milestone marks the end of three years of relentless dedication, study, and thanks to all the TWH families she's had the opportunity to work with, lots of hands-on experience. Those of us who’ve had the privilege of working alongside Lindsey have seen the immense effort, perseverance, and passion she’s poured into this journey. It hasn’t been an easy road. Lots of long nights, hard work, and moments that demanded resilience but Lindsey has tackled every challenge with grace and determination.

Her commitment to understanding animal behaviour at the highest level reflects not only her love for animals but also her drive to make a meaningful difference in their lives and the lives of their families. Through her studies, Lindsey has developed advanced skills in behaviour assessment, treatment, and research.

But Lindsey’s talent doesn’t stop at helping animals. She is also an exceptional teacher and communicator, with a rare gift for supporting people through the learning process. Whether she’s mentoring a client, guiding a student, or collaborating with our team, Lindsey has an extraordinary ability to make complex ideas clear, approachable, and practical. Her empathy and warmth create a safe space for learning and collaborating.

We couldn’t be prouder to have Lindsey as part of our team. Her knowledge, compassion, and professionalism elevate our work, and her positive energy makes her a joy to have around. This achievement is not only a personal triumph but also a huge contribution to our collective mission of improving the wellbeing of animals and the people who love them.

Congratulations, Lindsey. You’ve truly earned every bit of this success (and a celebratory drink)

We’re so proud of you, so grateful to work with you, and so excited to see where your expertise and passion will take you next. 💚🐾

If you see Lindsey around the clinic or in your consults, be sure to congratulate her!

Erin 🫶

23/10/2025

🚨 CANCELLATION ! 🚨

A rare spot has just opened up with Erin this Saturday, October 23rd at 3:30pm for a Behaviour Consult.

This appointment is available for either:
✨ Existing clients wanting to move their session forward, or
🌟 New clients looking to book an initial consult.

Get in quick, it won’t last!
📅 Next availability isn’t until 27th November. And only a few spots left for the year

👉 Send us a message or book online via the link below
www.trainingwithhart.com.au/book-online

18/09/2025

🐾✨ “But my dog isn’t food motivated…” ✨🐾

We hear this a lot, and it’s a fair concern! Not every dog wants a treat in every situation, and that’s completely normal. Training is about finding what your dog finds reinforcing.

Some dogs will do anything for chicken. Others? They’d rather sniff a tree, chase a ball, or experience your praise. Motivation can change depending on the environment too, your dog might happily take treats at home but be too distracted outside.

Here are some great alternatives to food rewards:
🌿 Letting your dog sniff that really good patch of grass
🎾 A quick game of tug or fetch
👏 Enthusiastic praise or clapping
🤗 Physical affection (if your dog enjoys it)
🐶 Social interaction—like greeting a friendly dog

The trick is to think of reinforcement as a menu. Mix and match what works best for your dog in that moment. Food is a great tool but it’s not the only one, and variety keeps training fun and engaging.

💬 What’s the most surprising thing your dog finds motivating?

10/09/2025

Who has a Guardian Dog? What has been your biggest challenge when living with a dog with these behavioural traits? What do you love most about them?

05/09/2025

We have just opened booking for the next round of group classes.

Get in quick. These are our LAST COURSES for 2025. I can't believe how quickly the year has gone 😱

www.trainingwithhart.com.au/book-online

Feat. Bert at his recent graduation 😍

28/08/2025

’Am I feeding my dog too many treats during training??’ 🍖🦴

This is a common question we get from clients, however using treats in training doesn’t have to mean overfeeding your dog. See some of our tips below to train using treats as part of positive reinforcement without going over their daily calories:

💡 Think of treats as training tools, not extras. Use small, high-value treats (often the size of a pea) so your dog stays motivated without overdoing calories.
💡Meals become training rewards. Your dog’s daily food allowance can be divided into many mini rewards instead of two big meals—same calories, more learning.
💡 Adjust meal portions so their total intake stays balanced.
💡 Mix in praise, play & variety. Explore what other reinforcers your dog may enjoy such as toys or enthusiastic praise.

It’s how treats are used that matters and by ensuring you are aware of your dogs’ total food intake you can use treats whilst staying within breed, age, and size daily recommendations.

It is also useful to be aware of calories in any human food your pet may be consuming as part of your calculations. Hill‘s Pet Nutrition have a handy online calculator linked below 👇🏼

Try Hill's Pet Calorie Converter to understand how human foods can impact your dog or cat. Human food consumption can lead to pet obesity or severe allergic reactions.

27/08/2025

Who has a Toy Dog? What has been your biggest challenge when living with a dog with these behavioural traits? What do you love most about them?

25/08/2025

🐾 New Group Training Classes Start Next Week 🐾

Thursday 4th September
Puppy Preschool & Socialisation: 6pm (under 16 weeks, one vaccine)
Adolescent - Adult Relax+: 7:30pm (16 weeks +, fully vaccinated)

Click the link for more info or to book online

21/08/2025

✨🐾 The Science Behind Why We Don’t Use Punishment 🐾✨

At Training With Hart, we are strictly positive reinforcement trainers. Science shows that punishment-based training methods (like shouting, hitting, or shock collars) can actually increase stress, fear, and anxiety in dogs. Instead of teaching your dog what you want them to do punishment often just teaches them what to avoid, which can harm the bond between you and your dog. 💔

✅ Positive reinforcement on the other hand is backed by decades of research. It works by rewarding behaviours we want to see more of, helping dogs learn faster, feel safer, and enjoy the training process. The result? A confident happy dog who chooses to listen, not one who obeys out of fear.

We’re passionate about creating relationships built on trust, communication, and joy, not fear. Your dog deserves kindness, and the science agrees. 💡🐶

💬 Have you noticed the difference when you reward your dog instead of punishing them? Share your experiences below — we’d love to hear!