# The Hachi Way

> A relationship-first dog training methodology, and a network of trainers trained to teach it. The aim is a dog you can take anywhere, settled and connected wherever you are, reached by building the relationship rather than drilling commands. Founded in Melbourne, Australia by Diona Chu (BVSc, MEd). The site serves dog owners looking for help, and trainers who want to train in the method. Training runs in person in Melbourne and online worldwide.

Last updated: August 2026.

The core idea: a dog whose needs are met and whose body language is understood behaves well without constant instruction. What that buys the owner is freedom, a dog you can take to a cafe, a friend's house or a busy street and trust to settle. The method teaches the owner to read the dog first and command it second. It is built from veterinary science, early childhood education, and over fifteen years across zoos, wildlife reserves, assistance dogs and pet training.

## The method

- The waterline: every dog has a baseline level of arousal. Training brings the baseline down rather than managing surface reactions. Reactivity is treated as a regulation problem, not an obedience problem.
- PACE, the four modes: PLAY, ANCHOR, CALM, EXPLORE. Each has its own expectation, cue and boundary, and they are held in balance. A struggling dog is usually short on one mode; the work is diagnosing which and restoring balance. No mode leads.
- Cycles: a structured sequence of the four modes, used as training wheels at the start of a program, then loosened as daily life takes over.
- Teach the handler, not the dog. The bottleneck is almost always the human's reading and timing.
- Bonding over obedience: obedience taught first masks behaviour rather than changing it. The aim is a dog that does the right thing without being told.

## Reading your dog (field notes)

- How to read your dog's body language, a full part-by-part guide (ears, eyes, mouth, tail, paws) plus the five emotional states: /read-your-dog/dog-body-language
- Eye contact and the three Ts (do not give eye contact, talk, touch or treat to a behaviour you want less of): /read-your-dog/the-three-ts
- The waterline, explained: /read-your-dog/the-waterline
- The four modes, explained: /read-your-dog/the-four-modes
- Why your dog's equipment is chosen for the dog and the handler, not off a shelf: /read-your-dog/the-right-tool
- How to PLAY with your dog, four short demonstration films (the toy moves like a rabbit, the hunting sequence, when the game ends): /read-your-dog/how-to-play
- All field notes: /read-your-dog

## For dog owners

- Start here, tell Diona about your dog and get matched: /train-with-me
- Pricing (totals, never hourly): AU$400 for the 90-minute consultation with Diona, which is step one of the PACE Program. The four-week PACE Program that follows is AU$1,600 with Diona (AU$2,000 all up) or AU$1,000 to AU$1,400 delivered by a Hachi Way trainer she supervises. Paid as a package; no one-off follow-up sessions. Pricing is published on /train-with-me and /book-contact only, not on trainer profiles.
- Free Waterline Assessment (10 questions, plain-language result): /assessment
- The methodology, in full: /the-way
- In-depth guides (fix-first, with the method underneath): /guides/reactive-dog, /guides/puppy-raising, /guides/everyday-manners, /guides/adolescent-dog
- Common problems explained in the method's terms: /help-with/leash-reactive-dog, /help-with/puppy-wont-settle, /help-with/dog-pulls-on-lead, /help-with/dog-barking, /help-with/dog-jumps-on-people, /help-with/adolescent-dog-stopped-listening, /help-with/multi-dog-household
- Blog index (the specific questions owners ask, each linking up to a full guide): /blog
- Location pages (online first, worldwide; in person in Melbourne): /dog-training/online, /dog-training/melbourne
- Guides, workbooks and programs: /products
- To Dog Or Not To Dog, a free guide for anyone deciding whether to get a dog (the time, the money, the breed and breeder, an honest readiness checklist; breeders send it to prospective puppy families): /to-dog-or-not-to-dog
- The Socialisation Workbook, an eight-week fillable plan for a puppy's first months (AU$80): /socialisation-workbook

