Dog Trainer Mark

Dog Trainer Mark Trusted dog trainer and behaviour specialist with 43+ years of professional hands-on experience. Former military & government dog trainer.

Helping dogs and their owners build better lives together. Professional dog trainer and behaviour specialist, with over 40 years professional experience. Former Australian military (RAAF) Police Dog Handler/Trainer, and former Australian Quarantines Detector Dog Handler/Trainer. Australian government accredited. Specialising in extreme behaviour issues, such as: Aggression, Anxiety, Obsessive Comp

ulsive Behaviours, Insecurity, Fears, Overly Dependant Behaviour, Separation Stress, all behavioural issues and advanced obedience.

๐•๐•š๐•–๐•ฅ๐•Ÿ๐•’๐•žโ€™๐•ค ๐•†๐•Ÿ๐•๐•ช โ„™๐• ๐•š๐•ค๐• ๐•Ÿ ๐”น๐•’๐•š๐•ฅ ๐”ธ๐•ง๐• ๐•š๐••๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•”๐•– โ„™๐•ฃ๐• ๐•˜๐•ฃ๐•’๐•ž๐•ž๐•– ๐•—๐• ๐•ฃ ๐•๐• ๐•ฆ๐•ฃ ๐”ป๐• ๐•˜(Bแบฃn dแป‹ch tiแบฟng Viแป‡t bรชn dฦฐแป›i)Walking your dog in Hanoi shoul...
10/02/2026

๐•๐•š๐•–๐•ฅ๐•Ÿ๐•’๐•žโ€™๐•ค ๐•†๐•Ÿ๐•๐•ช โ„™๐• ๐•š๐•ค๐• ๐•Ÿ ๐”น๐•’๐•š๐•ฅ ๐”ธ๐•ง๐• ๐•š๐••๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•”๐•– โ„™๐•ฃ๐• ๐•˜๐•ฃ๐•’๐•ž๐•ž๐•– ๐•—๐• ๐•ฃ ๐•๐• ๐•ฆ๐•ฃ ๐”ป๐• ๐•˜
(Bแบฃn dแป‹ch tiแบฟng Viแป‡t bรชn dฦฐแป›i)

Walking your dog in Hanoi shouldnโ€™t feel like navigating a minefield. Between rodent control and malicious baits specifically targeting pets, the dangers in our parks and streets are real and life-threatening.

We want you to enjoy your walks without the constant fear of what your dog might find in the streets and parks. This specialised ๐Ÿณ-๐——๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—ฃ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—”๐˜ƒ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ & ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป is the only program of its kind in Vietnam, designed to give your dog the skills they need to stay safe.

๐„๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ ๐‚๐š๐ง ๐“๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ

This programme was specifically developed by me, a specialist with over 44 years of professional dog training experience. As a former Australian Government and military specialist trainer, I was also involved with training detection dogs to locate specific odours. I use that same level of expertise to teach your dog the opposite: ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™ž๐™™๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™›๐™ฎ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ง๐™ž๐™˜๐™ฉ๐™ก๐™ฎ ๐™–๐™ซ๐™ค๐™ž๐™™ ๐™™๐™–๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™š๐™ง๐™ค๐™ช๐™จ ๐™จ๐™ช๐™—๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š๐™จ.

๐‡๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ฆ ๐–๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ

Your dog stays at Victoria Falls Ranch for 7 days of intensive, focused training. During their stay, they undergo multiple training sessions every day, specifically targeting:

- ๐๐š๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: Training against the various ways baits are commonly hidden in public spaces.
- ๐‡๐ข๐ ๐ก-๐•๐š๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ž ๐“๐š๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ฌ: Focusing on the most popular food types used to hide toxins so your dog ignores even the most tempting lures.
- ๐‘๐ž๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง & ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ฒ: Multiple daily sessions ensure the "default refusal" becomes an automatic response.

๐๐ž๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐š๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ

This specialised training extends to other critical safety and behavioural needs:

- ๐’๐ง๐š๐ค๐ž ๐€๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž: Essential for dog owners living in or visiting snake-prone areas.
- ๐‹๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐œ๐ค & ๐–๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž: If your dog hunts or chases chickens, ducks, or geese, we can train them to override those natural hunting instincts for their safety and your peace of mind.

