Puppy School and Dog Training in Randwick

We run puppy school about eleven minutes from Randwick in Paddington, and we train older dogs one to one in your own home across Randwick, Coogee and Kensington.

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No pain. No fear. No force. Training in your own home · Free meet and greet, no obligation
No pain. No fear. No force. Training in your own home · Free meet and greet, no obligation

Puppy school in Randwick, the quick answers

Quick Facts

Where We Work: In your own home, across Randwick, Coogee, Kensington and Kingsford

What We Offer

Council Area

Randwick

Nearest Puppy School Location

Dogs in Town, 308 Oxford Street, Paddington NSW 2021

Distance

About 4 km, roughly eleven minutes by car

What We Cover

Puppies from eight weeks, teenage dogs, and adult behaviour

Who Does The Training?

Luke Buchanan. Dog Trainer Academy accredited, Red Cross pet first aid, AFP background checked

Puppy school and puppy preschool near Randwick

Venue Name

Venue Name

Dogs in Town, Paddington

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Venue Address

Venue Address

308 Oxford Street, Paddington NSW 2021

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Days & Times

Days & Times

Four weeks, one hour a week. Rolling start, no fixed intake dates

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About The School

About The School

Puppy school, puppy preschool and puppy kindergarten all mean the same thing. Vets tend to say preschool, we say puppy school, and it is the same four weeks either way.

Your nearest one is in Paddington, about 4 km from Randwick, up through Centennial Park. It is a purpose built dog facility rather than a hired hall, fully enclosed and properly cleaned, which matters when puppies are meeting each other for the first time.

Classes are capped at ten puppies and we match them by size, so your puppy is never learning next to a dog four times their weight.

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Where we work around Randwick

What it is like owning a dog in Randwick

What It Is like

Randwick is a suburb with one council off lead park and one very large piece of parkland next door that is not run by the council at all. Understanding which is which saves a lot of confusion.

Paine Reserve on Botany Street is the council one, off lead at any time of day. Centennial Park and Queens Park are managed by Centennial Parklands and have their own set of rules, which are considerably more detailed than the council's and include a lot of on lead and prohibited zones.

The other thing about Randwick is the hospital and university traffic. It makes some of these streets much busier than the housing suggests, and that matters for a dog who is uneasy on a lead.

Popular Landmarks
  • Centennial Park
  • Queens Park
  • Paine Reserve
  • Randwick Racecourse
  • Prince of Wales Hospital
  • Belmore Road
  • The Spot
Main Housing Style

A mix of semis, houses with modest gardens, and a lot of apartments toward the hospital and the university.

What goes wrong for puppies and dogs in Randwick

Local Challenges

  • Two sets of rules. Council parks are off lead at any time, Centennial Parklands has detailed on lead and prohibited zones, and the two sit side by side
  • Recall in Centennial Park, which is very large, has a busy road circuit through it, and horses
  • Paine Reserve is a working soccer ground, so the usable off lead space shrinks on winter weekends
  • Traffic. Hospital and university streets are far busier than the housing suggests
  • Separation anxiety in the apartment blocks near the hospital, where shift work means unpredictable hours at home
  • Randwick Environment Park is not an off lead area, which catches out people who assume any green space is

Common Breeds

  • Cavoodle
  • Labrador
  • Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  • Border Collie
  • Greyhound

Off Lead Spots

  • Paine Reserve, Botany Street, at any time, not on the sports fields
  • Centennial Park, off lead outside Grand Drive and on sporting fields when not in use, managed by Centennial Parklands
  • Queens Park, off lead except when the sports fields are in use, managed by Centennial Parklands
  • Baker Park, Coogee, at any time
  • Snape Park, Maroubra, at any time, outside the fenced oval and courts

Busy Streets

  • Alison Road
  • Belmore Road
  • Avoca Street
  • High Street

What we get called about in Randwick, by age

Puppies up to 16 weeks in Randwick

Centennial Park too early

It is the obvious place and it is enormous, busy and full of adult dogs off lead. For a twelve week old that is not socialisation, it is being overwhelmed with nowhere to retreat to and nobody to help.

Puppy school in Paddington does the controlled version first, and we tell you which corners of the park and which hours to use while that is being built.

Traffic noise from the start

Hospital streets have ambulances, and Alison Road and Anzac Parade are constant. A puppy who is startled by that in their first weeks can build a lasting worry about being outside at all.

We build the exposure deliberately, at a distance and volume they can cope with, rather than hoping they get used to it.

Toileting in an apartment

A lot of Randwick housing is flats. Every toilet break is a lift, a lobby and a street, and a puppy who cannot hold it that long learns to go indoors instead.

