TESTIMONIALS
AUSDOG has become recognised as Melbourne’s premium and innovative behavioural consultants and training specialists.
*Due to the Privacy Act we cannot provide full names and addresses of Client Testimonials
Here are a few testimonials from some of our many satisfied clients:
Hi John, just to let you know I had a sensational day today. Put my dogs Ben Cockerspaniel & Milly PomeranianX in the car and walked around Lilydale Lake - SO SO GOOD ! Thank you. They are so calm and I loved walking them.
Jayne L
Mt Evelyn
Hi John, not sure if you remember us...it's been a while! Just writing to say we have moved to France and taken our gorgeous Golden Retriever Rusty with us... thanks to your help in training us how to be with him, we have the best dog in the world!
Cheers,
Katie & Greg
ex The Basin
John, thankyou for your time yesterday, you have changed our lives with the dogs tremendously. Astro my 17wk Golden Retriever has not tormented the 14YO older dog at all today, very much appreciated.
Virginia G
Oakleigh
John, just wanted to say thank you for transforming our dog from a crazy little maniac into the kind of dog that I am happy to:
Allow in the house , play with my children , take for a walk, allow around my visitors
Keep the doors open with no worries about him coming inside uninvited
I was amazed to see Charlie respond so quickly to your training methods and become a well behaved dog before my eyes within the space of 200 metres from our front gate. In addition to this I was so pleased with the fact that you were able to train me, the kids and my wife to handle Charlie and reinforce the training methods.
Thank you so much, you have allowed the girls and I to enjoy Charlie and as importantly for Charlie to enjoy the family.
Craig G
Parkdale
We recently purchased a new puppy for our daughter. A Labrador Retriever known as ‘Roopy’. The puppy is 8 weeks old.
As complete novices to the whole puppy thing we drew on friends, relatives, pet stores/suppliers, Vets for advice on what we do with the pup, when it came to training, behaviour, sleeping environments etc. We became completely confused with the advice we were given and were faced with spending an absolute fortune with Food, Training (Puppy and Adult Obedience training), told that the puppy could not live outside as this was “old school” mentality, told that the puppy had to live indoors for 4-6 weeks after we got him and then slowly introduce him to the outside sleeping arrangements. It didn’t make sense that we should bring the dog into hour home then throw him out 4-6 weeks later, he is an outside dog. To take care when disciplining the puppy as he is “only a dog and very cute” Give him toys purchased from Pet stores and rotate then as often as possible, Take him to puppy training school, so that he knows how to socialise with other dogs etc....Some of this advice didn’t make sense to me.
Discipline!! We discipline our kids and teach them what’s right and what’s wrong yet I was made to feel guilty when I suggested that I would be disciplining the dog to do what’s right and what’s wrong, e.g. ripping out plants, behaviour around children, jumping on people, Sleeping arrangements etc etc. The whole socialising thing.
I took it upon myself to do some research and on the web, and came across AUSDOG. When I read through the website and testimonials I decided to call AUSDOG. I initially spoke to Robyn who patiently listened to my woes. Then received a call from John. Immediately I felt like I was back in control of the situation. John arranged to come out and see us and the puppy……After 1 day of adopting John’s techniques, we are seeing results.
We love our puppy and were thankful/fortunate that we came across AUSDOG as we are now clear on what we do with our puppy now and how we handle as he progresses into an adult. I strongly urge anyone considering buying a dog to speak to these professionals as they know what they are on about when it comes knowing their business.....Dogs.
Adrian A
Montmorency
After the death of our beloved old dog, we decided to purchase a 'rescue dog'. Abbey is proving to be a great family dog, but initially came to us with many issues. Being an adult cattle dog with not so pleasant background, she arrived with lots of love to give AND attitude.
On the advice of our Veterinarian we contacted John at AUSDOG. John came as soon as he could and the results were immediate-due to his incredible skill, and practical positive no-fuss manner and training methods. John explained the thinking ways and needs of a young cattle dog. Even though we have always had dogs, this dog's breed needed to be taken into consideraton and handled accordingly.
John has a friendly no fuss and thoroughly professional approach towards his clients. He was more than happy to spend extra time following up and checking on Abbey to see how the training was coming along.
