Reviews

Morag - Collingwood

Richard teaching my husband and I how to train our Great Dane was a real light bulb moment for us. Our dane has made great improvements in a very short time frame, and for the first time in a long time we feel confident enough to take him off the lead, and we know he'll follow us. Thankyou Richard!!

Sharon - Kensington

I highly recommend Richard. As well as helping two of my friends who have larger dogs, he has also been able to help me with some baseline training for my little Frenchie pup. Already in the space of a week I have noticed some great progress in Claude, and it has certainly helped me feel more confident as a first time puppy owner. Richard is also highly supportive even after any scheduled session and both my friends speak very highly of him

Christine - Essendon

When Richard first came to our home, his straight talking and the way he dealt with our GSP Hank just made perfect sense. After discussion about what we expected from Hank, Richard commenced basic training focusing on strong foundations and boundaries. However what we found most helpful and interesting was that Richard gave an explanation for Hanks behavior, jumping up, no recall, pulling on the lead, etc. and what was causing each of these behaviors and how we were enabling Hank.

He has given me the confidence to build a strong relationship with Hank with me as the leader.

Hank has also been going with Richard on day outings. This has been wonderful for Hank, a GSP with energy to burn, and he comes home very relaxed and at peace with the world. Today I joined Richard, Erik and Hank in an off lead bushy walk and I learnt to trust my dog off leash and to enjoy the games Richard plays to make the walk a learning experience for us all. If you are looking for a day or half day out for your dog let Richard give them a great time.

Richard continues to train me and Hank, we are a work in progress, and we are both continuing to benefit, from his experience, knowledge of dogs, and sense of humor.

To anyone looking for a trainer I can’t recommend Richard enough. You won’t find a better trainer for you and your dog.

Terry - Sandringham

Richard was recommended to me by the German Shorthaired Pointer club.

I was at my wits end with Ace my rescue GSP. I felt as though I was a slave to him and unable to leave my house without him for fear of what I would come home too.

He barked incessantly, destroyed things, took over my furniture etc. I have had previous experience training my dogs however I have a very stubborn one here.

Richard really helped remind me of the basics and how dogs think, behave and react to things. He has given me the inspiration to step up and be the leader, and that is what dogs really want.

After only a few days I have noticed a real difference. I have taken back posession of my furniture and he is learning very quickly. I would absolutely suggest Richard to anyone having problems with their dog. His no-nonsense, common sense approach REALLY WORKS.

Natalie - Richmond

Thanks, Richard for the quality time you spent training myself (and the dogs!) with patience and in depth knowledge you provided. I could see a difference using the practical training advice provided almost immediately and learned how to be a better leader to my dogs. Highly recommended. Thanks again!

Mardi & Eid - Cheltenham

We are very thankful that a friend passed on Richard's details to us.

We have a gorgeous, intelligent and very excitable, strong-willed GSP called Archer who can be a bit of a handful at times!

As a result of working with Richard and implementing his strong foundations principles, we have now arrived at a much happier place where we are able to better enjoy quality time with our dog.

Richard helped us realise how we had been enabling certain behaviours and how some small, consistent changes in our actions could have a significant and positive impact on Archer's.

It wasn't always easy and at times required a lot of patience however Richard's targeted, thorough and calm guidance during our sessions and his check-ins in between really helped keep us motivated and focused.

We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Richard's services and will definitely be utilising them again in the future. We know Archer would love to go on more day adventures with Erik! Thank you Richard for all your wonderful support and training us to be better equipped owners - we and Archer are much happier post the experience!!

kristen - richmond

My hound was not industrious! In fact, I was working for her. Richard takes you through a process that is fun, productive and effective. It is challenging at first, but the rewards are worth it. I would recommend Richard and his techniques to anyone who values an intelligent, intuitive and in-situ approach to dog (and owner) training.

Nadine - richmond

My puppy Hunter has already benefited from the small amount of time he has spent with Richard. He has an intuitive knowledge of dog training and makes the some times arduous task of training enjoyable. Looking forward to learning more of his wisdom in the future!

Eduardo - west melbourne

Richard was really good with training of our dog. The tips were very helpful to us. He is not just an excellent trainer with dogs but also very good on how owners need to be trained dealing with their dogs in order to have a harmonious living situation. I highly recommend him if you are looking for a trainer.

Leah - Malvern

We engaged Richard to help us do some foundation training for our 15 week old border collie pup. Richard was fantastic to work with and was able to teach us some great training techniques that we could get started with straight away.

Richard's training is all about being consistent, setting boundaries and reward based training which our puppy really responded to. I would highly recommend Richard's dog training / obedience classes to anyone keen to have a well behaved and obedient canine citizen.

dawn - nz

Richard worked with us to deal with a range of behavioral problems in Jack, our Setter/Collie cross. Jack was a real handful... Even though we had been dog owners for most of our adult lives, Richard taught us so much about dogs, and about what they need to feel happy and secure... He trained us as much as he trained Jack. It was so enlightening. He really taught us to see the world from a dog's perspective and geared our work around that. He was firm, informative and had a no-nonsense style which, as military people, really worked for us, and Jack!

...I can't speak highly enough of his knowledge, enthusiasm and work ethic. And perhaps most importantly of all, his empathy with dogs and their needs.

John - Richmond

Richard has come into Henry's life as a 10 week puppy. After one session together I noticed a remarkable change in his behaviour in just a short time.

He has taught me tips on how to discipline Henry effectively whilst creating respect, along with tons of fantastic advice to raise an independent dog.

Richard also runs a doggy daycare, the perfect thing for those busy people among us!

The best investment you could possibly make for your puppy. Highly recommended!

Manfred and Margit - Pretoria

We -the Dutschke family- met Richard while walking our new Irish Setter puppy, the lovely golden girl Louisa in Pretoria, South Africa.

Richard, from a distance, observed us handling the lively bouncing little cute setter puppy. Eventually he greeted us and started a careful conversation about our little sweetie and her/our behaviour. 

It turned out that Richard on the spot was able to demonstrate some simple but highly effective attitudes a dog owner should be displaying towards her or his loved one.

Richard actually made us think of a fundamental fact, that dogs simply can’t speak human nor do they understand lectures. But humans on the other hand can ‘speak’ dog. 

We became friends and learned a lot from Richard, so did our dogs. Eventually Richard left SA for down under but we kept contact and he remains a great source of wisdom and knowledge about dogs and humans, or the other way round, whenever we needed assistance or advice.

Chris, St Kilda

Can’t say how much I appreciated Richard’s advice on certain bad habits my puppy started to develop like barking and jumping on people. He gave us insight from the mind of a dog and their expectations.

At the end of the day, he trained us and not the dog. The techniques he taught us were so effective, it worked within a week. Highly recommend Richard and his training methods!

Mignon - Point Cook

Richard has been an integral part of my family for over 10 years now. From working with my mom in South Africa when she needed to find a “new baby” to add to the family. Richard spent the time with her walking the runs of a shelter until they found “Paddy” Richard has the patience to explain why Paddy would suit the family and also their 10 year old Saluki - Bazoo.

After this Richard and I have spent many hours in New Zealand walking dogs, talking and learning about what it takes to have a dog join the family. When it came time for me to add to my family I wish I had Richard to come along, but when he moved to a Australia he was there to help with Nera (our mini Schnauzer) I can not recommend Richard highly enough! You will not regret it!