A Dog's Choice Training Services

A Dog's Choice Training Services Dog training services
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✈️ Townsville Bound! 🌴I’m heading off to Townsville on Monday and am really looking forward to catching up with everyone...
29/08/2026

✈️ Townsville Bound! 🌴

I’m heading off to Townsville on Monday and am really looking forward to catching up with everyone—including some familiar faces and a few wonderful new teams!

It will be a busy couple of days, with one team completing their PAT renewal and another undertaking their full Public Access Test.

I also have two lovely group sessions planned, giving me the opportunity to catch up with Townsville teams, see how everyone is progressing and enjoy some training together.

Of course, we’ll also have the usual breakfast get-together before I head home. I’m looking forward to catching up with Mike the Dogfather over lunch for a meeting and a good chat too!

The bags are nearly packed, the itinerary is organised, and naturally, the most important piece of luggage has been securely labelled and is ready to go… 😂🪵🐕‍🦺

See you soon, Townsville!

🌞 A Fantastic Morning at Frank Nichols Reserve! 🐾I didn’t get a chance to take any photos this morning because I was so ...
29/08/2026

🌞 A Fantastic Morning at Frank Nichols Reserve! 🐾

I didn’t get a chance to take any photos this morning because I was so busy assisting and working with our marvellous crew!

The park was incredibly busy, with two birthday parties happening and lots of children and families enjoying the beautiful sunshine. There were bikes, skateboards and plenty of activity—all providing fantastic real-life stimulation and distractions for our teams, who handled it so well.

A huge well done to Teams Whiskey, Campbell, Cuddles, Jari, Zoe and Eva! 👏

This morning, we worked on loose-leash walking exercises and settling around distractions. It was also a valuable opportunity to discuss service dog etiquette and handler responsibilities, which are just as important as practical training skills. I also introduced some new equipment for the teams to try.

I absolutely love these sessions—especially watching the teams network, encourage and help one another.

Fantastic work this morning, everyone! 🐕‍🦺💙

What a great morning of training at SCHUB in Samford yesterday🐾💙I had a fantastic little group, with Teams Cooper, Campb...
18/08/2026

What a great morning of training at SCHUB in Samford yesterday🐾💙

I had a fantastic little group, with Teams Cooper, Campbell, Eva and Duke coming along for a morning of learning, practising and putting some important Service Dog skills into action.

A big focus of the morning was the responsibility that comes with having a Service Dog. It's not simply about where you can take your dog — it's also about understanding your responsibility as a handler and showing respect for businesses, other people and the spaces you are entering.

Rather than just talking about it, I had the teams work through some simulation exercises to put these concepts into practice. We worked on things such as understanding personal space, positioning themselves appropriately around others, navigating entrances and considering how a Service Dog team should move through busy public environments without unnecessarily impacting other people.

I also put the teams through exercises covering:

- Best practice when entering shopping centres and other public spaces
- Loose-leash walking and positioning
- Awareness of people, dogs and distractions around them
- Settling calmly in place
- Some good old-fashioned basic obedience to finish off the morning!

SCHUB was a great environment because there are always plenty of natural distractions happening around us. It gave the teams the opportunity to practise in situations that were much closer to what they will encounter in real life rather than trying to create a perfectly controlled training environment.

And that is exactly what this training is about — preparing both ends of the leash for the real world. 🐕‍🦺

Beautiful work from all four teams this morning. I am very proud to have these awesome teams out and about representing A Dog's Choice and to see their dogs doing such a wonderful job supporting their people.

Well done Teams Cooper, Campbell, Eva and Duke! 👏🐾💙

What a wonderful way to finish my trip in beautiful Cairns! 💙🐾Before heading home, I had the pleasure of completing an I...
12/08/2026

What a wonderful way to finish my trip in beautiful Cairns! 💙🐾

Before heading home, I had the pleasure of completing an In Training Jacket assessment with Team Diesel — and what a fantastic team they are!

