Creating a more pet-friendly world through training
About us
We’re here to help your pet have a more wonderful life with you, and while you’re away. Training is a pillar of your pet’s happiness, health and bond with you. Whether it’s settling in a new puppy, brushing up on their doggy manners, having fun together with trick training, addressing ‘problem’ behaviours, or taking them out for some fun while you’re away - we can help!
We live, work and play on the lands of the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation. 1% of our income is paid to Traditional Owners through PayTheRent.net.au.
Learn more about:
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a more pet-friendly world through training and advocacy!
Our approach is understanding, community focused, rewards based and scientific.
As part of these goals and values we:
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Train and socialise puppies and dogs so they’re happy and well behaved in more places.
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Educate owners on how to train, manage and advocate for their dogs in the real world.
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Host and support dog-friendly events and venues.
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Advocate for governments and businesses to allow dogs in more places within our community.
Our Methods
We use and promote reward based training. There are other popular names for this type of training such as positive reinforcement, force free, fear free, or clicker training.
What does that mean? We use rewards to motivate pets to behave appropriately in their human-centric worlds (or to change unwanted behaviours). We seek to understand their body language and behaviour, and use training and management to address underlying causes and motivations for unwanted behaviours, stress or aggression.
We keep up to date with the evolving science, practices, and perspectives on animal training and behaviour through courses, books and seminars.There is a science and an art to dog training, but we believe all owners can learn to train their animal using these methods.
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to training, and we work with owners and the animals to find something that works for them.
We never use force, fear, intimidation, pain or discomfort to train animals. These practices are shown to be not only less effective than reward based training, but may lead to anxiety, phobias and aggression.
Our Crew
Jacqui PAce
she/they
Co-founder | Trainer
Jacqui is our resident study junkie - she’s always taking a course (or two), attending workshops, conferences and webinars, and has a list as long as her arm of the courses she wants to do next!
Her background is in rescue, having worked in the kennel and adoptions at Lost Dogs Home from 2015 until 2018. While there her passion for behaviour and training flourished. She helped the team introduce training, enrichment and noseworks to dogs’ daily routine, and loved seeing them become more relaxed - and more adoptable! As you may imagine, she helped a lot of very stressed dogs and brings experience with anxiety, fear, and aggression in dogs.
Now, Jacqui loves helping owners to form a better understanding and a stronger bond with their pets. This is reflected in her special interest areas: trick training to add fun to the relationship, cooperative care so owners can reduce the stress of husbandry practices, and noseworks so owners can see their dogs in their element, and maybe learn a little something from them!
When she’s not helping animals (or studying animal behaviour!), Jacqui can be found baking her signature sweet treats for friends or singing along to some classic rock.
Qualifications & continuing education:
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Cert IV in Companion Animal Services (dog training), Delta Institute 2019
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Fear Free Trainer Certification, Fear Free LLC 2020
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First Aid and CPR (human), 2019
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APDT Conference, 2019
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An Evening with Ken Ramirez, 2019
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An Evening with Dr Susan Friedman, 2019
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Trainers Workshop with Dr Kat Gregory, 2019
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Double Cert IV in Government Statutory Compliance, and Animal Control and Regulation, Warner Institute 2016
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Bachelor of Science, La Trobe University 2015
Professional Memberships:
Stacey has worked in just about every part of the pet care industry! She’s been a vet nurse, a pet retail manager, an adoption officer, and a puppy trainer for Petbarn and Boroondara Dog Training! She has knowledge about not just training your pets but of all elements of their care - nutrition, grooming, health care, and boredom busting toys. She’s in her element with new (or soon to be) pet owners - she’ll show them everything they need (and don’t need) for a happy life with their pet!
Amazingly, the first training education she attended with Terry Ryan’s Chicken Camp... Yes - she was training chickens! She still speaks of this as a highlight of her training journey - being welcomed by so many amazing trainers and learning from Mabel, Sheila and Edna (the chickens!).
She loves that she’s now focused on training; helping dogs and their people communicate for less frustration and more fun for them both! She believes that by helping people and animals understand one another, and communicate well, every part of their lives can be improved!
In her spare time Stacey loves taking spectacular photos all around the world, maintaining her menagerie of indoor plants, musical theatre, and catching up with friends for brunch (with her little dog Moose in tow).
Qualifications & continuing education:
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Puppy Start Right for Instructors, Karen Pryor Academy, 2019
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APDT Conference 2019
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An Evening with Ken Ramirez, 2019
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Getting Behaviour Right - AVBS Behaviour Conference 2018
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Dog Training the Delta Way Seminar, 2017
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Terry Ryan’s Chicken Camp, 2017
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First Aid & CPR (human), 2017
Professional Memberships:
Stacey Gallimore
she/her
Co-founder | Trainer
Shelley McOrist
they/she
Co-founder | Trainer
After years as a legal secretary, in 2016 Shelley ditched the cubicle life to pursue her passion for working with animals. She ran her dog walking and pet sitting business, The Critter Carer, for 3 years - growing it from something she did in her lunch hour to employing 2 part-time staff! She closed the business in early 2019 to focus on dog training, first with Boroondara Dog Training, and then with
Laika Pet Training!
Shelley loves teaching classes for puppies and adult dogs, but discovered the hard (and fun) way that 12 puppy classes a week is a little too many! Mostly because it was challenging to keep track of 50-60 different puppies and their owners, and give them the tailored advice she strives for. She has a special interest in cats, and is driven to bust the myth that cats aren’t trainable! Just look at her cat Decibelle!
Outside of pets and training Shelley is a local comedy nerd - she sees multiple shows a night during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and produced the show Funny Tails at the 2017 and 2019 festivals (which had dogs and kittens in it, of course).
Qualifications & continuing education:
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APDT Conference 2019
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An Evening with Ken Ramirez, 2019
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Cert IV in Companion Animal Services (dog training) Delta Intitute
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Pet CPR, First Aid and Care, Pet Tech, Inc., 2017
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Cert II in Animal Studies, Box Hill Institute, 2013
Professional Memberships:
Laika Cadets
Moose
Senior Cadet (canine)
Senior Cadet Moose has been Stacey’s best mate and right-hand-man since 2005. In 2019 Moose was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma, and had to have a front leg amputated. He’s adapted remarkably well to the tripawd life, and can still do all his favourite things - running on the beach, snoozing in the sun, and meeting friends (human and canine) for brunch.
Decibelle
Senior Cadet (feline)
Decibelle is more than just a pretty face (although isn’t she BEAUTIFUL). She also loves training - so long as there’s some freeze-dried chicken involved! Her signature move is the meerkat pose, but she can also spin around, high-5 and jump over arms. She’s deaf, and was surrendered to RSPCA in 2015 with a broken knee and hip. After months recovering in the clinic, she was adopted by Shelley the same morning she became available!
Momo
Cadet (canine)
Momo joined the team under trainer Shelley in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, and is proud to be the star of our very first Online Puppy School videos, and our "Lunchtime Training with Laika" Facebook live series! He hasn’t let stardom get to his head though; he likes all the regular dog things - yummy treats, digging in the garden, and snoozing on warm laps.