Canine Conversations

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Canine Conversations Behaviour Consultant IMDT
Aggression Specialist
Professional development Membership and case support for dog trainers.

Canine Conversations has been looking after your pets and training for 13 years. What I have learned being in the industry all this time is that loving animals just isn't enough. We feel its imperative to continually learn and further your knowledge and education with animal behaviour, enrichment and safety. It's important to have a tailored program that is right for you and your dog.

Some of the most devoted dog guardians I meet are also the ones carrying the most guilt.They’ve changed routines, avoide...
12/10/2026

Some of the most devoted dog guardians I meet are also the ones carrying the most guilt.

They’ve changed routines, avoided certain places and spent countless hours worrying about how to help their dog.

And yet, they’re still judged.

By strangers on walks. Friends and family. Sometimes even the professionals they’ve turned to for support.

People see the barking, lunging and growling. They don’t see the fear, frustration, discomfort or everything that has shaped the dog’s world.

Genetics, early development, health, pain, learning history and environment can all profoundly influence behaviour.

You can love your dog deeply, and they can still struggle.

Love cannot change genetics, resolve untreated pain or erase every difficult experience.

But understanding can change how we respond.

Sometimes that means quieter walks, more distance, managing visitors, seeking veterinary support or accepting that your dog needs a different approach.

These aren’t failures. They’re part of advocating for the dog in front of you.

To my fellow trainers and behaviour professionals: our clients are often already exhausted, overwhelmed and questioning whether they’ve done enough.

They need us to listen. To explain the why, not just tell them what to do. To develop realistic plans that protect the dog’s welfare and support their people.

Because empowering guardians is just as important as helping their dogs.

If you’re a dog trainer who wants to lead with compassion, educate and empower your clients, and feel supported through complex behaviour cases, you deserve support too.

That’s why I created The Professional Hub: a place to ask questions, work through real cases and make better behaviour decisions with ongoing professional support.

Comment HUB and I’ll show you how we can support you, too.

Thank you to my talented friend Linda from Haggie Snaps for these stunning photographs. You’ve captured these dogs so beautifully, and I couldn’t think of more fitting images for this message. 🤎
LINDS | Perth Pet Photographer

A dog can look “fixed” in five days.Quiet at the café.No barking.No lunging.No growling.But I care about how the dog fee...
08/10/2026

A dog can look “fixed” in five days.

Quiet at the café.
No barking.
No lunging.
No growling.

But I care about how the dog feels, not just what I can make them stop doing.

If expressing fear, frustration or discomfort now predicts an electric shock, silence does not automatically mean calm.

It can mean suppression.

It can mean the dog has learned that responding makes things worse.

And in some cases, repeated lack of control can contribute to learned helplessness.

That is not the outcome I want.

Our goals should never matter more than the dog’s welfare.

Sometimes the right answer is:

This environment is not appropriate for this dog right now.

Not forcing them through it until they stop objecting.

Behaviour modification should help a dog cope better, not simply look better behaved.

And if you’re a trainer questioning the methods you were taught, you are welcome here.

You are allowed to learn.
You are allowed to change.

What upsets me is knowing better and choosing not to.

If you want to build the skills to work through complex behaviour without relying on aversive tools, The Professional Hub is a safe place to do that.

Comment hub

One of the hardest parts of living with dogs can be accepting that the life we pictured may not be the life that suits t...
30/09/2026

One of the hardest parts of living with dogs can be accepting that the life we pictured may not be the life that suits the dog in front of us.

That doesn’t mean we’ve failed them.

It means we’re paying attention.

Welfare is rarely about doing more for the sake of doing more, or doing less because something is difficult. It’s about noticing the individual, their physical comfort, their recovery, their preferences, their opportunities, and what genuinely adds value to their life.

Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is stop measuring their life against the one we imagined.

And start building from where they actually are.

Two households can both tell you:“My dogs have started fighting.”But that doesn’t mean you’re looking at the same behavi...
24/09/2026

Two households can both tell you:

“My dogs have started fighting.”

But that doesn’t mean you’re looking at the same behaviour case.

The incident pattern, injury history, recovery, health, relationship between the dogs, environment and the household’s ability to manage them can all change the decisions you make.

That’s why inter-dog aggression isn’t something I approach from the presenting behaviour alone.

I want to know what information actually changes the risk picture, the priorities and what happens next.

After seeing five inter-dog aggression cases in six days, I turned that thinking into this week’s activity inside The Professional Hub.

Four real case histories.

Members choose two, work through the information and develop their own Behaviour Support Guides before we discuss the cases together in live coaching.

Because knowing the theory is one thing.

Making decisions when a real case is sitting in front of you is another.

Comment HUB and I’ll show you how to join in.

11/09/2026

A reactive dog doesn’t just need more exposure.

Effective behaviour modification starts with understanding exactly what they’re responding to.

Is it every dog?
Fast-moving dogs?
A person on a bike?
The movement itself?
Or were they coping until several things happened close together?

Then look at what is happening during the exposure.

Can they observe and process?
Can they disengage?
What is their emotional state?
How are you supporting them?
How often are you repeating the experience?

Exposure can be part of behaviour modification, but exposure alone isn’t the intervention.

What happens in those moments matters.

Meaningful change comes from carefully planned experiences that change how the dog responds over time.

Save this if you’re working through reactivity with your dog.

09/09/2026

Diet is such an important part of the overall picture, and when I’m supporting a client I want to consider what actually works for them and their dog.

That means looking at things like their dog’s individual needs, any dietary requirements, their budget, what’s accessible to them, and what they can realistically maintain long term.

I’m not looking for one “perfect” food. I’m looking for useful information that helps me make a more informed recommendation for that individual dog and family.

One resource I’ve used for years is Pet Food Reviews. You can search the food you’re feeding and get a quick breakdown of the ingredients, pros, cons and overall rating.

You may be very surprised by how some of the big, well-known brands rate.

https://www.petfoodreviews.com.au

Reactive dogs benefit from opportunities to notice the world without being pushed closer to everything in it.Observation...
06/09/2026

Reactive dogs benefit from opportunities to notice the world without being pushed closer to everything in it.

Observation sessions can help them practise seeing, disengaging, processing, taking a break and recovering in a way that feels manageable.

The goal is not to stop them looking.

We want the dog to notice something, take in a small amount of information, then practise turning away and giving themselves a brief visual break before deciding whether to look again.

Dog appears.
Look.
Click.
Place the treat away from the trigger.
Pause.
Look again.

Over time, this can help build a pattern of:

Notice.
Disengage.
Process.
Recover.
Re-engage when ready.

Distance matters. Food value matters. Recovery matters.

And when the jogger, bike, dog, screaming child and rogue skateboard all arrive at once, going home is also a perfectly valid choice.

You do not need to “end on a good note”.

Sometimes the best decision is recognising that your dog has had enough.

This can also be a really useful way to help puppies and adolescent dogs experience the world without needing to be right in the middle of it.

Dog trainers: clearer assessment, stronger behaviour plans and better decisions around what comes next are exactly what we work through inside The Professional Hub.

Comment HUB for clearer decisions in behaviour cases.

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Wanneroo, WA
6065

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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+61434947223

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