Diesel was absolutely on point. Focused, responsive and beautifully connected with his handler throughout the assessment. The bond between these two is so evident, and he is an absolutely gorgeous dog to watch working. 💙

There was really only one little tweak from me — remembering not to let the leash gradually drift out. Loose leash doesn’t mean a long leash! For public access, I want that leash relaxed and loose, but Diesel still nice and close to his handler. A very minor adjustment for an otherwise fantastic assessment.

So pleased with this team and their progress, and it was a lovely way to wrap up another Cairns visit.

And of course, I couldn’t leave Cairns without a huge thank you to Linda. Not only for her love and friendship, but for the massive amount of support she gives me and my teams in Cairns. Having someone I trust there to help support and encourage my teams between my visits means more than I can say. 💙

Well done Team Diesel — a very well-earned In Training Jacket! 🐾👏

☀️ A gorgeous Cairns catch-up! 🐾💙What a lovely get-together with a few of my teams here in beautiful Cairns, on an absol...
12/08/2026

☀️ A gorgeous Cairns catch-up! 🐾💙

What a lovely get-together with a few of my teams here in beautiful Cairns, on an absolutely gorgeous day at The Esplanade.

Teams Chewie, Mooch, Bailey and Bingo came together for a chat, a check-in and, of course, a good catch-up! All four teams are PAT qualified, and I am incredibly proud of them. It is always wonderful to see these dogs out and about and to see just how evident the work they do in supporting their handlers is. 💙🐾

I also loved being able to catch up alongside one of my favourite people and trainer extraordinaire, Linda, who helps me enormously in supporting my Cairns teams. Having that local support and another experienced set of eyes on the ground is something I really value.

Afterwards, Linda and I headed across to the RSL with Team Mooch for a very welcome — and very delicious — lunch! 😋

Then it was back to work, heading out to Bunnings at Smithfield to conduct a reassessment with Team Indi for their In Training Jacket. It was lovely to see the progress this team has made, with Indi doing really well throughout the reassessment and successfully meeting the requirements. 🐕‍🦺👏

A beautiful Cairns day, great company, some very special dogs, a successful reassessment and a lovely opportunity to spend time with some of my teams. 💙🐾

🐾 PAT RENEWAL SUCCESS – TEAM HARLEY, CAIRNS! ❤️Another successful PAT Renewal while I’m here in Cairns – congratulations...
11/08/2026

🐾 PAT RENEWAL SUCCESS – TEAM HARLEY, CAIRNS! ❤️

Another successful PAT Renewal while I’m here in Cairns – congratulations to Team Harley!

This team gave a beautiful demonstration of what strong foundation training looks like. Harley’s basic commands were sharp, responsive and on point, with great communication between dog and handler throughout the practical assessment.

They also demonstrated their trained service tasks confidently and clearly, showing the consistency and teamwork I’m looking for at PAT Renewal.

With both the practical and theory components successfully completed, I’m very happy to sign Team Harley off for another two years of PAT certification! 🎉🐾

And yes… for those wondering why Harley isn’t wearing my signature royal blue jacket – there’s a very good reason! ❤️

Harley’s handler does performance work and has a signature red performance outfit. As Harley accompanies and supports her during this work, she requested a red assistance dog jacket to complement her performance attire – and I was more than happy to accommodate the request. Hence Harley gets to stand out from the crowd in her fabulous red jacket! ❤️🐕‍🦺

A great example of an experienced team demonstrating that when the foundations are solid, it shows.

Congratulations Team Harley – very well deserved! 👏🐾

🐾 Well done Team Sheba! 🐾While I’ve been in Cairns, Team Sheba successfully completed the preliminary physical/practical...
11/08/2026

🐾 Well done Team Sheba! 🐾

While I’ve been in Cairns, Team Sheba successfully completed the preliminary physical/practical component of their Public Access Test (PAT), meeting the required standard on the day. There are still some follow-up theory and assessment requirements to be completed before the team can be considered for full PAT sign-off, but this was another important step forward. 👏🐕‍🦺

As with any assessment, there were also some recommendations and areas to continue working on. One thing this PAT highlighted was just how important it is to keep up the basics. Good, consistent basic obedience is the foundation that everything else is built upon, and it can be very easy to focus so much on the more advanced work that those everyday foundations don't get the same attention.

