My name is Christian Petersons. Having grown up in the hills area of Sydney, my childhood years were not unlike the Huckleberry Finn type tales. Summers spent building rafts and playing in the bush, always with a dog at my side.
After a successful career in the corporate world (attaining hard to get qualifications and people emailing wishing I would come back) , I got back in touch with what really matters in life, and a big part of that was animals, especially dogs (and my kids).
Having always had dogs, I attended classes, trained them and researched multiple training styles and techniques. However, I was still left with the feeling there was something missing. Something was not quite right….
I have also taught humans in communication at a tertiary level, and wondered why our communication with dogs seemed to be stunted in some way. (besides the whole different species thing :-b)
I was disheartened hearing stories of dog owners attending classes and getting the “dirty look” from the trainer because their dog was not a star student straight from the start. People spending significant sums of money and often going through multiple trainers and still not achieving the desired outcomes. Often being told there must be something WRONG with their dog, or even a straight to the face “It’s your fault as the owner”, even when the owner was trying to do the right thing – I thought “the industry needs to do better than this…”
I wanted something that was highly effective, long lasting and genuinely helped the owner and the dog. I had also noticed certain words that had crept in and featured heavily in my vocabulary over the years- these included “practical”, “pragmatic”, “reality based” and “real world” (Can you see a theme?)
My previous experience was in Risk and QA – essentially “what could go wrong -and how can we address it? ” and “Is the job being done and being done right?” – while I did very well in these areas, my real strength lay in bringing harmony to teams and opening up the communication lines. Not to mention increasing efficiency. (I don’t like plugging away at something for hours if I don’t have too)
So Affinity Dog was born – a place to get reliable real world training, exercise from dog walking and someone to look after an important family member when you go away.
I am a fully qualified Alpha Canine Professional Dog Trainer, having searched,found and practiced these techniques that don’t rely on treats, and are solid under distraction, I’d love to share them with you.
We are based in Sydney’s North West, Primarily servicing the Hills district and surrounding areas.
These are some of the areas we provide dog training for in Sydney – if you are not listed, please still contact us ! The Hills – Annangrove, Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, Bella Vista, Box Hill, Carlingford, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Dural, Glenhaven, Glenorie, Kellyville, Kenthurst, Maraylya, Maroota, Nelson, Northmead, North Rocks, Rouse Hill, West Pennant Hills Blacktown and surrounding areas – Acacia Gardens, Dean Park, Doonside, Glendenning, Glenwood, Kellyville Ridge, Kings Langley, Kings Park, Lalor Park, Marayong, Marsden Park, Oakhurst, Parklea, Quakers Hill, Schofields, Seven Hills, Stanhope Gardens, The Ponds, Toongabbie, Vineyard, Riverstone
