We are based in Melbourne's South East Suburbs with our main base being in Pakenham. We offer some services remotely meaning clients Worldwide can access our Training Services!

We are open Saturday 3pm-6pm and Sunday 9am-6pm.

No, we do not. We do have a phone number, but it is SMS/MMS only. You can connect with us on WhatsApp- 0401 955 061. We are unable to answer calls as we are either with clients or working hard doing background work for our clients. We do not answer messages outside of our opening hours. Please remember we are human too and need our own down time to rest and reset so we can offer you the best, high quality services possible. We ask for your patience in waiting for responses from our SMS service & Social Media Messaging services.

No, we no longer offer this service. Unfortunately with rising costs, we were faced with either a significant price to keep these services or to cancel them all together. As we are currently in a cost of living crisis, I could not justify such a price hike and decided to remodel the business instead. We now offer Virtual Sessions, or you are welcome to visit us in Pakenham.

Unfortunately not. This session is offered remote only. This session is designed to be an Education & Assessment Session. Together we will work through your Intake Form, Discuss your ongoing behaviour concerns, create goals and your training plan. This session works best when you are able to concentrate fully on the information being provided to you - which is often hard with a cute little pup demanding your attention! Doing the session remotely also allows me to create your plan while I'm talking to you which speeds up the process and gets you started sooner!

No, we don't! But our sister-brand, PawPrint Academy does in various locations across Melbourne, Regional Victoria and Western Australia. Email us at woof@pawprintacademy.com.au for more information!

No, we do not. This is not an area of training that I have much experience with. For this reason, its best left to the industry pro's who have a better understanding of the needs of these amazing working dogs as well as a better understanding on the needs of their handlers and Australia's disability support systems. I am always happy to recommend appropriate professionals for this if you need one!

We are always more than happy to work with your Assistance Dog Trainer for any Herding Breed specific issues or concerns that you may have.

We work exclusively with HERDING breeds or working breed dogs including Border Collies, Kelpies, Cattle Dogs, German Shepherds, Rottweilers and their mixes! If you're not sure if you're dog is eligible for our help, please reach out via email !

No, They don't! In fact, unlike many other Fear Free Trainers, we do not operate on a "Medication First" model

Dogs are captive animals with wants and needs- more often than not we find behaviours are appearing because of an unmet need or a dogs inability to communicate a need to us. All dogs are assessed using the 5 Domains model to ensure that we are working with dogs who are in a good mental/welfare state before we begin training.

Quite often, once a dogs needs are met, what's left is what actually needs addressing. This means we can offer more targeted training plans with quicker results.

That being said, some dogs may need medications. And this is also ok! There will be some instances where we will refer a dog for a Veterinary Behaviour Assessment to consider the possibility of underlying medical conditions or the need for medical or pharmacological intervention.

Our unique approach comes from me being both a Qualified Behavioural Trainer and a Qualified Vet Nurse (and also studying to be a Vet Tech Specialist in Behaviour) . Having a foot in each world has given me a perspective on behaviour that is unlike many others.

We are 100% FEAR & FORCE FREE! We do not use tools such as Shock collars, Prong Collars, Choke Chains, Head Collars, Rattle Cans, or verbal punishments. Instead we manipulate the environment around us to help your dog be successful and then reward them for that success. Behaviour that is reinforced WILL be repeated. Lets teach our dogs exactly what we want from them, rather than giving confusing messages about what we don't want!

Force Free Training can have slightly different meanings between trainers, but one thing is constantly the same. We set your dog up to succeed, and reward that success. We manipulate the environment to help your dog be successful.

Here at Herdy Nerdy it also means that we place the dogs welfare FIRST. For us, this means that for each and every situation, problem and session we ask ourselves this :

> Is it Ethical to place the dog in this situation?

> Is this something that really requires training to assist ?

> How will this plan/training affect the dogs Quality of Life?

> Is this plan something that I would do to a fellow human ?

> Does this plan take into account the dogs WHOLE life?

