"Creating a better rapport between you and your dog"
Puppy Classes
Honestly, I couldn’t ask for more as a first time puppy parent. The 2 hour pre-class consultation is well structured and gives you all the information you need to raise a calm and well behaved puppy. Sonia tailors her consultation and advice to the puppy’s nature so the consultation is the best suited for your puppy.
Then the actual class itself provides a great opportunity for your puppy to start socialising in a safe and controlled environment, as well as building strong bonds with the owner, all under the professional direction of Sonia.
If you are struggling as a first time parent, Sonia will go all out to demonstrate and assist you. Ample amount of take-home notes are also provided that includes everything you may need to know after class.
All and all, very much worth it and if I had a second puppy, I would definitely go back and recommend it to others around me!
Then the actual class itself provides a great opportunity for your puppy to start socialising in a safe and controlled environment, as well as building strong bonds with the owner, all under the professional direction of Sonia.
If you are struggling as a first time parent, Sonia will go all out to demonstrate and assist you. Ample amount of take-home notes are also provided that includes everything you may need to know after class.
All and all, very much worth it and if I had a second puppy, I would definitely go back and recommend it to others around me!
Peter, North Geelong ,
My partner and I were fortunate enough to have a poodle cross join our family early this year.
We contacted Sonia within a week to organise an in home consultation for our puppy, and also started attending her weekly puppy preschool.
Not only did we love Sonia’s approach, but she also helped us with balancing puppy ownership and everyday life.
Our puppy loved interacting with other puppies and building his confidence, but most of all, Sonia help us as owners to learn how to set our little man up to succeed.
We have recommended Sonia to others, but my mother has purchased a puppy and is going through training now after seeing how well mannered our puppy is and how much we love having him.
Thank you Sonia!
We contacted Sonia within a week to organise an in home consultation for our puppy, and also started attending her weekly puppy preschool.
Not only did we love Sonia’s approach, but she also helped us with balancing puppy ownership and everyday life.
Our puppy loved interacting with other puppies and building his confidence, but most of all, Sonia help us as owners to learn how to set our little man up to succeed.
We have recommended Sonia to others, but my mother has purchased a puppy and is going through training now after seeing how well mannered our puppy is and how much we love having him.
Thank you Sonia!
Marissa & Cody, Highton ,
About 3 weeks after purchasing my 8 week old Spoodle puppy Humphrey, I decided to contact Sonia at All 4 Paws Dog Training about some puppy training,having been recommended her by someone at the dog park. Sonia came for a 2 hour 'Puppy Consult' resulting in a recommendation to get a crate and other tips and tricks for Humphrey's success.
I really liked Sonia's approach - practical, sensible and realistic - and joined her puppy school followed by 6 weeks of Puppy Primary School. Great information, onsite training with similar aged dogs, great progress with Humphrey. Sonia was terrific to get advice from, on a couple of occasions early on I phoned her and she was always happy to help with advice.
Humphrey is 6 months old and certainly still needs ongoing training reminders from me but he is calm, responsive and a great companion and I think a lot of that is down to those early weeks of training with All 4 Paws Dog Training.
I strongly recommend Sonia and her training approach.
I really liked Sonia's approach - practical, sensible and realistic - and joined her puppy school followed by 6 weeks of Puppy Primary School. Great information, onsite training with similar aged dogs, great progress with Humphrey. Sonia was terrific to get advice from, on a couple of occasions early on I phoned her and she was always happy to help with advice.
Humphrey is 6 months old and certainly still needs ongoing training reminders from me but he is calm, responsive and a great companion and I think a lot of that is down to those early weeks of training with All 4 Paws Dog Training.
I strongly recommend Sonia and her training approach.
Jane, Geelong West ,
Sonia at All 4 Paws gave our puppy confidence!
My fiance and I are experienced dog owners, but we live quite remote so we were originally only attending puppy classes to help socialise our puppy (Soda).
Well, the first class she hid behind Sonia, screaming and shaking at the sight of another dog. I was shocked, Soda was always shy around strange dogs, but at home she was all over our other dog. As it turned out, the behaviours at home, I thought were just a cute, shy, cuddly pup were that of a clingy anxious one and taken out of her comfort zone she fell apart.