Thank you John for being so wonderfully patient with our rescue dog and "rescuing" us!
Dr. M Williams
Canterbury
Just a quick note to thank John for helping with our newly acquired pup. The time you spent with our daughter was not only educational, but fun. After only one lesson our big puppy walks on the lead and has much nicer manners in the house and towards others. We have already recommended you and will continue to do so. Can't speak highly enough of AUSDOG. Big thumbs up.
C.
Eltham, Vic
John, we just wanted to thank you for visiting and training Toby our golden retriever. We were amazed how quickly Toby's behaviour changed. He is now better behaved when we have visitors and doesn't cross the road without permission!
We cannot believe how fast his behaviour changed after just one session. We are confident we will be able to continue with his training. Thank you, we achieved more in one session with you than weeks of group lessons. Thanks again, we will definately recommend you to all of our friends.
M. & A.
Kew
Dear John,
This is just to let you know how much we thank you for your dedicated work and support to turn us from enthusiastic but naive dog owners into confident and much more knowledgeable ones.
We have so much enjoyed and benefitted from all your advice and amazing ability around dogs.
Veronica W
Canterbury
Thank you so much for restoring sanity to my home and life!
My two dogs, Beanie and Charlie, have had the run of the house, and me, for nearly three years as I was nursing my father at home the dogs were with me 24/7. This was not a problem at the time as I lived on an acre block and they could come and go as they pleased. Since moving to the city into a small house and with neighbours (shock!), and having to leave them alone has been a nightmare. I was receiving anonymous letters from neighbours about their barking necessitating me taking them with me wherever I went was impractical and frustrating to say the least. I stopped walking them on leash as their behaviour was shocking and people would complain. I would get upset as I knew they were friendly good dogs they just didn't sound it! Having no knowledge about dog training, but wanting to do it right, I made extensive enquiries and researched numerous different avenues. The information was conflicting and very frustrating. I was advised to; drug the dogs; leave at boarding kennels for 3 to 5 weeks at over $2,000 each dog; have them put down; give them away. All this was told to me by "experts". The only thing I knew for sure was that it was me that needed the training and guidance on how to control them. Thanks to you John I now have a quiet happy home again!
I cannot believe how much of a change there was in the dogs in such a short time. Within 15 minutes of your first visit I could see hope! The dogs resonded to everything you did and I was amazed at how quick and easy it was. I was prepared for a long battle especially with the sleeping arrangements changing so suddenly. From sleeping in bed with me every night for 3 years to happily sleeping in their own beds within 2 nights is astonishing. Walking the dogs is such a joy now. I take them out twice a day and am so proud of them. To see them walking on the leash with heads held high and tails wagging it is hard to believe that just a week ago it was something that I dreaded and all of us would become frazzled!
John, you truly have made a big difference. I was honestly contemplating moving as drugging, putting down, giving away or being without them was totally out of the question. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending you or your company. I still cannot believe the change in the dogs, and it is even more amazing considering you only visited twice. My friends and family have noticed the difference in them and I happily tell all about "AUSDOG".
Thank you again
G.M.
Hawksburn, Vic
It is a pleasure to write a testimonial for you after today's amazing session with our 4month old Labrador puppy Abbey. Within minutes of meeting John, our dog was behaving! She had stopped nipping, sat and stayed and was the dog we wanted. John explained dog behaviour to us and he taught us how to have a wonderfully well behaved dog, one that would not jump up on the visitors or chew our shoes. We can now enjoy our dog, confident that we can control her in all situations. If we need support at any time, John is only a phone call away.
We have no hesitation in recommending John from Ausdog for complete dog training.
Abbey was a great puppy, but she had beaten us on a few fronts, especially with running away from us at strategic moments. But now she is going to be a great dog.
Thanks John! Great job. Worth every cent.
P & G
Lower Plenty
When asked if I would write a testimonial by John with regards to his dog training there was no hesitation in saying yes. If not for the help I received in training my 6 year old Jack Russell cross and the success of that training, it is no exaggeration when I say he would have been put down.