Don't wait for a "close call." Equip your dog with life-saving habits today.

๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐  ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ. ๐Ÿพ
Visit http://dogtrainermark.com or http://victoriafallsranch.com for more information on our upcoming Board & Train intakes.
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โ„‚๐•™ฦฐฦก๐•Ÿ๐•˜ ๐•‹๐•ฃรฌ๐•Ÿ๐•™ โ„๐•ฆแบฅ๐•Ÿ ๐•ƒ๐•ฆ๐•ชแป‡๐•Ÿ โ„‚๐•™รณ ๐•‹๐•ฃรก๐•Ÿ๐•™ ๐”นแบฃ ฤแป™๐•” ๐”ป๐•ฆ๐•ช โ„•๐•™แบฅ๐•ฅ ๐•‹แบก๐•š ๐•๐•šแป‡๐•ฅ โ„•๐•’๐•ž

Dแบฏt chรณ ฤ‘i dแบกo แปŸ Hร  Nแป™i khรดng nรชn giแป‘ng nhฦฐ ฤ‘ang ฤ‘i qua mแป™t bรฃi mรฌn. Giแปฏa cรกc biแป‡n phรกp diแป‡t chuแป™t vร  nhแปฏng chiแบฟc bแบฃ ฤ‘แป™c รกc รฝ nhแบฏm vร o thรบ cฦฐng, nhแปฏng mแป‘i nguy hiแปƒm trรชn ฤ‘ฦฐแปng phแป‘ vร  cรดng viรชn lร  cรณ thแบญt vร  ฤ‘e dแปa ฤ‘แบฟn tรญnh mแบกng.

Chรบng tรดi muแป‘n bแบกn tแบญn hฦฐแปŸng nhแปฏng buแป•i ฤ‘i dแบกo mร  khรดng phแบฃi lo lแบฏng vแป nhแปฏng gรฌ con chรณ cแปงa mรฌnh cรณ thแปƒ tรฌm thแบฅy trรชn ฤ‘ฦฐแปng phแป‘ vร  cรดng viรชn. Chฦฐฦกng trรฌnh ๐แป™๐ข ๐ญ๐ซรบ & ๐‡๐ฎแบฅ๐ง ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฒแป‡๐ง ๐“๐ซรก๐ง๐ก ๐แบฃ ฤแป™๐œ ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ• ๐ง๐ ร ๐ฒ chuyรชn biแป‡t nร y lร  chฦฐฦกng trรฌnh duy nhแบฅt thuแป™c loแบกi nร y tแบกi Viแป‡t Nam, ฤ‘ฦฐแปฃc thiแบฟt kแบฟ ฤ‘แปƒ trang bแป‹ cho chรบ chรณ cแปงa bแบกn nhแปฏng kแปน nฤƒng cแบงn thiแบฟt ฤ‘แปƒ giแปฏ an toร n.

๐‚๐ก๐ฎ๐ฒรช๐ง ๐Œรด๐ง ๐แบก๐ง ๐‚รณ ๐“๐กแปƒ ๐“๐ข๐ง ๐“ฦฐแปŸ๐ง๐ 

Chฦฐฦกng trรฌnh nร y ฤ‘ฦฐแปฃc phรกt triแปƒn ฤ‘แบทc biแป‡t bแปŸi tรดi, mแป™t chuyรชn gia vแป›i hฦกn 44 nฤƒm kinh nghiแป‡m huแบฅn luyแป‡n chรณ chuyรชn nghiแป‡p. Lร  cแปฑu huแบฅn luyแป‡n viรชn chuyรชn gia cแปงa Chรญnh phแปง vร  quรขn ฤ‘แป™i รšc, tรดi tแปซng tham gia huแบฅn luyแป‡n chรณ nghiแป‡p vแปฅ phรกt hiแป‡n cรกc mรนi cแปฅ thแปƒ. Tรดi sแปญ dแปฅng chรญnh chuyรชn mรดn cแบฅp cao ฤ‘รณ ฤ‘แปƒ dแบกy chรบ chรณ cแปงa bแบกn ฤ‘iแปu ngฦฐแปฃc lแบกi: nhแบญn biแบฟt vร  tuyแป‡t ฤ‘แป‘i trรกnh xa cรกc chแบฅt nguy hiแปƒm.

