The Spring Challenge · Six weeks
Six weeks to a dog you can take for coffee.
Starts Monday 14 September. Finishes with coffee at Diggies.
Book a callOn Saturday 31 October you will walk the Blue Mile on a loose lead and sit down at Diggies with your dog settled under the table.
You will be placed in one of two packs
Two trainers. Two packs. Six weeks of friendly rivalry, and a patch you earn by turning up. We place you on day one so the packs stay even.
Wild Dogs
Led by Nath
Jackals
Led by Matt
The six weeks
Week 1
Engage
Week 2
Loose lead heel
Week 3
Relaxed down stay
Week 4
Refocus around distractions
Week 5
Loose lead heel, harder
Week 6
Recall
What you get
A new level every Sunday night
One skill, one video, released Sunday night so you can watch it before the week starts.
Monday evening check-in
Your pack leader goes through the week's skill with the pack and answers what came up.
Live coaching call every Wednesday
Bring your problem, get it solved on the call. Recorded if you cannot make it.
WhatsApp group all week
Post a video, get a fix. Your pack is in there and so are Nath and Matt.
Your pack T-shirt
Wild Dogs pink or Jackals yellow. Sent when you commit, worn on the walk.
A hoodie when you finish
Earned at graduation, not bought. Only the six week finishers get one.
Full academy membership
The whole Walkys library, the community walks and the coaching, from day one.
Two sites, one pack
Train at Wollongong or Shellharbour, and follow the weekly plan wherever you walk.
What you are playing for
Every week
One winner takes the week
Every week we pick one dog and owner who nailed the task. They take a prize from Drifter Dog Gear, and their pack takes the week with them.
At the end
$500 to your charity
At the end we pick the biggest transformation across the whole six weeks. Not the flashiest dog, the one that changed the most. That person chooses a charity and we donate $500 to it.
Graduation
Saturday 31 October, 8am. The Halloween costume walk.
We meet at the Lighthouse and walk the Blue Mile to Diggies and back. Costumes on, dogs beside you. Then we sit down for coffee together and let the dogs settle under the tables.
Every dog stays on lead for the whole walk. No off lead work, no crowded free-for-all. If your dog needs space, you get space.
Date
Saturday 31 October
Time
8am start
Route
Lighthouse to Diggies and back
Lead
On lead, start to finish
This is for you if
- You have quietly stopped taking your dog out, and you want that back.
- You walk at odd hours to avoid other people and other dogs.
- You can give the skill fifteen minutes a day, most days.
- You want a group around you rather than a booklet and good luck.
This is not for you if
- You want the dog fixed without you being involved.
- You are looking for off lead work in the first six weeks.
- You cannot get to a Wednesday call or watch the recording.
- Your dog has a bite history that needs a private behaviour plan first. Call us instead.
Nath and Matt
Nath · Wild Dogs
Nath is the founder of Walkys, a Head Trainer, an Accredited Assistance Dog Trainer and a dog handler. He has spent years walking with owners who had stopped going out. He will understand your problems inside and out and work on absolutely everything you need. If you have been quietly avoiding the main street, tell him. He has heard it a hundred times.
Matt · Jackals
Matt is a Head Trainer at Walkys with exceptional experience across all walks of dogs, from working dogs to greyhounds to scent work and military handling. He coaches the mechanics. Lead handling, timing, where your feet go. He breaks a skill down until it works, then keeps you honest about practising it. Expect calm instruction, clear homework, and a message on Monday night asking how it went.
Questions
What if I miss a week?
Nothing breaks. The video level stays in your account, so you can pick it up when you have a night free. Tell your pack leader in the WhatsApp group and they will give you the short version to catch up on.
Is any of it off lead?
No. Every week of the challenge, and the graduation walk, is on lead. Loose lead means a relaxed lead in your hand, not a dog running free.
What about a reactive dog?
Reactive dogs are most of who we work with. You start at whatever distance your dog can cope with, and the first three weeks are built to lower the pressure rather than test it. Message us before you sign up and we will tell you honestly whether the challenge or a private start suits you better.
What about a puppy?
Puppies from sixteen weeks are welcome, as long as vaccinations are up to date. The skills are the same, the reps are shorter, and your pack leader will adjust the homework.
What happens after the six weeks?
You stay in the academy. Membership continues with the coaching calls, the video library and the community walks, and your pack stays together. The challenge is the start, not the whole thing.
Sign-ups close Sunday 13 September.
Six weeks from now, you are having coffee at Diggies.
Sign-ups close Sunday 13 September. The challenge starts Monday 14 September and the two packs are set on day one. You get your pack, your T-shirt, and we will see you on the walk.
Membership
$148 a week
The challenge is part of full academy membership, so the coaching, the calls and the community keep going after the six weeks. You join by booking a call with Brando.
Book a call with Brando
Tell us about your dog. Brando calls you back, walks you through the six weeks, places you in a pack and gets you started.
Sign-ups close Sunday 13 September. Membership is $148 a week.
Closes 13 Sep
Book a call