About Me

I'm Lena Logan, a certified fear-free dog trainer based in Adelaide accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. I hold a first-class honours degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Chester (U.K.) and a Certificate in Dog Training Theory. Prior to my career in animal training, I worked as a Social Worker, holding a double degree in Social Science and Psychological Science.

With a rich background in the animal industry, I've contributed to organisations such as RSPCA and Guide Dogs. At Pawly Understood, I collaborated with Behaviour Veterinarians to assess and treat various mental health conditions in cats and dogs, including Separation Anxiety and OCD.

Before relocating to Adelaide in 2020, I served as a dog trainer in Melbourne, running puppy school, obedience classes, and conducting private consultations. My expertise encompasses addressing challenging issues for pet owners, including barking, inter-cat/dog aggression, reactivity, resource guarding, loose lead walking, nipping/biting, and more. However, my specialisations include:

  • Aggression

  • Lead reactivity

  • Managing dynamics between dogs and young children

  • Snake avoidance

Driven by a commitment to continuous improvement, I regularly attend seminars and conferences as well as complete relevant courses. Recently, I participated in events such as the Aggression in Dogs Conference, the Resilience Rainbow Seminar, the Border Collie Summit, and the Lemonade Conference hosted by Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. In 2023, I completed Karen Pryor’s Snake Avoidance Course and obtained certification as a Family Paws Parent Educator through Family Paws. My dedication to enhancing my skills and knowledge underscores my passion for promoting the well-being of animals.

Training Approach

My training philosophy begins with kindness to both people and animals.  No one will be punished for not knowing what to do or making mistakes. My focus is on helping you understand what your dog or cat wants and needs, while also equipping your pet with the skills he or she needs to be comfortable and happy in your family. The goal is for you and your pet to enjoy fulfilled and enriched lives together.  

My training focuses on three areas to achieve behavioural change: management, relationships and training.

  • Management: This involves short and long term strategies that will set your pet up for success. Importantly, management helps prevent problems from developing or getting worse over time.

  • Relationship: refers to the pet-owner relationship being a partnership rather than being viewed as one party dominating another. I teach the animal the important rules for living in the household, and I teach owners how animals communicate and learn. This helps to strengthen the human-animal relationship so that both parties can live happily together without fear and intimidation.

  • Training: I use positive reinforcement training because research has consistently shown it to be the most effective way to teach an animal the desired behaviours and learn new tasks. Positive reinforcement involves reinforcing desirable behaviours and ignoring, redirecting or preventing undesirable behaviour. This training strategy makes any situation better because it fills in the gaps for your pet on what you want her or him to do instead of what you don't want her or him to do. To do this, we’ll use anything your individual pet would welcome more of (food, toys, attention, petting, etc.). Behaviour you like is matched with things your dog likes. Everyone wins!

I don’t have a use for choke chains, electric collars or any other equipment that requires the dog to fail in order to serve its purpose of “correcting”.