Having grown up with dogs and always owned at least one most of her adult life, it is no surprise that when horse riding became too expensive/inconvenient Sandy turned to dog training.

The acquisition of a new pup in 1996 sent her to her first Obedience Dog Club and she was hooked.

In 2001 she attended her first Dog Training seminar and has been attending dog related seminars ever since. One of the most memorable was “chicken camp” a few years ago. Yes it was about clicker training chickens – and boy they are fast, your timing is critical. Bob Bailey, world renowned animal trainer devised “Chicken Camp” for training his animal trainers. Sandy was fortunate to also attend his 3 day seminar in Melbourne this year. Bob’s take home message is: “The only thing you can change is trainer behaviour”. In layman’s terms, if you want to change what your dog is doing you have to change what you are doing.

In 2003 Sandy and several others founded Southside Dog School because they wanted a club which only taught reward based training. No punishment, fear or intimidation. In 2004 she took up the dog sport of Agility taking her kelpie Clancy to Masters level and is still competing with her young kelpie Merlin. Sandy says “I have been teaching pet dog training for 17 years and still get a buzz when I help a new dog owner solve a problem they have with their dog”.

Professional memberships: Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Qualifications: Certificate IV in Dog Behavioural Training – Delta Society (2003), Certificate IV in Assessment and Work Place Training (2005)

Sue started dog training over 20 years ago and has seen many developments and advances in training methods and approaches in that time. Sue is also a founding member of Southside Dog School.

With a background in Nursing & Midwifery, Youthwork and teaching English as a second language, Sue is enthusiastic and always encouraging and takes great pleasure in sharing the benefits of a positive reward based training approach.

Sue regularly participates in conferences and training seminars and has assisted a Veterinary Behaviourist to help her deal with some of the more challenging cases.

“Over the past 20 years I have owned 3 dogs and they have all brought me a great deal of pleasure and companionship. I enjoy the opportunity to help dog owners better understand each other so that they too can enjoy a long and trusted relationship”.

Angela has lived with, worked with, trained, listened to, talked about, learned about and loved dogs for as long as she can remember… dogs are her passion!

She has shown dogs in conformation and obedience and has enjoyed all sorts of different activities such as tracking, herding, dancing, fun games, agility, treiball, and K9 Nose Works®. In fact Angela has participated in any activity that her dogs might enjoy.

Angela worked for 10 years as a full time professional detector dog handler with an Australian Government department. This led her to learn about the fantastic sport of K9 Nose Work ® and her subsequent qualification as a certified Nose Work Instructor. Angela teaches K9 Nose Work throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria and regularly holds classes at Southside Dog School for members.

Angela is currently the President of Southside Dog School and when time permits is a volunteer at the Lost Dog’s Home and RSPCA.

“I joined Southside Dog School in 2007 to give my two Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers some more quality time with me.   Diva would attend class with me on Thursdays and Figgy would come to school on Sundays.  Being a strong believer in paying it forward, I have served on Committee since about 2010.”

Professional memberships: Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia, Pet Professional Guild Australia, National Association of Canine Scent Work, Australia Canine Scent Work, Delta Institute

Qualifications: Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services – Delta Institute, Certified Nose Work Instructor (NACSW), Canine Good Citizen Assessor (Delta Institute)

Renee began training in 2014 when she enrolled in the Delta Institute Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services (Canine Behaviour & Training) and in the same year joined Southside as a trainee instructor. She has recently completed her Delta Institute Certificate and is also working as a Dog Training Instructor at the RSPCA.

Renee has a cheeky, adopted Kelpie named Miranda.

“I love seeing people having fun with their dogs and building strong relationships based on trust.”

Professional memberships: Pet Professional Guild Australia, Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Qualifications: Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Botany, with Honours in Behaviour, Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary), Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services (Delta Institute)

Janet grew up in a family without pets but that all changed when, at age 16, she found her first puppy at the local pound.

This was the beginning of a long and rewarding relationship with dogs.