We build the route before the puppy needs it, so it is boring by the time it is urgent.

Teenage dogs, 17 to 32 weeks, in Randwick

Recall going in Centennial Park

It is the biggest test of an adolescent recall in the eastern suburbs. Enormous, full of distractions, with the Grand Drive road circuit running through it, cyclists, and horses on their own track.

We rebuild the recall on a long line at the distance it actually breaks, and we do it in the park rather than somewhere easier.

Off lead in the wrong zone

Centennial Park has on lead zones inside it, prohibited zones inside it, and a hard ban on the bird sanctuary, the ponds, Tramway Oval and Kippax Lake Field. An adolescent does not read signs, and the boundaries are invisible on the ground.

We work the boundary as a training exercise, because it is a real skill and it keeps you out of trouble.

Lunging on the busy streets

Belmore Road and the streets around the hospital are far busier than the housing suggests, and an adolescent who is only just coping goes over threshold repeatedly on a single walk.

We change your route and your timing first, then close the distance deliberately once they can cope with it.

Dogs 32 weeks and older in Randwick

Barking when you leave, on shift work hours

A lot of Randwick households work at the hospital or the university, so the dog's day has no fixed shape. That unpredictability is its own problem, separate from the length of time alone.

We build a routine that does not depend on you being home at the same time every day, because for a lot of families here that is never going to be true.

A dog who cannot cope in Centennial Park

It is the main outlet for a lot of Randwick dogs, so when a dog can no longer handle it the household loses its whole exercise routine at once.

We use Paine Reserve or a quieter corner while we rebuild, so the dog is still getting out while the work is happening.

A retired greyhound learning the world

Randwick takes a lot of retired racing greyhounds. They usually arrive calm, house friendly and completely unfamiliar with stairs, glass doors, small dogs and being alone.

We come in early rather than after something has gone wrong, because the first fortnight sets what they think normal looks like.

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.

A Randwick call out, start to finish

A composite of the calls we take here. Details changed, the pattern is real.

The call

A seven month old Border Collie in a flat near the hospital. Both owners worked shifts, and the dog had started barking and chewing whenever he was alone, which was at unpredictable times of day. A neighbour had complained twice.

What we found

Not separation anxiety in the usual sense. He was fine being alone. He was not fine with a day that had no shape, because he never knew whether the next hour was a walk, a nap or eight hours by himself. A working breed with no pattern to hold onto will invent one, and his was watching the door.

What changed

We built a routine keyed to events rather than clock times, so the same sequence happened whether it was six in the morning or two in the afternoon. He got real mental work in the flat rather than more walking. About three weeks before the chewing stopped, and the barking followed.

What owners say, at every age

Absolutely fantastic, we had a 10 week old demanding Labrador puppy, 3 days later he barely lets out a yelp. It seemed expensive to get 1 on 1 help at first, but having him here meant we could remove any doubt about whether we were on the right track. Plus his online course and ongoing support have been a god send.

Mattice, 10 week old Labrador

I'm in Bellevue Hill and I'm struggling with recall and defiance with my 9 month old puppy. He thinks he's the boss. Luke at Toe Beans showed me a series of easy corrections and behavioural skills that my pup responded to almost immediately. He filled in my missing knowledge.

Lesley, 9 month old puppy, Bellevue Hill

I couldn't believe anyone could really have a big impact on a 7-year-old pet but within just one session, I could see a big difference in both of my dogs. They were calmer, more responsive, and Rosie was completely de-stressed around strange dogs.

Adrienne, 7 year old Bordoodle, Mosman

How we train

How We Train

How We Train

Force free, all of it. No shouting, no punishment, no pain, and nothing that works by hurting your dog.

We call it Relational Leadership. It is less a set of commands than a way of behaving around your dog, so that you become the obvious thing to look at when they do not know what to do. A dog that complies because it is worried about what comes next has not calmed down, it has gone quiet, and that comes back later somewhere less convenient.

Luke's Credentials

Luke Buchanan is the owner of The Toe Beans Co and Sydney's Puppy Trainer. He works as a dog trainer and a dog behaviourist, which in practice means the puppy obedience side and the behaviourism side are handled by the same person rather than referred on. He is accredited through the Dog Trainer Academy, Red Cross certified in pet first aid, and AFP background checked. Every session is run by Luke.

Force Free & Ethical. Always.

No pain. No fear. No force. No aggression. That is the whole philosophy in plain terms, and it does not bend for a difficult week or a stubborn dog.

Guarantee

Puppy school in Randwick, and the dog training that follows it

Puppy school is where a Randwick dog should start, eleven minutes up through Centennial Park at our Paddington venue. The dog training that follows, for adolescents and adults, is done one to one at home.