๐‚รก๐œ๐ก ๐“๐กแปฉ๐œ ๐‡๐จแบก๐ญ ฤแป™๐ง๐  ๐‚แปง๐š ๐‚๐กฦฐฦก๐ง๐  ๐“๐ซรฌ๐ง๐ก

Chรบ chรณ cแปงa bแบกn sแบฝ แปŸ lแบกi Victoria Falls Ranch trong 7 ngร y ฤ‘แปƒ ฤ‘ฦฐแปฃc huแบฅn luyแป‡n tแบญp trung vร  cฦฐแปng ฤ‘แป™ cao. Trong thแปi gian lฦฐu trรบ, chรบng sแบฝ trแบฃi qua nhiแปu buแป•i huแบฅn luyแป‡n mแป—i ngร y, tแบญp trung cแปฅ thแปƒ vร o:

- ๐‚รก๐œ๐ก ๐“๐ซรฌ๐ง๐ก ๐ร ๐ฒ ๐แบฃ: Huแบฅn luyแป‡n dแปฑa trรชn cรกc cรกch thแปฉc bแบฃ thฦฐแปng ฤ‘ฦฐแปฃc giแบฅu แปŸ cรกc khรดng gian cรดng cแป™ng.
- ๐‚รก๐œ ๐Œแปฅ๐œ ๐“๐ขรช๐ฎ ๐†๐ขรก ๐“๐ซแป‹ ๐‚๐š๐จ: Tแบญp trung vร o cรกc loแบกi thแปฑc phแบฉm phแป• biแบฟn nhแบฅt thฦฐแปng ฤ‘ฦฐแปฃc dรนng ฤ‘แปƒ giแบฅu ฤ‘แป™c tแป‘, ฤ‘แบฃm bแบฃo chรณ cแปงa bแบกn phแป›t lแป ngay cแบฃ nhแปฏng miแบฟng mแป“i hแบฅp dแบซn nhแบฅt.
- ๐’แปฑ ๐‹แบท๐ฉ ๐‹แบก๐ข & ๐๐กแบฅ๐ญ ๐๐ฎรก๐ง: Nhiแปu buแป•i hแปc mแป—i ngร y ฤ‘แบฃm bแบฃo hร nh vi "tแปฑ ฤ‘แป™ng tแปซ chแป‘i" trแปŸ thร nh mแป™t phแบฃn xแบก tแปฑ nhiรชn.

๐Š๐กรด๐ง๐  ๐‚๐กแป‰ ๐‹ร  ๐“๐ซรก๐ง๐ก ๐แบฃ ฤแป™๐œ

Quรก trรฌnh huแบฅn luyแป‡n chuyรชn biแป‡t nร y cรฒn mแปŸ rแป™ng sang cรกc nhu cแบงu hร nh vi vร  an toร n quan trแปng khรกc:

- ๐“๐ซรก๐ง๐ก ๐‘แบฏ๐ง: Rแบฅt cแบงn thiแบฟt cho nhแปฏng chแปง nuรดi sแป‘ng hoแบทc thฦฐแปng xuyรชn ฤ‘แบฟn cรกc khu vแปฑc cรณ rแบฏn.
- ๐†๐ข๐š ๐‚แบง๐ฆ & ฤแป™๐ง๐  ๐•แบญ๐ญ ๐‡๐จ๐š๐ง๐  ๐ƒรฃ: Nแบฟu chรณ cแปงa bแบกn hay sฤƒn ฤ‘uแป•i gร , vแป‹t hoแบทc ngแป—ng, chรบng tรดi cรณ thแปƒ huแบฅn luyแป‡n chรบng chแบฟ ngแปฑ bแบฃn nฤƒng sฤƒn ฤ‘uแป•i tแปฑ nhiรชn ฤ‘แปƒ ฤ‘แบฃm bแบฃo an toร n cho chรบng vร  sแปฑ yรชn tรขm cho bแบกn.

