Dog Sense Training and Behaviour

18/06/2026

Omen - 17wks 🖤

05/06/2026

I LOVE Huntaways. They are the coolest dogs.

Developed in New Zealand to work sheep in the rugged terrian. Their deep bark pushed large flocks while helping farmers keep track from a distance.

They are tough but often very social & sweet dogs, and can get pretty big.

Something very unique about Huntaways is while NZKC recognises them as a breed, they cannot be shown in confirmation shows. This is deliberate in order to prioritise a breed standard workability rather than consistent appearance; which varies. That’s pretty cool 🖤

28/05/2026

There’s a time for reassurance, encouragement, or treats. But, when possible it’s ideal to allow a pup to work through it on their own.
If I’d interrupted Omen here I wouldn’t have given him the opportunity to be curious & make decisions on his own. Feeling that curiosity after being unsure, then deciding to approach, and ultimately learn ‘that weird thing’ is no big deal, is a fantastic moment to build resilience & confidence.

If he didn’t decide to approach I wouldn’t have hung around the space for a bit and maybe encouraged him, but he did so well on his own & that was far more valuable 🖤

13/05/2026

Common ‘gotcha’ moments involve these types of ‘cross-over’ trainers stating “I know how these tools work because I used to use them”.

But, if the arguments are “tools shut dogs down”, “..always cause harm”, “..balanced trainers don’t address underlying causes, & don’t understand R+ protocols”. No wonder they’re against tools if that’s how they trained.

ANY good trainer knows the importance of addressing underlying causes of behaviour issues, prioritises fulfilment & relationship & understands R+ strategies.

No good trainer chooses aversives ‘OR’ R+ methods. Nuance involves a broad understanding of methods, rather than picking one for everything.

It makes sense why these guys spend most of their time bashing tools & trainers. If they weren’t a good trainer (& still aren’t), that realisation would be confronting. So rather than self-reflect, accept & own mistakes, their shame gets projected onto others.
Defensive anger to hide insecurity 🤷🏼‍♀️

(To add, I am only referring to extremist ideological trainers. I know there are plenty of cross-over trainers who aren’t like that ✌🏻

02/05/2026

Omen - 10 weeks 🖤

The obligatory socialisation trip to Bunnings
🇦🇺

23/04/2026

21/04/2026

A little something happened this weekend!🖤

THIS little something being our new puppy Omen (a good Omen 🖤).

This little guy will primary be raised & trained by my husband, although of course, he is part of our family.

It’s been 11 years since we got our last German Shepherd Asha, and 5 years since our first GSD Zoly passed away. Zoly was my husband’s best friend, so Omen has some big shoes (paws) to fill.

We’ve stacked the odds in our favour for a well-rounded, genetically sound dog, by sourcing him from one of the best working-line GSD breeders in the country - Monsimbee German Shepherds.

Thank you Karen & Brad for your conscientiousness from start to finish. We’re in awe and so grateful 🖤