> Is this necessary?

We aim to never put a dog or handler into any situation they cannot handle physically or emotionally.

If we cannot put you into a situation without you feeling comfortable, confident and able to manage without the use of force or purposeful punishment- then we simply will not place you in that situation.

Basically, we choose kind. Not just for your dog, but for you too.

Short answer: A myth.

Purely Positive is not a thing (the same as Balanced training not balanced!). The term has been floating around for a while and has jumped from being something Force Free trainers originally called themselves to something that Balanced & Compulsion trainers use now as a "slur" of sorts.

Purely Positive is scientifically impossible however & is just as big a red flag as anyone telling you they use ecollars. Why?

Force Free Training is reliant on Positive Reinforcement. Positive in this context means "to add" and Reinforcement is anything that INCREASES a behaviour. This is part of what we call The Learning Quadrant. The Quadrant always works in opposites and there is always 2 parts of the Quadrant in play at any one time. The opposite of Positive Reinforcement is Negative Punishment- which in this context means "to remove" and "Something that decreases behaviour" . This means that whenever we use Positive Reinforcement to change behaviour, we are also using Negative Punishment.

There is a huge difference between Force & Punishment though. Whilst punishment is inevitable, force is never necessary.

A few things will happen when your dog gets it wrong. We ignore the bad, and reward the good. If your dog is unable to offer the "good" behaviour, then we will step back, reassess and change what we are doing, how we are doing it and where we are doing it to see if that makes it easier for your dog.

It is our responsibility to teach your dog the "right" behaviour- if your dog is not getting it right- Its human error. Your dog will NEVER be punished for human error.

Ignoring "bad" behaviour is not being permissive of it. If our dogs are in a position or mental state where they feel that behaviour is necessary, then it is on us as a Team to work out why and how we can show them a better choice and make them feel safe enough to make that choice themselves. Dogs do not engage in behaviours to be "bad" or "naughty" or to "spite" us. Their behaviour is communication about how they are feeling about that situation or environment- if we listen when they whisper , they will no longer need to yell.

Thats ok! Please make sure you let us know though, so that we can be mindful of this when making your plan! We will take into account that your dog may be fearful or worried of certain behaviours, actions, movements or gear. We will work with you to get you through this and out the other side. We dont judge here- Its not your job as a pet parent to know the ins and outs of Training & Behaviour.

Fortunately, No! Force Free Training works for all behaviour and all breeds. For everything from Sit, Down, Stay to Recall, Loose Lead Walking and Behaviour issues including Reactivity & Aggression, Chasing Wildlife, Snake Avoidance and more.

Often unfortunately we hear this myth being spread by those who may have tried Force Free and it didn't work out for a variety of reasons or because they simply find punishment based training easier and more rewarding as the teacher. Its important to remember though, when Force Free training fails- its never the fault of the dog. Its always human error in its application!

The science behind this is twisted and sketchy at best, but realistically, yes an e-collar could be conditioned to be a reward marker. However, we are not sold on this for several reasons. Even if this was to be proven true, we do not recommend their use and will never recommend them to clients. Why? Because we feel they are unnecessary and the risks that they would be used for punishment is a risk we are not willing to take. For this reason, these tools are banned from use whilst working with us and we recommend a 6 week period with no use of these collars prior to starting training with us.

We do not allow any equipment reliant on force, fear, coercion, discomfort or positive punishment. This means the following equipment is banned:

* E-Collars including boundary collars, regardless of their level of function

* Citronella Collars

* Chain Collars including check chains and half checks

* Martingale Collars

* Head Collars & Halti's

* Rattle or Shake Cans

* Drop Chains

* Slip Leads & Limited Slip Leads

* Saddle Harnesses

This list is not exhaustive. Please let us know if you are using any of the above equipment either out and about or at home so we can tailor your training strategies. If you are unsure if what you are using is Aversive, please don't hesitate to ask .We are not here to judge - we want to help you understand these tools and make an informed choice.