4-Week Calm Kickstart for Bowral & Southern Highlands Dog Owners

Walkys' flagship four-week intensive program is available to Bowral, Mittagong, Moss Vale, and Southern Highlands families. Worth the trip down the Macquarie Pass for the right dog.

Real talk on the geography

Walkys is based in the Illawarra, not the Highlands. Our nearest academy to Bowral is at Lake Illawarra, roughly 45 to 55 minutes down Macquarie Pass depending on traffic and where in the Highlands you live. We've enrolled Southern Highlands families on the Calm Kickstart, and the families who've made it work share two things: a dog with a behaviour pattern that's worth the drive, and a flexible enough week to do the drive twice a day for a month.

If that doesn't sound like your situation, we offer two alternatives further down this page. We'd rather tell you that upfront than have you commit to something that won't suit your reality.

What the Calm Kickstart is

Four weeks of structured days at our Lake Illawarra academy. Calm installed first. Foundation training built on it. Real-world exposure to environments graded to what the dog can handle. Home integration coaching so the change holds when the program ends.

Not a board-and-train. The dog goes home with you each evening. You're part of the program throughout.

Why some Southern Highlands families have done it anyway

The Bowral and Mittagong dogs we've worked with have typically had one of two profiles.

Working breeds who can't be working dogs. Border Collies, Kelpies, Aussie Shepherds in suburban Highlands homes. Bred for ten hours of stock work, getting an hour-long walk and a frisbee session. The Kickstart resets the underlying state.

Cold-climate dogs with persistent reactivity. Bigger breeds who've developed lead reactivity that's making local walks impossible. The Kickstart's calm-first approach is specifically built for this profile.

The owners who've committed to the program despite the drive have done so because lighter weekly options weren't moving the needle.

Two alternatives if the drive isn't workable

Option 1: Online consultation pathway. Nath does 60-minute video sessions for owners outside our service area. Most Southern Highlands clients book two to four sessions over six to eight weeks with video updates in between. More on online consultations.

Option 2: Hybrid format. One or two in-person days at the academy each week instead of the full Kickstart, paired with online coaching for the rest of the week. Less intensive than the full program but more workable for a 45-minute drive.

We'll talk through which fits on the first call.

The four-week structure (if you do the full Kickstart)

Week 1: Calm. Place training, downtime, rhythm.

Week 2: Foundation training. Recall, leash, basics on top of calm.

Week 3: Real-world exposure. Structured outings around academy environments.

Week 4: Home integration. Coaching, daily rhythm, maintenance.

Every part is built on The Walkys Method.

How to start

Given the geography, the right first step is a free 30-minute call. We'll talk through your dog, your situation, what you've tried, and what the realistic options are.

Book a free 30-minute call with Nath →

Or for direct enrolment: see Calm Kickstart dates and book.

Related

If you're elsewhere in the Highlands or beyond, see Walkys Australia-Wide for our online-first options.