Contact
- Email: [email protected]
- Replies: same day, Melbourne time
- Time zone: Melbourne, Australia (AEDT, UTC+11, October to April. AEST, UTC+10, April to October)
- Calls: a ten-minute phone or video call is easy to arrange.
Topics
- Reactive dogs: lunging and barking at other dogs and people on walks
- Dogs that cannot settle at home, in apartments or at cafes
- Puppies: the first weeks, socialisation, and choosing a puppy or breed
- Dogs and children, including getting a dog ready for a new baby
- Autism and dogs: autistic owners, and assistance dogs
- Life changes with a dog: moving house, renting, working from home, holidays and fireworks
- Choosing a dog trainer, and what to ask before you book
What Diona does not comment on
Medication, diagnosis or anything clinical. She is not a vet and will point you to one. She also won't assess a named dog she hasn't met.
Qualifications
- BSc Veterinary Science
- Master of Early Childhood Education
- Certified Instructor, Training and Behaviour II, Dog Trainers Australia (2011)
- Member, Professional Dog Trainers Australia
- Professional Member, Animal Therapies Ltd
More than fifteen years across zoos, wildlife and assistance dog programs, and a certified dog trainer since 2011. Her practice, Diona The Trainer, has more than 250 five-star Google reviews. Diona is autistic and works with autistic dog owners.
How Diona talks about dogs
Diona speaks from patterns she has seen across hundreds of dogs, never about an identifiable client or their dog.
Headshot
Download headshot (JPG, 807 × 1080)
Credit: Diona Chu
Where she is
Newport, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She trains in person around Melbourne and works with owners worldwide online.