“We brought Mel into our lives when our dog Jax was about 15 months old. Jax has always been a very anxious dog, she’s scared of people and other dogs, and that fear started to really shape how we lived as a family. We found ourselves avoiding having people over because she was so nervous and reactive.

From the very first session, Mel made such a difference. She gave us simple, practical strategies to help introduce people into our home in a way that made Jax feel safe and comfortable. With consistency and repetition, we’ve started to see real changes Jax is calmer, more confident.

Having a dog with anxiety can be really hard, but Mel has given us the tools to help Jax feel more at ease. We’re so grateful for her support and for the progress we’ve seen.”

“Mel’s online puppy program saved us!!! I knew getting a puppy was going to be a lot of work and I got overwhelmed really quickly with all the things I needed, puppy proofing, how the kids will handle the puppy… and along came Mel’s online program.
The kids had videos to watch to really help them prepare for a sleepy playful nippy puppy who needed a balance of attention and space. It meant while I focused on puppy proofing and buying all the things (which you can also find via the online program) the kids had so much information they could absorb and it gave them a real purpose.

I also had one child who was very nervous around dogs, and this really gave her the opportunity to understand “puppies” and how to integrate this new family member into her own nervous space at a pace that gave her confidence and safety.

If you don’t know where to start, have kids who need guidance or don’t want to jump straight into 1:1 sessions, THIS program is the perfect place to start. 5 stars, highly recommend!!!!!! “

“After completing Mel’s 6-week program, we felt confident and fully prepared to welcome our beautiful Groodle, Maggie, into our home. As puppies grow and enter their teenage stage, new behaviours naturally emerge, and Cooper and Kids’ Online Puppy Program was an absolute godsend. It allowed us to refresh the techniques we’d learned during the in-person sessions and access targeted strategies to help manage issues like barking right when we needed them most. We have recommended Mel to all our friends who have welcomed new puppies to their families.”

“I honestly don’t know how we would have managed those stressful early puppy days without Cooper and Kid’s Online Program! It made everything feel so much less overwhelming, and the ability to pause, rewatch and follow along at our own pace was fantastic. It’s perfect for busy families with young kids. Highly recommend to anyone wanting to start off on the right paw! 🐾”

“Mel presented a wonderful session to my Prep class, that had them fully engaged right from the start! Her PowerPoint presentation was very effective in demonstrating the different behaviours and mannerisms of dogs and how to be safe around them. Her use of a toy dog to display different behaviours, ensured children that may be wary of dogs, were able to participate and learn comfortably in a safe environment. Students came away from the session with confidence on how to safely approach dogs in the future, a lesson all young people should learn. Thank you Mel!”

“We loved working with Mel when Snoop was a brand-new puppy.
She gave us the knowledge and skills we needed to get us through those hectic first couple of months. We would’ve been lost without her!
Snoop responded really well to her training and she empowered every member of our family to feel confident around him and to be able to manage his puppy behaviour.”

“Mel is amazing. We have a busy household with two young boys that only ever knew an elderly dog. So when our new puppy arrived who got easily excited, it descended into chaos. Mel was fantastic in taking us (including the boys with short attention spans) through the steps and well on the path to a calmer puppy and household. Her support through not only the six weeks, but since has been amazing. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

I would highly recommend Mel to anyone getting a puppy for the first time or needing help with their dog. As first time puppy parents with two young kids we felt very overwhelmed and having Mel come into the home and help prepare us for its arrival and teach us best ways to build a positive relationship ship with him over the last few weeks has been so so helpful. Am very thankful we found her. She is the best 👏

“Mel came highly recommended and I couldn’t be happier that we got in contact. Within a few hours of implementing her recommendations we had seen a massive improvement in our dog’s mood and behaviour. Mel is easy to communicate with, personable and genuinely cares about improving your family and your dog’s lives. The tips are straightforward and easy to implement and Mel provides you with a range of resources that you can look back on to make sure you are on track. Thanks so much Mel!”

“Mel from Cooper and Kids was our lifesaver when we brought our newborn home. After prepping our gorgeous dog Zali ahead of time, our integration didn’t go to plan. We contacted Mel and she was so patient, understanding and guided us through tricky weeks! We had a zoom session and stayed in touch after to guide us through Zali’s training! 5 weeks on and with Mel’s help we have integrated Zali and our baby! For anyone about to have a baby or with young kids at home, I can’t recommend Mel highly enough! We will remember the help and support forever during this crazy time! Don’t hesitate to book with her, her experience and support is worth every cent!”

“Mel was amazing! She taught us lots of skills to help us make Charlie a happy and well adjusted dog. She taught us fun games and activities we could do to keep him busy whilst being educational and nurturing for him. We loved our sessions and would highly recommend!”

