We help people and their dog’s live happy and healthy lives together

No one size fits all solutions.
No harsh corrections or dominance or over reliance on treats.
Just a real understanding on training, relationships and setting them up to succeed.

The "Bad"...

It’s not necessarily going to be a quick fix. Quick fixes like looking to simply stop the dog from doing a behaviour, before looking at what the potential fallout of doing that might be are risky.

They risk making the dogs stress, fear, anxiety or whatever emotional driver was behind that behaviour worse.

They risk worse behaviours coming up as a result of the dogs emotions not being taken care of.

They risk more stress, frustration, embarrassment and angst about your dogs behaviour.

They risk breaking down the relationship between you and your dog further if you break trust by suppressing them communicating how they feel instead of coming at it with empathy and understanding.

The "Good"...

You will get results that not only resolve your problems but will make your dogs lives better at the same time.

The issues people come to us with and want resolving are often symptoms of the underlying, actual problem.

So we focus our attention on getting to and addressing the things that actually create long term, meaningful solutions.

We respect that both you and your dogs are learning new skills, navigating new terriroty together and so we aim to teach everyone involved with kindness, empathy and clarity.

Our goal is to both prevent unwanted behaviours, learn how to handle them should they come up and do what it takes to learn how to live lives together full of joy & connection built on a foundation of trust and security.

Whether you are starting your journey with a new pup in your life or need support in transforming your current life with your dog we are here to help.

We have helped over 4000 people and their dogs since 2015 across Sydney using practical, effective and positive training methods and behaviour modification.

The Mission

To help people and their dogs live their best lives together

Our Values

(What matters to us in the way we teach and treat our clients and their dogs)

Meet the needs of both ends of the leash

It’s essential that both the person and the dog are heard, understood and any training plan we action is working towards creating great behaviour, great relationships and optimal welfare.

Be Constantly Adaptive

After so many years practicing, we can honestly say that we’ve never given the same training session twice. So we pride ourselves on tailoring solutions specific to your needs and coaching through the changes as their behaviour inevitably progresses as time goes on

Be Available & Suportive

We know that when people reach out for help… they’re trying. So you won’t see us blame or shame anyone that asks for help.

Meet Ian

Ian Shivers founded Bondi Behaviourist in April, 2015 and is known internationally for his knowledge and experience in dog training and behaviour.

Having worked within rescue organisations and doing one on one consultations since 2007 in England and Australia, Ian has a wealth of experience. His passion is to improve the quality of life for both dogs and dog guardians alike.

Ian's underlying principle and belief is that 'A healthy dog is a happy dog and that a happy dog is great to live with'. Underpinning this is the core belief that to make our dogs happy we have to understand and meet their underlying needs and nurture healthy relationships with them. To understand and meet our dogs' needs we need to know their L.E.G.S®.

Ian aims to bring a combination of training, enrichment, communication and setting the whole family up to succeed to everyone that he gets to work with.

Ian has studied Behaviour Analysis under Dr Susan Friedman, completed the L.E.G.S.® Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation® Professional Course with Kim Brophey and has a diploma in dog behaviour through the British College of Canine Studies. Ian believes that we are always learning through formal study, experience and from others and so is constantly expanding on his experience having developed strong working relationships with trainers, veterinary behaviourists and veterinary practices internationally.

Ian is passionate about the welfare of dogs in the urban environment, their physical and mental health, relationships between dogs and their caregivers and believes that educating people on the needs of their dogs is the future of dog training.

Ian consults across Sydney and holds Online Coaching for anyone, anywhere in the world. The areas of dog training that Ian primarily consults on are: