Seb did a lot of research before adopting his first puppy, a German Shepherd named Hagrid. From day one, Hagrid was put to work learning house rules, leash manners and obedience behaviours, and attended all the puppy schools and dog classes in the area. Seb became obsessed with training to the point that he began shadowing local dog trainers, volunteering at local dog training schools, completing courses and even walking neighbours dogs in an attempt to learn as much as he could about canine behaviour. Dog training was easy!

However, at 9 months something changed in Hagrid. With his adolescent fear period in full swing, combined with a few nasty interactions with off leash dogs, Hagrid started to develop dog-reactivity that seemed to worsen every day. His four legged friends at the dog park - were no longer friends at all. This made his walks very stressful and left Seb confused and frustrated, especially considering that local reactivity classes had made very little improvement. Seb then began taking online courses on dog psychology and learning theory in an attempt to solve his own dog’s reactivity.

After months of research and daily training, Seb began to see massive improvement in his dog’s behaviour. The amalgamation of training techniques from various schools of thought had built Hagrid’s confidence to the point where he was no longer reactive, and could be taken anywhere. It was like Hagrid hadn’t been himself, but was now back. In 2023, Seb quit his job and started working with dogs full-time.

Seb’s balanced training method focuses on relationship, safety and control as the fundamental pillars of healthy dog ownership. His simple, effective and fun approach to working with dogs has been used to modify the behaviour of countless reactive, nervous, over-excited and frustrated dogs on the Gold Coast.

Step by step, dog owners are taught to provide outlets and boundaries, to communicate and understand, and most importantly: to play with their dogs in a way that establishes structure, clarity and trust.