GooDog

What GooDog does

Goodog Positive Dog Training is a privately held, for-profit dog training business founded in 2007 by Barbara Hodel and operated across the Northern Beaches and Central Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia. The company delivers science-based, force-free, positive reinforcement training through a portfolio of structured programs: Puppy Preschool (online theory plus four in-person classes for puppies aged 8 to 14 weeks), Teenage and Rescue Dog Classes (multi-week courses for adolescent and adopted dogs), Recall and Loose Lead Walking Workshops, Agility Classes, and One-on-One Private Consultations delivered in-home or via Zoom. The core 'technology' is the methodology itself, executed by formally qualified trainers holding credentials from Dunbar Academy, the Delta Institute (Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services), CASI Canada, and Illis ABC Sweden, with no software platform or proprietary IP beyond a published book by the founder.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer, professional services revenue model with transparent per-session pricing: $90 for 1.5-hour workshops, $250-$280 for multi-week group courses, and $300 for 1.5-hour private consultations (with $160 follow-ups). Bookings are self-serve through an embedded Acuity Scheduling system, and the company maintains referral relationships with at least eight local veterinary clinics in its service area. Marketing is content-led, relying on a long-running blog, email newsletters, organic social media, a 'Happy Humans' testimonial page, and word-of-mouth.

In July 2025, ownership and daily operations transitioned from founder Barbara Hodel to Amy Cole, who joined the business as a trainer in 2021 after running her own Central Coast dog walking and training business (Coast Canine Care). The company has no external investment, no parent entity, and remains a small lifestyle-scale service business with an estimated headcount in the low double digits operating from five physical class locations.

Name

GooDog

Legal name

Goodog Positive Dog Training

Website

https://goodog.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Training Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Training-Integrated Dog Daycare (Day Training) (HSANAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Small-Group / Structured Dog Daycare (HSANAFAD)

Keywords

• Positive dog training
• Puppy preschool
• Dog behavior consulting
• Canine obedience classes
• Rescue dog training

Headquarters

HQ city

Kellyville

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Group Training Classes: Puppy Preschool and Teenage & Rescue Dog Classes offered as multi-week courses at various locations
2. Workshops: Recall and Loose Lead Walking workshops priced at $90 for 1.5 hours
3. One-on-One Consultations: Private in-home consultations at $300 for 1.5 hours, follow-up visits at $160 for 45 minutes
4. Online Consultations: Private consultations available via Zoom video platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Goodog Positive Dog Training provides in-person and online science-based, force-free positive reinforcement dog training services across Northern Beaches and Central Coast NSW. Core deliverables include multi-week Puppy Preschool courses, Teenage and Rescue Dog Classes, one-on-one private consultations (in-home and via Zoom), Recall and Loose Lead Walking workshops, and casual Agility classes. The founder's book on teenage dogs is sold as an ancillary retail product.

Product overview

Goodog Positive Dog Training is a service-based dog training business offering force-free, science-based training programs. The core portfolio consists of Puppy Preschool (online theory plus in-person classes), Teenage & Rescue Dog Classes, and One-on-One Private Consultations (available in-person or via Zoom). Additional offerings include Recall and Loose Lead Walking Workshops, Agility Classes, and Barbara Hodel's book 'How to love and survive your teenage dog'. The company operates across Northern Beaches and Central Coast NSW since 2008.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Puppy Preschool Science-based, positive reinforcement puppy training program for puppies from 8 weeks of age (must start in-person before 14 weeks), featuring one week of online theory (video and manual) followed by four in-person classes held at Northern Beaches locations (Balgowlah and Terrey Hills). Covers safe socialization, bite inhibition, calm behavior, recall foundations, handling and cooperative care, toilet training, resource guarding, and enrichment.
• Teenage & Rescue Dog Classes Multi-week force-free training program for adolescent dogs (16+ weeks) and rescue dogs, covering loose lead walking, recall, new tricks, stay, calm routines, responsiveness, and bond strengthening. Standard price $280 (sale price $250), with retake pricing of $110 for teen graduates. Classes are run at multiple locations across Northern Beaches and Central Coast NSW.
• One-on-One Private Consultations
• Recall Workshop
• Loose Lead Walking Workshop
• Agility Classes
• How to love and survive your teenage dog (book)

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Delta InstituteminorOthersProfessional membership organization for pet dog trainers. Goodog trainers hold Certificate IV qualifications through Delta Society and are professional members of Delta Institute.
• Pet Professional Guild Australia (PPGA)minorOthersGuild promoting force-free and humane training for all pets. Barbara Hodel served as President and Vice President for 7 years. Goodog trainers are professional members.
• Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia Inc (APDT)minorOthersProfessional organization for dog trainers in Australia, providing industry networking and standards.
• Dogs NSWminorOthersGoverning body for dog breeding and showing in NSW. Barbara Hodel is a registered breeder with Dogs NSW.
• Local Veterinary ClinicsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoodog maintains relationships with local vets including Emergency Vet, Seaforth Vet, Pittwater Animal Hospital, Elanora Heights, Forestville Animal Hospital, Greencross Vet Brookvale, Collaroy Plateau Vet, Two By Two Vet Balgowlah. Vets recommend Goodog to clients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Adelaide Dog Training Club: Established South Australian force-free dog training club offering group classes and behaviour services; comparable methodology and structure to Goodog but operates in a separate geographic market.

Emerging players

• SpiritDog Training: Online science-based dog training platform with downloadable curricula and live coaching; competes with Goodog's Zoom and group-class customers via a lower-cost, digital-first model.
• Mad Paws: Australian online marketplace connecting pet owners to local pet services including training and walking; a potential distribution/lead-gen channel for Goodog and a competitive threat via aggregated lower-cost providers.

Others

• Dunbar Academy: Global science-based dog training education provider whose certifications (Sirius, Science Based Dog Training) Goodog trainers hold; an upstream training/credentialing vendor rather than a direct competitor, but its content products overlap with Goodog's educational offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Petbarn Training: Australia's largest pet specialty retailer offering in-store puppy school and training classes at scale; competes with Goodog for the same puppy owner segment but as a small piece of a much larger pet retail portfolio.
• Greencross Vets: Largest Australian veterinary network with affiliated training and behavioural services; competes with Goodog on referral-driven training customers and overlaps with the same vet partnership ecosystem.
• RSPCA NSW: Major Australian animal welfare organization offering force-free training and behaviour programs; competes for the rescue-dog owner segment Goodog targets, with far greater scale and brand recognition.

Direct peers

• Sydney Animal Behaviour Service: Sydney-based behaviour and training consultancy offering puppy classes, adolescent and rescue support, and behavioural consults for reactive dogs — closely comparable offering to Goodog.
• K9 Pro: Sydney-based force-free, science-based dog training business offering group classes, puppy school, and private consults — overlapping methodology and target customer (Sydney metropolitan pet owners).
• Paws4Life Dog Training: Australian positive-reinforcement dog training service offering puppy classes, adolescent and rescue programs, and private consultations — directly comparable service mix to Goodog.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/goodogpositivedogtraining
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodog

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GooDog