AVERY KELLER

Hey Avery, Tell us how you got into the world of dog training?

I’ve had a deep love for animals and nature my entire life, so when I left high school, I studied a degree in Wildlife Biology. After I graduated, I landed a job as a zoo keeper at Australia Zoo, where I worked mostly in the African department. I had an incredible mentor who fuelled my passion for training animals, and I had my own dogs at the time that I put a lot of time, research and effort into training. I knew one day I wanted to professionally train dogs so I studied a Cert III in Dog Behaviour and Training through the National Dog Trainers Federation, read a lot of books, watched a lot of YouTube, went to many workshops and seminars and asked a lot of questions to lots of dog trainers! In 2017, when I moved to Coffs, I decided to start my own dog training business and ended up becoming part of a number of online dog trainers networks, which have been invaluable for sharing knowledge and getting support. I have learned so much over the past few years, and the more I learn, the more I realise how much more there is to know and I’ll continue to hone my skills and enthusiastically soak up more knowledge about dog training for the remainder of my life!

During this work I heard about Conservation Detection Dogs being used for a variety of scientific projects - finding anything from koalas to invasive weeds. I made it my goal to get into that field.

Your career started with Biology. What inspired you to get into the field and have you always had a fascination with living things?

It all started with David Attenborough! My family and I watched his documentaries over and over, (and later, while I was working at the Zoo, I got to meet and film with him - childhood dream come true!), and I was an outdoors kid. I’d spend weeks away in Moreton Bay on my family’s boat exploring islands, wandering in bushland, climbing trees and watching wildlife, always outside surrounding myself in nature. I knew I wanted to work with animals, so I went to University and aimed to start my career working at a Zoo. I went on to work in the field as a Fauna Spotter Catcher. My job was working on projects where bush is being cleared and mitigating the impact on wildlife by identifying important habitats, then capturing and relocating any animals displaced by the clearing. During this work I heard about Conservation Detection Dogs being used for a variety of scientific projects - finding anything from koalas to invasive weeds. I made it my goal to get into that field. Fast forward a little and you were able to work in zoos with some incredible exotic animals. What was that experience like for you?

Working in zoos was an amazing experience. I loved learning about each of the species I had to look after, what made them tick and how you could communicate with them, and then getting to know each of the individuals and their personalities was really special. For example, Marmosets may be small and adorable but they can have big attitudes and seem to find it very amusing stalking you and launching at your face to see how loud you scream. Giraffes have very coarse and oily fur and hate being touched, so it takes a lot of work to condition them for veterinary procedures, but my favourite was DJ, the big male White Rhino. He loved a good scratch, and just like a dog, if you got the right spot, he’d lay down and wait for belly rubs!

What was the reason for starting Apex Canine and how have you found the journey so far?

I started APEX Canine with the end goal to be training and working Conservation Detection Dogs. But when I first started it, I had a lot to learn about dog behaviour and training, so initially I worked with pets and their owners. Just obedience and basic behavioural problems to begin with, and after a couple of years, I ended up specialising more in aggressive and reactive dogs. Later, I began helping people train more complex skills with Therapy and Assistance dogs. All of that experience added skills to my dog training ‘toolbox’, and I was also acquiring and training potential detection dogs throughout that time. Eventually, I moved away from pet dog training as the working dog side of my business took over and my slogan became ‘training dogs for jobs’. I still do some work with Assistance dogs when I’m not working away, and I help out a few local rescues when I have the time!

What is your approach to training dogs, and how do you tailor your techniques to meet the individual needs of each dog?

Every single dog is unique - just like us, their genetics and their life experiences will determine how they view the world and therefore, how they learn. But the three general, most important factors for dog training, in my opinion, are: the relationship between you and the dog, clarity; having the ability to communicate with each other and motivation, to engage in learning with you. I first spend time with a dog by going for a walk, playing with them or just hanging out - I want us to get to know each other, develop some trust and work out what motivates them - this can take hours, days or weeks, depending on the dog! Then the very first step for training is developing a system to communicate with them - I do this by teaching the dog a ‘marker’ system. This will create clear communication, engagement between us and a solid foundation for training whatever we need!

How much time and effort goes into training dogs specifically for helping others?

Both detection dogs and assistance dogs are trained to help others, and training one of these dogs from start to finish takes anywhere from 12 months to 2 years. You first need the right dog, and there is only a small percentage of dogs born for professional work - they need to be naturally confident, energetic, focused, motivated and have good work ethic - yes, in the dog world you have the lazy ones, the corner cutters (almost every single dog to be honest!) and the hard workers! Then you need to do environmental exposure to make sure they are confident and stable in the world, develop a clear communication system, build their motivation for a reward (usually ball or food), teach them to learn (through games and exercises) and establish excellent engagement with you. All of this before you even really begin training them for specific tasks! It takes a lot of time, consistency and commitment!