ฤแปซng ฤ‘แปฃi ฤ‘แบฟn khi "suรฝt nแปฏa thรฌ cรณ chuyแป‡n". Hรฃy trang bแป‹ cho chรบ chรณ cแปงa bแบกn nhแปฏng thรณi quen cแปฉu mแบกng ngay hรดm nay.

๐แบฃ๐จ ๐ฏแป‡ ๐œ๐กรบ ๐œ๐กรณ ๐œแปง๐š ๐›แบก๐ง ๐ง๐ ๐š๐ฒ ๐›รข๐ฒ ๐ ๐ขแป. ๐Ÿพ
Truy cแบญp http://dogtrainermark.com hoแบทc http://victoriafallsranch.com ฤ‘แปƒ biแบฟt thรชm thรดng tin vแป cรกc khรณa nแป™i trรบ sแบฏp tแป›i.

Today I got to walk my best mate once again, Bosco. He passed on in Nov 2019 at the age of 14. Still miss him. Gemini ge...
01/02/2026

Today I got to walk my best mate once again, Bosco. He passed on in Nov 2019 at the age of 14. Still miss him. Gemini generated this video from these 2 photos. Pretty impressive.

I tried Gemini with an old photo from a newspaper. 1986, with my RAAF Drug Detector Dog, Mate. Searching the mail at the...
25/01/2026

I tried Gemini with an old photo from a newspaper. 1986, with my RAAF Drug Detector Dog, Mate. Searching the mail at the mail exchange.

I ask Gemini to improve and colour this old RAAF photo I had, that was taken back in 1985 and scanned from an RAAF book....
25/01/2026

I ask Gemini to improve and colour this old RAAF photo I had, that was taken back in 1985 and scanned from an RAAF book. Quite amazing!

I am closest to the camera in the front. And my amazing Police Dog, PD 826 Kunter. The colour of him is perfect.

Some of the patches on the jackets are not correct, however I am sure by giving Gemini a few more prompts they can be fixed.

"๐•„๐• ๐•ค๐•ฅ ๐• ๐•— ๐•ฅ๐•™๐•– ๐•ฅ๐•š๐•ž๐•–", ๐•š๐•ค ๐•Ÿ๐• ๐•ฅ ๐•“๐•–๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜ ๐•”๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•ค๐•š๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•–๐•Ÿ๐•ฅ.Hereโ€™s what โ€œbeing consistentโ€ actually means when youโ€™re modifying a dogโ€™s ...
18/01/2026

"๐•„๐• ๐•ค๐•ฅ ๐• ๐•— ๐•ฅ๐•™๐•– ๐•ฅ๐•š๐•ž๐•–", ๐•š๐•ค ๐•Ÿ๐• ๐•ฅ ๐•“๐•–๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜ ๐•”๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•ค๐•š๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•–๐•Ÿ๐•ฅ.

Hereโ€™s what โ€œbeing consistentโ€ actually means when youโ€™re modifying a dogโ€™s behaviour, and why it matters so much.

Consistency is not about correcting your dog when you happen to be watching them. Itโ€™s about the rules being the same every single time, whether you are there or not.

In this example, the dog jumps on the kitchen counter when the owner leaves the room. That tells us something important. The dog has learned that the rule only applies in certain situations. From the dogโ€™s point of view, โ€œthe kitchen when my owner is hereโ€ and โ€œthe kitchen when my owner is not hereโ€ are two completely different scenarios.

Dogs are situational learners. They donโ€™t automatically generalise rules across contexts. If the dog is only stopped from jumping when someone is present, they donโ€™t learn โ€œdonโ€™t jump on the counter.โ€ They learn โ€œdonโ€™t jump when a human is watching.โ€ When the situation changes, so does the rule.

