Private Dog Training · Wollongong · Shellharbour · Illawarra · South Coast
One trainer. Your dog. The problem you actually have.
One-to-one with Matt Marsh, our head trainer, at our academy or in your own home.
One hour on the behaviour that is driving you up the wall, in the place it actually happens.
118 five-star reviews on Google across our two academies. Book two sessions and save over 20%.
When a group class is not the answer
Some problems will not wait for the next intake.
Group classes are excellent at teaching a dog the basics alongside other dogs. They are not built for the dog who lunges at the end of the lead, panics when you leave, or guards the couch. Those behaviours need the trainer watching your dog, in your situation, not eight households at once.
Private training is the short way round. One hour, one trainer, entirely on what is going wrong at your place.
The ones we see most
Lunging, barking or freezing at other dogs on the lead
Will not come back once the lead is off
Jumping on visitors, mouthing, or bolting out the front door
Barking, howling or destruction the moment you leave the house
Guarding food, toys, the couch or a person
Pulling so hard that walks have stopped being worth it
None of these mean you have a bad dog, and none of them fix themselves with time.
How it runs
One hour, and a plan you can actually follow
Nothing about the hour is generic. Your trainer spends it on the behaviour you booked for, then makes sure you can repeat it without them standing there.
Before
You tell us what is going wrong, and where. Your trainer reads it before they arrive, so the hour starts with work, not paperwork.
First 15 minutes
Your trainer watches the behaviour actually happen: the doorbell, the lead, the other dog. Not your account of it.
The next 40
Hands-on. You do the work with your trainer beside you, so you feel what the timing is meant to feel like.
Last 5 minutes
What to practise, how often, and what progress should look like by next week.
And after
You get the plan in writing, plus premium access to Walkys Community First, our online community on Skool: every online course and the weekly live sessions, included with your booking.
Ask your trainer a follow-up, post a video of the thing that is not working, and see how other owners got through the same stage.
Two sessions
Book two and save over 20%
Almost all of the change happens between sessions, not during them. The second one is where your trainer sees what worked at your place, fixes what did not, and pushes the plan further than a single hour can.
Two sessions cost over 20% less than booking the same two hours separately.
There is no time limit and no schedule to keep. Book the second one when you are ready: a fortnight later, or two months later.
What it costs
Three ways to book it, depending on where you are.
Sessions at our academy are the cheapest, because the setup is already there. In-home sessions cost more because the trainer travels to you. For a lot of problems, your house is the only place the behaviour happens.
$209
One hour at a Walkys academy. Shellharbour on Mondays, Wollongong on Thursdays.
$279
One hour in your home, anywhere in the Illawarra. Monday to Friday.
$329
One hour in your home, South Coast. Monday to Friday.
What the hour buys you
What you walk away with
One session will not undo years of practice at a behaviour. It will give you the thing most owners are actually missing: a correct read of what is happening, and a plan that works on your dog.
An honest read on the behaviour — what is actually driving it, which is very often not what it looks like from the outside.
The handling, in your hands — you practise it with your trainer watching, so you leave able to do it rather than able to describe it.
A plan sized to your week — what to practise and for how long, built around the time you actually have.
The right equipment, used properly — most gear problems are handling problems. We will show you the difference.
A realistic timeline — what should change in a fortnight, what takes months, and what will need managing rather than fixing.
Somewhere to go next — group classes, the academy, or a second session, and an honest answer about which you need.
You will stop guessing, and you are not on your own once the hour is up.
Most people have already tried three things off the internet before they call us. The session tells you which one to keep, and Community First is where you keep going.
What a session covers
Built around your dog, not a syllabus
Structure and boundaries
The routine at home that makes everything else easier. Most behaviour problems get smaller when this is right.
Behaviour modification
A practical plan for reactivity, recall, separation, guarding or whatever you booked for.
Training technique
Marker timing, rewards and reading your dog, done with your hands rather than explained at you.
Equipment
Which lead, collar or harness suits your dog, and how to use it without making things worse.
Fulfilment
What your dog's breed actually needs mentally and physically, and what happens when it does not get it.