Teddie used to bark excessively. He would bark in the early hours of the morning, late hours of evening, when I went to the bin or down the street and also at the activity of the neighbours. His barking was prolonged and the only solution was to put him on his chain until he settled down. He would also bark when the kids swam in the pool. He was aggressive towards most men he didn't know and other dogs. This made taking him for a walk most harrowing, especially as I am nervous of other dogs in the street. The older he got the worse he was becoming and I just couldn't cope anymore.
In October of last year, after another patch of bad nights of broken sleep because of the barking, I came to the decision to have him put down. However, my son was most upset and so I rang my Vet to discuss my problem. He gave me the number of The Dog Trainer P/L and I rang and spoke of Teddie. I thought that I at least should have him assessed for the sake of my son.
John spent two hours with Teddie and myself. During this assessment and the training he was implementing during it, Teddie already showed positive responses. I undertook to have three more training sessions with John and I have never spent more money wisely before. I have a well behaved dog who only barks appropriately, who is easy to control and is a pleasure; instead of torture, to own. Now if I'm woken up during the night by barking it isn't because of Teddie.
R. N.
Mooroolbark VIC
Campbell used to run the house before he met John. Now he sits on his Snooza bed when inside, asks to go outside when he wants to, which is quite often, handles nicely on lead, does not beg for food at the table but waits on his bed for his dinner, does not bark incessantly for no reason and shuts up when told. Thanks John, you're a hero and worth every cent.
G.A.
McLeod
We would like to express our gratitude to you for the wonderful job you have done with our dogs, Keo and Zenia.
After approaching a few dog training schools in our area and being told that Akitas are an aggressive breed of dog, we were naturally concerned and became apprehensive about the breed believing that perhaps we had made a mistake in choosing this breed. We were also told by these various schools that having two Akitas would make our task in training them much more difficult.
However, after being referred to you by a friend whose dog you also trained, we can honestly say that we have never had these doubts since. Not only did you train our dog but you educated us in training them and we are now very confident that we have made the right choice with Keo and Zenia. In 3 the sessions you spent with us and the dogs, we learnt the skills required to confidently encourage our dogs to obey. They are truly outstanding and we are very proud of them. Our friends and family are very impressed with how well behaved they are and how they respond to our commands. Our dog's vet, Reservoir Vet Clinic has also commented on their behaviour and how well they respond to commands.
Undoubtedly, the most important part of the training has been in educating us on responsible dog handling and the importance of socialisation for the dogs. We have recommended you to many others and we will not hesitate in recommending you to any person genuinely interested in training their dog properly. In fact, we often tell people we believe you are like "the horse whisperer" but with dogs!!
T. & C. P.
Reservoir VIC
This letter serves to indicate my satisfaction with the manner in which John recently undertook the training of my two Spoodle puppies (ages approx 5-6 months at the time). While I am a workplace trainer, and as a consultant psychologist have some experience of human behaviour, I was fascinated by the way in which you went about as much training the dogs as in training me to handle them. So it was a learning experience for both the dogs and for me, and a most enjoyable one.
Your skill, professionalism, and your obvious dedication were much appreciated by me. My two very boisterous and active dogs and I, thanks to your intervention, now enjoy a much happier relationship.
T. M.
Canterbury VIC
I just wanted to thank-you for bringing some sanity back into our lives. As you know, we had all sorts of behavioural problems with our three dogs. When my vet suggested I try AUSDOG, I must admit I was a little sceptical when told it would only take two or three lessons. That's why it's hard to believe how after just one lesson you had the problems under control; after only three, my dogs were all responding to commands, behaving well and much more relaxed than before, especially on their daily walks.
Thanks to you, owning dogs is much more enjoyable than it's ever been, not just for us, but for our pets too. Your skill at handling and understanding dogs is a gift and I would not hesitate to recommend you to anyone with a problem dog.
J. S.
Eltham VIC
For years our family has endured the problems associated with having an untrained and undisciplined dog.
Our boisterous 4 year old labradoodle would bark incessantly, playfully knock our young children over, and could never be walked by the children or left unattended.
Amazingly, in just a few short lessons from AUSDOG, our dog has become a family pet that can, amongst other things, safely play with our young children and be walked by them, control its barking and behave in crowded areas or around other animals.
Accordingly, 'Lulu' now enjoys levels of attention and affection never seen before and the whole family is obviously delighted (as are the neighbours!). The results have been nothing less than outstanding.
