When Freddy Meets Fido

" A first in preventing problems with dogs and children"

Are you extending your family in the near future? Consider a When Freddy Meets Fido session for a smooth transition when you bring home your new baby.

When Freddy Meets Fido is the first session of its kind that truly looks at preventing problems with dogs and children rather than the common knee jerk reaction after the problem has occured. The private or group consultations are designed to educate prospective parents on the do's and dont's of children and dogs. By having a When Freddy Meets Fido session during your pregnancy, you can be sure that you and your four legged friends are prepared for the wonderful arrival of a new family member. The sessions cover topics including but not limited to:

•  Socialisation - dogs that have been exposed to children and those who haven't
•  The importance of changing routines, how to change routine before Freddy arrives 
•  Preventing and combating jealousy
•  The introduction, first day home, the importance of supervision
•  Identification of behaviours that will present problems with a new baby 
•  How dogs and children interact-body language 
•  Baby to toddler to child, the dogs point of view 
•  Setting up appropriate interaction-children walking and feeding dogs- keeping everyone safe
•  Your dog and someone else's child AND your child and someone else's dog 
•  Understanding your dogs drive and making sure your child does not become a drive object
•  Teaching your dog to leave the baby’s toys alone and walking next to a pram
•  How to stimulate your dog mentally for those times when you can’t give them physical exercise they’re used to
  

Discounts are available for clients who organise a group of 5 or more for a session. Behaviour consultations and obedience lessons are also available at a 10% discount if required after the When Freddy Meets Fido session.

Private Obedience Lessons

Underdog are pleased to offer obedience sessions tailored to the individual dog and owner. Private training is advantageous in that it allows us to individually assess your dog and tailor both the content of the session and the training techniques to you and your dog.

No two dogs are the same so the training techniques we use need to be tailored to suit the dog’s personality and temperament. We also find that group training can be overwhelming for some dogs and owners, particularly if the dog is stressed by other dogs. When a dog is stressed or worried, their ability to learn is compromised and the training is not as effective as what we would like. Once you and your dog understand the training concepts, group classes can be the final frontier for the extra distraction and socialisation.

Whether you're having problems with your dog pulling on the lead, jumping on visitors or would just like to teach them sit and drop our one hour sessions are for you. We also cater for those of you who require advanced obedience skills - enabling you to enjoy off lead parks, lunch in Acland Street or holidays with your four legged freinds. Training for competition obedience is also available.

Behaviour Problem Solving

Underdog Training & Behaviour Consulting can assist you with more serious problems with in house behavioural consultations. Many dogs and owners experience these problems so please don’t think you’re the only one! 

We specialise in tailoring practical solutions that address the cause of the behaviour problems as well as the symptoms. It’s never too late to start training- for you or your dog! Working within your home helps to minimize the stress and maximize learning and allows us to accurately assess and diagnose the problem itself. Underdog can assist you with behaviour problems including but not limited to-
  

• Separation Anxiety
• Excessive Barking
• Destructive Behaviour
• Fear and Timidity
• Aggression to people
• Aggression to other dogs
• Aggression between animals in the home
• Dog to dog excitability
• Hyper activity
• Fence Jumping
• Obsessive behaviours (tail chasing etc)

Contact us for information on how we can solve your doggy dilemmas.

Puppy Pre Schools

Do you have a puppy between 8-16 weeks of age? All dogs have what is called a critical period which occurs between 6-16 weeks of age. This is a crucial time for your dog to learn about the world and everything in it! Many dogs learn more during this 8 week period than they do in the rest of their life. A dog who has had excellent socialisation and training experiences during this time will be a joy to live with and a pleasure to involve in family activities. Underdog puppy pre school courses run for 4 consecutive weeks and cover everything from socialisation and how dogs learn to puppy problems including chewing, mouthing, jumping up, toilet training etc. We also cover basic obedience such as sit, drop and walking on a lead and topics such as children and dogs, health and nutrition, training equipment and dog ownership- your rights and responsibilities. We currently have puppy classes available at South Melbourne and Ormond locations- bookings are essential so don’t miss out! An Underdog Puppy pre school is your opportunity to give your puppy the best possible start.

