Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Heather Hammonds - dog trainer, Dog trainer, .
Contact details: 0409 543 428
QUALIFIED Dog Trainer (Certified under Australian Qualifications Framework in Dog Behaviour and Training)
Working with all dog behaviour and training issues
Full Member of The Professional Dog Trainers of Australia
Lol from my friend and dog trainer extraordinaire Luzelle Cockburn
When your dog won't come back.
Lucky it can be fixed with stricter management and training.
(Inside secret: most people fail because they don't add the strict management to the training).
Controversial post coming up! Read below in comments
Our beautiful rescue dog from VIC Animal Aid Trust many years ago when my daughter was little. Rotti x Doberman, she was a gem with my daughter and came to us after the terrible Ash Wednesday fires in the Dandenong Ranges. She had some damage to one eye and it took her time to regain her equilibrium. We always wondered what had happened to her and to her previous owners. With time and patience she became the best dog one could wish for and my daughter’s best mate.
I've shared this before but what the heck, I love it so much I'll share it again. The dogsport of Dog Dancing and Heelwork to Music can look fairly ordinary when it isn't done at the highest of standards. But honestly, WHAT THE HECK if people and dogs are enjoying themselves, that's what matters.
However... when you see it done properly, it really is the equal of any other dogsport and this routine here is damned, damned hard. Very clever and beautiful heelwork that requires a dog of immense working drive to sustain the work for a full five minute routine like this. It's the best I've seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6-8ycrNWtk
I've shared this before but what the heck, I love it so much I'll share it again. The dogsport of Dog Dancing and Heelwork to Music can look fairly ordinary when it isn't done at the highest of standards. But honestly, WHAT THE HECK if people and dogs are enjoying themselves, that's what matters.
However... when you see it done properly, it really is the equal of any other dogsport and this routine here is damned, damned hard. Very clever and beautiful heelwork that requires a dog of immense working drive to sustain the work for a full five minute routine like this. It's the best I've seen.
Final ranking: 1st place, World Champion 2016 (category: Heelwork to music)The FCI dog dance world championships 2016 took place in Moscow, Russia from 23 – ...
HOOMAN TRAINING EXERCISE COMING RIGHT UP!!! (Photo of one of my previous dogs as a pup for a bit of evening cuteness
Here I'm going to show you an extremely powerful tool - one that can be used to great effect in the treatment of dog reactivity, as well as trick training and every other form of training with your dog.
Do you understand the principles of marker training and how to use it to have a very well trained pet dog? Marker training opens up a very clear (for the dog) line of communication between a trainer and an animal, using a sound and a natural reward, such as food, a ball to chase or in rare cases, just a pat and praise. But those cases are rare. Here below is an example of me teaching a really pretty complex trick to one of my dogs. I state in the video that there are eight individual behaviours to this trick. In actual fact there are NINE. It's just that for us, some of these behaviours have been taught prior to this particular trick so I counted wrong (yep, dog trainers make mistakes LOL!). So the trick at this stage is divided in half - two 'chains' of behaviours. It will become one when I feel he is more confident in the two small chains. In teaching chains of behaviours its important to remember to teach them one at a time. For instance, many people teach a recall and expect a sit in front, followed by a 'watch'. There are at LEAST three behaviours there. They should be taught individually. Then people wonder why their dogs don't do them well or with gusto. We ask a LOT of our dogs, tbh.
So... watch closely as the word YES indicates to Ioan that he is correct, reward is coming and to move to reward and then the next exercise.
The word (or some use a clicker) is a predictor of reward and has a good connotation to it.
NOTE: If you would like to learn more about marker training please drop me a PM and I will send you a doc with my instruction sheet. Not posting it here as it is strictly copyright to me. However, I'm happy for people to use it for free. You can also find more info about marker training online. It really is worth learning, even for simple behaviours like sitting at the kerb before crossing the road.
An example of using marker training to train a complex trick with nine individual behaviours chained together. Can you see the nine behaviours? Trick broken...
This post is by one of New Zealand's best dog trainers, and what he says is so, so right. You don't FIX a dog reactivity problem. You work to modify the dog's behaviour and help give it a better life by a careful, thoughtful, program tailored to each animal. And it doesn't happen in one session or even two... Have a good read. Knowledge is power in this area. Harry has helped so many dogs, NZ is lucky to have this trainer. Check out his page.
