Puppy Training Barangaroo
Someone in a Barangaroo apartment messaged us last spring, their 11-week-old cocker spaniel was barking at every person who walked past their floor-to-ceiling windows. Living in a high-rise with constant harbour and street activity below, the barking was non-stop. Does your puppy bark at everything they can see?
Puppy training Barangaroo means preparing your pup for modern high-rise living with harbour views, constant activity, and an urban waterfront lifestyle. Your dog will encounter ferry sounds, construction (there's always construction in Barangaroo), crowds, harbour activity, and the unique challenges of high-rise apartment living.
The ones who start puppy training early have dogs who barely notice the ferry horns and construction noise that define Barangaroo living.
Puppy Preparation (0-8 Weeks)
Before your puppy arrives at your Barangaroo apartment, preparation is everything. Most people underestimate what raising a puppy in a brand new, high-density waterfront development involves, especially with the unique challenges of high-rise living.
Our pre-puppy program covers all the essentials before the puppy arrives. You'll learn how to set up your apartment for a puppy (challenging in modern open-plan spaces), what supplies are genuinely necessary, and how to create a realistic schedule around city work life.
We discuss breed selection carefully for Barangaroo living. Some breeds adapt well to high-rise apartments with harbour noise, others struggle. A calm, confident breed usually thrives here. A nervous breed or one with strong herding/guarding instincts might struggle with the constant visual stimulation from those big windows.
You'll also learn about:
- The socialisation window (8-16 weeks - don't miss it)
- Toilet training strategies for high-rise living (long lift rides!)
- Setting boundaries from day one
- Managing window reactivity and overstimulation
- Urban waterfront living considerations
For Barangaroo specifically, think about the unique challenges. Ferry horns, construction noise, crowds of office workers, harbour activity visible from your windows - it's a lot. Your puppy needs gradual exposure to these sights and sounds from the beginning, or they'll develop anxiety or reactive barking.
Also consider exercise logistics. Getting a puppy from a high floor down to street level multiple times a day for toilet training requires planning. Barangaroo Reserve is great for dogs, but your puppy needs training before they can safely enjoy it.
Starting puppy training Barangaroo with proper preparation means your not scrambling to fix preventable problems later.
Puppy Program including Puppy School (8-16 Weeks)
The 8-16 week period is absolutely critical for puppy training in Barangaroo. This is when your puppy needs to experience everything they'll encounter living here - ferry sounds, harbour activity, construction noise, office crowds, lifts, waterfront environments, constant movement.
Our puppy school runs with 8-10 puppies per class. This size provides proper socialisation - your puppy learns to interact with different breeds and temperaments - while keeping the class focused and manageable.
The program emphasises:
- Socialisation with other dogs and various people
- Basic obedience (sit, drop, come, loose lead walking)
- Appropriate play with other puppies
- Confidence building around waterfront and urban environments
- Sound desensitisation (ferries, construction, crowds)
- Learning to settle despite visual and auditory stimulation
- Lift training and high-rise living skills
- Early recall training
For Barangaroo puppies, we focus on modern urban waterfront socialisation. Your pup needs to experience Barangaroo Reserve, ferry wharves, Darling Harbour crowds, construction sites, busy office lunch hours, harbour sounds - all the things that make this area unique. A puppy who only knows your apartment will struggle with Barangaroo's intensity.
Last summer, a couple on Barangaroo Avenue had a doodle puppy who barked frantically at every ferry. They could see and hear ferries constantly from their apartment. Through gradual exposure in our puppy training program, that dog learned ferry sounds and sights were normal. Now barely notices them.
Don't waste the 8-16 week socialisation window. Proper puppy training Barangaroo during this period creates a confident high-rise dog who loves waterfront urban living.
Post Puppy Program (16-52 Weeks)
Around 16 weeks, adolescence begins. Your calm puppy might suddenly become reactive to harbour activity, bark at window stimulation, or develop anxiety around city noise. This is when behavioural issues often emerge, especially in new high-density developments.
Our post puppy program includes 2 group training sessions focused on behavioural problems, plus months of online support. We help you spot potential issues before they become serious and provide training for everything that might develop.
Online modules cover:
- Reactivity and aggressive behaviour
- Off lead walking and better walking practise
- Stopping jumping up on people
- Dealing with separation anxiety (huge in high-rises with city jobs)
- Biting and chewing issues
- Poor or no recall (important at Barangaroo Reserve)
- Reducing unnecessary barking (critical in apartments)
- Managing hyperactive or fearful dogs in high-stimulation environments
- Potty training problems
A family in a Barangaroo South apartment had a schnauzer who started barking at every person they could see from the window around 7 months old. In a high-rise overlooking busy areas, that's hundreds of people daily. They used our post puppy program modules on window reactivity and barking. Within 2 weeks, the barking reduced dramatically.
Living in Barangaroo with a dog can be wonderful - harbour views, waterfront walks, modern amenities. But adolescence requires proper management, especially in high-rises. Our post puppy program gives you the knowledge and support to navigate this phase, so you end up with a calm, well-adjusted dog who loves Barangaroo living.
