About Urban Dogs HQ
Our Philosophy
At Urban Dogs HQ we help create better human-canine relationships through a mix of activities including games, informal obedience, trick training, and k9 ninja.
We make dog training fun and accessible to everyone. We encourage the whole family to participate in training sessions, and love it when kids get involved in class.
We help families understand and meet their dogs’ needs, while developing a great relationship and having lots of fun together.
We provide a safe space for dogs to learn social skills and good manners, using stable, experienced dogs to model good behaviour.
We have a holistic approach to dog training at Urban Dogs HQ, and believe the whole picture is important when working with families and their dogs. This means we address the home environment, diet and exercise, social skills, developmental phases, the human factors, and more.
Our dog training philosophy is informed by all the people who have guided us. We are grateful to all our teachers, past and present.
About Katia
Hi. I’m Katia (pronounced Kay-tee-ah), the founder of Urban Dogs HQ.
I train people to train their dogs.
After many years living overseas and a long career in Visual Arts, I found a new passion and career path in dog training. My degree in Psychology (Monash University) has proven incredibly useful in this work (my English Literature and IT degrees are proving far less useful!).
I did five years of practical mentorship with various trainers, where I had the opportunity to work with many different types of dogs.
In 2022 I began offering group classes for the dog owners of Melbourne’s inner north. Classes were full within months, and I realised there was a real demand for a different type of dog training.
Urban Dogs HQ opened in Brunswick in December 2023.
I have a compassionate yet practical approach to dog training.
I love supporting people through the early years of dog ownership, and really enjoy helping dogs and their owners work together as a team while learning new skills.
I hold a current Working With Children Check and Police Check. I also hold a current First Aid Certificate from St John’s Ambulance and Animal First Aid Certificate from PetTech.
My husband Sylvain provides much of the practical support around Urban Dogs HQ. Our two Australian Shepherds, Freya (blue merle) and Missy (black tri), are an extremely important part of the Urban Dogs HQ team, and are present in most classes and assessments.
Freya was the reason I began dog training, with group classes and Keilor Obedience Club. Raising a litter with Freya was an extraordinary lesson in creating happy, resilient pups. We are working on getting Tricks titles.
Our second Australian Shepherd, Artemis (aka Missy) has bounced around the show ring a couple of times, and we’re hoping to do some dog sports together in 2025.
Sylvain and I also have two Burmese cats, Mika and Melody. They have vehemently insisted they do not want to be involved in Urban Dogs HQ, but they are enthusiastic fans of raw feeding and will do anything for fresh rabbit!