This is why, during the learning process, the dog should have no access to the kitchen when unsupervised. Not limited access. No access at all. Gates, closed doors, crates, or other management tools are not shortcuts. They prevent the dog from rehearsing the unwanted behaviour and learning a second, conflicting rule.

When the dog does have supervised access to the kitchen, consistency matters even more. Every time the dog even considers jumping up, the outcome must be the same. One ignored attempt is enough to keep the behaviour alive. Dogs learn from patterns, not intentions.

This applies to every behaviour you are working on modifying, not just counter surfing. It also applies to obedience training. If cues, boundaries, or consequences change depending on the situation, the dog will learn different rules for different contexts.

Itโ€™s about giving the dog clear boundaries and outcomes they can rely on. Remove access completely when you canโ€™t supervise, manage the environment properly, and make sure every supervised interaction follows the same pattern. That clarity is what allows real behaviour change to happen.

That said, if you genuinely cannot prevent your dog from accessing the kitchen when youโ€™re not there, the environment still has to deliver a consistent consequence every single time the dog tries. The dog cannot be allowed to succeed without feedback. That consequence must come from the environment itself, not from you suddenly appearing later once the dog has already succeeded with a positive result.

This might mean setting things up so that jumping up reliably results in something unpleasant for the dog, such as a sudden noise of metal pots falling off the counter or an unexpected sensation that makes the behaviour not worth repeating. The exact setup matters less than the outcome. Every attempt produces the same result, with no exceptions. If the consequence only happens sometimes, the dog will keep testing. The goal is to remove the payoff and make the behaviour consistently unsuccessful.

During a recent behavioural consultation, I was reminded just how deeply early habits shape both dogs and children, and ...
14/01/2026

During a recent behavioural consultation, I was reminded just how deeply early habits shape both dogs and children, and how difficult those habits are to change once they are ingrained. What I encountered was not an aggressive dog, a stubborn dog, or a dog lacking training. It was a young dog who had never been taught how to find calm in his own home. Nor did he understand personal space, and lacked impulse control.

The dog was a 12 month old Golden Retriever living with two young children. From the moment he came home as a puppy, he had been treated like a toy. Constant affection, excited voices, hugging, grabbing, climbing, following him from room to room and demanding interaction were normalised early. No one intended harm. In fact, everyone believed they were showing love. But love without boundaries is not calming. Over time, it becomes pressure.

By the time I was asked to step in, the parents were frustrated and confused. They wanted to know why their dog would not listen to the children, why he ignored them completely, why he jumped all over them, and why he bit them for attention. From their perspective, he should have been a friendly, tolerant family dog. From the dogโ€™s perspective, he had spent most of his life overwhelmed.

It became clear very quickly that the children had never learned how to interact with him calmly. These behaviours were not one offs. They had been rehearsed daily since he was a young pup. By this stage, they were habits, not choices. Children struggle to stop behaviours that have always been allowed, even when they are explained clearly. This is exactly why waiting until behaviour becomes chaotic puts everyone behind.

During the session, I took time to explain what was happening and why the dogโ€™s behaviour made sense. I spoke directly to the children, breaking it down in simple terms. I explained that their dog was not being naughty or mean, but overwhelmed. That jumping and biting were ways of coping when calmer signals were ignored. I explained that dogs need space, rest and predictability, just like people do.

I then demonstrated the place command. I showed how it gives a dog a clear, safe space to disengage, settle and regulate. With structure and clarity, the dog relaxed almost immediately.

I asked the children not to touch or engage with him while I was teaching place. I explained why. I explained that interrupting him would undo the lesson, increase his stress and reinforce the very behaviours they were upset about.

The response was telling.

The children looked at me like I had just taken something away from them. Not access to the dogโ€™s space, but access to their toy. Within moments, they got up and left the room entirely. To them, asking for boundaries felt unfair. It felt cruel. In that moment, I was not the person helping their dog calm and learn to be more responsive. I was the person stopping them from doing what they had always done.

That reaction said everything.

This was not about a lack of understanding. It was about a lack of early boundaries. The children had grown up believing the dog existed for their interaction, on their terms, whenever they wanted it. Asking them to suddenly respect limits felt unnatural because limits had never existed.