Randwick has one council off lead park and one very large piece of parkland next door that is not run by the council at all, and knowing which is which saves a lot of confusion.

Paine Reserve on Botany Street is the council one, off lead at any time of day. Randwick does not use timed windows anywhere, which is a genuine difference from the councils to the north where almost everything runs on a clock. Paine is also a working soccer ground, so the usable space shrinks on winter weekends, and Randwick Environment Park is not an off lead area despite being the other big green space in the suburb.

Centennial Park and Queens Park are managed by Centennial Parklands and their rules are considerably more detailed. Off lead applies outside Grand Drive and on sporting fields not in use. On lead applies on the Grand Drive circuit, all roads and shared paths, within ten metres of ponds, and near the horse track. Dogs are prohibited entirely from the Bird Sanctuary, York Road Bushland, the waterways, and since 2021 from Tramway Oval and Kippax Lake Field.

  • Puppy preschool plus staged exposure to hospital and university traffic.
  • Adolescent training for recall in the biggest test of it in the eastern suburbs.
  • Dog behaviourism for adults, including shift work households and retired greyhounds.

Puppy school is at Paddington, eleven minutes up through Centennial Park. See adolescent training and in-home behaviour training. We also cover Coogee and Maroubra.

Frequently Asked Questions

Puppy school and dog training questions we get asked in Randwick

Common questions we get about our puppy program.

Puppy school and dog training questions we get asked in Randwick

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 currently takes bookings at our Paddington venue and at Neutral Bay on the Lower North Shore. Zetland, Alexandria and Marrickville are venues in our network with no dates open right now, so check the puppy school dates page for what is taking bookings. Everything else happens in your own home, across Sydney.

Which areas of Sydney do you work in?

One to one training happens in your home, anywhere in Sydney within roughly a forty five minute drive of the Harbour Bridge. That covers the:

  • Inner City and City Centre
  • Eastern Suburbs
  • Inner West
  • Lower North Shore
  • Upper North Shore
  • Northern Beaches
  • Hills District
  • Western Sydney
  • South Sydney and St George

Group puppy school runs at fixed venues within about eight kilometres of the Harbour Bridge. See the puppy school dates page for which venues are currently taking bookings.

Do sighthounds get along with other animals?

It depends on the individual and the animal. Sighthounds with cats or small animals need careful introductions and often ongoing management, as the chase instinct can kick in unpredictably. Many can live happily with cats they've grown up with. Small animals like rabbits are a higher risk. With other dogs, most sighthounds are sociable and easy-going.

At what age can I start road safety training with my dog?

From the moment you bring your puppy home. Even young puppies can learn to pause at kerbs. Start with low-traffic streets and build the habit early.

My dog is fine at weekends but struggles with separation during the working week. Why?

It is almost always the length of the absence. A dog that copes with two hours has not yet built up to eight.

Fix it with short absences before and after work, stretched a little at a time, until your dog stays calm at each new length. Jumping straight from a weekend pattern to a full working day is what breaks it.

My dog pulls on the lead. Does that affect road safety?

Yes. A dog that pulls is harder to control near traffic. Fixing the pull first makes road safety training much easier. A dog that walks calmly beside you is far safer near roads.

What is dog reactivity?

Reactivity is when your dog overreacts to something in their environment, such as another dog, a person, a bicycle, or a loud noise. The reaction usually looks like barking, lunging, or spinning on the lead. It is almost always rooted in fear or frustration.

Is there a reactive barking trainer near me in Sydney?

The Toe Beans Co offers in-home puppy training across Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, and North Shore. Reactive barking at strangers is one of the most common issues Luke addresses in both 1:1 sessions and group puppy schools. Puppy school includes at-home sessions, a 4-week group class, and an online course covering reactivity in detail.

Where in Sydney does The Toe Beans Co run reactive dog training?

The Toe Beans Co runs 1:1 adult dog training sessions across the entirety of Sydney. If you are within a 1 hour drive of Sydney harbour bridge you are covered.

Is group training included in the price?

The group class element of our puppy programs are 4 weeks long. They are 45 - 60 minutes once per week. This gives a good balance of learning before your puppy runs out of energy (which happens quickly.). Your puppy needs to have had their second vaccination to join. Most puppies start group school between 11 and 13 weeks old, though this can shift depending on your puppy's breed and size for the current class. The online course alongside it is a Weekly Journey running Week 8 through Week 24, plus a Problem Library you can dip into any time.

Dog Training In Nearby Suburbs

Not sure where to start with your Randwick dog?

Come and speak with us about puppy school, teen puppy training or adult dog behaviourism. Book a 15 minute call, it's free and no obligation

Book a free meet and greet Pick A Puppy School

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