Riverina K9 Services

Riverina K9 Services Nationally Accredited Dog Training
Behaviour Consultation
Pet Nutrition & Canine Myotherapy
Online Education
Servicing Griffith & the wider Riverina

At Riverina K9 Services, we’re passionate about responsible animal care and empowering great relationships between Pets and their Guardians. Our mission:

We are committed to providing reliable and ethical guidance surrounding the ownership of companion animals, working with pet guardians to provide professional training, advice and continued support. We believe that by empowering guardians throug

h education, safe methods, appropriate techniques, and creating clear communication channels we can support the public and their pets to live happy, healthy lives together in harmony. We want to help improve the overall welfare of pets in our community, through education about the importance of mind and body health, responsible ownership, learning around bite prevention and pet safety around children, as well as helping decrease the number of animals who are surrendered or euthanized due to mismanaged behaviour. Our values:

As a family-run business with a solid foundation in our local community, we value honesty, integrity and compassion in our work. We have a commitment to the animals and guardians we work with, and believe in the importance of respectful communication, personal growth and teamwork. We take a holistic approach to the physical and emotional well-being of companion animals. We also operate our business in a way which is environmentally friendly and sustainable.

11/05/2026

🐾 Super Puppy Preschool Graduates 🎓 🐾

We’ve just wrapped up our latest Super Puppy Preschool class and what a crew it was 👏

This round was a large composite class of both younger and older puppies, and honestly… they absolutely rose to the occasion.

These pups:
• Built confidence in a new environment
• Leart to stay calm around other dogs and people
• Developed engagement with their handlers
• And start to understand clear communication and structure

Every single puppy made progress in their own way, and that’s what counts.

A big shoutout to all of our owners too 👏

Consistency, patience, and showing up each week makes all the difference — and it shows.

These guys are now set up with important foundations to move forward 🐕✨

🚨 Our Puppy Preschool waitlist is currently OPEN and filling quickly.

Classes run once numbers are reached — so if you’re thinking about it, now’s the time to get your name down.

📩 [email protected]
🌐 www.riverinak9.com.au⁠�
📱 DM us on Instagram

Big congratulations to Frankie on graduating our Reactive to Proactive program 🎓🐾Frankie initially struggled with reacti...
17/03/2026

Big congratulations to Frankie on graduating our Reactive to Proactive program 🎓🐾

Frankie initially struggled with reactivity around guests entering the home, postman drop-offs, and the unpredictability of everyday comings and goings.

These moments were overwhelming for him, often leading to heightened arousal and difficulty making good decisions.

Through structured training, we focused on changing how Frankie felt in these situations — not just what he did. By building clarity, introducing alternative behaviours, buikding some structure into the home and reinforcing calm, thoughtful responses, Frankie has learned how to better navigate these previously challenging scenarios.

Now we’re seeing a dog who can pause, process, and make more appropriate choices when it matters most — especially in the home environment.

This is the goal 👇

Helping dogs move from reactive patterns into thoughtful, proactive behaviours that allow them to live more comfortably alongside their humans.

So proud of this team and the work they’ve put

12/03/2026

Play is one of the most powerful ways we can build relationship and motivation with our dogs… but it also asks something of us....

I’ll admit — I didn’t quite realise how lazy my play skills had become until I brought a dog into my home who wasn’t naturally big on interactive play.

So ive had to completely change my approach this time round.

More movement. More animation. More clowning around to make the game worth joining, staying in and winning.

Progress has been slow… albeit steady.

One thing that’s been really interesting to watch though a trainers lens is how easily kids can get dogs to engage in play and keep coming back for more. That child-like energy — loose, playful, a bit silly — has real power. They don’t overthink it, they just play.

It reminds me play is undoubtedly the foundation of a strong, healthy, and cooperative relationship between a handler and their dog. When the energy is genuine and shared, the game stops being about the toy itself and starts being about the connection between dog and human.

A great reminder that good play asks us to go back to being that four year old - bring genuine energy, drop the need to look exactly 'right', and simply meet our dog in the moment. 🐾

Welcome Wally! 🐾We’re excited to welcome Wally the Dalmatian puppy and his human.Wally has started working with us in so...
09/03/2026

Welcome Wally! 🐾

We’re excited to welcome Wally the Dalmatian puppy and his human.

Wally has started working with us in some 1:1 Puppy Development Sessions to help set him up with the right foundations early, and he’ll also be joining our Puppy Preschool class kicking off this weekend.

In Wally’s first session we focused on laying some important groundwork:

🐾 Introducing some basic markers so Wally can clearly understand when he’s made the right choice

🐾 Beginning some engagement and handler connection game

🐾 Chat about early settling skills

🐾 Starting some basic leash awareness and reward placement to encourage connection

At this stage it’s all about building the relationship, confidence and clarity between Wally and his human while he’s still young and soaking everything in.

