PUPPY SCHOOL
Attending a professionally run puppy school is critical to having a well behaved dog joining your family. Learn why it is important to attend a puppy school early on, that emphasises socialisation more than obedience. Trust your puppy to a full time behaviour specialist, not a dog walker or vet nurse that only does behaviour on the side.
PRIVATE TRAINING
Mark offers private, personal dog training sessions to help with most behaviour issues, based in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and Inner West. Get personal, customised training in your home. Mark will asses the situation, and explain what is going on in a clear and detailed manner. He will then show you what you can do differently to change your dog’s behaviour.
POSITIVE TRAINING
Mark Ehrman of Canine Counselling is the first Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Trainer (VSPDT) in Australia, and a faculty advisor and mentor for the Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy. Learn about Mark’s qualifications, training philosophies and methods by clicking below.
COVID-19 UPDATE (10.May.2022): Puppy School classes are currently operating with 2 people per puppy. Please click Book Now below to enroll.
Face-to-face private consultations are being conducted in your home, as I am fully vaccinated and able to visit homes. Please book online using one of the Book Now buttons.
I am available for consultations via Zoom if you have urgent issues that you wanted to address or are unable to have visitors to your home. Please contact Mark to set up an online consultation.
Waverley
Every Tuesday Every Thursday
7:30pm 7:30pm
Starts 5.July Starts 28.July
5.July: Spots Available
(Next Class Starts: 9.Aug)
Matraville
Every Wednesday Every Monday
8:00pm 8:00pm
Starts 6.Jul Starts 27.Jun
27 Jun: Spots Available
(Next Class Starts: 23 Jul)
Why Hire a Professional?
It is quite normal to try and fix your dog’s behavioral issues by speaking to friends and family, searching Google, reading books, and watching videos on the internet. Often times this advice can contradict itself, and it can be difficult to know which advice applies in which situation.
Dog training has also been compared to a sport, where technique is important. Often it takes a professional to offer advice on where to improve your technique and help you know which action to take in a particular situation.
What Problems Can I Help With?
Mark offers private consultations for a variety of common behaviour problems such as:
- excessive barking
- separation anxiety
- barking / lunging / aggression towards other dogs or people
- pulling on lead
- not coming when called, or “selective hearing”
- puppy behaviours such as jumping up, nipping, toilet training, etc.
- most other undesired behaviours
Read Our Customer Reviews
Can't thank Mark enough for coming to visit us in our home and seeing firsthand what we were concerned about, mainly the puppy biting. Mark is both knowledgeable and kind. With in mere seconds we were seeing a difference just with the way he conducted himself and then spent the next few hours... teaching us humans how to bring up a well behaved pooch. Mark has an understanding of dogs which is both impressive and incredibly respectful. I will not hesitate to contact him again for the next stage of training. Thanks Mark!read more
Neil P.
06:13 23 Jun 22
I cannot speak more highly of Mark. My dog Winston has always been anxious and following a move to Sydney from interstate his anxiety and associated troublesome behaviours escalated significantly. Mark took the time to listen to our concerns, helped us to understand the underlying issues, then gave... us very specific strategies to implement. It has now been almost 3 months since that first appointment. Winston is a much calmer dog, and the house is a much nicer place to be! Thank you Mark!read more
Dinali P.
13:09 04 Jun 22
Mark came to see us a month ago to help deal with our two staffies and the escalating dog fights between them. He helped us understand why the fights were happening, how to manage their behaviours, and ultimately change how they co-exist with each other. A month on, and we have seen the biggest... difference. We haven't had a fight in more than two weeks which is huge for our family. Mark was kind, understanding and extremely patient with us. Highly recommend! Thanks Mark!read more
Christine S.
03:43 04 Jun 22
Mark was a very open, friendly and easygoing dog training professional. Our initial consultation went very smoothly and we felt comfortable sharing our struggles with our dog. I asked for Mark’s help for managing ball obsession with our 1.5 yr old Frenchie, Sumo. At the end, we got much more than... what we expect. We received education on dog behaviour and resource guarding, and has led us to a better understanding on the WHY dogs do what they do. Mark articulately delivered this valuable knowledge, and allowed us to think and have informed decision on how to have a better relationship with Sumo and manage certain situations with knowing where the source of issue from. I highly recommend Mark for anyone who needs help with their furbaby.read more
shirleen andrea W.
07:54 02 May 22
Mark gave us some real fantastic advice. We were initially sceptical about positively reinforcing negative behaviours but mark gave us a whole new perspective on training our puppy! Really appreciate our training session with Mark! Thank you!