From the dogโ€™s perspective, the picture was equally clear. He had spent his entire developmental period learning that children bring chaos. They were loud, unpredictable, physical and relentless. So when they tried to cue him, he ignored them. Not out of defiance, but because they had never been calm or safe and consistent guides in his world.

The jumping and biting were also misunderstood. These behaviours were not aggression. They were functional responses that had been reinforced over time. When subtle signals like avoidance or disengagement were ignored, the dog escalated. Jumping, mouthing, and grabbing clothing consistently produced attention, play, and strong reactions from the children. Because these outcomes were rewarding, the behaviours strengthened. In this way, the dog learned to use these actions to control interaction and influence the childrenโ€™s environment.

What made this case particularly challenging was that by this stage, the children did not want things to change. They wanted access. They wanted interaction on their terms. They wanted the puppy they could do whatever they liked with. Boundaries felt like punishment, not learning.

This is why early education matters so much. Teaching children from day one that a puppy is not a toy is far easier than trying to undo a year of rehearsed behaviour. When children are not guided early, habits harden. When dogs are not protected early, stress responses become ingrained. By the time behaviour feels uncontrollable, everyone is reacting instead of teaching.

The solution is not punishing the dog, and it is not demanding more obedience. The solution starts with management and education. Real boundaries. Physical barriers when needed. Structured interaction only. Place means place, even when kids want affection. Walking away means leave him alone, even if feelings are hurt. Access to the dog becomes a privilege earned through calm behaviour, not a right.

This consultation was a clear reminder that prevention is always easier than repair. Dogs do not behave out of nowhere. They reflect the environment they grow up in. When we stop blaming the dog and start looking honestly at the patterns shaping them, the behaviour almost always makes sense.

๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜จ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ

22/12/2025

There hasnโ€™t been any dog training content posted lately. Iโ€™m currently waiting for Victoria Falls Ranch - Dog Boarding & Training Centre to open. Once weโ€™re up and running, Iโ€™ll be sharing a lot more training content with dogs.

As you can see in the video, the facility is still under construction, and thereโ€™s still a fair bit of work to do before itโ€™s ready to open.

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ž๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ˆโ€™๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐›๐ž ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ž
โ€ข Board & train
โ€ข Day stay & train
โ€ข Private obedience and behavioural consultations
โ€ข Group classes
โ€ข Seminars and workshops

Over the next 12 months, I will be overseeing and directly involved in the training and rehabilitation of all dogs, while also mentoring Cameron, the owner and manager of Victoria Falls Ranch, and overseeing the training and development of staff. My plan is to stay on for up to two years to support Cameron and pass on my experience and knowledge, helping Victoria Falls Ranch become a first-class dog boarding and training facility in Vietnam.

If you are a dog owner in Hanoi, please do follow Victoria Falls Ranch business page.

All jokes aside. This satire isnโ€™t nearly as silly as it looks. Situations similar to this happen far more often than mo...
11/12/2025

All jokes aside. This satire isnโ€™t nearly as silly as it looks. Situations similar to this happen far more often than most people realise.

If your dog is showing serious or dangerous behavioural issues, choosing the right professional matters more than most people realise. A poorly qualified trainer can make things worse, put you and your dog at risk, and leave you feeling confused. Take the time to research who youโ€™re trusting with your dog. Look past flashy marketing, trendy buzzwords, and emotive online propaganda. Dangerous behaviour isnโ€™t fixed with magic treats or feel good slogans. Make sure the person you hire truly understands your dogโ€™s issues, has real hands on experience, and uses methods grounded in reality.

10/12/2025

๐•Š๐•๐• ๐•˜๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•ค ๐”ป๐•–๐•ค๐•š๐•˜๐•Ÿ๐•–๐•• ๐•ฅ๐•  โ„™๐•ฆ๐•๐• ๐• ๐•Ÿ ๐”ผ๐•ž๐• ๐•ฅ๐•š๐• ๐•Ÿ โ„•๐• ๐•ฅ ๐•†๐•“๐•›๐•–๐•”๐•ฅ๐•š๐•ง๐•– โ„๐•–๐•’๐•๐•š๐•ฅ๐•ช

๐—™๐—˜๐—”๐—ฅ ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜
No one can guarantee fear free anything.

๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—–๐—˜ ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜
Nothing in nature happens without some form of pressure or influence, including learning.

๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ง๐—œ๐—ฉ๐—˜ ๐—ข๐—ก๐—Ÿ๐—ฌ ๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—ฃ๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—ฌ ๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ง๐—œ๐—ฉ๐—˜
No behaviour can be fully taught with positive reinforcement alone.

๐—ก๐—ข ๐—”๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐——
Impossible in real life. Even saying no or withholding a reward is an aversive.

๐—ž๐—œ๐—ก๐——, ๐—–๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—  ๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—”๐—œ๐—ก๐—œ๐—ก๐—š
Sounds nice, but calm and kind mean nothing without structure and accountability.

๐—ช๐—˜ ๐—ข๐—ก๐—Ÿ๐—ฌ ๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—–๐—œ๐—˜๐—ก๐—–๐—˜ ๐—•๐—”๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—— ๐— ๐—˜๐—ง๐—›๐—ข๐——๐—ฆ
Means cherry picked science that supports their ideology.

๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—”๐—ง๐—ฆ "๐—ข๐—ก๐—Ÿ๐—ฌ"
Great marketing, poor reliability in the real world.

๐—š๐—˜๐—ก๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—”๐—œ๐—ก๐—œ๐—ก๐—š ๐— ๐—˜๐—ง๐—›๐—ข๐——๐—ฆ
Gentle is subjective. Clear communication is far kinder than endless coaxing.

๐—ช๐—˜ ๐—ก๐—˜๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—ฌ ๐—ก๐—ข
Unrealistic. Boundaries are essential for healthy behaviour.

๐—ช๐—˜ ๐——๐—ข ๐—ก๐—ข๐—ง ๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—˜ ๐—ฃ๐—จ๐—ก๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—›๐— ๐—˜๐—ก๐—ง
Removing or witholding something the dog wants is still punishment. It cannot be avoided.

๐—™๐—˜๐—”๐—ฅ ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐—ก๐—˜๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—”๐—–๐—–๐—˜๐—ฃ๐—ง๐—”๐—•๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—”๐—œ๐—ก๐—œ๐—ก๐—š
Dogs encounter fear in the real world. Teaching them how to handle it is part of development.

๐——๐—ข๐—š๐—ฆ ๐—ฆ๐—›๐—ข๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—— ๐—ก๐—˜๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—•๐—˜ ๐—–๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—–๐—ง๐—˜๐——
Correction is feedback. Without feedback, learning can become unclear.

๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐——๐—ข๐—š ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ช๐—”๐—ฌ๐—ฆ ๐—š๐—˜๐—ง๐—ฆ ๐—” ๐—–๐—›๐—ข๐—œ๐—–๐—˜
Real life does not work on โ€œchoice only.โ€ Safety and structure matter.

๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—”๐—œ๐—ก๐—œ๐—ก๐—š ๐— ๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ช๐—”๐—ฌ๐—ฆ ๐—•๐—˜ ๐—™๐—จ๐—ก
Fun is great, but real behaviour change requires clarity and impulse control.

๐™๐™š๐™š๐™ก-๐™œ๐™ค๐™ค๐™™ ๐™จ๐™ก๐™ค๐™œ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™จ ๐™ข๐™ž๐™œ๐™๐™ฉ ๐™จ๐™ค๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™ค๐™ฌ๐™ฃ๐™š๐™ง, ๐™—๐™ช๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š๐™ฎ ๐™ง๐™–๐™ง๐™š๐™ก๐™ฎ ๐™๐™š๐™ก๐™ฅ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™™๐™ค๐™œ. ๐™๐™š๐™–๐™ก ๐™ฅ๐™ง๐™ค๐™œ๐™ง๐™š๐™จ๐™จ ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ข๐™š๐™จ ๐™›๐™ง๐™ค๐™ข ๐™›๐™ค๐™˜๐™ช๐™จ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ค๐™ฃ ๐™ค๐™—๐™Ÿ๐™š๐™˜๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ซ๐™š ๐™ง๐™š๐™–๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ฎ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ช๐™ฃ๐™™๐™š๐™ง๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™—๐™š๐™๐™–๐™ซ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ช๐™ง ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ก๐™š๐™–๐™ง๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ฅ๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™ž๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š๐™จ, ๐™ฃ๐™ค๐™ฉ ๐™–๐™ซ๐™ค๐™ž๐™™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ช๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ข๐™›๐™ค๐™ง๐™ฉ๐™–๐™—๐™ก๐™š ๐™ฉ๐™ง๐™ช๐™ฉ๐™๐™จ.