We’re looking forward to watching this clever spotted pup continue to grow. 😁🐾

07/03/2026

When your toddler starts their training journey 😂🐾

I’ll admit — I cherry-picked the end of the funniest reps here for a laugh.

But underneath the chaos, there were a few moments in this that actually made me really proud.

At this age Tate is starting to naturally 'play train' with Tommy. It’s not something I’ve formally taught any of my kids — it’s just the result of a s**t load of repetition, modelling and dogs being part of our everyday life.

Kids learn by watching....
And they repeat what they see....

So hearing little cues pop up, seeing attempts at timing rewards, markers and even a rough version of behaviours like “middle” appearing in their play is pretty wild to watch unfold.

My son Tate can't talk yet, but what's mindblowing is he can give a cue clearly and a verbal marker.

Another thing that really stands out here is the structure in Tommy’s play.

He understands there are rules he has to abide by — even when the human giving the cue is two years old.

No snatching or dirty takes on toys.
Out means out.
Markers give permission or information
Cues give direction to the pathway of reinforcement

Tommy understands that those rules still apply — even when the handler is tiny.

The other part I’m really proud of is Tommy himself.

He is an incredibly safe dog around my kids — even when rewards, toys and excitement are involved. That didn’t happen by accident. It’s been carefully guided so he understands how to exist calmly and appropriately in a busy household with small humans.

Now the result is a dog who genuinely seeks out interaction with the kids.

He invites them into play, activates them into little games, and happily engages with them in ways that are appropriate and safe.

It’s not chaotic or overwhelming for him — it’s something he actually enjoys. The kids become part of his world, and he’s learned how to include them in it.
Which means the kids and the dog actually have fun together.

Raising a dog that easily fits into your human family and coexists peacefully with three senior dogs isn’t luck. It’s thoughtful guidance over time.

Still… I might be a little biased that my kids seem to love training dogs as much as I do. 😅🐕

[ HOW DOG TRAINING HELPED ME SWIM 32KM ]Last Wednesday I finished my 32km Super Swim 🏊‍♀️ 32 kilometres. Over 9 1hr lunc...
05/03/2026

[ HOW DOG TRAINING HELPED ME SWIM 32KM ]

Last Wednesday I finished my 32km Super Swim 🏊‍♀️
32 kilometres. Over 9 1hr lunch breaks throughout Feb.

Each swim sitting between 3–4km blocks, chipped away steadily over a few weeks.

Swimming itself is fairly straightforward for me to execute

Life around it… not always.

There were plenty of hurdles and variables to navigate just to get the laps in — work demands, family commitments, limited windows of time and energy. Some days the margin was tight, and getting 3–4km done meant choosing discipline over comfort or convenience.

In many ways, the process reminded me a lot of dog training....

Progress rarely happens in perfect conditions. There are always competing variables you must work with — environment, emotion, time pressure, distractions. Success isn’t about waiting for ideal circumstances; it’s about working thoughtfully within the reality you have.

Just like working well with dogs, this wasn’t built in one big effort. It came from small, structured inputs repeated consistently over time.

One of the things I value most about dog training is the mindset it teaches: have a plan, stay thoughtful, remain flexible, keep turning up and trust the process. Good stuff will follow.

It’s this mindset I’m grateful to carry over into other non-dog related goals in life as well.

I also ended up raising just over $1,500 for the Starlight Foundation 💛 Thank you to all my special clients and followers who supported and donated — I’m incredibly grateful!

🙏🐾🏊‍♀️

🦸‍♂️🐾 SUPER PUPPY PRESCHOOL 🐾 🦸‍♂️NEW CLASS STARTS ON THE 15TH OF MARCH!We are super pumped to get our next class of sup...
05/03/2026

🦸‍♂️🐾 SUPER PUPPY PRESCHOOL 🐾 🦸‍♂️

NEW CLASS STARTS ON THE 15TH OF MARCH!

We are super pumped to get our next class of super pups together 🐾

This 4-week puppy development program is suitable for pups 8 weeks–5 months and focuses on building calm, confident foundations from the very start.

✨ What to expect:
✔️ Safe, structured socialisation & exposure
✔️ Fun focussed puppy exercises
✔️ Confidence building activities
✔️ Positive skill building & puppy obedience
✔️ Small group sizes for more individual support
✔️ Free puppy pack and online puppy program access
✔️ Guidance and support by a national accredited dog trainer

📍 Griffith, NSW

💲 $299

🐾 The most important learning phase in a puppy’s life is 8–16 weeks.