Group Classes

Group Classes Level One

Underdog Training are thrilled to announce that we will now be running Level One group obedience classes at Diggiddy Doggy Day Care in South Melbourne. These 4 week courses will focus on practical obedience and lifestyle training to help you get the well behaved pet you’ve always wanted. Training at Diggiddy Doggy Day Care offers an indoor, all weather venue and 2 instructors ensure personalised attention in every class.

In addition we will also be trialing group obedience classes at Brookfield Farm Tyabb and continue to run our popular classes at Clayton South Primary School in Clayton South.

Our group classes run differently to many dog obedience organisations as they are conducted in 4 week blocks- 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off. Clients complete as many 4 week blocks as they wish until they reach their desired level or go on to level 2 classes. We do this for a number of reasons

• The short courses allow us to maintain high levels of motivation and intensity for the short duration. Attending obedience week in week out can become tedious for some people and dogs and their skills and learning suffer as a result.
• Due to the higher levels of motivation and interest, the dogs learn more quickly and always have a great time. Many of our clients say they miss training after a block or two of classes!
• The format of the classes allows us to provide 2 instructors. We can often split classes or offer individual assistance before, after and within the class so that no one gets left behind.
• If you lead a busy life and have many other commitments, a short 4 week course may be just for you.

These classes will cover the following exercises

Sit                            Drop                          Recall (Come)                  Loose Lead Walking
Sit Stay                    Drop Stay                  Heel                                 Use of a release word  

Working with practical distractions of dogs and people
Using appropriate rewards and corrections- how to motivate your dog to want what you want!

Please remember that group classes can be overwhelming for some dogs and owners so a one on one session prior to entering the class environment often makes the training process easier- for you and your dog!

Group Classes- Level Two

Our Level two training classes are proving to be a great success. The biggest advantage of these classes is that they help owners to feel confident in their dogs behaviour practical, day to day situations.

There are many dogs whose training plateaus if they train at the same place week after week so these classes keep the dogs progressing and the owners have a great time. So far we have run the classes at the beach, café strips and various off lead reserves/ walking trails! Your dog must have passed out of level one classes to complete level two- no exceptions!

Contact us for more details

Special Services

Boarding and Training

We are thrilled to be able to offer boarding and training services in conjunction with ABBA boarding kennels www.abbakennels.com.au Boarding and training is ideal for those who are short of time, going on holidays or just have ‘too much dog’ and don’t know where to begin. We can take the hard work out of the initial training with 1, 2 or 3 week boarding and training packages. At the end of the training, you will be shown exactly what your dog has learnt and what you need to do to maintain the training.

One Week- Basic $450 - $550

Recommended for owners who want to do the majority of training themselves but have a difficult dog and don’t know where to start. Your four legged friend will be taught basic manners, including loose lead walking, sit and drop. We can also begin work on issues such as jumping up, mouthing, general excitability and on lead excitability around other dogs. The cost includes all boarding and feeding costs, free training equipment and a 1 hour private session at the end of the training at the boarding facility. Not recommended for aggression or reactivity issues. 

Two Weeks- Intermediate $690- $790

Recommended for owners who would like or need a higher level of obedience or dogs with mild aggression issues. This course allows us to get more reliable results with a wider range of exercises including walking on a loose lead, sit, drop, heel, come, sit stay and drop stay. We are able to get increased reliability with problems such as jumping up, mouthing, excitability and mild to moderate dog to dog aggression issues. The costs include all boarding costs, free training equipment, group classes at Clayton Sth when available and a 1 hour private session at the end of the training

Three Weeks- Advanced $950 - $1050(Our most popular course)

Recommended for owners whose dogs have moderate to high aggression issues that need immediate intervention and/ or owners who would like or need a higher level of obedience as they have a busy home and life that the dog will be involved in. This course allows us to have your dog under control with a wide range of distractions and, in addition to the two week course, includes skills such as a reliable drop stay with high level distraction and the beginning of off lead training in most cases. This is by far our most comprehensive and popular course, particularly for problem dogs who are just too much for their owners or owners who are stretched for time but want a well trained dog! The costs include all boarding costs, free training equipment, group classes at Clayton South when available and a 1 hour private session at the end of the training