My Dog Is in Training — What Should I Be Doing Between Sessions

You have, or are currently working with a dog trainer in the Hills or Blacktown Council. You're doing the work. Your dog is making progress.

But here's the thing nobody tells you — what happens between training sessions and after, matters just as much as the sessions themselves.

I'm Vee, founder of Lulu & Co Pet Care. We've been working with dogs across the Hills District for over 12 years — Kellyville, The Ponds, Kings Langley, Marsden Park, Colebee and surrounding suburbs. A lot of our clients are working with trainers, and we see firsthand how much consistent daily handling affects training outcomes.

Here's what actually makes training stick.

Dogs learn through repetition, not sessions

Your trainer is brilliant at showing you what to do. But they see your dog for an hour a week, maybe two. The other 167 hours? That's where the real learning happens.

Dogs learn through repetition in real-world environments. Every walk, every interaction, every moment someone handles your dog is either reinforcing the training — or undoing it.

This is why consistency matters so much. If your dog is learning to walk calmly on lead, but then goes on a chaotic walk with someone who lets them pull — that's a step backward. If your dog is learning to stay calm around other dogs, but then gets thrown into an overwhelming environment — that's a step backward.

What to do between training sessions

Keep walks structured — match the approach your trainer is using. If they're working on loose lead walking, every walk needs to reinforce that. Short, calm, structured walks do more than long chaotic ones.

Work on the basics daily — five minutes of sit, stay, recall practice every day beats one big training session on the weekend. Dogs need repetition in short bursts.

Manage the environment — if your dog is reactive to other dogs, don't put them in situations they're not ready for yet. Set them up to succeed, not to fail.

Keep energy calm — dogs pick up on our energy immediately. Rushed, stressed handling undoes calm training fast.

How Lulu & Co works alongside your trainer

When we walk your dog, we follow your lead. If you tell us your dog is working on loose lead walking, we walk them that way. If they're reactive and need space from other dogs, we give them space. If they have specific commands they're learning, we use them.

We're not here to do our own thing. We're here to be the consistent, calm presence that reinforces everything your trainer is building.

Our entire team is trained in animal body language and behaviour by the dog trainers who trained your dog! We understand the difference between a dog that's calm and a dog that's suppressing stress. We know how to read what a dog is telling us — and how to respond in a way that builds confidence rather than breaking it.

We've been publicly endorsed by local vets and trainers because our approach actually aligns with best practice animal handling. That's not something we take lightly.

The dogs who make the fastest progress

In 12 years of working with dogs across the Hills District, the ones who make the fastest progress in training are always the ones with the most consistent daily handling. Not the ones with the most training sessions — the ones whose whole team (owner, carer, walker) is on the same page.

If your dog is in training and you want their daily care to support that work rather than undo it, we'd love to be part of their team.

Currently servicing: Kellyville, The Ponds, Colebee, Stanhope Gardens, Beaumont Hills, Rouse Hill, Marsden Park, Melonba, Quakers Hill and surrounding Hills District suburbs.