Dogmanship Training

26/01/2024

Windy morning walks with the girls 🌬️❤️

24/01/2024

What breed of dog do you have?
Would you get another dog of the same breed in the future? Why or why not?

I love all the breeds I’ve had BUT my lifestyle (and amount of space in my car😜) has changed so I’m reassessing which breed or combo of breeds I’ll choose for my next dog.

Choosing a particular breed isn’t a guarantee that they will behave a certain way or have a certain personality BUT it makes some characteristics MUCH more likely.

So choosing a breed suitable for your lifestyle is VERY important… it’s also important to remember that every dog has their own personality. Siblings (pups from the same litter) can have vastly different personalities as well as some things in common- just like human siblings!

📸eg. despite having the same parents these two look and behave completely differently… weird 🤷‍♀️😝😉

27/12/2023

🎙Training equals freedom is a phrase you’ll hear me say a lot but often it’s not until you experience it that you really understand what that means.

⚠️A huge misconception and reason people don’t train their dogs is because they don’t want to take away their freedom. They think teaching them to listen under high levels of distractions, teaching them how to chill and lie down for long periods of time, teaching them rules and boundaries around the house reduces the amount of freedom their dog will have… when in reality the opposite is true.

Here’s why….
👎A dog who jumps on everyone, causes chaos in the house, harasses the kids will then end up being put outside because it’s too hard to have them inside. 👍BUT a dog who can come inside and chill out on their bed, understand the behaviour expectations and isn’t constantly invading everyones personal space then gets to spend way more time inside because its easy!

👎A dog who drags you down the street barking and lunging at every dog in sight gets less walks and outings because it’s stressful and frustrating to walk them. 👍BUT a dog who can walk without pulling (no, that doesn’t mean marching by your side like a robot) and not over-react to other dogs and people get’s loads of walks and adventures because it’s a joy to take them out!

👎A dog who listens CONDITIONALLY (meaning they only listen to some commands, some of the time) never get’s to be off-lead, hang out with visitors or go on holidays because they can’t be trusted in any of those situations. 👍BUT a dog who has learnt to listen to commands under high levels of distraction and for long durations can run free off-lead, can come to cafes, camping trips and all sorts of adventures.

❌So by not teaching your dog commands under high levels of distraction for long periods of time, and by not setting boundaries and behaviour expectations (that you actually stick to you) you’re actually doing your dog a massive disservice.
💣Your dog isn’t lucky they have no rules and boundaries, your dog is missing out on the clarity and freedom they provide.

📸pic - me taking my baby and Savvy to the pub today… I swear I also took the rest of my family too 😜

22/12/2023

Puppies everywhere at the moment! Here’s an old pic of me with my first ever puppy🥰

Thinking about puppy preschool?👀👇

Often owners book into puppy preschool for socialisation with other dogs, they have good intentions... and so they attend puppy school, they learn a few tricks and then the pups are ‘let loose’ to play.

Socialisation is about teaching your pups to be social as adult dogs...
Letting them essentially ‘wing it’ is not teaching them anything, and unfortunately can potentially result in pups having a negative experience and becoming fearful, OR learning how to be a bully- neither of which is desirable in an adult dog.

Most of their socialisation with other dogs up until this point is with their litter mates and their Mum. The interactions you have when you greet family members is TOTALLY different to what’s appropriate if you meet a total stranger, so your pups need to be guided on how to behave in these scenarios.
Some pups will be confident, some pups will be worried, some pups are observers, some pups are 100kph... it’s the trainers job to ensure that they ALL learn what they need to learn. For some that might be to not be rude and bowl a dog over when greeting, for some that might be building curiosity so they come out from behind the chair etc etc.

So to cut my rant short😏- I have no problem with puppy schools. When done well, they can be beneficial BUT you need to be your pups advocate, if the pups are just let loose and you’re given no guidance as to what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour then LEAVE. If your dog isn’t behaving as you would want an adult dog to behave and your given no instruction on how to teach them, LEAVE.

This is your dogs most critical period in development, don’t risk an avoidable mishap.

PS. Comment ‘toilet training’ below and I’ll send you my free puppy toilet training guide💩

19/12/2023

2023- what a rollercoaster! 🗓️
You may have noticed I’ve been a little quiet around social media town this year🤷‍♀️
I made a decision early in the year to stop marketing for a while and just focus on my current clients… here’s why-

👉I had my third baby, beautiful Anika, which was a dream come true 🥰 BUT pregnant Heidi is a train wreck🤦‍♀️ I was SO so sick for the entire pregnancy and I have a history of pregnancy loss so it was also an anxious time. We’re so glad she’s here safe and sound, we all love her to bits!❤️

👉We also started homeschooling this year🥳It has been a really awesome journey so far! It took some time to find our feet but we’ve settled into it now🫶

👉Snickers’ health slowly declined this year and then he passed away💔 I still think about him everyday and miss him like crazy. Honestly, for a while I wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue as a dog trainer without him, but as time has passed I’ve realised how important it is that I continue the work he and I did together, because he’ll always be a part of it through the lessons he taught me that I can share with others.

