ABT-Plus

16/10/2026

Are you prepared to get spooky? 🎃👻

Halloween is so close and we would love to see all the get ups you have for your lovely little monsters!

If you have costumes for your dog, book them in for the week of Halloween (October 26th-30th) for any of our services! We'd love to get photos of them and share them with our community!

Jump in on the fun and let's get scary! 🦇🐶😈🖤

12/10/2026

Spooky season is upon us 🎃

With Halloween just around the corner, we are very excited to see all your fabulous costumes for your furry friend!

If you have a cute costume for your pup, book them in for halloween week (that's October 26-30), whether that's daycare, grooming, or one of our other drop-off services. Even classes if it doesn't get in the way! Everyone is welcome to join in the fun.

We'd love to get cute photos of your costumes and share them with our community 🥰👻

07/10/2026

Learning how to swim is an incredibly important skill for dogs, more so here in Australia than anywhere else, as our climate is hot and a large majority of our cities and homes are coastal, making beach days and dips in a pool a source of recreation and cooling off to get past those scorching summer days.

Swimming is a big deal for us aussies, and so are our dogs. Unfortunately, a lot of dogs lack the confidence to swim and it can make these two parts of our lives difficult to coexist.

Something that seems so innate, simple and instinctual to us is something that seems alien to them, the unfamiliar sensations of moving surfaces, the feeling of the ground disappearing below their feet and having to relearn how to do something as simple as moving is more difficult for them to process than it is for us.

Training dogs to learn how to swim and to build that confidence takes time and it's important to not throw them in the deep end (pun intended). Learning how to enter the water, paddle and stay afloat are skills that give dogs a sense of capability when learnt and require time, support, encouragement and lots of yummy treats. As dogs become more comfortable in the water, they can begin making their own movements and navigating water with greater confidence.

Learning how to swim is such a great skill as the confidence they gain can extend beyond swimming. Successfully overcoming this challenge can encourage dogs to approach other unfamiliar experiences with greater curiosity and less hesitation.

Our trainers help them achieve their goals at their own pace in small-group sessions, where we can ensure that each dog is given the proper attention, support and encouragement they need.

After initially being a little unsure of the water it didn’t take long for Raven to get used to it, when she saw a toy she really wanted she hopped right in! Raven took to it like a duck to water and for the rest of the session was getting in to retrieve toys and getting her laps in! If you want to book Daycare & Dip days, contact us at 0431 301 118 or [email protected] to learn more.

01/10/2026

We will be closed for the public holiday on Monday 5th October and reopening up on Tuesday 6th. We hope you have a lovely long weekend!

01/10/2026

October 1st is Black Dog day. Black dogs are often disproportionately overlooked in shelters and it can lead to these beautiful dogs having a harder time finding their forever homes.

Black dogs, like any dog, can be fantastic companions, and no one shows that off better than our resident black dog, Mavro.

Mavro was a sprightly dog when he joined our founder Amy's pack, with lots of energy and full of life! When he was just 1 year old, he began losing his sight and became fully blind quite early on in life. It was a big adjustment period for Mavro as well as Amy. Mavro still did things his way, preferring to bump into walls and furniture rather than wearing a halo.

He kept that same spirited attitude as he grew, and enjoys a full life to this day. Mavro has competed in weight pull and bike joring, and loves a good hike with his family. Losing his vision didn't slow him down at all, and his charm and big personality make him a favourite amongst ABT staff and clients alike.

We love Mavro and all of the black dogs we get to meet at ABT+, drop a photo of your beloved black dogs in the comments and let's all celebrate these gorgeous pups 🥰

29/09/2026

If you've just gotten your first dog, it can be so exciting but also so overwhelming. So many little behaviours or issues can arise that you never saw coming, and without support it's easy to feel like you're drowning.

At ABT, we support owners through the entire journey of owning a dog, not just for obedience training. Our Life Skills and Obedience classes set you up with strong training foundations and important cues of course, but we also teach you how to navigate life with your dog.

With small class sizes and multiple trainers in each class, we aren't just going through the curriculum, we take the time to support you with any concerning behaviour we see in class, and give you the tools to resolve them. Our strong community focus also means you will get the support of your fellow classmates.

Start feeling better today by coming along and experiencing the personalised support and care that ABT+ offers.

