Welcome to my website.

My name is Georgia and I have been an animal lover all my life. I started with horses when I was very young, eventually pairing up with an Arabian called Shanendore Yalkara (Rex). We competed in hacking, dressage, show jumping and one day events. We parted ways when I was 18 and I moved into the dog world.

My first dog, Stella, a rescued Kelpie cross was the first dog that I trained and competed with. She was a great dog and back then I trained with traditional training techniques that really focused on waiting for a dog to fail then punishing them. My next dog, Annabelle, another rescue, was also a gorgeous dog.

When I found a young adolescent dog on the side of the road in my early 20’s, later named Homer, my dog training knowledge and skill had to expand. Homer started showing aggression towards dogs and people and my go to techniques did not change this.

Homer taught me about positive reinforcement training and he inspired me to get into dog training in a professional capacity, to help others who were struggling just like I was. He was the force behind me starting Paw Prints Pet Training, one of Perth’s biggest group dog training class providers.

I was also privileged to have held the Head Trainer position at the Dogs’ Refuge Home in Shenton Park. I worked with many dogs who were behaviourally challenged, and my skill level accelerated exponentially during this time. One of my proudest accomplishments is introducing positive reinforcement training to the shelter. I also implemented many programs to increase adoptions and reduce dogs being returned to the shelter for behaviour problems.

Pudelian Coco Chanel (Chanel) came into my life at 10 months of age. She was meant to live as a show dog and possible Mummy, but some confirmation issues made her breeder make the decision that she should live with me. She had very limited socialisation when she came to live with me. She was a beautiful soul, happy and bright even when her health was declining. She worked alongside me for many years before her retirement, training puppies to respect their elders and teaching dog training students to keep on their toes. She passed away late March 2018 and we all miss her dearly.

Shortly after Chanel came to live with me, Anna was elderly and unwell. I had just started working at the Dogs’ Home and adopted Minnie, a Chihuahua cross just 3 days later. The night before Anna passed away in my arms, Minnie lay with her all night. It was like they had to swap notes before Anna left this world and Minnie took on her role or Number #1 bed/lap warmer.

I was really interested in training and competition at that time and went so far as to register my interest for a working line German Shepherd puppy (I have always loved GSD’s). It wasn’t meant to be, Bender the Beagle puppy arrived at the shelter, and I took him home the next night.

All I wished from Bender was for him to be friendly with other dogs. Managing and training Homer was amazing, and I learnt so much from him, but I wanted a bit of a break from that level of management. Well, Bender really stepped up and lived up to this wish. Bender was the most reliable dog with other dogs that I have met. He is an absolute superstar and has helped hundreds of dogs to feel comfortable around their own kind. He was a one in a million dog!

Bender and I got interested in agility training and did go on to compete at a high level. Bender was the 2014 State Finalist for Masters Jumping in his height class. He wasn’t as fast as the Border Collies he competed against but he was accurate! We retired from competition a few years later as we weren’t enjoying the atmosphere at trials and we he retired from agility. He still helped with dog reactive dogs, and building confidence in puppies and young dogs.

About this time I started working for Assistance Dogs Australia. The organisation provides trained Labradors and Golden Retrievers to people with physical disabilities. I learnt a lot training future service dogs.

In the meantime, I was running Beagle Rescue WA and was called to collect a young Beagle from Canning Pound. When I arrived, I could hear him barking from the car. Well, that was Bert. I chose not to place him in foster care as his behaviour was really unpleasant at first, so Joe and I kept him at our home along with Bender, Chanel, Minnie, Homer and a frequent visitor, Chocko (a client’s Poodle). We had a full house at that time!

Bert was the advanced version of a Beagle. If I adopted him first, I probably would never have gotten another Beagle! Bender was my entry level Beagle for sure! The day that I decided to keep Bert was when he saw my friend and colleague and his son and woo-woo’d at them then rolled on his back for a belly rub. Many adolescent dogs are wary of men and children and Bert was not. Joe agreed to keep him much later than this of course. Bert was a magic dog and was very honest with his feelings and desires. He grew my training skills exponentially. Originally, we decided to train for obedience competition. He was very highly trained and very reliable but was prone to stress and did not enjoy the trial atmosphere (we only did 1 Rally-O trial). So, he helped me rethink what I was doing with my dogs.

In June 2018 I welcomed Shrekherds Bellatrix into our family. Bellatrix is a working line German Shepherd and is a whole-lotta-dog!

Being a working dog, Bellatrix has grown my training skill set even more than I thought was possible! She is a very driven dog and unlike any of my previous dogs in regard to how and when to train behaviours. She has taught me so much about play and how to channel her enthusiasm into legal activities.

Bellatrix and I have been training in detection work for several years now, which we both enjoy immensely. We were deployed on our biggest search so far in July 2023. It was an incredible experience and one that I will never forget!

I am a dog behaviour nerd and always will be. Dog training is my hobby, passion and profession.

Along the way I have studied Bowen Therapy for dogs and now offer this to my dogs and also to client’s dogs. I am still working toward my Animal Translator’s badge which is a course about animal communication via intuition. Both of these modalities have challenged my very science-based brain (dog training), but I continue to practice these skills and grow my intuitive muscles. Some of the information that I receive from animals is mind blowing and I often have to pinch myself about how lucky I am to have learnt these skills (or just remembered them).

I am currently working in a prison dog training program, where we train prisoners to improve the behaviour of homeless dogs. We then find homes for the dogs. We use and teach reward-based training, and this program is extremely rewarding for all involved!

When I am not dog training, I train for MMA (mixed martial arts) and BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). Bellatrix, Joe and I also love going camping and hiking in the forest.

I would love the opportunity to assist with your puppy/dog. We can work together to reach your training goals and have some fun along the way. Training your dog is opening up a line of understanding between the two of you, improving your communication and deepening your relationship. It is a magical process, and I am right there with you for support and guidance during the process.

Check out my YouTube channel: Georgia De Niet – YouTube

My Facebook page: Canine Wellness Coach | Facebook

My Instagram page: Georgia De Niet (@caninewellnesscoachperth) • Instagram photos and videos