Amanda – Team leader/ trainer

My training journey started simply with adopting an excitable bull Arab mix and worrying about her safely getting along with my indoor rabbit. This progressed to getting a second larger bull Arab who was so unsocialised and scared of the world he’d developed fear aggression.  My journey continued with a little mighty Jack Russell, who at 7kg, thought she could take on the world without any care for her own safety.

Each dog challenged me in their own way, with their different personalities and behavioural issues which at times had me struggling with either embarrassment, feeling out of control, worried and frustrated, with a few sleepless nights to boot.

I sure landed on my feet when I learned how to regain control and developed the tools to help guide each dog through life with the support and guidance of Alpha Dog Training.

I loved what I did so much so that I decided to become a dog trainer with a newfound passion in wanting to give back to the community and help others in their own journeys.

This passion and love for dogs has had me working with dogs and their owners since 2016.

I have helped guide puppies/dogs through socialisation and rehabilitation in Doggy Day care, right through to empowering owners in learning to guide their own dogs either one on one sessions in their homes or through group classes and specialised courses.

I love dogs, I love what I do and will tell anyone who wants to listen!

The important stuff;

· Full time dog attendant with Doggy Play care since 2016

· Certified professional dog trainer since 2018 – Alpha Canine Group

· Full Time dog trainer with Alpha Dog Training since 2018

· Certified Senior Trainer Since 2020

· Recently giving back through foster care

Winnie – Assistant Demonstrator and distraction creator

10-year-old Bull Arab x

Winnie came to us through a shelter over 9 years ago. She was found wandering around the streets of Melbourne with no owner coming to collect her. Although a bit of a boof head in her junior years, she has grown to be such a gentle girl with a heart of gold and easily able to make everyone feel loved. Wanting her to get along with my indoor rabbit & parrot was the reason I sought out professional dog training. The relationship and understanding we gained together, made me fall in love with a balanced training method.

Her loves are predominantly cuddles, food and her ball with search and fetch games. Any adventure you are on, she will be there right beside you.

Roo – Assistant Demonstrator and distraction creator

9-year-old Bull Arab x Ridgeback mix

Roo came to us from a shelter, flea-ridden and alarmingly thin. He missed that critical socialisation period. Despite our efforts to help him, his fear of new situations and people escalated into fear aggression. We felt overwhelmed. Learning to help him through these behavioral problems was the push I needed to begin my journey of becoming a professional dog trainer.

In the years that followed, Roo and I experienced ups and downs in his ability to cope with new experiences and meeting new people. He has taught me the importance of patience and how to advocate for his needs. In recent years, Roo's ability to cope with different circumstances has improved so much that I have been able to help get him receive the medical attention he required as he aged, without resorting to muzzles or sedatives.

He now permits others to handle him or pat him (even if he isn't fond of it in the moment). Despite his apprehension, Roo is genuinely curious about the world and loves people with all of his heart since learning how to form friendships.

Roo enjoys the simple pleasures in life, such as lounging in the sun or snuggling for a good cuddle. He also likes to dig in the sand at the beach and, when the fancy strikes him, zoomie in sheer joy. Roo is also a huge food lover!

Penny – Assistant demonstrator and distraction creator

7-year-old Jack Russell mix

I met Penny as a puppy that attended the Dog Day Care that I worked at. She was a bit like Jekyll and Hyde, Sweet one moment, feisty the next. She was overconfident and if she set her sights on something, nothing would get in her way. I fell in love with her mighty attitude.

At 10 months old, she had to be re-homed at no fault of her own. The moment she walked through my door, I had already decided deep down that I was not letting her leave.

She was such a small little dog that tried to take on literally everything she could. She would barrel up to other larger dogs, try to protect me and my property, wonder down rabbit and wombat holes, take off after deer and everything in sight. She is my little warrior dog who needed to learn some self-control so she wouldn’t end up being killed.

She has come such a long way. Although still ready to take on the world, she now listens and does what I ask her to when I need her to listen the most. Additionally, she has learned to restrain her Jack Russell drive and peacefully coexist with other smaller pocket animals sharing the house. Deep down, under the business, she is also a little bit of a snuggle bug.

Penny's hobbies include embarking on adventures, patrolling the perimeter of our property for unwanted rabbits, harvesting bugs, and obliterating squeaky toys.