Within a few classes, (and practising the training at home daily) I could see a change. Soda started engaging with the other puppies and exploring away from my legs. Now, having just graduated puppy primary school, I can definitely say that the sweet, playful, goofball Soda we have today would not have been possible without all the training and support we received from Sonia and All 4 Paws.
My fiance and I are experienced dog owners, but we live quite remote so we were originally only attending puppy classes to help socialise our puppy (Soda).
Well, the first class she hid behind Sonia, screaming and shaking at the sight of another dog. I was shocked, Soda was always shy around strange dogs, but at home she was all over our other dog. As it turned out, the behaviours at home, I thought were just a cute, shy, cuddly pup were that of a clingy anxious one and taken out of her comfort zone she fell apart.
Within a few classes, (and practising the training at home daily) I could see a change. Soda started engaging with the other puppies and exploring away from my legs. Now, having just graduated puppy primary school, I can definitely say that the sweet, playful, goofball Soda we have today would not have been possible without all the training and support we received from Sonia and All 4 Paws.
Lianne & Matt, Stonyford,
I've really appreciated having Sonia's help as I raise my little pup. She focuses on the pup's personality and what works for them, making sure they're always comfortable and happy. She's also great at checking in between sessions and giving me reassurance in those moments when I'm at my wit's end. Because puppies will be puppies. I'm a much more confident dog handler than I was before I started seeing Sonia and it's allowed me and my pup to have much more fun together.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Steph, Highton ,
I am so glad I crossed paths with Sonia, her puppy consult and puppy kinder classes. It has been super helpful adjusting to life with an enthusiastic, inquisitive and sometimes challenging border collie puppy! With Sonia’s help Kobi settled and toilet trained easily. Socialising with the other puppies and setting a strong foundation with clear cues were key to our training. Kobi began as the timid, frightened puppy sitting on my lap at our first class. Sonia matched the pups by complementing personalities to help them socialise and build their own confidence, and Kobi’s character and confidence began to shine.
Even when classes were postponed due to lockdowns, Sonia kept in regular contact, and it’s clear Sonia cares about all the pups she trains with the focus on well-adjusted pups and dogs for life. We then continued with puppy primary classes and now 7 months old, this pandemic puppy is a well-adjusted, confident and interactive pup, frequently complimented on his manners.
We continue to build on everything we learned from Sonia, and all Kobi’s best attributes continue to flourish thanks to Sonia’s guidance.
We look forward to continuing to learn from Sonia and attend future classes.
Even when classes were postponed due to lockdowns, Sonia kept in regular contact, and it’s clear Sonia cares about all the pups she trains with the focus on well-adjusted pups and dogs for life. We then continued with puppy primary classes and now 7 months old, this pandemic puppy is a well-adjusted, confident and interactive pup, frequently complimented on his manners.
We continue to build on everything we learned from Sonia, and all Kobi’s best attributes continue to flourish thanks to Sonia’s guidance.
We look forward to continuing to learn from Sonia and attend future classes.
Karla, Armstrong Creek ,
We cannot recommend Sonia highly enough!
Having not had a puppy since childhood, we organised a puppy consult for the day we got home with our 8 week old labrador Frankie and it was without a doubt the best thing we did. We also took her advice to crate train Frankie.
Sonia was instrumental in helping us set up the crate and put systems in place to make the whole process of training Frankie easy and fun for all of us. We then took Frankie to both puppy classes and doggie primary school and honestly I can't believe how fantastic and calm she is. She sleeps beautifully in her crate overnight since that first day and we've never had any accidents in the house.
If you're looking for someone to help you get the most out of your dog and build the foundations for a wonderfully calm dog then Sonia is the person to talk to!
Having not had a puppy since childhood, we organised a puppy consult for the day we got home with our 8 week old labrador Frankie and it was without a doubt the best thing we did. We also took her advice to crate train Frankie.
Sonia was instrumental in helping us set up the crate and put systems in place to make the whole process of training Frankie easy and fun for all of us. We then took Frankie to both puppy classes and doggie primary school and honestly I can't believe how fantastic and calm she is. She sleeps beautifully in her crate overnight since that first day and we've never had any accidents in the house.
If you're looking for someone to help you get the most out of your dog and build the foundations for a wonderfully calm dog then Sonia is the person to talk to!
