Top Dog

21/10/2026

REACTIVE DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN AGGRESSIVE. 🐕

Does your dog bark, lunge, pull or completely lose their cool when they see another dog?

It’s easy to label that behaviour as aggression. But reactivity isn't always about wanting to fight.

Sometimes it’s fear. Sometimes it’s frustration. And sometimes your dog is just SO excited to say hello that their brain forgets everything you've ever taught them.

Reactivity is an over-the-top response to a trigger — whether that's another dog, a person, a bike, a car or something else in their environment.

The behaviour might look the same on the outside, but what's driving it can be very different.

The good news? Reactivity can be worked on.

With the right understanding, leadership and training, you can help your dog manage their excitement, build confidence and make calmer choices.

MEET UNDERDOGS. 🐾

Our 6-week reactivity group course is designed for dogs who struggle to keep their cool around other dogs.

Small classes. Plenty of space. Real-world skills. And no judgement.

Class is in session. Sign up today.

📍 Arrowtown
🎓 Limited to just 6 dogs per course

Book your spot in UNDERDOGS with Top Dog Academy online.

19/10/2026

There's nothing better than seeing the difference a little understanding, consistency and the right training can make.

And hearing how that translates into everyday life? That's the good stuff.

Ready to see what's possible with your dog? Let's get to work. Book your session online today.

12/10/2026

NEW GROUP CLASSES ARE HERE!

YOUNG GUNS – For teenage and adult dogs ready to take their obedience to the next level.

UNDERDOGS – For reactive dogs who need a little extra support building calm, confident behaviour.

📍 Arrowtown
📅 Starting 7 November
🐕 Small groups, limited spots!

Ready to put in the work? Book your spot today!

Topdogtrainingnz.com

26/09/2026

Hey Dog lovers!

Not long been on google so if you we have worked with you and your dog and you feel like sharing your experience and feedback please do so on there!

Its all really appreciated as it helps us grow and keep doing the job that me and Mila love so much!

Thank you

Dog trainer

06/09/2026

Claiming Space, Items, Foods & People
The principal of claiming is so important for a dog, to undertand boundaries, rules and respect your instructions.
You need to create these rules to help your dog understand what is expected of them, not just remove things and hide them but teach the dog how to be around them

This practise should begin from the puppy stage and continue to practise the entire life of your dog
It demonstrates leadership, control from you, impulse control from the dog, improves engagement and by enforcing rules your dog learns to respect you more!

02/09/2026

Good Evening Dog Lovers!

New website launched today, check out our new design and logo!
We are soon starting to provide group sessions so if you are interested please head over to the Service Details page and register your expression of interest so i can get an idea of numbers, it would help a lot!
There will be General obedience Group sessions & Reactivity/Agression group sessions, we can expose and desensitize your dog to triggers and help you make the progress you need without upsetting the general public!

Also if anyone has good reviews for Top Dog please review on this page it goes a long way!

Thank you!

Topdogtrainingnz.com

03/05/2026

Positive vs Negative Reinforcement

Super important to understand the difference between the two approaches and use them as and when the situation requires, they can go hand in hand to help your dog become well behaved, reward when good, correct when bad, but misunderstanding the two can lead to confusion, reinforcing the wrong behaviours or lack of consistency with behaviour

Lots of information to unpack around these two and ill have more videos going deeper into this coming soon!

25/04/2026

Dog training is about understanding the psychology of your dog
Reading the energy level and mindset of the dog and basing the training around that will help you achieve much faster results
Dogs creare associations with certain processes and situations, sometimes restricting the dog physically will create more chaos, we have to teach them what mindset and energy level is appropriate for each situation

22/04/2026

How to deal with off lead dogs!!

One of the most frustrating situations to find yourself in, walking along happily with your dog on lead when another dog decides to come up to your dog.
Unfortunately these are real life scenarios that every dog owner WILL encounter, its best to understand it from the dogs point of view and deal with it as best as you can!

DM for any questions regarding this!