Come and Join Our Community

It takes less than 60 seconds to join our community. Get access to the help you need via guides or online Q&As and join a community of dog owners doing the best for their dog.

Dog Training & Behaviourism 101

Dog trainers and behaviourist's are usually biased. Who can blame them? They all need do fun stuff like pay rent and ultimately they need you to follow their method to use their services. Most dog owner's don't know that there are 4 schools of modern dog training. Within each of these, there are great examples of methods and trainers that have had significant success.

Our view at The Toe Beans Co is this:

  • Certain human personalities are a better fit to different training methods
  • Any ethical training method done consistently is more likely to generate results that any other ethical method done inconsistently
  • We would prefer to help you find the right method for you (even if that means we don't work with you directly) if that is going to get the best results for you and your dog
  • We have no judgement of any ethical method. We are happy to speak about them and we can al learn.

Our Method

A Note On Our Methodology

At The Toe Beans Co, we are COMPLETELY AGAINST any methods or tools that use pain, fear, force or aggression. If you want to use these methods, we are not the company for you. Please look elsewhere.

What Is Included?

Dog Training & Behaviourism 101

There are 4 major schools of modern ethical dog training. Each of these schools places different priorities on the training, the owner and the dog. All of these methods have been shown to have great success for owners, but ultimately, that is because owners choose to follow them consistently.

For example, if your personality is not a calm leader, you wouldn't be a fit for Relational Leadership methods. Not because it doesn't work, but because you wouldn't implement it consistently.

The 4 major schools we cover are:

  • Empathetic trainers
  • Pragmatic positive trainers
  • Relational leadership
  • Scientific Conditioners

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Community Really Free?

Yes, absolutely. You can access all of them through our free community where we also host weekly dog training zoom calls. You can stay as long as you like.

Does Your Training Involve Fear, Force or Aggression?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. At the Toe Beans Co we are completely against any methods, behaviourism or tools that support pain fear, force or aggression. If you are looking for this, we are not the company for you. Please leave.

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 resuces /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.

What Breeds Are Covered?

We have produced breed specific guides on the 25 most common breeds in Australia, the UK and the USA. If you don't find your breed, please ask. This updates all the time:

Sighthounds (Greyhound, Iggy etc)
Golden Retriever
Labrador Retriever
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Border Collie
German Shepherd
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
French Bulldog
Poodle (Standard)
Jack Russell Terrier
Cocker Spaniel
Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler)
Beagle
Boxer
Rottweiler
Australian Shepherd
Pug
Chihuahua
English Bulldog
Maltese
Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie)
Groodle (Golden Retriever x Poodle)
Miniature Dachshund
Australian Kelpie
Pomeranian
King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel)

What If I Cannot Find My Breed?

Don't panic. We have worked with a long tail of rarer breeds (eg Wolfhounds, Deerhounds, Dalmatians, Neopolitan Mastiffs etc) and are happy to write guides if you need help. (We only have so much time)

Join the community and ask. We will write one for you, and in the meantime you can join a zoom call.

What Is The Best Dog Training Method For Me?

Aaaah, now that's a great question. There are 4 major schools of dog training and you will suit one better than all the rest. We have a quick course and selection tool on these schools.

  • Pragmatic Positive Trainers
  • Relational Leadership (Us)
  • Scientific Conditioners
  • Empathetic Trainers

All these methods have successful (and sometimes famous) trainers that have helped hundreds of thousands of people.

Although you may want to work with us. If you join our community and then decide you like a different method and that works for you, we are happy!

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.

I am Struggling With My Puppy, Can You Help?

We have a lot of support for new puppy owners through our Puppy Preparation Program. We have a huge range of different modules

  1. Am I ready for a puppy?
  2. Choosing the right puppy?
  3. Preparing your home and family
  4. Socialisation and communication
  5. Gotcha day and first 24 hours
  6. The first week and beyond
  7. What next

I Don't Have a Dog Yet, Can I Join?

Absolutely, 100%. Choosing the right dog and getting prepared is one of the most under valued time periods in dog ownership. Prepared owners set themselves up for success.

We have plenty of breed guides, lifestyle quizzes and financial readiness assessments. You can also hear from real owners about what ownership is really like (it isn't just cute cuddles and perfect recall lol)

What If We Need More Help?

This depends on where you are based. Some people choose to get more dedicated online support where as others want in person help (Sydney based, sometimes New York, London as well).

There is no requirement for this at all.

How Do I Get Into The Community

Just follow these instructions:

What Different Dog Behaviours Do You Cover?

We have worked with dogs that have all sorts of challenges. We add guides every week but (as of writing) some of the current guides and questions we cover include:

  • "How do I stop my dog from pulling on the leash or being aggressive on walks?"
  • "How can I stop my dog from jumping on people when greeting them?"
  • "Why does my dog bark so much and how can I stop it?"
  • "What should I do if my dog is aggressive toward people, other dogs, or objects?"
  • "How can I help my dog with separation anxiety when left alone?"
  • "How do I stop my puppy from biting, nipping, or chewing everything?"
  • "How can I teach my dog to come when called and stop running away?"
  • "How do I house-train my puppy or stop my dog from peeing inside?"
  • "How can I help my dog if it’s fearful, anxious, or easily scared?"
  • "Why is my dog eating poop or going to the toilet in the house?"
  • "How do I stop my dog from jumping on furniture or going into restricted areas?"
  • "How can I manage conflicts between dogs in a multi-dog household?"
  • "How do I teach my dog to wear a muzzle comfortably?"

Are There Any Dog Breeds You Do Not Work With?

No. Whether you have: a Chihuahua or a Mastiff, an unhinged lunatic of a Spaniel or a goofball of a Rottie. Big, small, angry, lazy, cute, ugly, cuddly or just straight up weird, we love them all.

Many dogs are stereotyped against because some idiot decided to treat them badly and make them into something they are not.

I have worked with Groodles that were dangerous to the point I couldn't enter the room and a 90kg Rottweiler who had to have his cuddly "Lilo and Stitch" toy whenever we went for a walk.

Do You Work With Cats?

Yes, we can help with cats. Cats are as diverse as dogs and can do a lot more than we give them credit for.

With the exception of the beloved Ragdoll (of which I have had 2) which are essentially walking clouds and love to cuddle and have a belly rub. 100% would recommend.

How Often Are Support Calls?

We run free support calls every week for anyone that is struggling with a behavioural issue. If we need more, we run more and as we get bigger we will break these down into more topics.

I Am Not Based In Sydney, Can You Help Me?

Absolutely. We have helped online clients all around the world with their adult dogs and puppies. Obviously, we aren't going to be flying in for dog walking but anything behaviourism based we can help with.