Can you think of any others?

08/12/2025

For anyone suggesting I am just bagging other trainers or their methods, that is not the case. What I am critical of is the โ€œthere is only one way to train a dog, and if you do not follow our way, you are abusiveโ€ mindset. All training methodologies have their place, and yes, shock horror, that includes positive only and force free approaches, even though I see both terms as misnomers because neither is truly possible in the real world. These labels were created to appeal to emotions, not accuracy. I am open to using whatever method best suits the individual dog and the desired outcome. Locking every dog into a one method fits all box is not showing them the respect they deserve, nor providing the best possible help for their psychological or behavioural issues. What I will bag is when trainers lock themselves into a methodology box, and when a dog is not responding to their approach, they refuse to step outside their comfort zone to help the dog or the owner succeed.

In their world there are only two extremes, a positive trainer or an aversive or punishment trainer. This is completely ridiculous and nothing more than emotional manipulation. Just as you cannot successfully train a dog using only positive reinforcement, you also cannot successfully train a dog using only aversives or punishment. Real training sits in the balance between the two, and a true, knowledgeable practitioner understands how to navigate both sides with skill and clarity.

Claiming to be a professional dog trainer or behaviour specialist because they can wave a toy or treat around to lure a ...
08/12/2025

Claiming to be a professional dog trainer or behaviour specialist because they can wave a toy or treat around to lure a dog into performing is like the teacher who only has control when she is bribing kids with candy. Take the candy away and the whole show collapses. And of course they only ever show a highly food or toy driven dog responding to the lure to make themself look more impressive than what they really are. Luring a dog to perform is not obedience. It is only the basic foundation level for building real obedience, and a true and knowledgeable professional never tries to sell that as a finished product. Luring looks impressive to the uneducated eye, but do not fall for it. Ask to see the finished product, real world obedience, and around real world distractions, before you get impressed with their abilities.

Do not be convinced by impressive gimmicks, because that is all they are.

Address

Hanoi
100000

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 20:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 20:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 20:00
Thursday 08:00 - 20:00
Friday 08:00 - 18:00
Saturday 09:00 - 18:00

Telephone

+84703502714

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My story

I have been working professionally with dogs since enlisting into the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a Police Dog Handler in 1980. I served 12 years as a Police Dog Handler/Trainer including 2 years as a Specialist Drug Detector Dog Handler. After discharging from the RAAF, I was involved in helping to set-up the Australian Quarantine Detector Dog Program in 1994. From 1995 to the present moment I have dedicated my working life to helping dog owners understand their dogs better, and helping them work through obedience and behavioural issues.

My approach to dog training and behaviour modification is balanced. This means that my methods focus on a dogs natural instincts and learning principles, to help ensure an overall โ€˜well-balancedโ€™ dog. I follow the natural learning principles mother nature developed when life first appeared on this planet, to ensure that all species could successfully survive and evolve. We know these learning principles as the 4 quadrants of operant conditioning, which include - Positive Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, Positive Punishment, Negative Punishment. If we are not open to utilising all of these quadrants in our training, our ability to successfully help our dogs is extremely limited.

My main focus is helping dog owners in the privacy of their own home, or where their dogs behavioural issues are triggered.

โ€œGive your dog, companionship, love, and more importantly, leadership, and your dog will reward you with total loyaltyโ€