Meet our Staff at positive response, read about them and their qualifications.
We have trainers on the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
Qualified Professional Trainers. – (Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services – 2000)
Dee Scott is our Master Trainer.
For further information click on our FAQ https://www.positiveresponse.com.au/frequently-asked-questions/
I have always had a passion for animals and training from a very young age. Moving to Canberra I started a long public service career and as a hobby, joined the local pony club and the companion dog club as an instructor and competitor. Training and competing in both, life seemed complete. In 1998, I won a position with AQIS as a detection dog handler and moved to Victoria. It was a fulfilling career working with scent detection dogs and with my passion for teaching and competing, I joined the first positive dog training club in Keillor.
Positive Response was born in Melbourne as a part time venture to serve the further need of the community. Moving to Brisbane the business grew rapidly from a small part time concern to what it is today. As someone who has grown up in business and customer service, I recognized the need for quality professional trainers within the Brisbane area and have developed a fantastic team of trainers.
I have always had an affinity with dogs. I used to come home with strays all the time much to my parents dismay. Of course they were terrified when I started volunteering at our local animal rescue, they would see new pictures of “my favourite” dogs every day I would come home. In the 4 years I worked there, only one baby came home with me and I shared my life with her for 13 years.
I am interested in psychology and animal psychology and behaviour, trying to learn as much as I can all the time about how our fur babies can get the most out of their lives! I was initially studying wildlife sciences in University and was working at Australia Zoo, then I was given an opportunity to work in a Government role and have been doing that for the past 13 years.
I decided to take up study again and am now working towards my Cert IV in Animal Behaviour and Training and Positive Response Dog Training provided me with the chance to have placement through them. I loved every second of training classes and am now a trainer as well, Cannot wait to meet all of your fur babies soon 🐶🐶
I have always had a passion for working with young children and animals. After graduating high school, I pursued a profession as a teacher, and worked in the education industry for almost a decade. My work life was almost complete; however I still had this active passion for animals and felt that I could integrate two careers somehow. I began researching different roles within the animal industry and fell in love with the behavioural aspects of dog training. I met Dee in 2010 and she mentored me as I furthered my education through the Delta Training Program. I have since completed in house and external study for recognized qualifications and professional development within the industry.
I conduct Private Training consults where behavioural modification programs are developed to reflect the complex needs of dogs and their families and work closely with Veterinarians and Veterinary Behaviorists’ where required to ensure the best outcome for clients. My specialist services within the industry are reflected by my knowledge and experience in working with both children and animals. I assist breeders and new puppy families to incorporate and sustain habituation and training programs, where positive child-dog interactions are developed through appropriate activities and training. This creates harmonious living for all family members.
Further professional development has enabled me to train psychiatric service teams to Public Access Testing level, where handlers are able to experience the full physical and emotional benefits of having their dogs assist them in all aspects of their lives. I specifically enjoy helping children learn and grow with their Service Dogs and witnessing the rewards that they and their families reap. I have a strong development in mental health and a personal understanding of the needs of my service teams. This work is conducted under Guide Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009.
My work is complex and ever-changing; I thrive on challenges and am fulfilled in my career. I continue to undergo constant professional development within my field to further my skills as a trainer.
I have a passion for working with children and adolescents and have had a long career as a Special Education Teacher and a Secondary School Guidance Officer. I worked extensively with students with behaviour problems, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Impairments and Physical Disabilities. The insight into meeting individual needs led me to developing programs using reinforcers to engage young minds. One very effective method was to take one of my dogs to school with me and this was a major motivator for less engaged students.
The desire to meld teaching and dog training together was strong and led me to volunteering in the Happy Paws Happy Hearts program at the RSPCA. This then led me to further my skills by enrolling in a Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services course through Delta Society Australia.
I am now able to put my knowledge and experience in teaching and working with behaviour working with Positive Response and enjoying the challenge immensely.
I have always had an interest in behaviour and spent most of my career working with children and teenagers. With a deep desire to know how the brain functioned; how people worked and why, it was this same passion and curiosity that saw me transition into the animal industry.
My second child has a rare medical condition and in training my whippet up to alert as a medical dog for my son, I met shelly from Positive Response Dog Training. She encouraged me to apply for a position and I am excited to be on board and share my passion and knowledge.
Growing up I’ve always had a love for Animals and was fascinated with how we communicate with them. Once I left school and worked for a while I realized that Animals truly is something that continues to put a smile on my face throughout my life and I’d be Silly to not Pursue something so worth while.
I had just completed a Cert 3 in animal Studies through Tafe whilst volunteering also at AWL working with Dogs. Whilst trying to Look for new work in the Animal Industry I was granted the opportunity to work for Positive Response Dog Training to work my way up to being a Dog Trainer. I’m beyond excited to begin my Journey here at Positive Response and help people learn how to better understand and communicate with their Beloved Pets.
