Skypuppy School

13/02/2025

Thursday's play and train walk with Watson 🤎

12/02/2025

Why Love Alone Isn’t Enough in Dog Care
We love our dogs endlessly—there’s no doubt about that. ❤️ But love alone isn’t enough to meet their needs.

A dog’s well-being isn’t just about affection; it’s about understanding and fulfilling their innate needs as biological, cognitive, and emotional beings. We can love them all we want, but if we don’t give them what they truly require to thrive, they can still struggle with stress, frustration, and behavioral challenges.

✅ Love is more than cuddles—it’s giving them purpose.
Dogs were bred for specific jobs—herding, guarding, retrieving. When we fail to provide appropriate outlets for these instincts, they may exhibit behaviors we see as “problems,” like barking, chewing, or reactivity. Meeting their needs means channeling their instincts in healthy ways.

✅ Love is respecting who they are—not forcing them to fit a mold.
Not every dog is outgoing, playful, or social. Some are cautious, some are independent, some are high-energy. The L.E.G.S.® framework (Learning, Environment, Genetics, Self) teaches us to honor each dog as an individual, rather than expecting them to conform to a one-size-fits-all training method or lifestyle.

✅ Love is setting them up for success.
A predictable, enriched environment. Mental stimulation. Physical exercise that matches their breed and personality. These are the things that make dogs truly happy.

💡 Love is not just about what makes us feel good—it’s about what makes our dogs feel fulfilled.
When we shift our perspective from "how do I get my dog to behave?" to "how can I help my dog thrive?", everything changes.

What’s one way you go beyond love to meet your dog’s needs? Share below!

06/02/2025

Hello boys!

04/02/2025

📢 Hoopers Hangout has some space tomorrow evening, and on Thursday 20th. The session starts at 7.30pm

⭐ Book online now or get in touch!

04/02/2025

Why I emphasise getting your pups out and about before they are fully vaccinated.

•
Vader 🥊
People are always worried about the fragility of puppies but truth be told we are generally protecting the other dogs from being overwhelmed by the babies. 😂

Most puppies are naturally very bold and confident and this is the best time to show them all the weird and wonderful things we’ll need them to be cool with in their lives with us. Cars, kids, scooters, loud noises, vet handling, different people, other dogs ect.
This doesn’t mean interacting with these things but observing from a safe distance.

This boldness begins to wane around the 16 week mark.
After then it’s normal that your pup might have moments where he gets spooked by things he’s previously been fine with.
It’s appropriate in these moments to just remove the pup from these situations and revisit it in a couple of weeks.
Instead use this time to focus on relationship building in safe comfortable environments using games, play and fun trick training.

02/02/2025

Training in the park and all of the dogs crushed it! So proud! ⭐💪🏽

23/01/2025

Hi friends,

I wanted to let you know about a few changes to the February schedule:

The Wednesday Hoopers Hangout sessions on the 12th and 19th will now be held on Thursday evenings at instead.

Additionally, my Poopers Puppy Foundations class is being put on hold for now. Making time to train my own dogs is really important to me, and I’ve been given the chance to attend a scent work class that I don’t want to miss.

Scent work is an amazing activity, and I highly recommend it for all dogs! If you're interested, check out the fantastic classes available through Canberra Canine Training and Canberra Nosework Training.

Thank you for your understanding and support!

20/01/2025

Watson 🤎

19/01/2025

Sneaky little Term 1 class drop for your Sunday afternoon.

⭐ New Kindy K9s scheduled to start March 3rd
🐾 Poopers! A new foundation class for puppies aged 5 - 8 months in February
🥳 New Hoopers Hangout for regulars. Be quick because once February spots fill that's it!

17/01/2025

Yesterday's walk with Watson. We explored a new space and picked up a little weirdo stray.

Just joking! That's my Styx, who always enjoys a stroll around Googong!

17/01/2025

Wednesday may have been a wash out, but last night’s Hoopers Hangout was all clear skies and happy faces!

Most teams were able to reschedule and we had a fantastic turnout with 15 dogs in total!! 🫶🏽. Thank you for making it such a great night everyone and helping the running order flow smoothly 🙌🏽

A big shoutout to who provides an amazing venue. It really is an excellent set up for the dogs to not only have fun running, but also practising both focus and being chill around distractions.

15/01/2025

Hoopers is cancelled for tonight (Wednesday 15th). ⛈️☔😭

Stay dry and safe everyone!

15/01/2025

A major storm is expected to hit the ACT within the next hour, just before Hoopers. ⛈️☔

If you're planning to attend tonight, please check your emails for updates. I'm currently assessing whether the sessions will proceed as scheduled.

Your safety, including safe travel to and from class, is always my top priority whenever there are storm warnings.

13/01/2025

Week 2 of Kindy K9s and it was gold stars all round! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Meet the schnauzers of the group - giant Walter and mini Pepi 🤩💕

Tonight we focused on recalls, advancing the "Enough" cue, hand targets, collar grabs, and playing tug.

I consider each of these exercises essential for puppies, and together, they help teach them how to regulate their arousal levels, both up and down.

To have a dog that can calm down easily, we must also provide opportunities for them to express their natural instincts to chase, bite, and jump. With consistent signals, dogs quickly learn what’s expected of them. It's a concept we call "windows of opportunity" and I love seeing this come together in class! 🐾🙌🏽

12/01/2025

Did somebody say new classes??

Fortnightly from next Sunday evening and exclusive to continuing students! 🙌🏽🥳

🐾 Play School Pups
🔥 SR Skills

09/01/2025

💕🐾🙌🏽

Dear New Puppy Owner,

CONGRATULATIONS on your new furry family member!

This is an exciting and important time for your puppy’s development. As dog trainers, the most common behavioural issues we see in adult dogs are separation anxiety, resource guarding and reactivity. These problems can be largely avoided by the way you raise your puppy.

Here’re some tips to set you on the path of success and help ensure your new bundle of joy grows up to be a stable, happy and content canine companion.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

COMMUNICATION is key to understanding your new puppy’s feelings. Learn to read their body language to know what they’re telling you.

SOCIALISATION relates to how they interact with all living things. Social experiences should be kept short and enjoyable and stop before your puppy becomes over aroused or excited.

BUILD CONFIDENCE towards everything in their environment: things with wheels, different surfaces, unusual objects, water, weather conditions.

TRAIN BEHAVIOURS like ‘sit’ and ‘come’ for all situations. If your puppy thinks sit is the magic behaviour for all good things in life, they are less likely to develop undesirable attention-seeking alternatives.

CRATE TRAIN your puppy to help them learn how to relax in a busy family household.

BUILD INDEPENDENCE from the start. Give them time by themselves close by people when you aren’t training or playing with them.

GAMES such as fetch, tug and nose works are FANTASTIC ways to bond and exercise your dog.

GENETICS play a big role! Know your breed and how to genetically fulfil them.

Christmas holidays are a fantastic opportunity to expose your puppy to many people, noises, storms, and being left alone in small bursts before everyone returns to work and school. Put the work in now to ensure a long and successful life with your dog!

08/01/2025

Hoopers Hangout! A very chill evening, both figuratively and literally!