Can you fix my dog ? NO !!
I was asked today if I could fix a dogs behavioral issue. The answer was and always will be no.. I'm not talking about things like pulling on a lead I'm talking about much more serious issues. In the dog training industry the term used is behavior modification because that's exactly what the aim is, it's to modify your dog's unwanted behavior.
Yes you can help the dog learn to cope with the stimulus and greatly reduce the unwanted behavior associated with it, but it will always be there. You can learn to read your dog's body language and familiarize yourself with it's triggers, but it will always be there. You can yourself remain calm and be a confident handler but it will always be there....
Dogs are no different to people who have suffered a traumatic experience or have a deep seated fear. Take a person with a phobia of flying they could have completed courses at the airport, attended lectures, met with crew, spent time in a simulator and gone on a flight or two. But at some point further down the track, when the return to your seats and fasten seat belts announcement is made at 36,000 feet and the plane hits a storm and turbulence all the preparation in the world will not prevent that fear from being triggered. This is exactly the same for our dogs.
As a result of abuse at a very young age one of my own dogs has a number of issues. We have worked on these over the past 4 years but still every so often she gets triggered and reacts.
Social media is full of flash before and after videos of dogs being miraculously "fixed" of aggressive and reactivate behaviors. There are of course, some amazing trainers and videos out there, but if someone claims to be able to "fix" your dog's serious behavioral issue in a few sessions ask them if you also get a bottle of snake oil thrown in....
Picture for attention 🐾
Important clarification re my services :-) Read in comments below
Grandson always smiling, such a sweetheart, the most beautiful nature. Thanks to Garsova Working Line German Shepherds for this photo and THANKS to Brooksvale Kennels for this fabulous boy.
Grandma on top of the world! It's such a pleasure and a privilege to have these two dogs with me almost all the time. They are the best! Huge thanks to Garsova Working Line German Shepherds for trusting me with her
Over the next few days I'll try to do a few little video clips. Been flat out with work the past few days - both dog and writing :-) Demos for pups and untrained dogs on how to teach the first basic obedience behaviours such as SIT using a lure system (no, you don't name the exercise until the dog understands what it is!) and also how to fit a collar properly when you walk an older dog, as well as how to position that dog for success and a feeling of security as you walk (particularly good to help prevent leash reactivity and good for new dogs who are older and have not been taught the puppy method I've shown in videos earlier). In this way guys, you can learn yourself and get off to a good start with this stuff without having to call a trainer in :-)
Question to my viewers here - has anyone done snake avoidance training and if so, what method did your trainer use?
Why am I advertising someone else's online course here? Because I'm in it for the dogs! This man and his training are the real deal. He has an online Patreon (I think it is!) course and his training is impeccable. Do you have a recall like this? Happy to say I do :-)
Have you played with your dog yet today? One on one play with me, even for five minutes, is life to my dogs. They will leave food to do it. They will do anything to do it. If you have that, you have pure gold❤️
Here is the article that prompted me to offer some of my thoughts and also some suggestions in tonight's Live :-)
Phillip Island’s longest-serving vet has called for new measures to help prevent dog attacks.
David Cassells, who retired at the end of last year after owning the Cowes Veterinary Surgery since 1982, said in his career he has been “sickened and saddened” by dog attacks, and was prompted to speak publicly after an attack on a puppy and its owner last month on the island was posted on social media.
