Dog Training in Shellharbour, NSW
TRAIN. EXERCISE. PLAY. Walkys is a structured school for dogs (not a free-range daycare) headquartered in Lake Illawarra. Love, Respect, Loyalty is our motto.
Stoked you're joining the pack
Walkys is an accredited dog training academy with two Illawarra locations: Lake Illawarra (right here in Shellharbour) and Unanderra near Wollongong. Five-star Google rated. 100+ five-star reviews from Illawarra families.
We're not a free-range daycare. We're a structured school. Every minute your dog spends with us they're learning. Loose-leash work, calm training, foundation obedience, controlled socialisation, behaviour modification when needed. Our approach is 95% positive reinforcement with the occasional correction when a specific behaviour calls for it. The right tool for the dog in front of us, not a one-size-fits-all ideology.
Why Shellharbour is a great place to train a dog
Shellharbour gives dogs a lot. Long beaches at Warilla and Killalea. The lake foreshore and Reddall Reserve. Open backyards on average bigger than inland suburbs. A walking culture that runs from sunrise to sunset.
What it doesn't give dogs automatically is the calm to enjoy all of that without being permanently wired. That's where training comes in. The Shellharbour lifestyle is brilliant for fulfilled, well-trained dogs and exhausting for the families of dogs who can't settle.
The full training pathway
Puppy School. Four weeks. Built for puppies 8 to 16 weeks.
Juvenile Dog Training. Group class for older puppies and adolescents.
Private Dog Training. One-on-one work in your home or at the academy.
Reactive Dog Training. Specialist work for dogs who can't cope on lead.
4-Week Calm Kickstart. Our flagship. Four weeks of intensive structured days where calm becomes the default.
Memberships, workshops, and NDIS assistance dog program all run from the Lake Illawarra academy.
How we train
Every program is built on The Walkys Method: clarity, calm, fulfilment. Refined over a decade of training Illawarra dogs of every breed, age, and history.
If you've tried positive-only and it hasn't worked for your dog, read When positive-only training hasn't worked.
See the full Walkys story
Or jump straight in: book a free 30-minute call with Nath.
Our Shellharbour academy
Shop 4/2 Commerce Drive, Lake Illawarra, Shellharbour NSW 2528. Easy parking, close to the lake, easy access from anywhere in Shellharbour, Albion Park, Oak Flats, Warilla, and surrounds.
Other suburbs we serve
Our second academy is in Wollongong (Unanderra). We service the whole Illawarra and Coal Coast for in-home training. Online consultations are available Australia-wide.