FAQ

The private assessment lets us get to know you and your dog, make sure the basics are on track, and set clear goals before starting group classes.

No — all new clients begin with a private assessment. It’s the quickest and safest way for us to understand your dog, your goals, and your home routines before joining a group class. It also ensures every dog enters class at the right level, with the right support, so you get the best results from your training.

Even experienced dog owners get a lot out of this session – the science behind dog training is always evolving and there is always more to learn!

Your private assessment is a relaxed, one-on-one session where we get to know you and your dog. We look at your pup’s developmental stage, temperament, and behaviour at home, and we chat through any concerns you may have — from eating and toileting to sleep, settling, and routines.

We also cover basic training foundations, safe socialisation, and management strategies tailored to your household. By the end, you’ll have a clear plan and your dog will be ready to join the most appropriate class for their age and needs.

Not much! A few simple things help the session run smoothly:

• Bring your dog on a collar or harness
• Make a note of any questions or problems you’re having
• Make sure your dog has had a toilet break before coming inside

That’s it. We’ll guide you through everything else.

Yes! When done safely, young puppies can do their assessment and start classes before their final vaccinations.

In Melbourne’s inner north, the risk of infection is very low if your puppy is:

• walked only on sealed footpaths, and
• kept away from grass and soil in public areas.

You can also carry your dog in your arms.

We’ll give you plenty of guidance on how to explore the world safely while your puppy is still completing their vaccinations.

Yes — in most cases, it’s not only safe but strongly recommended. Modern veterinary behavioural science is very clear: the benefits of early, well-managed socialisation far outweigh the extremely low risk of disease when sensible precautions are in place.

At UDHQ, we take that balance seriously. Our indoor space is cleaned and disinfected regularly, and we only allow healthy puppies and vaccinated dogs to attend. This controlled environment is significantly lower-risk than many everyday places puppies visit, such as vet waiting rooms or public footpaths.

We’ll also teach you how to safely experience the world during this stage. By sticking to sealed footpaths, avoiding grass and dirt, and carrying your puppy in higher-risk areas, the risk of infection in Melbourne’s inner north is very low — while the developmental benefits of early training and socialisation are enormous and time-sensitive.

You can do your assessment as soon as you bring your puppy home! We can help you build the right routines and prevent problems before they even begin.

Likewise, we recommend starting puppy school as soon as you bring your puppy home. Eight weeks is ideal! Early socialisation is incredibly important, and the benefits of starting young far outweigh the risks when it’s done safely.

Puppies have a critical socialisation period before 16 weeks of age.

During this window they are naturally curious, less fearful, and highly receptive to new experiences. This is the ideal time to do socialisation, which is not about introducing:

• new sights, sounds, people, and surfaces
• gentle handling
• other healthy, well-matched puppies and mature dogs
• foundational training and confidence-building activities

Starting puppy school early helps prevent fear, anxiety, reactivity, and behavioural issues later in life.

We focus primarily on creating a great relationship between puppies and their owners and creating a solid foundation of life skills. While we do some informal obedience in our puppy classes such as sit, down, and heel, we believe puppy training is so much more than that! 

Our puppy curriculum covers a wide variety of things: 

• engagement, motivation & communication
• body handling & preparation for vet visits
• foundations of lead walking & recall
• basic obedience
• development of physical coordination & body confidence
• social skills & manners
• how to advocate for your dog in public
• body language
• safe vs unsafe play
• prevention of resource guarding & separation anxiety
• troubleshooting of current problems
• and so much more!

Puppies have a short attention span, so we rotate fairly frequently between exercises, activities, discussions and supervised social play. 

Our flexibility allows us to adapt each class to the puppies present that day.

Every dog is different. Progression is individual and happens in consultation with your trainer. Every puppy develops at their own pace, so we look at factors like maturity, confidence, focus, and size to decide when they’re ready. When your puppy is prepared for the next level, we’ll guide you through the process.

At UDHQ we believe in building a strong foundation of trust, communication, and positive reinforcement. Our training methods are based on kindness, consistency, and real-world practicality — not on quick fixes or harsh correction.

We focus on teaching behaviours that make everyday life easier and more enjoyable for you and your dog. That means we work on manners, confidence, social skills, and life skills through play, motivation, engagement, and positive reinforcement.

Because every dog and family is different, we tailor our approach individually — from the first private assessment to every class you attend. We adapt to your dog’s temperament, age, and experience, and always respect their pace.

We also emphasise ongoing support. Learning is a long process, so we offer flexible training options that let you continue working with us whenever you need — especially in those critical early years. The goal is lasting behaviour change, lifelong partnership, and a strong bond built on mutual respect and understanding.

Our curriculum is flexible, so you can jump in any time. Each session is shaped around the dogs who turn up that day and usually includes a mix of supervised play, life skills, obedience practice, tricks, k9 ninja, basic agility, off-leash work, and time to chat through any challenges you might be having.

Each week we focus on a different aspect of dog training and behaviour, so we incorporate activities and games throughout each class that allow us to work on this.

Every class starts with a series of exercises that encourage connection and communication.

Depending on the combination of dogs, we include short sessions of supervised social play, explaining the behavioural aspects of this play in order for owners to understand their own dogs and play in general. 

By the time dogs are in Junior classes we start to have behavioural changes that are linked with hormones and adolescence. 

Sometimes people come in with certain issues or questions, or the combination of dogs highlights particular problems (such as over-excitement or difficulty settling) – our experience and flexibility means that we can change and adapt classes as necessary. Everyone benefits from these moments!

Restricted sessions often operate in parallel to these classes, and these dogs use the decompression space when necessary, especially during off lead time.

After your private assessment we’ll send you log in details for our member portal where you’ll be able to sign up for classes.

Just bring your dog on a flat collar and lead (or a harness) and a treat pouch with lots of treats – more than you think you’ll need! We have water bowls and everything else you might need.

Puppy classes are kept small, with no more than 6 pups, as it’s important for everyone to have their own space and we want to make sure everyone has time for troubleshooting.

Junior classes have an absolute maximum of 8 dogs.

Experienced classes have a maximum of 10 dogs.

We carefully manage social play in order to keep everyone safe and owners are educated on manners, behaviour, and play.

Each dog is assessed as an individual to make sure group classes are the right fit for them. We offer a reduced-rate assessment for the second dog, with the exact price depending on whether any behavioural concerns need extra time or support.

There are lots of options – some people bring one dog to one session, and the other to a different session. Others bring both to the same session, with two handlers.

Get in touch with Katia to discuss your options.

Dogs in Experienced class tend to be more mature and stable, or they’re dogs who really just want to work rather than play. Through activities and games we build on and expand the concepts learned in previous classes. 

There is less off lead play in these classes because the dogs are so excited about learning!

Restricted sessions often operate in parallel to these classes, and these dogs use the decompression space when necessary.

Bring the whole family! We think it’s really important that everyone is on the same page with training, and everyone can benefit from attending class.

If your children get bored or antsy, we have a kids corner complete with a comfy chair, colouring activities, and plenty of books (about dogs of course).