Puppy School for Bowral & Southern Highlands Dog Owners
Accredited puppy training for Highlands families. Available in-person at our Illawarra academy (45 minutes east down Macquarie Pass) or via online consultation Australia-wide.
Honest geography
Walkys is based in the Illawarra. Our nearest academy to Bowral is at Lake Illawarra, roughly 45 to 55 minutes down Macquarie Pass. Some Highlands families have made the in-person puppy school work by combining the four-week program with weekend travel to family on the coast. For most others, the right format is a mix of online and in-person.
What we don't do is pretend the academy is in your back yard. Here's how we actually help Bowral, Mittagong, and Moss Vale puppy owners.
Option 1: Online puppy consults
A 60-minute video consultation with Nath that covers everything a first-class puppy school would: calm and settle work, foundation cues, socialisation strategy for cooler-climate environments, toileting and crate training, body language reading. Most Highlands families do two to four consults over the puppy's first three months, with video sent in between for feedback.
This is the format we'd recommend if regular travel isn't workable for your family. More on online consultations.
Option 2: Combined in-person puppy school plus online support
Drive down for the four weekly classes (Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, depending on intake), and supplement with online support between classes. Most Highlands families who've done this have arranged carpools with other Highlands clients.
See current Puppy School dates and book if this option fits.
Why early training matters more for Highlands puppies
Most of the Highlands puppies we've worked with are larger working breeds: Border Collies, Aussie Shepherds, Kelpies, Bernese, working line German Shepherds. These dogs were bred for hours of structured work and now live in domestic environments that ask them to be calm. Without deliberate early training, that mismatch shows up by twelve months as anxiety, reactivity, or destructive behaviour. Puppy school is where you build the off switch before the adolescent stage tests it.
How we approach it
Built on The Walkys Method: clarity, calm, fulfilment. The same principles, delivered in the format that fits your geography.
How to start
The right first step is a free 30-minute call. We'll figure out which format suits your situation.
Book a free 30-minute call with Nath →
Related
For a more intensive option, see 4-Week Calm Kickstart for Bowral. For online-first families, Walkys Australia-Wide covers all our remote services.