Robert Patrick T.
03:25 30 Apr 22
Mark was super approachable and informative. Learnt so much on our consultation meeting. He gave us lots of useful techniques, which have been working well, and allowing us to build trust and consistency with our girl. He helped us to understand the body language of both her and other dogs,... thresholds, and how to allow for plenty of opportunities for her to tell us something may be stressful.Above all, Mark gave us confidence with the best ways for us to move forward and set us up for success.Some part may be to do with our (rescue 2 y.o Greyhound) girl getting to be more comfortable. But all I know is that everything post Mark has been a million times better.read more
Cassandra S.
05:09 28 Apr 22
Mark was very knowledge about the current research which is not centred around the “pack” mentality of dogs. He took the time to explain principles of dog behaviour which were really applicable to the resource guarding one of our dogs is displaying towards our younger dog. He also provided a lot of... valuable insight and tips. Look forward to implementing these strategies.read more
Louise
08:18 23 Apr 22
Mark was fantastic during puppy school. Taught us so many foundations, tips on puppy habbits and made it enjoyable in the process. Highly recommend!
Karl M.
03:19 08 Apr 22
It’s been 17 years since we’ve had a puppy and now have a very active mini groodle! Us humans learned a lot of new techniques and more modern approach.. puppy loved each week and has learned a stack!!! Thank you SO much 👍🙏
Di M.
11:07 07 Apr 22
My Boxer puppy and I had the best time and learnt so much at Mark’s puppy school. Fun, informative and quickly became the highlight of our week. Highly recommend to all. Thanks Mark!Michael
Michael
03:02 03 Apr 22
For complete transparency - I had chosen Mark out of a handful of dog trainers purely based on his 5 star Google reviews. Safe to say, after our first consult today Mark lived up to expectations and he taught so much to someone like myself, who has owned dogs all my life! I really valued the way he... educates his clients and shares as well as inspires his philosophy of positive reinforcement for dog training.Mark was able to calm down my yapping Pomeranian (who thinks she's our guard dog) within minutes and has given me excellent information in order to adopt an improved attitude in raising a pup so I can set my Groodle up for success.Thank you Mark! We will come to you again in a few months time to work on our 'off-leash' dream with Cooper!read more
Rachel C.
21:27 08 Feb 22
Our session with Mark was fantastic! We have a 7 month old puppy with handling aggression and slight reactivity and he was able to help us understand our puppy and change our methods to use cooperative training in order to help us and our puppy feel more confident. After one session today we feel... equipped with the right tools to help modify our training and our puppy's behaviour. Mark was very informative and made us feel reassured. Thank you very much!read more
Lucy P.
04:52 06 Feb 22
Mark is great and Ollie loves him! Very informative guiding us on what to expect and how to handle different situations and it’s all about positive reinforcement!Our boy loves going to school and playing with his new friends every week. The group classes are very good. Loved to see Ollie build... his confidence level week after week and socialising with other puppies.Just look at how proud he is to have graduated!read more
Nelson M.
12:08 31 Jan 22
Cannot recommend Mark enough! We have a 14 week old German Shepherd pup and really needed help with puppy biting, leash walking and a couple of other issues, especially after getting bad advice from another trainer who used aversive punishment methods that only exacerbated these issues. Mark's... positive re-enforcement method and his values of building a relationship with the dog really resonated with us. Mark is very friendly, professional, he answered a thousand specific questions that we had about all the different scenarios and taught us how to train our dog. He has great theoretical framework that he explains very well and also provides a tone of useful and practical tips. He charges a very reasonable price, especially compared to some other trainers out there, and is just a very genuine guy. I feel like his methods are suitable to all dogs - from smaller breeds to larger more serious dogs that must be trained very well.read more
Natalia B.
08:14 06 Jan 22
Skye loved puppy school with Mark. She had a very positive time and we learnt alot with him. Highly recommend K9 Counselling.
Suzy L.
00:28 04 Dec 21
Mark was so helpful with our Bull Arab Bella! Bella is a rescue pup of 6 months and was very timid and anxious. She had really bad separation anxiety and had a lot of difficulty trusting more than one person. She’s improved a lot! Mark has trained US. He gave lots of valuable information on... understanding Bella so we can be better dog parents. And he gave us real practical tips on handling the anxiety. I cannot recommend him enough!!read more
Maddison S.