I came across Positive Response Dog Training when I was looking for some training for my own dog.
I have always had a passion for the animal industry and this was confirmed whilst working privately with my own dogs issues.
I was offered an opportunity to complete work experience with the company and found the work invaluable. I learnt so much within a short period of time and the support from the staff has been incredible.
I have fostered dogs and cats, volunteered at the RSPCA and at a horse stable and my passion for animals has given me a clear pathway. I am currently studying my cert IV in Animal Behaviour and also a certificate IV in vet nursing to gain skills required to further my career and full fill a dream to become a behavioural dog trainer.
Growing up I have always had a passion for animals. My mum was a groomer for over 25years so I spent my childhood in the vet clinics and salons before she bought a salon of her own, Where I worked after school and weekends.
I would Assist with dog walking and pet sitting from a young age and I loved spending my time with animals learning from them and watching them grow. I am very confident around dogs and have worked for dog daycares with high number of attending dogs a day.
I have loved working with all breeds, While doing basic obedience through previous jobs I found my true passion in wanting to work with and train dogs as a career. Id love to be able to help some troubled/reactive dogs see the brighter side of life. I will be furthering my knowledge in studies around animal behaviour and training and am very excited and proud to be a part of the team at Positive Response Dog Training.
What leaded you to positive response? As long as I can remember I have always had a love for animals, I used to sit in my room and study an animal a week to learn more about how they lived and their behaviour, so when it came time to leave school, I pursued a career in the animal industry through studying Environmental science, vet nursing and animal studies. To further my experience, I volunteered with RSPCA dog training and Awlq in the animal shelter.
I started looking for work, when I came across Positive Response and was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to join their team. Now I look forward to helping people develop that special bond with their pets through positive training.
I have always looked after my family and friend’s pets while they went away on weekends or holidays and helped Rescue Groups find less fortunate fur babies their forever homes.
While studying Cert II in Animal Studies I was given the opportunity to complete my Work Experience component with Positive Response.
I have now been with Positive Response for 3 years and extremely fortunate to have gained experience within the Administration team at Head Office, progressed from assisting the Trainers with their classes to teaching my own classes as a Dog Trainer.
I am excited to apart of the Positive Response Team and grateful for all the opportunities Dee has offered. My next step, to complete Cert IV in Companion Animals and continue my journey in working with animals.
I first found Positive Response when I was looking for a way to train my future assistance dog, Oliver, and after working closely with our incredible Dee Scott, I’ve never looked back! I am always happy to help with anything you and your pet desires, whether it be pet sitting, dog walking, training classes or puppy play groups!
I am an enthusiastic and bubbly person who is always ready to help out! I’ve always had a passion for animals, especially dogs, so getting the chance to help families live happily with their beloved pups is a dream come true. I hope to help build that relationship between owner and dog where the time spent together is not about saying NO, but saying YES instead!
Before coming to Positive Response I had the privilege of being able to volunteer with a range of different organisations such as RSPCA, BARN and WildCare, learning how to rescue and rehabilitation a range of different wildlife as well as working closely with rescue dogs. I also use to conduct aviary tours, birds are a close second passion of mine! My days now are all spend with dogs as I also work closely at one of our training locations, The Grooming Salon, so I am always ready to answer any questions in regards to your pups coat or grooming!
I hope to continue to learn and grow around the beautiful creatures we call best friend! My dream is to be able to show the average dog owner how incredible their puppy can be with just a bit of work! I look forwards to working with you!
My passion for animals and animal welfare started as a child. In 2006 I travelled to Europe and settled for a few years in Ireland. It was here that I began to pursue my dream of working with animals and animal welfare, having been provided an opportunity to work with the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA). I stayed with DSPCA for approximately four years, working with all kinds of animals, from the sick and injured to the unfortunate dumped ones left behind by their owners.
When I returned home to Australia, Sydney, I immediately volunteered my time with RSPCA. With a confident passion for working to improve the lives of animals I committed to a career which provided me an avenue to pursue this goal. To further enhance my career, I enrolled in the Delta Society Australia Certificate IV –in Companion animal training and Behaviour.
While completing the two-and-a-half-year course I was employed as the manager and trainer in a dog day-care in Sydney, while also volunteering as a trainer at the Eastern Suburbs Dog club in Centennial park each Sunday morning to extend and build on my experiences.
After completing my certificate in 2009 I started my own dog walking and training business in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, building a reputation as one of Sydney’s preferred positive reward-based trainers before moving to Brisbane in 2018.
My passion and goal as a Behavioural trainer are to help people better understand their dogs and their behaviours and to teach them to build strong connections and trust.
I have also had the great pleasure of volunteering my time to work with Taiwan’s endangered Formosan Bears that has given me invaluable experience alongside training other animals such as chickens, cats and goats.