👉Plus all the other highs and lows that come in life🎢

So now that I’m back feeling more like myself than I have in a long time I’m so excited to ramp things up again in 2024 and help more dogs and owners than ever before!🎉👏


PS. My 5yo did this drawing and I can’t decide what’s sweeter… that he drew himself holding his baby sister? Or that he drew Snickers in it because “even though he’s dead I still really love him” 🥹

07/10/2023

It’s been the hardest couple of days. Snickers passed peacefully in my arms surrounded by his family at 15 years of age. Love isn’t a strong enough word but I sure hope he felt it right up until the end.
I can’t even begin to describe how incredible this dog was and how much he changed my life and the lives of so many other dogs and humans.
There’s dogs, there’s amazing dogs, there’s heart dogs and then there’s Snickers in a league of his own.
We brought Snickers home when I was 19 so he’s been through SO many milestones with me, I can’t imagine life without him, but I know the lessons he taught me will last a lifetime.
Love you bubba.

04/09/2023

A new addition to the family is coming this October!👶🎉
(Snickers is still wishing he was the only child😝)
And it’s all good news because nothing changes for members of the Dogmanship Training Academy🥳business and training as usual…. I’m just quite a bit rounder in my videos🤰🏼🤣

17/01/2023

In the summertime ☀️

On extremely hot days aim to walk your dog EARLY in the morning before the temp rises and the ground gets too hot for their feet. Sometimes the ground is too hot even at 9pm so an early walk may be your only option for the day. It also means they’ve used up some energy and are likely to be more content relaxing when you get home and are less likely to overexert themselves in the hottest part of the day.

02/01/2023

New Year with some new followers so I thought I would kick of 2023 by introducing myself again!

Hi! My names Heidi, I help dog owners teach their dogs to listen in every situation so they can truly enjoy having them as part of their lives and families.
I’m also a wife, Mum of 2 kids (4yo, 6yo) and we have 2 beautiful dogs (Snickers and Savvy.)

Here’s 15 random facts about me-

1. I’ve been dog obsessed from a very young age… In primary school I even had a weird folder that I would stick pictures of dogs in that I cut out of magazines then I would give them a name and guess their breed.
2. My first job was a farm hand at an Alpaca farm.
3. I hate bananas.
4. I love being outdoors, if I’m feeling overwhelmed I know it’s because I haven’t had enough nature time.
5. I love 90s RNB.
6. I love personal growth books and podcasts.
7. In high school a careers counsellor told me that dog training was a hobby not a job.
8. My worst habit is going bed at 9pm, having a ‘quick look’ at my phone and then realising it’s been 3 hours.
9. I was once a stable hand and also love everything about horse behaviour and training.
10. I would die without my morning coffee… or possibly kill someone else.
11. My favourite colour is Sage… but it might be different tomorrow.
12. In 2020 we travelled for 12 months in our caravan and I can’t wait to do it again asap!
13. I have terrible hand writing and zero desire to improve it.
14. I make a vision board every year and truly believe it works.
15. I’m a projector in human design, an enneagram type 8 and love personality tests.

Feel free to message me if you have any dog related questions… also open to discussing the gold that is 90s RnB💃

30/12/2022

How lucky is Murphy to have such fantastic humans! Training him means he can do more activities with his family and live a happy, fulfilled life🤩

24/12/2022

Merry Christmas! Hope you all have an awesome day with the people/dogs you love ❤️🎄
We managed to get everyone in the photo… but getting everyone to look at the camera and smile at the same time would have been a Christmas miracle 😝🎁

12/12/2022

’Tis the season!🎄🎁🎅🏼

21/10/2022

If your dog barks, lunges and appears aggressive when they see another dog on a walk then this episode is for you!
Tune in via Apple, Spotify or Google podcasts🎙

05/10/2022

Truth bomb💣💥

If you have a dog you need to train it to behave in a way that is socially acceptable to humans... that is the reality.

This is why dogs end up in shelters, stuck in backyards and living their lives feeling insecure in a world they can’t understand.

Is my dogs behaviour perfect? Hell no!
Could they still bite someone? Of course! THEY’RE DOGS!
BUT I have done my very best to help them be the best versions of themselves in a human world so they can live their best lives!

Want to help save dogs? Start with your own!

