Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pro Pups Academy held?
Pro Pups Academy is held at the Varsity Lakes Community Resource Centre from weeks 1-5. Weeks 6-10 are held at various locations such as the beach, shopping centre, park, cafe and dog park. Exact locations will be given to you at the completion of week 5 of your program.
Where are your workshops held?
Our workshops, ‘Rock Solid Recall’ & ‘Loose Lead Walking’ are held at different parks around the Gold Coast. These locations will be announced along with dates and times on our social media channels.
Do you work on weekends?
We do offer weekend training opportunities for private sessions one weekend per month. Our workshops ‘Rock Solid Recall’ and ‘Loose Lead Walking’ are also held on weekends.
Logistical Questions
Where are private training sessions held?
Training sessions can be held either at your home or at one of our designated training locations.
Are home based training sessions offered?
Yes, we offer home based training sessions each Friday.
How much will this cost?
Please refer to the prices tab of our website.
What areas do you serve?
We service the entire Gold Coast area. However, if you live in Brisbane, Tweed Heads or the Scenic Rim you’re more than welcome to purchase public area training sessions as well
Dog Training Related Questions
Is my dog too old or too young for training?
Probably not. As long as your dog is over 8 weeks of age, they’re ready to start training. The old saying ‘old dogs can’t learn new tricks’ also doesn’t apply, it’s NEVER too late to teach or unteach your dog a few habits. We do ask that if your dog is in their final months that you do just let them rest, however.
How many sessions do I need?
How many sessions may be needed is difficult to determine, but here’s a rough guideline:
2-3 Public Sessions – Loose Lead Walking
1-3 Public Sessions – Recall
3-5 Public Sessions – Reactivity/Aggression
3-5 Home Sessions – Separation Anxiety
3-5 Public Sessions – Complete Retraining
1-5 Home Sessions – General Home Behaviour
1-2 Home Sessions – Toilet Training
5-9 Private Sessions – Puppy Training
1-3 Private Sessions – General Obedience
Questions About Us
Where were you educated and what are your formal qualifications?
In Australia, our owner and head trainer, Max, is qualified through the National Dog Trainers Federation (NDTF).
In the UK, Max is qualified with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT) as well as the Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour and Training (CIDBT).
Max is also currently working in completing his qualification with the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP).
In addition, Max has completed a Bachelors Degree in Business and reinvests thousands of dollars every year into up skilling and further training/education to ensure that our organisation is up to date with the latest research, training standards and legal parameters.
What is your experience?
Our head trainer, Max, has been training dogs for close to 10 years now, and started Down Under Dog Trainer 5 years ago. During that time, we’ve trained over 1000 dogs of all breeds, ages, temperaments and behaviours. We’ve trained pet dogs, assistance dogs, therapy dogs as well as participated in the training of dogs for scent trailing and detection. In addition, Max has been involved with Guide Dogs UK and Guide Dogs QLD in a voluntary capacity.
What is your training style?
We train with our DUDT system. Our training philosophy, methodology and overall approach draws inspiration and influence from training systems around the world. Doing this means we don’t apply a ‘one size fits all’ training program to every dog that trains with us. We stick to our systems and find the best possible training method for your dog to ensure the best possible result.