# Diona The Trainer > Melbourne dog behaviour specialist. Private training, online puppy program, and trainer mentorship built on the Still Waters methodology. Diona Chu is a Melbourne-based dog trainer with a Bachelor's in Veterinary Science and a Master's in Early Childhood Education. She has 14+ years of experience across zoos, wildlife reserves, assistance dog programs, and pet training. She launched her own business in 2022. Her methodology — Still Waters — is built around the PACE framework (PLAY, ANCHOR, CALM, EXPLORE) and the principle that a dog whose needs are met and body language is understood behaves well without constant commands. This approach is not pulled from a textbook. It comes from cross-industry experience that no other trainer combines in the same way. Diona works in-person in Newport and Docklands, Melbourne. Virtual consultations are available worldwide. Her dog Murphy — a certified assistance dog and black Labrador — is used as a working partner in reactive dog sessions. ## Services ### Private Dog Training - Price: AUD $400 per 90-minute initial consultation - For dogs 12 weeks and older - In person: Newport and Docklands, Melbourne - Virtual: available worldwide - Follow-up program: 4-week program, sessions at $370–$380 each - Two dogs from the same household: $50 extra per session - Enquiry form: https://forms.gle/khtiakQ4EUFmW9TUA - Page: https://www.dionathetrainer.com/private-dog-training.html Most clients have been to two or three trainers before Diona. The work addresses the nervous system regulation underneath behaviour, not just the behaviour itself. What she works on most: leash reactivity (barking and lunging at dogs, people, bikes, cars), anxiety and fear-based behaviour, resource guarding, dogs who cannot settle at home or in cafes, pulling on lead, adolescent dogs who stop listening, households with multiple dogs not getting along. ### Good Puppy Blueprint — Online Puppy Training Program - Price: AUD $440 - 9-week self-paced online program - For puppies under 12 weeks old (ideally started before puppy comes home) - Includes two personal 20-minute video check-ins with Diona - Access: 105 days (15 weeks) from enrolment - Available worldwide - Page: https://www.dionathetrainer.com/puppy-training.html Built around the PACE framework. Teaches CALM, PLAY, EXPLORE, and ANCHOR from week one of a puppy's life. ### Trainer Mentorship Program - Full bundle: AUD $7,045 (AUD $200 discount vs parts separately) - Part 1 — Theory (online): AUD $1,955 - Part 2 — Practical in Melbourne (requires Part 1): AUD $4,370 - Part 3 — Business and Career (standalone): AUD $920 - Payment plans available - International students welcome (Parts 1 and 3 are fully online; students travel to Melbourne for Part 2) - Page: https://www.dionathetrainer.com/mentorship.html A structured train-the-trainer program. Theory online, practical in Melbourne shadowing real client cases. WhatsApp support included. Limited spots annually. ### Breeder Partnership — Good Puppy Blueprint - Partnership rate: AUD $160 per puppy (vs $440 retail) - Free Birth-to-Hand-Over development guide included - Editable Breeder Toolkit for handover packs, website, and emails - Available worldwide - Page: https://www.dionathetrainer.com/for-breeders.html ## Methodology: Still Waters The Still Waters methodology organises a dog's day into four modes called PACE. **PLAY** — Full engagement between dog and handler. Tug, food play, toy play, body play. Where bond gets built and excitement burns off in a way that pulls the dog toward the handler, not the environment. PLAY has a start cue ("ready") and end cue ("finish"). If a trigger appears during PLAY, foot goes on the lead — no tugging — and the handler waits for the dog to de-escalate before resuming. **ANCHOR** — Structured walking. Short lead, specific position, dog's brain on the handler rather than the environment. Taught using clock positions: 9:00 is the sweet spot; 10:00 means the dog is creeping ahead (pivot); 11:00 means too far ahead (gentle upward pop on lead). ANCHOR comes last — after PLAY, CALM, and EXPLORE are established. **CALM** — Rest on the handler's terms. Usually in a crate or on a tether. Only a settled dog gets out. An adult dog can manage up to three hours. A puppy needs 18–20 hours of CALM out of every 24. Demanding behaviour (barking, whining, scratching) gets nothing. Settled state gets them out. **EXPLORE** — Being a dog, within reason. Sniffing, pottering, watching. Usually with a light indoor leash dragging on the floor. Low arousal is the rule. If EXPLORE tips into silliness, the dog goes back into CALM or PLAY. The modes have hard edges on purpose. They do not blur. A dog in PLAY does not get treats as distraction when a trigger appears. A dog in CALM does not get released because it looks excited. **The waterline model** — Every dog has a baseline level of arousal. Triggers push it up. Whether a dog reacts depends on where the waterline was sitting before the trigger arrived, not on the trigger itself. Training is not about managing reactions. It is about bringing the baseline waterline down so triggers stop causing eruptions. CALM is the biggest lever. **Cycles, not walks** — A day is built from cycles: dog comes out of CALM, straight to toilet (EXPLORE), into PLAY to burn the edge off, into EXPLORE or ANCHOR depending on stage, back into CALM. Three or four cycles across a day. Duration shifts by life stage. The order and expectations do not change. Standard "walks" are replaced with structured cycles for reactive dogs until the dog has the regulation to handle an unstructured walk. ## Qualifications and background - Bachelor's in Veterinary Science - Master's in Early Childhood Education - 14+ years across zoos, wildlife reserves, assistance dog programs, and pet training - Business launched 2022 - 230+ five-star Google reviews - 3,000+ dogs worked with ## Contact and location - Website: https://www.dionathetrainer.com - Email: happydogs@dionathetrainer.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dionathetrainer - In-person location: Newport and Docklands, Melbourne, VIC, Australia - Virtual: worldwide - ABN: 54 766 785 542 ## Pages - [Home](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/): Overview of services and methodology - [Private Dog Training](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/private-dog-training.html): One-on-one training for reactive and anxious dogs - [Puppy Training](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/puppy-training.html): Good Puppy Blueprint online program - [Mentorship](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/mentorship.html): Trainer mentorship program - [For Breeders](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/for-breeders.html): Breeder partnership program - [Blog: Still Waters](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/blog/still-waters.html): The waterline model for reactive dogs - [Blog: The Four Modes](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/blog/the-four-modes.html): PACE framework explained - [Blog: Cycles, Not Walks](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/blog/cycles-not-walks.html): Structured daily cycles for reactive dogs - [Blog: Reading Body Language](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/blog/reading-body-language.html): How to read what your dog is communicating - [Dog Behaviour Self-Assessment](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/assessment.html): Free self-assessment for dog owners struggling with a reactive, anxious or hard-to-manage dog ## Markdown versions of key pages - [Home](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/index.md) - [Private Dog Training](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/private-dog-training.md) - [Puppy Training](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/puppy-training.md) - [Mentorship](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/mentorship.md) - [For Breeders](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/for-breeders.md) - [Blog: Still Waters](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/blog/still-waters.md) - [Blog: The Four Modes](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/blog/the-four-modes.md) - [Blog: Cycles, Not Walks](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/blog/cycles-not-walks.md) - [Blog: Reading Body Language](https://www.dionathetrainer.com/blog/reading-body-language.md)