28/09/2026

We know that caring for your dog requires time, patience and dedication and that recently, the world has been changing and going by so fast that it's hard to find the time to confront the concerns you may be having with your dog. If you’re struggling and have observed a behaviour with your dog that feels too specific or complicated to address or just want expert advice, let us help on your terms.

Our online private consultation services are available through zoom and are made to provide pet owners with a convenient way to discuss their questions and concerns from the privacy and comfort of their own homes. Available from anywhere in Australia, our zoom consults offer an accessible way to connect with our team so we can help tackle tough training issues with you. By personalising our training approach, we are able to focus on resolving and discussing concerns with you while your dog can remain in a familiar environment, cutting back on the added stress and cost from travelling.

If you’ve been searching for solutions to dog behaviour problems but can’t commit the time, look no further. Our zoom consultations are here to help you achieve happy and peaceful days with your pet.

Book your zoom consult today, contact us or visit our website to learn more.
https://www.abt-plus.com/what-we-do-abt/dog-behaviour/

Private consultations Get the one on one support you and your dog deserve Are you dealing with behaviour that feels too specific, scary, complicated, or...

24/09/2026

While it may look a bit scary, we promise it’s not!

The idea of putting a muzzle on your dog can be unsettling, but it’s important to know that muzzles are an incredibly useful tool.

A muzzle is primarily a safety and management tool, not a punishment, and can prevent some dangerous behaviours. Some dogs will attempt to pick up, chew or swallow objects they find, this can range anywhere from food-scraps to poisonous substances. A muzzle, in this instance, can prevent this behaviour by acting as a barrier between the dog and the object. Further, a muzzle can be used to manage these behaviours and assist in training them to leave objects they find.

Some of the discomfort owners experience about muzzles is due to their associations with aggression, a frightened or overwhelmed dog may bite even if it is normally extremely gentle. When it comes to our dogs needing to be muzzled, we want to make it as positive of an experience as possible so they don’t find the muzzle itself scary. By using positive associations, we can instead condition dogs to welcome and accept the use of a muzzle by associating it with yummy treats.

By having your dog muzzle trained, you can begin the process of desensitizing and counter-conditioning the triggers of their fear. This, in turn, can actually provide dogs more freedom, which is one of the less obvious benefits. A dog that is properly conditioned to use a muzzle can allow a dog to safely go on walks in busier areas, visit the vet, participate in grooming, be around unfamiliar dogs and people, travel on public transport if required and explore environments where scavenging would otherwise be dangerous. Instead of restricting a dog's life, a muzzle can sometimes make more activities possible while reducing risk.

We want to educate owners and allow them to give their dogs the best and safest life possible! Please share this so other owners may see this and potentially change their view on muzzles.

23/09/2026

Today we are giving our biggest congratulations to Winnie for graduating from her behaviour therapy and moving into our daycare!

Winnie came to our behaviour rehabilitation due to her being nervous and being unable to let her guard down around other dogs. In such a noisy and busy world, we wanted to help in addressing these issues so she can learn not to be on high alert to react at all times.

Our first step was building her confidence, we had to get her used to our trainers and her environment and build positive associations before working on more difficult exercises.

This allowed Winnie to move onto confidence building exercises and playing with louder toys, which further helped to build her confidence and eventually play with other dogs. We made sure to introduce Winnie to dogs that matched her energy level and demeanour so she could get used to socialising and the interactions involved in playing.

Which leads us to where we are today! By slowly increasing Winnie's exposure to stimuli, playing and socialising with other dogs, she was able to grow her confidence and make so many new friends. We are so happy to see the progress she has made and are so grateful to have helped guide her through this process.

Congratulations Winnie!

22/09/2026

Whatever your dog likes to do for fun... we'll adapt.

We see all kinds of dogs at daycare, and what is fun may be different for each and every one of them. We love getting to know our dogs, like Zeus here, who loves training as part of his daycare visits. Trainer Victor may not have been expecting exactly this kind of behaviour from him, but if that's what Zeus wants to do, we are happy to oblige.

This kind of personalised care is baked into every service we run at ABT+, even daycare. We want every dog and owner to feel important and cared for. For a daycare that is truly for every dog, contact us today on 0431 301 118 or [email protected]