Nat , North Geelong ,
After doing a 1-1 consult with Sonia, I knew I wanted to take my puppy to her classes.
Sonia ran the classes so smoothly! She coordinates which pups should be in the same class, and when to put each pup in to play with the others. She also made sure to explain it all as she went, teaching us about the behaviours and interactions of the dogs.
Laika was a very shy puppy to begin with, so I was a bit worried about how she would go with the socialisation sessions, but she ended up loving the play time of these classes!
There is also time in the classes for basic training, which was invaluable to be doing in the group setting with Sonia there to guide us and set us up success at home.
Sonia ran the classes so smoothly! She coordinates which pups should be in the same class, and when to put each pup in to play with the others. She also made sure to explain it all as she went, teaching us about the behaviours and interactions of the dogs.
Laika was a very shy puppy to begin with, so I was a bit worried about how she would go with the socialisation sessions, but she ended up loving the play time of these classes!
There is also time in the classes for basic training, which was invaluable to be doing in the group setting with Sonia there to guide us and set us up success at home.
Cassidy, Diggers Rest ,
After having a 2hr puppy consult with Sonia it was decided that socialisation and basic training was needed for my border collie.
Sonia was very accommodating even though my puppy was a little bit older than the usual cohort.
The classes were great, it enabled for socialisation in a supervised and safe environment with temperament matched puppies.
The puppy classes also included time for some basic training and engagement techniques. These sessions were filled with so much great advice and I learnt a lot.
On top of the classes, Sonia would frequently message checking to see if everything was going well and if I had any questions or queries.
The whole experience was wonderful and I couldn't recommend Sonia enough for puppy socialisation and training.
Sonia was very accommodating even though my puppy was a little bit older than the usual cohort.
The classes were great, it enabled for socialisation in a supervised and safe environment with temperament matched puppies.
The puppy classes also included time for some basic training and engagement techniques. These sessions were filled with so much great advice and I learnt a lot.
On top of the classes, Sonia would frequently message checking to see if everything was going well and if I had any questions or queries.
The whole experience was wonderful and I couldn't recommend Sonia enough for puppy socialisation and training.
Meaghan & Odie , Torquay ,
At the puppy classes, Archie socialised well with all sorts of different dogs, some small, some largel, there was no need to worry about the size of the other dogs as Sonia knew exactly which ones would play well together, he had so much fun and became very confident and the size of the dogs didn't matter to him !
We learnt how to engage and release, sit and wait for his treats, drops and walk him on a loose lead.
Archie is a very excitable Jack Russell and he has now benefited greatly with one on one classes.
We are looking forward to his next stage of learning. If you are looking for someone to teach your dog and 'you', look no further I'm sure you will be happy with the professional care that Sonia offers, she has tremendous depth of knowledge and teaches so much more than sit, stay etc, she educates owners about dogs and proper dog ownership, she has a way with dogs (Archie loves her) she is very caring, compassionate and very structured, no question is too silly and the follow up from Sonia is amazing ! and Sonia's own dogs are so well trained and extremely patient with all these pups/dogs that come along !
I can't thank Sonia enough.
We learnt how to engage and release, sit and wait for his treats, drops and walk him on a loose lead.
Archie is a very excitable Jack Russell and he has now benefited greatly with one on one classes.
We are looking forward to his next stage of learning. If you are looking for someone to teach your dog and 'you', look no further I'm sure you will be happy with the professional care that Sonia offers, she has tremendous depth of knowledge and teaches so much more than sit, stay etc, she educates owners about dogs and proper dog ownership, she has a way with dogs (Archie loves her) she is very caring, compassionate and very structured, no question is too silly and the follow up from Sonia is amazing ! and Sonia's own dogs are so well trained and extremely patient with all these pups/dogs that come along !
I can't thank Sonia enough.
Bernadette & Archie (Jack Russell) , Skipton ,
Sonia's puppy classes were fabulous. Not only did our puppy get to socialise in a safe environment (pre final vaccinations) but as owners we were all coached on how to address issues we were having and learned from each other. Sonia truly loves dogs so much and followed up with personalised text messages to see how we were all going during the week. My goodness, that was brilliant because we were often dealing with an issue between classes and just didn't know what to do.
Lyndal & Dan , Geelong West ,