Read the story here📰: www.pisra.com.au/news/solutions-needed-to-stop-dog-attacks-vet
Hi everyone! Live on dog attacks still to come. But it def will come as I've had several questions about it. What a lot of people don't realise is that I have quietly had quite a bit of experience in dealing with and retraining of dogs suffering from dog aggression/reactivity. I just don't tend to go on about it as dog training is a holistic thing, with many parts to it. I've had the training, too. So I also have my theories on why dog attacks seem to be on the increase. I'll share this maybe later tonight :-) If not, then tomorrow night. My thoughts may help some with their dogs
Did anyone get the local paper this week and see the article in it regarding dog attacks? I will be doing a Live at some point over the next few days on this topic. Have had my internet cut off when what appears to be my isp was hacked and hackers tried to port customers away from them, so that held me up and am a bit behind with some more information and posts but will get to it this weekend :-)
To all my lovely clients
past and present, please
read below in comments:
Tip for the day from my two canines…. You can never have too many balls in your clamshell pool. AND…. This one from me. Don’t be stingy with your treats when training. Dish out five tiny treats to mark a good behaviour rather than one big one. One little bit of dried liver is not much of a reward for an average size dog. Little and lots is of higher value than a big piece 👍
Further to my post yesterday where a man and a company were targeted simply because the man did not fit the force-free dog training method (failing to note that the man has saved the lives of many dogs and made many owners and dogs so happy with his help), the PDTA has come out in support of this British company and trainer. Good to see professionalism in an industry that often seems to lack it. This is the code all dog training professionals should live and work by.
As promised, here is a video on how to place/mat train your dog. Obviously this is a cut down version. However, it shows the basics, and how to proceed. It's not hard. What it requires is commitment on behalf of the trainer. Often people move through the steps too fast. But as you can see by my Ioan, if you take your time and have a bit of fun with it, they really like it. It's an obedience exercise and they should not be allowed to get up and walk off. This is why I use a mat. I can roll it up after training and I can also cut it up into smaller and smaller pieces, and 'fade' it out of the picture. You can play around with it to suit your lifestyle to be honest . Enjoy :-)
*Please excuse the video and audio quality. It was filmed on my old camera while waiting for a stand for my GoPro.
An obedience exercise to teach your dog to stay in one place, at home. Teaches obedience and strengthens impulse control.
This is put quite bluntly but I sense this trainer’s frustration. Worth a listen. Any trainer who says they can ‘fix’ a dog is either ill-educated or out to make money. It takes a trainer and an OWNER putting trainers instruction in and effort on behalf of all concerned to re-educate a dog. Miracle ‘fixes’ don’t happen. Take a listen!
Hi everyone, just a reminder that my dog training business is now closed and I will not be re-opening for business due to other work commitments. Thank you. Heather :-)
This is right on the money. Please, please watch. I see so many videos of dogs running up to owners after not seeing them for so long, etc. That’s not the norm. People need to STOP ascribing human emotions to canids all the time. The world would be a much safer place for both dogs and humans, truly.
Hi everyone, after a little thought I felt it was a good idea to share this very important video. The second half of the twenty minutes is particularly important. The video gives an insight into what professionals who are working with dogs are seeing in recent years. I do not believe COVID can be blamed totally for what we are seeing and I also believe that lack of time due to the extra hours many people work these days (and therefore, less time spent living with and training and just hanging out with their dogs people have these days) is also a contributor. These issues cannot be fixed with medication or a couple of visits from a dog trainer. They are serious. They are ingrained. And there has to be ways to avoid them. The lady in this video is one of Australia's most respected dog trainers, who runs an amazing school/club for dogs in the north west suburbs of Melbourne and has done for many, many years. I guess for those getting a new pup or a rescue dog the take-away from the video is, are you prepared for what you are buying? Do you understand your dog's working needs because if you don't, you may find yourself with a dog that needs someone with a lifestyle who can spend several hours a day with, and working their dogs. My mum had a saying. It was, 'You can't fit a square peg into a round hole'. And you can't. Fighting genetics is useless. Learning how to work with them is often a commitment for the life of a dog. There is lots to think about in this video. I found it very interesting indeed.
Hi everyone! Important post!!! I'll pin this too, but just to let everyone know I'm still getting a LOT of requests for private lessons and classes which unfortunately, I cannot take. To my former class students, hope you are all doing fabulously with your dogs. Unfortunately I won't be taking further classes due to really heavy work commitments :-) In addition, I won't be taking any private lessons either. In fact, I will be shortly close this page as there just aren't enough hours in the day and I have yet to learn how to clone myself LOL. HOWEVER, I do want to offer some recommendations and thoughts.
