Find a Dog Trainer in Victoria

You and your dog are unique. Your relationship should also be one of a kind. Yet most trainers and classes offer only a cookie-cutter generalized approach based on what the trainer thinks your dog needs to know. Shouldn’t the training reflect the relationship you desire with your dog? Like a personal trainer or coach, Custom Canine builds a unique plan focusing on your specific objectives and works with you & your dog to help you achieve those goals. And in-between lessons we stay in contact to provide you ongoing support. If you are looking for a professionally certified trainer who will truly listen to what you want, then build a bespoke plan based on your objectives, we look forward to hearing from you. Here are what current and recent clients are saying about Custom Canine: “I came to Custom Canine for some help with reactivity issues with my rescue Staffordshire Terrier, Kobe. Phillip really came through for us. I felt an instant rapport right from the very first session and I think Kobe did too. His calm & confident approach quickly earned Kobe's trust and made the training sessions very enjoyable. Not only has Kobe's reactivity improved considerably, I really appreciated the tons of practical advice Phillip provided. His methodology has given me the skills & confidence I need to continue to build a great life for & with Kobe.” - Jose & Kobe “My 2-year-old Shih Tzu Bichon, Dean, has always been an overall great dog but sometimes a little yappy when strangers came to the door. He was unfortunately kicked by someone who entered the property unannounced. This incident left him traumatized and led to him proactively biting unknown men on and off property in fear of being kicked again. We reached out to Phillip at Custom Canine for some professional help and he really came through for us. Not only have we been able to overcome his biting and fear of strangers (he just allowed a complete stranger to pet him at a store yesterday!) the reactivity training he received included connected issues such as leash and door manners. He is a lot less barky, has increased focus and is much calmer & more confident overall. Phillip created a personalized training package to work with Dean, and he taught me the techniques and step-by-step process to help Dean get comfortable around strangers and offer alternate behaviours instead of being fearful and defensive. I really appreciated the way Phillip made himself available in between our sessions and was always willing to answer any questions in addition to following up on the homework he gave us. He was professional and enjoyable to work with. I would highly recommend Custom Canine to anyone who is interested in dog training or overcoming behavioural challenges. With his personalized plans, you can have him work on whatever issues you wish to address with your dog. It was a 100% worthwhile experience. My dog is doing better than he ever. I am confident I made the right choice choosing to work with him.” - Sarah & Dean “I can’t say enough about Custom Canine! I’ve owned golden retrievers for almost 20 years now but each one has been so different so the training has had to be as well. When I got my puppy Ella earlier this year, I was frustrated with her leash walking and worried that I would never be able to walk her with my older golden. I met Phillip, the head trainer at Custom Canine and he customized a training program that specifically addressed our needs. He has a calm, kind, confident manner with Ella and always takes the time to explain and work with Ella and I on even the smallest details and technique adjustments to ensure we are successful. He always follows up with a text message after class to remind me of the points we worked on which is super helpful so I can refer back to it to stay on track. Learning with Phillip has been lots of fun and encouraging for both of us and he’s available to answer questions that come up between lessons. I’d highly recommend Custom Canine!” - Dina and Ella “Custom Canine lived up to its name and provided a very thoughtful custom set of lessons for our pup, Sadie, addressing exactly what we needed. Phillip taught us a variety of techniques and was excellent at following up in-between lessons. He even had some great advice for Sadie's digging which helped save our backyard. Highly recommend.” - Dave, Deb and Sadie “My four year old Australian Labradoodle - Molly - was being very reactive to other people and dogs when we moved into a condo. She would growl and bark as the elevator doors opened and would also growl at other dogs in the lobby. After working with Phillip, his behaviour modification techniques made a huge difference. She is now much more relaxed in both the lobby and elevator. Other dogs can now come into the elevator with her and she is calm. The techniques Phillip showed me were easy to follow. His calm and straightforward teaching style also made the experience enjoyable for Molly & I. Thanks Phillip!” - Mike and Molly “Custom Canine provided the training promised but also so much more. We got lots of helpful advice from Phillip and he stayed in touch in-between lessons to answer any questions we had and offer encouragement and fine-tuning. Our pup Oliver progressed really well in his training because Phillip made sure the lessons were customized to suit our particular needs. We highly recommend!” - Lisa, Alan and Oliver “Phillip helped us train our energetic, strong English Lab, Teddy. Phillip’s approach to training centred on focus techniques, loose leash walking and things we can do at the house to help us help our pup. Acknowledging that training is not a linear process we have seen an overall improvement in Teddy’s day to day behaviours. Phillip developed a program that was tailored to fit our needs and worked with our schedules so it was easy to stay on top of it - and the checkins ensured we were held accountable. Phillips knowledge, ability to not only train Teddy but to teach us how to train Teddy (and not to mention those pep talks on our most frustrating days) made for a great experience and a perfect fit for us and our family! We would recommend Phillip to anyone and everyone!” - Mairi, Ryan and Teddy