"Understanding is joyous.” - Carl Sagan
Hi, I'm Monika!
When you work with me you work with a dedicated, experienced and qualified canine professional, committed to the wellbeing of your dog.
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I have extensive background in canine science and behaviour, as well as an unwavering commitment to continuing education. This ensures that I will be using current best practise that is scientifically sound, humane and ultimately puts the welfare of your dog first.
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When I leave you, you will be able to train your dog in a way that will set them up for success and you will also be able to understand them better. I want to encourage you to be curious about your dog's behaviour and build your relationship with them based on trust and mutual respect.
So how did I end up here?​
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I knew I wanted to work with dogs from a very early age - I trained my own dog in agility when I was only 12 years old! I worked as a dog groomer and a kennel hand through my teenage years and, after finishing high school, enrolled in a Bachelor of Animal Science with a major in Canine and Equine Science.
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During this time, I rescued a very anxious thoroughbred horse called Joe and rehabilitated him using clicker training. I quickly discovered just how powerful positive reinforcement training was and what a massive impact it could have on an individual animal's life. This is when I knew I had found my passion and the direction I wanted to go in my professional life!
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I wanted to continue to learn and I wanted to challenge myself - so I went to overseas to complete an internship - learning behaviour and training principles with wolves, coyotes, foxes and bison. Wolves are incredible teachers of canine body language and I was so lucky to learn how to read the most subtle of canine behaviour cues from them.
From there I went to Bermuda to complete another internship - this time training common bottlenose dolphins and truly embracing the joy of learning with another species! The dolphins taught me the importance of consistency but also about having fun with your sessions! Afterall, if it wasn't fun, they'd just swim away!
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My next big challenge was helping develop the training program for a rescued dugong called Pig - I am one of the very few people in the world that had the opportunity to train and work with this species! Such a joy to work with such an intelligent animal with a lot of personality!
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Afterwards, I was offered an opportunity to work in the remote Pacific Islands of Palau with Pacific bottlenose dolphins. There I continued to refine my training technique and learned the importance of good management and how vital strong relationship and trust is when working with animals!
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And now I'm in Sydney, back to my ultimate passion of training dogs and behaviour consulting. I have been helping clients with everything from anxiety, aggression and resource guarding to basic obedience, leash manners, crate training and puppy training.
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After adopting my own rescued greyhound, I realised my passion for the breed and the complexities of how genetics and learning history influence the greyhound's behaviour.
I work with all breeds of dog but am proudly specialised with rescue greyhounds, working with rescue organisations as well as hundreds of greyhound guardians to rehabilitate these very special dogs and help them thrive in their new homes!
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I also recently adopted my beautiful 1 year old working line whippet Mikasa, who has already been a joy to live with! I'm excited to explore the world of dog sports with her!
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I look forward to working with you and your dog! Feel free to reach out any time if you have any questions!
