What are the main services you offer?

Our dog training runs in three stages and you pick the one that matches your dog's age. 8 to 16 weeks: puppy school, which includes four weeks of group class 17 to 32 weeks: puppy training, for the stage where most owners feel they are losing the dog they had. There is no group class at this age 32 weeks and older: behaviour training, one to one in your own home Puppy school runs at six venues, and all six take bookings: Paddington, Edgecliff, Neutral Bay, Zetland, Alexandria and Marrickville. Start dates vary by venue, so check the puppy school dates page for what is running next. Everything else happens in your own home, across Sydney.

Does your training use pain, fear, force or aggression?

Absolutely not. If you want a method like that I suggest you call the 1980s, go back there and never get a dog. We teach The 5 Golden Rules, which is built on calm and consistent communication. The aim is a dog who chooses to look to you when something happens, rather than a dog who has been made to. No pain, no fear, no force, ever, and that is not a marketing line. Anything that works through intimidation gets you a quieter dog for a fortnight and a worse problem six months later.

What are your puppy school locations?

Group puppy school runs at six venues, and all six take bookings: Dogs in Town at 308 Oxford Street, Paddington; Dogs in Town at 44 Epsom Road, Zetland; Dogs in Town at 500 Glenmore Road, Edgecliff; Dogs in Town at 266 Mitchell Road, Alexandria; Dogs in Town at 55 Addison Road, Marrickville; and DoggieLove at 71 Military Road, Neutral Bay. Anyone in Sydney can attend any of them. Start dates vary by venue, so check the booking page for what is running next or ask us and we will tell you. Your one to one sessions happen at your own address wherever you are in Sydney, so only the group class brings you to a venue.

What if I am not in Sydney?

We help support clients all over the world through our online training. We even have clients in Sydney who prefer to learn online only. Please join our community to see what is available. Our Community

What is the purpose of the community?

Our community exists to help improve owner education across the world. We believe that the better owners can be educated, the more likely they are to have the relationship with their pet they have always dreamed of. Additionally, Pat Miller once said that 98% of dog's given into rescues /shelters/abandoned had received zero behavioural training. We hope that, if you are considering this, these guides might give you the information you need to stop that.

Who are Homeward Bound Hounds?

Homeward Bound Hounds are a New South Wales based Greyhound rescue. The Toe Beans Co provides free services for recent adopters. These are in person and on-line.

What qualifications do you have?

All our team members are required to pass AFP background checks before working with us as well as sitting and passing the Red Cross Pet First Aid Australia course. I trained in Relational Leadership whilst also being a Certified Professional Pet Sitter (CPPS) from Pet Sitters International.

What is the ethos behind your dog training?

Developing a well behaved dog has 2 parts: dog psychology & dog training. We focus first on understanding your dog and getting them to choose to follow and listen to us. When dogs aren't making all the decisions, they calm down and relax, making them far more receptive to training. To do this, we don’t need to use force, fear or aggression. In fact the opposite. Whether dealing with barking, leash pulling, jumping, or aggression, these behaviours typically stem from dogs being too excited, reactive, and emotional. The key is getting them to turn to you and listen when it matters. Once they're calm and looking to you for guidance, you can effectively show them how to behave.\nIn short: before you train the dog, you need to win their mind.\n

What is your cancellation policy?

We understand that changes happen but in order to maintain the quality of our service we have a clear cancellation policy. You can find that on our cancellation policy page.

Home Page
Puppy School & Training
Adult Dog Training (32 Weeks+)
Other Services & Support
Locations
- Sydney
  - Sydney
- Eastern Suburbs
  - Bellevue Hill
  - Bondi Beach
  - Bondi Junction
  - Bronte
  - CBD
  - Clovelly
  - Coogee
  - Darling Point
  - Double Bay
  - Dover Heights
  - Edgecliff
  - Maroubra
  - North Bondi
  - Randwick
  - Rose Bay
  - Tamarama
  - Vaucluse
  - Waverley
  - Woollahra
- Inner East
  - Paddington
  - Potts Point
- North
- Inner West & South Sydney
More

We now have over fifty 5* google reviews and a 5* average rating. Come and find out why,

A man sitting on the floor wearing a navy polo shirt and olive green pants, holding a brown and white spaniel puppy against a plain light gray background.

Luke Buchanan

I grew up in the UK and spent time in the Armed Forces before deciding to work for myself. Not the obvious path to running a dog training business on the other side of the world.

Book a free meet and greet

How I work

A practitioner, not a theorist

I will tell you what I have seen, what worked and what did not. I trained in Relational Leadership and trained under the Dog Trainer Academy, six months of training and a final exam, and I have seen it work with hundreds of dogs in Sydney whose owners had been told they were just difficult.

Emotional state before commands

A dog who is overstimulated and constantly making their own decisions cannot take in new information. They are not being stubborn. They are simply not in a state where learning happens. Get that right first and training becomes a different experience entirely.

What I will not do

I do not use shock collars, choke chains or prong collars, and I will not refer you to anyone who does. If a technique relies on pain or fear to produce a result, I will not stand behind it. Being blunt about it, the results do not last anyway.

Training and certifications

Training

Trained in the Relational Leadership framework. Trained under the Dog Trainer Academy, six months of training and a final exam.

Pet care and first aid

Certified Professional Pet Sitter with Pet Sitters International. Red Cross Australia pet first aid certified.

Background checks

Australian Federal Police background checked. Every trainer who works with a client's dog holds the same check and the same first aid certificate before their first session. That one is not optional.

How I got here

The more time I spent around dogs, the more I noticed the same thing. Most of the problems people were dealing with were preventable, and most of the advice they were getting was outdated, too vague, or coming from trainers who would skip straight to commands without ever addressing why the dog was behaving that way.

The approach I trained in is built on dog psychology before dog training. Win the dog's mind first and the behaviour follows.

Where I work

Group puppy school runs at fixed venues. Everything else happens at your address, anywhere in Sydney within roughly a forty five minute drive of the Harbour Bridge. That covers the eastern suburbs, inner west, lower and upper north shore, northern beaches, south Sydney and the inner south.

Outside of work

I have three adopted cats who run the household and mostly ignore me. I am also the proud uncle of a very good cockapoo. And I have a soft spot for the Bernese Mountain Dog that I will probably never fully be able to explain.

I volunteer with Canteen, the charity supporting young people affected by cancer.

More about us

About the company, our work in the community and meet the team.

A man crouching in a studio while holding a Dalmatian puppy. The man is wearing a dark navy polo shirt and blue jeans, and the puppy is white with black spots.

Come and have a chat

The best first step is a free meet and greet. Fifteen minutes, no obligation, and it gives me a chance to understand your dog and your situation properly before recommending anything.

Book a free meet and greet See what we offer

From the blog

Best puppy breeds for families: a small companion dog settled on the floor of a Sydney terrace house

September 8, 2026 12 min read

Cart (0)