16:04 27 Nov 21
When an Australian Cobberdog we named Huckleberry came into our lives, we immediately recognised the importance of informing ourselves on what we should do to support the growth and well being of our new family member. Enter Mark from Canine Counselling, who educated us on the latest scientific... findings on canine behaviour. We would consult Mark on a list of concerns we had, including crate training, dog walking, interaction with other dogs, the importance of positive reinforcement, and so much more. The result: we now have a puppy that is not only well behaved (does what it's told), but more importantly, well mannered (knows how to behave in different situations without being told). Thank you so much, Mark. We are so very happy with Huckleberry!read more
Jay L.
22:35 26 Nov 21
Loved our puppy school experience with Mark! She’s so much better with other dogs now. Thanks Mark 🙏
Lisa R.
04:52 20 Nov 21
Mark was an absolute delight at our puppy school. Understanding where every dog was at and making allowances for them to feel as comfortable as possible. Thank you Mark for helping our Dashi come out of her shell 🙏
Lisa R.
04:15 20 Nov 21
Can’t recommend Marks puppy school enough! Really helpful, we’ll organised and we loved every moment of it 🙂
Amy W.
05:11 19 Nov 21
Thank you Mark! Within a week I’ve already seen a marked improvement in my dog’s behaviour. Mark equipped us with training techniques and helped us understand what is going on with our dog. I now know what to look out for and how to model the behaviour I want. Highly recommend!
Alais R.
08:38 15 Nov 21
Can’t recommend Mark enough. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, and importantly, uses positive reinforcement techniques to help achieve the desired outcomes.
Tamika H.
10:59 14 Oct 21
Had an online call with Mark to help with some puppy issues I was having and after one hour of chatting I felt so much calmer and reassured! He also gave me some advice for helping my puppy become independent and comfortable home alone which I implemented and can already see the difference it's had... on my pup's happiness. Would highly recommend Mark.read more
Ally B.
03:49 14 Oct 21
Mark was extremely professional and knowledgeable, we had our first session today and are already feeling better about our current situation (older staffy and new staffy pup in the house) we highly recommend and will be consulting Mark again in the near future. Thank you!
Jade B.
06:16 03 Oct 21
A long overdue review for Mark and K9 Counselling! I contacted Mark after receiving complaints from a neighbour that my puppy was barking and distressed on returning to work. After a quick 15 minute phone conversation I was already armed with some practical tips to help with assessing what was... going on. After a virtual consultation I definitely came away further reassured and more confident in enjoying my puppy and getting used to living life together. Would highly recommend as uses true positive reinforcement opposed to some of the more outdated pack/dominance theory training. Thanks!read more
Alexandra D.
08:37 05 Sep 21
We engaged Mark back in June to understand the behavior of our dog. He has given us many valuable insights as well as practical training to help with our dog's behavior. He would capture our dog's behavior on a video and explain the situation to us. I am impressed with his ability to understand... our dog's behavior and provided the right training to tackle specific issue. I cannot thank Mark enough because the training helps improved the issue tremendously. My dog doesn't get overly excited and is much calmer than before! Thank you Mark, we are very thankful for all the information and training you have given to us. Hope to see you again soon! Stay safe.read more
Lys S.
01:04 14 Aug 21
Great mixture of theory teaching and practical teaching. Easy to follow, good tips to monitor puppy play, learnt puppy essential, well structured and well sized puppy class. Recommend
Celia H.
12:26 22 Jun 21
We really enjoyed Mark's Puppy School and found the sessions very beneficial both for our puppy and for ourselves as owners. The handout material was a great help in putting the theory into practice between sessions. The sessions were also a helpful early introduction to supervised play with other... dogs. I would highly recommend enrolling your puppy as early as possible because classes fill up quickly.read more
Richard S.
03:19 03 Jun 21
Mark was really good to work with and he helped us understand a lot of what the underlying issues were that have contributed to some of our Dog's issues. We found the advice quite useful and are working in implementing the strategies he provided us with.
Jessica S.
04:54 21 May 21
Thank you Mark for helping us understand our new puppy, the importance of training and positive re-enforcement. You helped us tackle a lot of unknown issues from the outset.Now we have an 8month old puppy who is obedient, calm, playful and sassy of course. We get compliments about how obedient... he is for his age. We can leave him off leash confidently and know that he will come back instantly when called; we can leave him at home for half a day and know that he will be clam and sleep; we can eat chicken and know that he won’t bark or jump on the dining table or chairs; we can drive with him being happy in the car; he no longer digs in the garden, does not chew our furniture and does not take our shoes (well most of the time). Finally, we just love being around him and he loves being around us. A big thank you for everything, we could not have done this without you!read more
Michelle B.