“We engaged Mel to help us settle our new pup, Marshmallow, into our family. Mel shared great tips and advice for all the classic puppy training, and she was really generous with her time and wisdom. Our biggest challenge was with our girls, aged 3 and 6 – they were full of love… and then some! Mel’s biggest contribution to our family was in helping the girls understand their responsibilities and helping me best navigate and balance all of their excitement and energy with the needs of a young puppy. Her advice was always spot on, practical and just super sensible. She has a wonderful way with dogs and with kids. Would absolutely recommend her to any family with young kids.”

“THE BEST! Highly recommend. We did the six week family dog program to help settle our new puppy into our family. Mel was amazing to work with. My kids (2&5) were terrified of our new puppy and would not go near him as they were so scared of him nipping and jumping! Mel helped us understand how to read our puppy and how to train him! The sessions with the kids were the most valuable. They loved being involved in the training and playing fun games with our puppy! The relationship between the kids and him has completely changed and they are all over him in a friendly way! He no longer nips at them and they just walk around the house as normal now with him around!! My kids are still asking “when is Mel coming back we love her!”

“Mel spent time with our 4-5 year-old kinder class and was incredibly warm, engaging, patient and fun with our group! The children responded so well to Mel’s videos, songs and role playing of ways to positively engage with dogs and empower children to make responsible decisions when around animals. The children continued talking about Mel and her program in the days following, a real indication of their enjoyment and take aways from their time with Mel!” 

“Mel is the best in Melbourne! From the very beginning when I booked the 6 week program, Mel was constantly checking in on me and my family, sending me useful resources when needed. Mel has a beautiful nature and is such a lovely person to have in your home with your pet and family. The greatest compliment was from my son- when we graduated from the program he asked for Mel to come back!”

“The Preps had a fantastic session learning about dog safety with Mel. The environment was calm and safe for those students who were apprehensive and hesitant about dogs. Students had the opportunity to practise essential skills of communicating safely with dogs and how to approach them appropriately. Mel immediately connected with students by sharing photos of her pets and allowed students to share the names of their dogs. The session was engaging and fun too, we look forward to having her back next year!”

“Mel really helped us understand our young puppies body language so we could work out when she was happy and also when she was stressed, worried or uncomfortable, who knew dogs gave so many subtle signs when they weren’t happy! The kids really loved learning how to teach Summer new tricks and really enjoyed the games Mel taught them to play with her. Thanks again Mel, we really enjoyed our sessions with you and learnt a lot about Summers wants and needs.”

“Mel delivered two fantastic workshops for our team at Bondi Behaviourist on Dogs and Babies and Dogs and Toddlers. Both workshops gave us not only solid foundations on how to approach working in these situations but also layers of details and considerations that might not come to mind without the level of expertise that Mel offers. We loved having her around, she’s warm and friendly and full of knowledge. We can’t wait to have her back up again in the future.”

“Mel helped us so much with managing our 3yo and dog together. I can’t believe how successful her tips were. I messaged her thinking it was a lost cause, but I was becoming desperate. I wish I called her 6 months earlier!?”

“We followed all of Mel’s suggestions in preparation for our first baby and it’s been very successful. Our dog, Obi has been amazing with her little sister, Mia, since bringing her home from hospital. So gentle and caring! Thank you!”

“Mel has been an absolute god send for our little family. Our 2 year old Labrador is full of energy, so once we found out we were pregnant our first thought went to ‘how are we going to manage this energetic dog and a newborn baby?’; enter Mel! Mel visited our house and spent the time getting to know our dog and understanding our lifestyle to provide us with key insights as to how to ensure Freddy’s manners were up to scratch and helped us to create a plan in the lead up to our baby being born. Following our catch up Mel has continued to check into see how Freddy is tracking. Mel has gone above and beyond for us and we couldn’t be more grateful for her ongoing support.”

“Mel seriously from the bottom of our hearts thank you so much for today! We appreciate your help so much!! Everything you told us makes so much sense and will help manage when the baby comes….. Again thank you so much, you really know what you’re talking about and your passion for dogs and dogs with kids is amazing!”

“Mel was incredibly helpful when we spoke to her about our puppy Mickey and how to manage some typical puppy behaviours! She was so knowledgeable about the positive reinforcement training and had a helpful answer to all of our endless questions. Particularly during these times of social distancing, it was great to be able to access  excellent advice over the phone. We have seen massive positive differences in our pups behaviour since implementing Mel’s techniques.”

“Mel was absolutely incredible to work with. She has such a kind and gentle approach that was so effective in helping us with the issues we were having with Lenny. She has a wealth of knowledge and we saw improvements in a very short time frame. So happy we got Mel in to help us. “