Waggle Tails is run and founded by Kelly Brown, a certified professional dog trainer. She’s had experience with dogs of different breeds, temperaments, and behaviours, so you don’t have to worry about whether she can handle your dog.

She’s most known for her puppy preschool, and you can choose between having private classes or group classes for your puppy to be socialised.

We suggest the latter, especially if it’s your first dog or if you have no other dogs at home to help your new pup get socialised.

Kelly and her team exclusively use positive reinforcement, which is a plus to us, as positive reinforcement is proven to be the most beneficial training method for your dogs. 

We find their rates to be reasonable, with multiple package deals available for both their in-person and online classes.

Should you choose the in-person classes, do know that you’ll be the one who will go to their designated locations, either in Osborne Park or Bassendean.

Most clients found it worth it, but if that’s out of your way, online classes might be a better option. However, online classes aren’t as hands-on as in-person classes, and they would be better as supplementary training sessions.

There were also minor complaints about her group training classes being overcrowded, which led to some pet owners complaining about how their dog wasn’t given enough attention.

However, we were pleased with Waggle Tails’ response and commitment to setting things right, which makes us confident in putting them on this list.

Bark Busters brings the dog trainers to you and your home, which is great if you’ve got a dog who’s afraid of car rides or will prefer the training to be done in the comforts of your own home.

They have trainers and services all around Australia, and they’ve got multiple trainers for Western Australia too, which means availability rarely becomes a problem.

The list of trainers they have is also available on their website, and from there you can see their experience working with dogs and the suburbs they serve. 

Their name Bark Busters refers to offering barking solutions if your dog’s barking is causing a nuisance to you. And don’t worry. We’ve made sure that they don’t use shock or electric collars as negative reinforcement to curb your dog’s barking.

The advantage home training has is that the trainers will have the opportunity to see your dog’s natural behaviour in your home, and they can adjust their training plan and approach accordingly. 

However, in-home dog training’s main disadvantage is that it will be expensive, and unless you’ve got at least a thousand dollars to spare, you may want to look at other options on this list instead.

For the price, we expect the highest calibre of service, but unfortunately, there were a few complaints about the trainers not showing up for follow-up consultations or picking up their calls.

Fortunately, these were isolated incidents and most of the customer feedback has still been positive.

Agile Dogs is owned and run by Dave Metcalf, a fully qualified trainer by the National Dog Trainers Federation’s standards. He’s had over 15 years of experience in dog training and has met all kinds of dog personalities and temperaments.

Most people come to see Dave for his obedience training, but he also offers agility courses and training for complex skills if you’re looking to train your dog to be a service dog or join competitions.

He has both one-on-one and group training, but locations for group training vary. It can be in Claremont, Yangebup, or in Spearwood. 

For one-on-one training sessions, Dave can visit your home or you can opt for a Zoom consultation. However, this specific type of service would only be limited to behavioural consultations.

That may be a good option for you if you only need some slight assistance when it comes to training your dog, but if you want more hands-on training, we recommend in-person training.

Dave runs his business alone, which means he won’t always be available, especially for one-on-one sessions. However, his group classes occur on a regular basis on weekends, which is great for dog socialisation.  

We find his rates to be reasonable, especially for his group classes, which start at $30 per session.

His one-on-one consultations are more expensive, with rates starting at $165, but we can’t complain about this, as he delivers the best quality of service for each dog he trains.

Kathy’s Dog Training is named after its owner and founder, Kathy Kopellis McLeod. With over 25 years of experience, Kathy has built expertise when it comes to training dogs with behavioural problems.

The bulk of her services are mostly behavioural training for dogs with or without behavioural problems, but we can highly recommend her if your dog has problems with aggression.

That said, she doesn’t offer services like agility training or training for complex skills, but the services she offers are important nonetheless.

Most of Kathy’s clients were surprised at how their dog’s behavioural problems diminished, even when they initially thought it would be impossible to see changes in their dog’s behaviour.

Kathy works closely with the dog owners by giving tips and teaching them how to read their dog’s body language. This teaches dog owners how to respond appropriately to their dog’s current disposition.

She also has workshops that are interactive seminars for dogs, or you can book Kathy to have a group training session with your friends and their canine companions.

Since Kathy mostly runs her business alone, this does mean availability is limited, and it’s possible you may have to wait a few weeks for her to be able to attend to you. We, however, think it’s worth the wait.

Kalmpets has behavioural veterinarians whose main focus is to work on pet behaviours. They can train your cat too if you’d like them to get training as well.

What Kalmpets focuses on is the foundation of dog training, which is mostly behavioural and obedience training. 

They don’t offer specialised dog training services like agility training, but they’ll make sure your dogs can obey easy commands before they learn more complicated ones.

Since they are also veterinarians, this means they can also suggest nutritional changes to your dog’s diet that may benefit their behaviour. They can also look at your dog’s exercise routine and modify it for your dog’s health.

Additionally, we’ve heard some clients say some of their dogs were prescribed medication for their anxiety to help calm them down. There are owners who prefer their dogs not to be medicated, but this is an option available for you if you need it.

The complaints are mostly about their availability, as they can be difficult to get a hold of if you’re seeking to get an appointment.

Should you get an appointment, it’s likely you will have to wait a few weeks before you’ll meet one of their trainers, and unless you’re willing to wait, other options on this list may be better instead.

There were also some clients who complained that they felt the appointments were rushed and their dogs didn’t get enough time they thought their dogs deserved, especially given the long wait for an appointment.