21:29 07 May 21
Mark’s warm, friendly, informative and entertaining. Our puppy loved the classes and so did we.
Natalie K.
03:42 27 Dec 20
thanks mark, mango enjoyed his 5 weeks lesson and learned to socialize well! he cant wait to go out to doggy park and make new friends
Susan T.
10:35 17 Mar 20
Thanks Mark! Bear loved his 5 weeks learning obedience skills and how to socialise with other dogs.
Mum & Dad also picked up plenty of plenty of helpful tricks.
Mum & Dad also picked up plenty of plenty of helpful tricks.
Natalie H.
10:29 30 Jan 20
Mark came in and did a session with our two dogs and was perceptive, to the point and gave us clear directions. No judgement and lots of encouragement....as of course it's really about training the owners! Thoroughly recommend him.
Damien E.
02:31 22 Sep 19
Mark came to our house for a one on one consultation. He was fantastic. He gave us plenty of advice and new tricks to try with our new puppy. It was up to us to make sure that we took on all of Mark’s advice and put it into practice. We have had a lot of progress with our puppy and a lot of it has... to do with Mark’s tricks of the trade. I will definitely be recommending him! Thank you Mark!read more
Renee T.
07:52 02 Jul 19
Mark's Puppy Preschool was absolutely brilliant! Our Cooper was very nervous and stressed during his first lesson and wouldn't socialise with the rest of the puppies. By the end of the 5 week program, he was playing with all the puppies and was very well socialised. Mark is not only amazing with... the puppies, but keeps the class entertaining and inclusive, taking the extra time to answer any questions we may have. Mark is well organised during every lesson and also provides handouts which are very helpful and informative. We highly recommend Mark's Puppy Preschool to everyone! 😊read more
Mersina H.
11:29 09 Feb 19
We were lucky to find such a knowledgeable enthusiastic and brilliant communicator in Mark. Such an important process to go through with your puppy and mark inspires and gives both confidence to owner and puppy alike. Highly recommend his classes.
Yolande G.
00:30 04 Oct 18
We recently completed Mark's 5-week puppy school classes. Knowledgeable about modern, force-free methods of training, Mark focuses more on training the owner than the puppy. By the end of his course, you'll be well on your way to being a responsible and confident dog owner.
Claire H.
07:48 29 Jul 18
Mark taught us so many tricks for Oscar our Amstaff. The classes were good fun for him and really a lot of excellent informations for us. Thank Mark for your patience
Ciara N.
11:40 25 Jun 18
We recently finished a 5 week puppy school class with Mark and we would absolutely recommend his services. He was very professional and we learnt loads about how to teach behaviour and discipline. He often stayed back after the class had finished to assist us with specific issues we were... experiencing with our puppy. It was a very valuable 5 weeks! Thanks Mark!read more
Ryan W.
06:03 24 Mar 18
We really enjoyed our five week puppy training course. Mark makes the evening lighthearted and fun (shouldn't be hard with a bunch of puppies!!). Over and above the basic training (sit, toileting etc) we really enjoyed seeing insight into behaviour when the puppies played together. Highly... recommended.read more
Alex C.
22:41 21 Mar 18
Mark is a dynamic, personable and clear trainer who teaches you all the best ways to train and care for your four legged friend! Our puppy Merlin loved him, and Mark always gave us ample time for questions and socialisation outside of the formal curriculum. Could not recommend him more!
Sabrina H.
00:44 12 Mar 18
Highly recommended! Our little Sushi loved every single class. Thank you so much Mark for what you taught us!
Katia V.
11:01 06 Mar 18
Mark led an excellent class and went above and beyond. Highly recommend.
Jonathan M.
04:08 05 Sep 17
Thankyou so much for todays session! Lots of great tips. Very helpful. Would definitely recommend!
Kay P.
06:27 05 Jan 17
Mark is clearly very passionate about what he does and in our class we saw excellent progress. He was also happy if you called him outside hours and asked questions, providing plenty of advice and guidance. My pup loved her time in class and I highly recommend Mark for your special pup!
Michelle R.
06:32 16 Dec 16
We initially found out about Mark through word of mouth, and decided on Mark for our puppy training as he had fantastic reviews. We loved Mark's puppy classes. He has a wealth of knowledge and his classes are easy to understand and well structured, with loads of additional take home information. I... would recommend Mark to anyone wanting positivity training for their puppy. Thanks Mark 🙂read more
Kieren W.
10:18 03 May 16
Even though I live in the USA, Mark's information and advice have helped us as new pet owners. He is patient and has excellent information.
Steven M.
23:27 15 Jan 16