Firstly, owning a dog means, in my opinion, a lifetime commitment to train your dog and ensure that your dog is not only happy and fulfilled, but always has essential behaviours in place such as leash walking and a ROCK SOLID 110% recall. If you don't have that, do get some help to get it because it may save your dog's life one day. I do mean that, as I have seen over the years, too many dogs that have been injured in dog fights for various reasons and then require extensive training help. Often, our dogs are great at recall when there isn't something more interesting. Then they lose their 'listening ears' as soon as the pressure is on. This is a training issue that it is up to you to solve. It is NEVER the fault of the dog. Some need more practice than others with their training and each dog is an individual, with individual needs. This is where a very good dog school comes into the picture. Often, it is essential not only to seek help from a private trainer but also get lots of practice around other dogs in a controlled environment. For us who live on Phillip Island, this means a commitment to drive some distance off the island. It really does. I think it's good to attend a Dogs Victoria affiliated dog club, where trainers must meet a certain standard, or a school run by a qualified trainer. By qualified trainer, I mean someone with a Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training or HIGHER. I do believe that this is likely to become mandatory in the future, just as it is in other areas, such as Children's Services. Being a dog trainer is a vocation and a skilled profession. So take a look at Dogs Victoria (who run a similar program for trainers that is government approved) and is a recognised organisation with the government. Or, check out Koo Wee K9 Boot Camp, Canine Resolutions, or get in touch with Michael Webster at All Day Dogs. There are others and if you own a particular breed, check out the breed club for that dog. Dogs Vic Obedience Clubs I recommend checking out are Frankston Dog Obedience Club or Berwick Dog Obedience Club. And from my dogs to yours, happy training :-)
TEACHING HOW TO STAY ON A PLACE MAT I'm going to do a quick instructional video on this, this week but here's a written version of how to get started with this great exercise: First, head to the local bargain shop and pick up one of those ten buck mats. You can see Ioan here sitting on one in the picture. Some people like to use a little raised bed on legs, as it provides a more defined place for the dog. I don't. I can't be bothered and the dogs are perfectly capable of learning to target a mat. The TRICK with this exercise is particularly in the beginning, don't leave it on the floor but make it the best place in the world when you have it out. When finished a training session, PICK IT UP AND PUT IT AWAY. Why? Because it's a trained obedience exercise. Not a place for them to come and go at will. LATER (or if you train your pup to stay on a place from when you first get them home) you can just leave it on the floor. In fact, I train it so that you can ask your dog to simply stay in one place anywhere, mat or no mat. But these days my dogs are savvy enough training-wise that I just leave it on the floor and send them to it when required. BUT IF I SEND THEM TO IT WITH THE CUE 'LIE DOWN' THEY MUST NOT GET UP UNTIL I RELEASE THEM. To begin, play game with the dog. Toss a treat on the mat and mark when they step on it with a 'Good', 'Yes', other marker word or a clicker (go online and look up clicker training, you can use a marker word rather than a click which I do with most of my clients, so you don't have to carry a clicker around). Throw a treat to the mat, mark it when the dog steps on it. Then next, when the dog is running to the bed and waiting for the throw, put a cue on it. Often people say 'on your mat' or 'bed' or whatever. I just say 'Lie down'. For me, I want it very distinctive from the 'drop' command which I use in other sport training with my dogs. Now the dog is seeing the mat as a good place, though they are just running to it and standing there. Go to the mat and lure your dog into a drop position, or ask them to drop on it if they know this command. THEN mark and reward. Repeat many times. Soon the dog will run to the bed and drop. Now you need DURATION - gradually extend the time your dog is on the mat, waiting for the reward. At this stage introduce a new 'cue' in the form of FREE, which releases the dog from the mat. Then mark and reward (confusing I know but think about it. The 'Yes' marker says you've got it right to the dog. The 'Free' is a command. It releases the dog. You can go FREE and if they get up and come to you, mark and reward. See? . Remember, this is an obedience exercise. When your dog can run to the bed and drop on the command of 'lie down' or 'on your mat and you then say FREE and they get up if they want to, you are on track to moving to the next step and have passed through the 'teaching phase' to a degree. The dog understands the basic mechanics of the exercise. Next.... proof it. Fido needs to understand they can't just get up and leave. How? Well firstly, it's critical that you move through lengthening the time your dog is on the mat slowly. Why? Two things happen. One, the dog is Classically