“I was given advice by pet shop owners, obedience trainers (who used correction chains) and many others but it wasn’t until I discovered Southside Dog School that I discovered positive rewards based training. I’ve always known that handling dogs in a calm, confident and reassuring manner gave the best results and the approach at Southside Dog School was exactly what I’d always been looking for”.

Janet was a volunteer at the club for over four years before becoming a Trainee Instructor and takes pleasure in sharing her knowledge with others. Janet is also an excellent Dog Groomer and holds regular grooming demonstrations for the club.

Qualification: Southside Dog School Instructor

Alex has been been running pet dog training classes since 2012. She finds working with the dog and handler team very rewarding.

Alex believes that training should be fun for the dog and the handler. She believes that training is most effective when everyone is enjoying themselves, and when the dog’s wellbeing is central to the training process.

‘It is a real privilege seeing people learn better ways to communicate with the dogs and gain a greater appreciation of their dogs.’

Alex joined Southside Dog School as a volunteer trainer in 2021

Professional memberships:
Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia, Pet Professional Guild Australia,
Delta Institute

Qualifications:
Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services – Delta Institute, Certified Nose Work Instructor (NACSW), Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary), Bachelor of Science (Physiology and Psychology)

Tammy discovered Southside Dog School in 2010 when she needed a bit of help with her crazy toy poodle puppy. The rest, as they say, is history!

Tammy and Madison discovered agility and went on to compete, and Madison achieved her Agility Champion (200) title in just two years. They went on to also compete in Rally Obedience and Moby the border collie joined the family in 2013.

Tammy competes in Agility, Scent Work, Tricks, Rally and Obedience and now has a second border collie Micah. She became one of the foundation ANKC Scent Work judges (along with Angela) in early 2021 after discovering the sport in Angela’s very first class at Southside in October 2010.

Tammy is currently the Treasurer of Southside Dog School and has been on the committee since around 2011. She is also on various other dog related committees, including being the Chair of the Dogs Victoria Agility Committee.

Tammy is an Agility Instructor and also holds Trick Classes at Southside from time to time as well as filling in when needed. She is usually at Southside on Thursday mornings and only rarely on Sundays since trialling took over her life!

Eva has been instructing at several dog schools for over 25 years and is a founding member of Southside Dog School.

She is a passionate advocate of positive reward based training and teaches at all levels at the school.

Eva is also the current Treasurer.

“My love of dogs developed after having the privilege of sharing life with a “one in a million” dog. I am so pleased to be able to instruct at a school that can offer training to truly assist handlers to find that “Special connection” to their canine friend.”

Professional memberships: Gentle Modern Dog Trainers Association

Qualifications: IDEAL Dogs of Australia Dog Training Instructor (2004)

During the early stages of the COVID pandemic, Amanda decided to change careers. Realising her passion for helping both people and dogs, she decided to become a dog trainer to improve the understanding between dogs and their owners. Amanda strives to ensure everyone enjoys themselves during training sessions, even when they find their dog challenging, and takes great pleasure in seeing each handler’s skills improve and the development of their dogs. She has loved every moment since making this decision.

From a very young age, Amanda has had a deep love for dogs. She is now the guardian of Murphy who is a quite tall black standard poodle. He loves being active, playing ball, learning new tricks, going for walks, exploring, and chasing bubbles, among other activities. Amanda treasures the warmth of his companionship. Full of energy, Murphy accompanies her almost everywhere she goes, a habit they’ve had since he was an 8-week-old pup.

Amanda started grooming Murphy herself after noticing he wasn’t enjoying his experiences with a professional groomer. Now, she is working on gently making him love the grooming process while also trying to make it quicker!.

Amanda has held many volunteer roles with various sporting clubs and schools, and now enjoys volunteering as a dog trainer at several dog training venues. In 2024, she joined Southside Dog School in pursuit of a genuinely positive dog training environment. In her spare time, she crochets scarves, beanies, mittens, and blankets to donate to various charities.

Professional Membership: Pet Professional Guild of Australia

Qualifications: Cert IV in Animal Behaviour & Training with Delta Institute (current) Certificates: Provide CPR, Provide Basic Emergency Life Support, Provide First Aid, Pet First Aid & CPR, Mental Health First Aid