Some of those basics weren't as strong as I would ideally like to see on assessment day. However, dogs are dogs, and sometimes what we regularly see in training doesn't quite come together in the same way on the day!

This is also where training logs, videos and regular communication with your assessor really matter. Team Sheba have been consistent in providing videos showing their training, progress and development, which gave me a much broader picture of the team's capability than one assessment session alone. That ongoing evidence was important in demonstrating that they could meet the standard required for this stage.

It's a great reminder for everyone working towards their PAT: don't neglect the basics, keep your training logs up to date, send your videos and stay in communication. Your PAT isn't just about what happens during one assessment — it's about demonstrating the development and consistency of your team over time.

Congratulations Team Sheba on reaching this stage. Keep working on those recommendations and building on those foundations! 🐾💙

Congratulations to Team Campbell and Team Ruby! 🎉 A huge congratulations to both teams on successfully completing their ...
30/07/2026

Congratulations to Team Campbell and Team Ruby! 🎉

A huge congratulations to both teams on successfully completing their Public Access Test (PAT) Renewal yesterday!
These teams originally achieved their PAT over four years ago, completed their first renewal two years ago, and have now once again demonstrated that they continue to meet the high standards required for another two years.
Throughout their assessments they displayed beautiful public access etiquette, excellent handler and dog teamwork, and confidently demonstrated their trained service tasks.
What many people don't see is that a PAT renewal isn't just about what happens on the assessment day. Behind the scenes, both teams have consistently met their ongoing responsibilities by maintaining their training logs, completing their theory assessment, participating in evaluation and verification of their service tasks, and continuing to build and maintain the skills that make them successful working teams.
Maintaining an assistance dog partnership takes commitment, consistency and ongoing education. It's about ensuring both handler and dog continue to understand their roles and work safely and confidently together in the community.
Teams Campbell and Ruby, you should both be incredibly proud of everything you've achieved. Your dedication over the years truly shows, and it was wonderful to see the standard you continue to maintain.
Congratulations to you both on another successful PAT Renewal! 🐾💙

Maintaining the basics, keeping it awesome 😎.Some fantastic training at Samford SCHUB earlier this week with teams Campb...
29/07/2026

Maintaining the basics, keeping it awesome 😎.
Some fantastic training at Samford SCHUB earlier this week with teams Campbell, Cooper, Chase, Murphy, Frankie, Ruby and Eva 🐾🐾🐾🐕‍🦺🐕‍🦺

✈️ Cairns... here I come again! 🦮💙In August I'll be heading back to Cairns for another busy few days, and this trip is c...
26/07/2026

✈️ Cairns... here I come again! 🦮💙

In August I'll be heading back to Cairns for another busy few days, and this trip is certainly going to keep me on my toes!

On the agenda:
🦮 PAT Renewal Assessment
🦮 Public Access Test (PAT)
🐾 Two possible In Training Jacket (ITJ) Assessments

It's going to be a lot to squeeze into a 3-day trip, but I couldn't do it without my best partner in paws, Linda from Canine Training School. 🤝🐾 I always look forward to working alongside Linda and catching up with her ❤️

I'm also excited to see some of our Cairns teams again, celebrate how far you've come, and hopefully welcome a few more teams to the next stage of their assistance dog journey. 💙🦮

Now... here's hoping the flights are on time, the coffee is strong ☕, and the dogs are ready to show off all their hard work! 🐾✈️
See you all very soon, Cairns! 🌴🦮💙

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Eatons Hill, QLD
4037

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