Teach Your Dog to Switch Off

Diona The Trainer

I'm Diona, a Melbourne dog trainer and behaviourist. I came to this the long way: fifteen years across zoos, wildlife reserves, and assistance dog programs, with a degree in Veterinary Science and a Master's in Early Childhood Education behind it. The turning point was my previous dog, Kirin. She was trained for assistance work, beautifully obedient, and that was exactly the problem. A dog that only behaves when you give it a cue falls apart the moment you can't give one in time. So I started asking a different question: what does a dog that doesn't need to be told look like? Murphy, my current dog, is the answer, and teaching that is what I do now. My goal is to do for dog ownership what changed parenting: move it from control to understanding. Almost every owner I work with says the same thing by the end. I wish I'd known this sooner. That is why these courses exist.