Conditioned (also called Pavlovian Conditioning, look it up) to feel good about staying in that place. They will want to stay there as they feel almost the same about it as the reward and it is a predictable behaviour - dogs love predictability. Two, they are still getting that treat reward for doing so and reinforcing this. So don't rush it. When Fido knows this well, you now begin to 'proof' the exercise. Previously, if Fido got up, simply NO REWARD. I could go into no reward markers here but let's keep it simple. Just withold reward, reposition yourself and ask him to do it again, rewarding for success. NOW when you are sure they know the exercise, if they get up, take them by the collar and gently put them back. Basically, insist they stay there. You can also do this by putting a lead on them ( you should still be close to the dog during this time). Back they go if they get off, until you say FREE. Remember to reward both going to the mat and lying down and the release of FREE. They are learning two things here so take your time and don't expect miracles. TIME means everything in dog training. Lots of shorts sessions of a couple of minutes over weeks. No magic tricks here. NEXT, keep proofing the exercise. Begin to more around, around the dog. Take steps away. If the dog gets up, check you haven't leapt too far ahead. NOTE: This is a brief description only. Every dog trainer trains this exercise differently but the end result needs to be a dog that happily will stay in one place when you ask them to. This brief description will start you off only. There are speed humps along the way, let me assure you, as every dog is different and some are more compliant than others. You can also use more advanced techniques such as negative reinforcement, opposition reflex activation etc. to get this really solid but for me, I use the KISS principle. I want a happy, relaxed 'lie down' on the mat. I will do a video where I can discuss in more detail, once I get through my other work this week :-) PS edited to add you don't need to give your dog a treat reward forever. You should be able to get this right so that the dog LIKES doing the exercise and you can build it up so the dog understands that even in the place of big distractions such as the doorbell, they MUST stay there. The reward? A pat and praise after 'free'.
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A bit of glass on pavement.
Taken early this morning. It is very important to me to have this sort of off lead control on my dogs when out training, walking, whatever. It's not a short process and there are never any 'quick fixes' when training. It all requires thought, knowledge of what you are doing, and empowering your dog to make choices - choices that you are happy with. Always, always there are two sides to the coin. YinYang if you like. This is why I believe that purely positive training is a myth. Here is the result of thoughtful training with the dog making decisions.
Grandson is so polite, opening the door for his grandma 😂 Ioan learnt to do this as a puppy as soon as he was tall enough to reach. He can open doors from both sides, as well as working a bolt open and then lifting the hooks on the door of his crate to get out. It’s not uncommon for dogs to learn this so I put extra locks on lol
The old girl retrieving her dumbbell. As the age goes up the jump height goes down😂
So this is my yard and once a year for a few days in Autumn, an amazing phenomenon happens. Tiny insects hatch from the ground and the air is filled with swallows and dragonflies, usually, mid-morning as the ground warms and just for a few days. It's wonderful to see and I love to get outside and watch the birds and large insects dart about together. It's harmony between them while they hunt the tiny critters hatching and flying. And... as you can see, it's harmony between dogs and birds/insects. How is this achieved? Well, it's not achieved purely by Positive Reinforcement. No amount of rewards and clicker-treat use will train a dog not to do this. A trainer stands a chance with a ball and lots and lots of good background work with their dogs. And the use of some clever negative reinforcement tools where necessary. I believe it's important, VITALLY IMPORTANT, to build right from the beginning with a pup or new older dog, a very clear and good relationship built on you being the best, most interesting thing in the world to stick around, combined with clear sets of rules and clear consequences if they are not followed. The rules are fair, the rules are clearly understood by dog, the rules are always applied and thus, the dog is happy in the knowledge of how to manipulate their world. This is an art that truly, every dog owner can benefit from learning. And it's not based on rabid ideologies I see floating around the Internet at times about giving 'agency' to dogs and 'asking permission' of dogs in order to do things. It's far more subtle than that. It involves far more work than that on behalf of the owner. And you won't find it in the bottom of a medication bottle with your dog. But.... you will find it with lots of time and hard work on your behalf. Then harmony reigns both in and out of your yard and the dogs live a happy life :-)
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