Positive dog training
Positive dog training should consider both what your dog learns and how the learning process feels for everyone involved. I use a force-free, welfare-centred approach that recognises dogs as sentient individuals and takes into account the people who live with them, their circumstances and what is realistically achievable.
Food rewards are a valuable part of positive training, but they are only one part of the learning process. Guardians can also learn to use everyday opportunities and the environment itself to reinforce behaviour, reducing reliance on food while still using it generously and appropriately. This gives families more ways to teach throughout the day and use real-life situations as part of the learning process.
I help families build practical skills by learning to read their dog’s body language and communicate clearly. Volunteered behaviour matters too. Noticing and reinforcing those choices means dogs are not constantly waiting to be told what to do, and leads to calmer, more cooperative engagement. Dogs also need room to sniff, explore, make choices and communicate, rather than spending their lives continually being directed by us. My approach continues to evolve as our understanding of canine behaviour and welfare develops, rather than being tied to a single training method or system.
I work with puppies, adolescents and adult dogs, helping families build the understanding and practical skills that make everyday life easier and strengthen relationships.
Behaviour consulting
When your dog is experiencing more complex or persistent behavioural difficulties, it can be stressful for everyone involved and difficult to know what they need or where to begin.
With over 18 years of experience in dog training and behaviour, I take a whole-dog approach to behaviour consulting. As a L.E.G.S.® Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediator®, I consider your dog’s Learning, Environment, Genetics and Self alongside their physical and emotional wellbeing, relationships, daily life and individual needs. There is no standard training formula for a presenting behaviour. I look at how these factors interact for the individual dog and what may be contributing to the difficulties they are experiencing.
The assessment begins before we meet. I review your dog’s detailed behavioural history in advance to identify patterns, context and possible contributing factors, and I arrive with an initial plan already in mind. Once we meet, I observe your dog in their own environment and modify that plan where needed according to what I see. This preparation means our time together can focus more closely on your dog and the practical changes that may help. You will also leave with clear priorities for what to focus on first. I have extensive experience supporting dogs with complex, multi-context behavioural presentations, including fear and anxiety, aggression, resource guarding, over-arousal, reactivity and separation-related difficulties.
The aim is to reduce stress and make everyday life safer and more manageable for both you and your dog.
Why choose Pet Pursuits for positive dog training and behaviour consulting?
Kirsten has helped me so much with my dog, above and beyond what I could have imagined. Pocky is a 9 year-old rescue German Shepherd who unfortunately had a rough start to life and suffers from quite severe anxiety. Kirsten’s advice to overcome/manage Pocky’s behavioural issues has been invaluable!
Karen IngramJac and I recently adopted Mabel Lyon an 8 week old cavoodle puppy. Committed to ensuring she has the best life and has the confidence to navigate the world around her, we reached out to Kirsten to seek professional guidance on what behaviours we needed to adjust and how we work with Mabel to support her through the stages of her development. We are so grateful for her tutelage. We are much more confident in ourselves and feel like we have set our tribe up to succeed knowing Mabel has the best foundational support, positive training practices that are based on safety, love, kindness and empathy to her individual needs. We cannot wait to see little Mabel thrive and know that Kirsten will be there along the way to support our crew.
Meredith BowerJust wanted to say thank you for the help you gave us with our toy poodle, Link. Before seeing you he was very anxious around our 3 year old twin girls, would ignore our commands, was very difficult to walk and would go crazy when the door bell rang. After only a few lessons with yourself…
Brett Needham, NorthcoteShortly after learning we were pregnant and moving into a new house, we contacted Kirsten as we wanted our Beagle pup to have a happy and secure transition into this new world we found ourselves. At this stage we believed that although graduating from puppy school that she didn’t know her own name…
Jenelle Ryan, ReservoirWe contacted Kirsten in April 2014, after engaging in a number of unsuccessful (and unpleasant) training sessions with other dog schools in the local area. Our 9-month Cavoodle Molly Ringwald was fearful of other dogs and in need of socialisation. Alongside this, we wanted to learn some key training techniques…
Kate Duncan, CoburgI would highly recommend doing some sessions with Kirsten to learn the art of rewards based training. Kirsten is very professional and focuses on teaching you the skills you need to be able to continue training your dog well into the future. We did weekly private sessions with Kirsten…
Chris Kamen, Coburg NthKirsten is by far the most skilled dog trainer I have ever met. My dog took to her instantly, and the techniques she has taught me have set me up in shaping a dog that is a joy to be around and polite and friendly with other pooches. I cannot recommend her enough.
James Spence, ReservoirPositive dog training and behaviour consulting in home or online, Melbourne
Reservoir Coburg Thornbury Northcote Preston Fitzroy North Brunswick Alphington Fairfield Mill Park Thomastown Lalor Epping Fawkner Bundoora Rosanna Heidelberg Eaglemont Craigieburn