Based in Cambridge Park, Paula Smith, owner of Dandy Dog Training provides force free, positive reinforcement training. I enjoy helping people learn how to understand their dog and build a strong bond which ultimately develops a responsive dog that is engaged with their person.

I undertook my Cert IV Companion Animal Services with the Delta Institute.  Delta was the first training organisation in Australia to offer a nationally accredited course in this field. The course teaches scientifically proven, 100% positive, reward-based training techniques and is a structured, competency-based program involving over 600 hours of practical and written assignments. I am also a Professional Member with the Delta Institute. This gives clients confidence. I am annually reviewed to ensure my standards are ethical in align with the Delta Institute. I am also studying to maintain Continuing Education Points standards.  I was also mentored under Rhonda Scholanders at Dog Etiquette in Glenbrook for over two years.

I first developed a desire to start teaching or coaching people when I became a volunteer dog handler with Nepean Therapy Dogs. During that time of over seven years I developed my skills and provided group and individual training to volunteers to enhance their skills for visitation therapy dogs. I’m very proud to have led NTD to transition to modern, ethical, force free techniques along with developing their policies and guidelines. I have moved on from NTD, but am confident to have left them with ethical and trainings standards.

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I am also a mindDog assessor and trainer. I coach people training their pets to become psychiatric assistance dogs. Every day I am working with people that are dealing with challenges and finding ways to coach and enable people to train their dog way beyond what they imagined. Over the last four years, I have been developing my skills to teach people and their dogs with empathy and skill. I’m so proud to now have a school of assistance dog students that train together (where appropriate) in teams to continue supporting each other whilst training their dogs to attain the mindDog Assistance Dog status by completing the Public Access Test (PAT). mindDog is the largest Assistance Dog organisation in Australia. We like working with mindDog because they are force free and believe in training a dog to be confident and independent in providing assistance to their handler without fear of correction.  We also work with other assistance dog providers, however we have the right to decline working with some organisations if they do not align with our ethics. To learn about mindDog: https://www.minddog.org.au/  We highly recommend commencing training immediately before joining mindDog to get a head start.  

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People sometimes ask me what I can guarantee. I can offer a guarantee in that I will do everything I can as a trainer to set a dog up for success and be there to support a dog owner throughout the training process. But I cannot guarantee that a dog will respond to a training program in a certain amount of time, or that a dog's behaviour will change to the extent that a dog owner wanted.

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Most dog trainers specialise in a particular field, so sometimes there will be situations where I may refer you to another trainer that specialises in a specific field. My dog training focus is: pet training for dogs having access to the family home and a welcome member of the community; behavioural training, hiking in the Blue Mountains, kayaking in the Nepean River, visitation therapy dogs, therapy dogs for professional therapists and psychiatric assistance dogs.

The important stuff

• Cert IV Companion Animal Services – Delta Institute

• Professional Member of Association of Pet Dog Trainers, Australia

• Professional Member of Pet Professional Guild Australia (ethical training & CE requirements)

• Professional Member of Delta Institute (ethical training & CE requirements)

• mindDog Trainer & Assessor

• Nepean Therapy Dogs - advice consultant

• Storydogs - Assessor

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Ongoing Geeky Stuff

• Dr. Robert B Bailey PhD, Operant Conditioning workshop

• Canine Behaviour Assessment Workshop

• Dr Kat Gregory, Husbandry, target, station and free shaping skills workshop.

• Dr LE Hammer BVSC, Rearing puppies for Behavioural Brilliance.

• Dr Ciarin Galvin MVB (UCD Ireland), Factors Affecting Fertility in the Male Dog.

• Building Capacity: Anxiety & Depression Workshop, Centre for Disability Studies, The University of Sydney.

• Kelly Gill: The Wonderdogs, Shaping for Trick Training Workshop.

• Cultivating Calm in Canines, Cassandra Roland, Fur Get Me Not.

• Understanding Livestock Guardian Dogs is critical to their success as Companion Dogs, Erin Williams

• Cooperative Care, K Holden Svirsky

• Service Dog Retrieving Skills, Veronica Sanchez

• Harmonious Walks, Nancy Tucker

• Beneath the Bite, Underlying Emotions in Aggression, Michael Shikashio

• Hunting Together – Harnessing Predatory Chasing, Simone Mueller

• Modern Theory of Motivation, Dr Simon Gadbois

• Training is Enrichment, Dr EJ Fernandez

• 10 steps to an amazing response to name, Louise Stapleton-Frappell

• Help my dog won’t stop barking, Shannon Riley-Coyner

• Resource Guarding Webinar: For Dogs who growl or bite to keep their stuff, Dianne Garrod

• Noise Phobia: How to help dogs with Sound Sensitivities, Karlina Westlund Phd

• Resource guarding, Dianne Garrod

• Canine Cooperative Care, Dr Natalie Rogers

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Safety

• First Aid Certificate, Australian Red Cross, Current

• Working With Children Clearance Check, Current

• Police Check, Current

• Public Liability, Current