## Blog: reactivity

- Why is my dog reactive? Causes, triggers, and the three emotions underneath (fear, frustration, FOMO): /blog/why-is-my-dog-reactive
- Can reactivity be trained out of a dog? Managed and reduced, not cured: /blog/can-reactivity-be-cured
- How to calm a reactive dog's nervous system (rest, less stimulation, decompression): /blog/calm-reactive-dog-nervous-system
- What not to do with a reactive dog (the common mistakes that keep it reactive): /blog/what-not-to-do-with-a-reactive-dog
- How to walk a reactive dog without making it worse: /blog/how-to-walk-a-reactive-dog
- When your dog lunges and barks: why giving nothing lets the reaction pass: /blog/when-your-dog-lunges-and-barks
- Is my dog's reactivity my fault? (mostly no): /blog/is-my-dogs-reactivity-my-fault
- Which dog breeds are most prone to reactivity? (breed is the smaller half): /blog/dog-breeds-prone-to-reactivity
- Why some dogs lose it at passing cars (a case study): /blog/car-reactive-dog
- Fear-based reactivity in dogs, and how it differs from aggression (a case study): /blog/fear-based-reactivity
- FOMO reactivity in a teenage dog (a case study): /blog/fomo-reactivity-teenage-dog
- Working with a dog that has a bite history (a case study): /blog/training-a-dog-with-a-bite-history
- When do I correct my reactive dog? Two seconds before the lunge, at the tail base rise: /blog/when-do-i-correct-my-reactive-dog
- Dog ignores the first dog, explodes at the second: cumulative arousal and the on-purpose release: /blog/dog-ignores-first-dog-explodes-at-second
- Walking away from an off-lead dog is advocacy, not failure: /blog/walking-away-from-off-lead-dog

## Blog: puppies

- Before you get a puppy: the questions to ask first: /blog/before-you-get-a-puppy
- Why walking your puppy more backfires: /blog/why-walking-your-puppy-more-backfires
- The handover gap: what happens to puppies after week 8: /blog/the-handover-gap
- Puppy socialisation is about the world, not other dogs: /blog/puppy-socialisation-is-about-the-world
- Raise the dog you want, not the one you can manage today: /blog/raise-the-dog-you-want

## Blog: barking, reading and method

- Alert barking that never stops (a case study): /blog/dog-alarm-barking
- Reading your dog before the bark, in real time (a case study): /blog/reading-your-dog-before-the-bark
- Resource guarding in dogs: why dogs growl over food: /blog/resource-guarding-in-dogs
- Dog training rules explained: 3-3-3, 7-7-7 and the 3-bark rule: /blog/dog-training-rules-explained
- Are Staffies aggressive? An honest answer: /blog/are-staffies-aggressive
- Force-free dog training vs a relationship-first method: /blog/force-free-vs-relationship-first
- How to find a good dog trainer: /blog/how-to-find-a-good-dog-trainer
- The dog who was too obedient: a resource guarding case that was really a play deficit: /blog/the-dog-who-was-too-obedient
- Training stopped working: treat inflation, the teenage brain, and changing the dog instead of the bribe: /blog/training-stopped-working
- Dog won't settle: the wired-tired dog and CALM as a taught skill: /blog/dog-wont-settle
- Dog yawning on walks: a stress signal read on the whole dog: /blog/dog-yawning-on-walks

Owners do not choose a trainer. Diona reads every enquiry and matches the owner to the right person. A 90-minute initial consultation runs in person in Melbourne or online; pricing is on the booking page.

## For trainers

- Become a Hachi Way Trainer: /become-certified
- Training runs through the PACE Intensive, a small hands-on program with Diona Chu. Rolling expressions of interest; cohorts run as numbers build.
- The Certification Standard, the published bar behind the credential (issuer, pathway, assessment, revocation, verification): /certification-standard. The credential is a private certification issued by The Hachi Way, not a government or industry-body accreditation; every current trainer is listed at /find-a-trainer.
- Meet the team: /our-team
- Resource library for owners and trainers: /resources

## Proof

240+ five-star Google reviews of the founder's practice (as Diona The Trainer). Reviews: /reviews

## Contact

Melbourne, Australia. ABN 54 766 785 542. Get in touch or book: /book-contact