H. & D. W.
Brighton VIC
It is happily that I draft this letter of recommendation for AUSDOG
I am the owner of a five-month old Border Collie cross Kelpie named Tiger who was evaluated and then trained by AUSDOG.
Given that Tiger is the first dog that I have owned, I was naturally worried about his behaviour as a puppy and, looking to the future, how I hoped he would behave as an adult dog. As a result I contacted Ausdog on a recommendation from my vet.
The service provided by Ausdog was excellent. AUSDOG was flexible enough to schedule around my long and inconsistent hours at work, punctual and cheerful. Most importantly, great with Tiger.
The Ausdog training incorporated toilet training, sitting, dropping, staying, coming and walking at heel. Tiger now performs all of these tasks with ease. I imagine that I actually required more training on how to handle Tiger than he actually needed training. This forms a big part of the AUSDOG program. I am now confident that I can continue to train Tiger on my own.
Tiger is a happy, friendly, settled and well-behaved dog. I am certain that the training provided by AUSDOG is the main reason for this.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending their services.
S. S.
Oakleigh VIC
In November last year I engaged the services of AUSDOG for my 2 dogs - Australian Terrier and Cain Terrier cross. As we recently moved into a new home on a main road, I felt that even with a secure gate, I would be reassured if I were able to control my dogs better. My main objectives were to obtain basic dog training skills and correction of behavioural problems.
John was extremely professional, he demonstrated a clear understanding of my dogs' behaviour and personality. "We" were taught such things as: walking on the lead, sitting, dropping, walking on command, dog interaction, and barking correction. It is now a delight to walk the dogs and occasionally stop at a café knowing that they will not bark or growl at passers by. They no longer bolt at the sight of an open door nor do they jump at visitors when they enter the house. And I'm sure the neighbours are enjoying the reduction in barking.
My dogs are very much part of my family and I would never expose them to questionable parties. I was extremely satisfied with the services provided by John and would recommend the AUSDOG to all dog owners.
G. A.
Canterbury VIC
I wish to advise that John trained our German Shepherd (Jaye)
John has proved to be totally reliable and trustworthy, of excellent character and his sense of humour makes him a delight to be around.
John is mature and confident, courteous and friendly with each prospective client we have referred to him.
We have no hesitation in recommending John to our friends and family.
J. V.R.
Camberwell VIC
John was recommended to me as a dog trainer by a number of people who sang his praises.
I had just purchased my first Rottweiler, and I knew that training was an essential part of the dog's life and an important responsibility for me.
John is an easy going articulate person who is immediately very likable. He comes across as very professional and makes it quite clear that he is there to get the best out of you and your dog.
John trains and teaches in a manner that is easy to follow and gets the desired results. Never have his actions in dealing with my dog been harsh.
It is obvious to me that John has no time for people who buy a dog for the wrong reasons. I am quite sure that John would have the ability to train attack dogs, as he has a background in security, but I am glad to say that he has no time for people like this.
I have attended several other dog training centres to see how my dog's training was progressing compared to other dogs his age. It was quite apparent that the progress of my dog under John's training was far superior.
I have no hesitation in recommending John to any person who is interested in training their dog.
T. B.
Hawthorn VIC
I recently engaged the services of John through AUSDOG to assist with the training of our family dog. Our dog was a juvenile who was starting to believe that he ruled the household and with a young family this could not be tolerated.
Through his dedication and professionalism with training sessions in our home John has helped ensure that our pet has become a well behaved, well mannered and fully trained member of our family.
I would have no hesitation in the future in recommending AUSDOG and especially John Harkin to any person requiring similar assistance.
F. K.
North Blackburn VIC
It is our pleasure to know and commend … John, and Georgie.
They endeared themselves to us when caring for the training of our Cairns/Maltese Terrier, by their patience, commitment, and personality.
We have no hesitation in commending them for any calling which calls for dedication and above all, a love of and caring of animals.
In so doing we wish them every success in whatsoever venture they undertake.
K. & L. S.
North Mont Albert VIC
A HAPPY DOG IS AUSDOG TRAINED !
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Dog Training Melbourne, Puppy Training Melbourne, Dog Obedience Training, Dog Behaviour Problems