12/09/2022

Our upcoming Q&A dates are-
🗓Tuesday 13.9 at 9am (AEST)
🗓Tuesday 20.9 at 8pm (AEST)

You can join the Q&A two ways-
1. In the Dogmanship Training Tribe Facebook Group where you can type your questions and I can answer them in real time.
2. Via 'zoom' where we can see each other and have a conversation via video call. 
🔗Links for both are inside the Dogmanship Training Academy.

🥳See you there!

PS. Don’t forget if you can’t make it to the live Q&A you can post questions in the members only Facebook group anytime!

27/08/2022

I’m a day late because I was busy with dog things!😝

15/08/2022

🎙You can find the Dog Training Tips Podcast on Apple, Spotify or Google Podcasts🎧
🐕Happy training!☺️

10/08/2022

With friends, family and our kids we say things like -
“Mistakes are good, that’s how you learn!”
Yet with dogs people seem to avoid mistakes altogether OR continue to make the same mistakes over and over without actually changing anything.

Don’t be scared of mistakes/errors, but make sure the mistakes/errors that are made make you and your dog better!

09/08/2022

I love seeing these flash backs.
8 years ago Snickers and I were out having the best time competing and today I’m helping him get down the stairs without falling over so we can take a slow wander together in the yard… both times are equally special.
I wish dogs lived for longer but there’s something so amazing about knowing an animal through all their life stages, from goofy puppies, to cheeky adolescents, to amazing adults and to adorable oldies.

The reason I started training Snickers as a pup was so that he could go on adventures with me, run off-lead and be a part of my life and that was one of the best decisions I ever made. Because of that I’ve got a huge bank of amazing memories together and hopefully many more to come!

03/08/2022

New episode of the Dog Training Tips podcast is out now! Find the Dog Training Tips podcast on Apple, Spotify or Google podcasts 🐕🎙

01/08/2022

So proud of this team!
Maze has been so lucky to have such a dedicated owner, now they’re an amazing team who will enjoy many happy years together🥰🥰

🏋️‍♀️Who’s joined a gym and then never actually consistently put in the work?🙋‍♀️
👩‍🎓Or signed up for a course you never completed?🙋‍♀️
❓Did you expect to get results despite not actually doing the work?
Of course not!
So stop expecting your dog to be well behaved and listen even when there’s big distractions around if you don’t actually take the time to teach them!

Dogmanship Training Academy doors are open, come on in🎉

23/07/2022

🎙Training equals freedom is a phrase you’ll hear me say a lot but often it’s not until you experience it that you really understand what that means.

⚠️A huge misconception and reason people don’t train their dogs is because they don’t want to take away their freedom. They think teaching them to listen under high levels of distractions, teaching them how to chill and lie down for long periods of time, teaching them rules and boundaries around the house reduces the amount of freedom their dog will have… when in reality the opposite is true.

Here’s why….
👎A dog who jumps on everyone, causes chaos in the house, harasses the kids will then end up being put outside because it’s too hard to have them inside. 👍BUT a dog who can come inside and chill out on their bed, understand the behaviour expectations and isn’t constantly invading everyones personal space then gets to spend way more time inside because its easy!

👎A dog who drags you down the street barking and lunging at every dog in sight gets less walks and outings because it’s stressful and frustrating to walk them. 👍BUT a dog who can walk without pulling (no, that doesn’t mean marching by your side like a robot) and not over-react to other dogs and people get’s loads of walks and adventures because it’s a joy to take them out!

👎A dog who listens CONDITIONALLY (meaning they only listen to some commands, some of the time) never get’s to be off-lead, hang out with visitors or go on holidays because they can’t be trusted in any of those situations. 👍BUT a dog who has learnt to listen to commands under high levels of distraction and for long durations can run free off-lead, can come to cafes, camping trips and all sorts of adventures.

❌So by not teaching your dog commands under high levels of distraction for long periods of time, and by not setting boundaries and behaviour expectations (that you actually stick to you) you’re actually doing your dog a massive disservice.
💣Your dog isn’t lucky they have no rules and boundaries, your dog is missing out on the clarity and freedom they provide.

18/07/2022

12/07/2022

It’s that time of the week again🎉🥳

10/07/2022

Sunday ❤️
What did you do with your dog this weekend?

04/07/2022

Dog training is just as much about mindset as it is about physical skills.

Change isn’t always easy.

It’s totally normal to feel some resistance to the change at the start…
For both you and your dog.

So always remember why you started.
How will training make your life and your dogs life better?

Stay the course because it’s 100% worth it.

30/06/2022

At least once a month we say ‘oh Bailey would have loved this!’

I don’t think we’ll ever stop missing you Bailey❤️