Positive, well-managed experiences during this time shape confidence, resilience, and behaviour long-term. Puppies who wait until 4 months to start safe exposure are at a higher risk of behavioural challenges later on.

Our program follows best-practice puppy development guidelines from the Australian Veterinary Association and American Veterinary Medical Association, with structured, age-appropriate experiences to support confident, well-adjusted dogs.

The earlier you start with qualified and professional guidance, the better the outcomes! 🐶

Spots are limited - Don't miss out

📧 Get in touch for an info pack or to secure your place: [email protected]

04/03/2026

🎓🐾 Puppy Preschool Graduation 🐾🎓

A Month of Growth!

Over the past few weeks we’ve watched this group of pups and their families grow in all the ways that truly matter.

From day one nurturing an engaged mindset and building value in focus on their humans, through to motivated recalls, leash skills, basic positions, impulse control, touch conditioning and handling, structured play, and training concepts that will set them up for real-world readiness — every layer was designed to create clarity, confidence and connection.

We've established markers and a reward system, introduced structured outlets for fulfilment, built resilience through exposure, and even rounded things out with a fun introduction to a few different dogsports like Agility, Rally-O and Lure Coursing.

The progress across each team has been incredible — not just in skills, but in communication and understanding each other.

Puppy Preschool is all about beginning to build strong foundations during a critical developmental window and empowering families with the tools to guide their pups forward in the best way possible.

So proud of this crew. The work you’ve put in now will shape the dogs they become. 🐶✨

Our waitlist is currently open for our next puppy class but filling fast - get in touch with us for more info if your keen to join [email protected]

ConfidentDogs RealWorldReady

After a weekend in Melbourne at Dr Melanie Uhde’s Downunder seminar, I’m coming home with a lot to reflect on 🧠🐾We cover...
02/03/2026

After a weekend in Melbourne at Dr Melanie Uhde’s Downunder seminar, I’m coming home with a lot to reflect on 🧠🐾

We covered fear, stress, arousal and regulation — and how understanding the brain shapes better outcomes for our dogs.

Resilience wasn’t the only topic, but it was my biggest takeaway. Especially in my journey with Tommy.

This dog and this season for me hasn’t been about polished behaviours. It’s been about empowering a sensitive dog — to move through challenge, succeed, and return to balance confidently. Ready to go again..

Learning to work with stress — rather than avoid it — is often the only way to create sustainable, lasting progress.

That means I need to be mindful and measured in the challenges I set. That’s my responsibility — providing structure, clarity and support so pressure builds confidence, not fragility.

Trying to “harden” a dog isn’t the goal. Building a confident, proactive dog is....

I am grateful for the learning, and for all that made it happen 🙏



21/02/2026

🐾 Puppy school - Week 3 done and dusted!

In class 3 we focused on strengthening engagement, recall, loose leash walking, mat skills and impulse control — all while boosting confidence through touch conditioning, structured and free play.

The growth in this crew is unreal 👏

🦸‍♂️🐾 PUPPY PRESCHOOL WAITLIST OPEN 🐾 🦸‍♂️SECURE YOUR SPOT!We are super pumped to get our next class of super pups toget...
16/02/2026

🦸‍♂️🐾 PUPPY PRESCHOOL WAITLIST OPEN 🐾 🦸‍♂️

SECURE YOUR SPOT!

We are super pumped to get our next class of super pups together 🐾

This 4-week puppy development program is suitable for pups 8 weeks–5 months and focuses on building calm, confident foundations from the very start.

✨ What to expect:
✔️ Safe, structured socialisation & exposure
✔️ Fun focussed puppy exercises
✔️ Confidence building activities
✔️ Positive skill building & puppy obedience
✔️ Small group sizes for more individual support
✔️ Free puppy pack and online puppy program access
✔️ Guidance and support by a national accredited dog trainer

📍 Griffith, NSW

💲 $299

🐾 The most important learning phase in a puppy’s life is 8–16 weeks.

Positive, well-managed experiences during this time shape confidence, resilience, and behaviour long-term. Puppies who wait until 4 months to start safe exposure are at a higher risk of behavioural challenges later on.

Our program follows best-practice puppy development guidelines from the Australian Veterinary Association and American Veterinary Medical Association, with structured, age-appropriate experiences to support confident, well-adjusted dogs.

The earlier you start with qualified and professional guidance, the better the outcomes! 🐶

Spots are limited - Don't miss out

📧 Get in touch for an info pack or to secure your place: [email protected]

Address

Griffith, NSW
2680

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Website

https://www.riverinak9academy.com.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Riverina K9 Services posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Riverina K9 Services:

Shortcuts

Share

Category