Nutrition
Straightforward advice on what you are feeding and how it is affecting behaviour and energy.
Who you will be working with
Matt Marsh
Head Trainer, Walkys Dog Training Academy
Matt takes most of our private sessions, at both academies and in clients' homes. He is on the floor at the academy every week, working with the same behaviours you are dealing with, which is why he can usually tell inside the first fifteen minutes what is actually going on.
Nath Morrison, who founded Walkys, still takes private sessions when his diary allows. Both work to the same method and the same standards, and we confirm who is taking your session when we book it in.
118
five-star Google reviews
4.7★
average across 127 reviews
150+
dogs with us every week
2
academies you can train at
The review figures are the live counts on our two Google listings: 37 five-star at Wollongong, 81 at Shellharbour. The weekly figure is individual dogs booked in across both academies, from our own system.
Book
Pick where, and how many.
Choose your location and whether you want one session or two. If you are not sure which location applies to you, the cheapest option is always coming to one of our academies.
Academy sessions: Shellharbour on Mondays, Wollongong on Thursdays
In-home sessions: Monday to Friday, across the Illawarra and South Coast
One hour, one-to-one with Matt Marsh, our head trainer
Premium access to Walkys Community First on Skool, included with your booking
Two sessions booked together save over 20%
Walkys Dog Training Academy Wollongong, 5 Waverley Drive, Unanderra NSW 2526. Walkys Dog Training Academy Shellharbour, 4/2 Commerce Drive, Lake Illawarra NSW 2528.
Before you book
Questions we get asked
Who will I actually be working with?
Matt Marsh, our head trainer, takes most of our private sessions. Nath Morrison, who founded Walkys, still takes them when his diary allows. We confirm who is coming when we book you in, and either way you get the same method and the same standards.
Can one session really fix my dog?
It depends entirely on the behaviour. Some things genuinely change in an hour. Reactivity, separation anxiety and years-old habits do not. Those need a plan and repetition. Your trainer will tell you honestly which one you are dealing with rather than selling you a session that will not do it.
What happens after the session?
You get your plan in writing, and booking a session puts you on the premium tier of Walkys Community First, our online community on Skool. That is every online course plus the weekly live sessions, included with your booking rather than a separate subscription. It is also where you ask your trainer a follow-up and post a video of the thing that is not working. Almost all of the change happens in the weeks after the hour, so that is where it gets supported.
Should I book at the academy or at home?
If the problem happens at your house (visitors, the front door, separation, guarding), book in-home, because that is the only place we can see it. If it is lead work, recall or general obedience, the academy is cheaper and better set up for it.
What if I am outside the Illawarra and South Coast?
Give us a call before you book. Depending on where you are we may be able to arrange something, or point you at the academy option instead.
Do I need to be there?
Yes. The session is as much about coaching you as training your dog. Most of the work happens in the weeks afterwards, and you are the one doing it.
What should I have ready?
Your dog's normal lead and collar or harness, some food they actually like, and somewhere we can work. If the problem involves a particular trigger, we may ask you to be able to set it up.
Can I use the second session later?
Yes. There is no expiry and no schedule. Most people leave two to three weeks between them so the first plan has time to work.
What if I need more than two sessions?
Some dogs do. Your trainer will tell you at the end of the first session what they think it will take, including whether one of our programs or group classes would get you there for less.
Is private training the right call?
Yes, if
The problem is specific, and it is happening at your house or on your walk.
Your dog would not cope in a group class, or has already failed one.
You have tried things off the internet and want to know which of them to keep.
You want it dealt with now rather than at the next group intake.
You want support that carries on after the session, not a one-off visit.
Probably not, if
You want general obedience for a puppy. Puppy School covers that for less.
Your dog is six months to two years and just needs structure. Juvenile Dog School is built for exactly that.
You want the dog trained without you involved. Private training coaches you both.
You are looking for daycare or exercise rather than training. Our memberships cover that.
You already know what the problem is. Book the hour that fixes it.
One trainer, one hour, on your dog, with premium community access afterwards. From $209 at our academy, or in your home across the Illawarra and South Coast.