Our training focuses on real-life & social skills and problem prevention along with basic training skills.

Puppy Colours is a dog training school in Singapore that teaches dog owners to teach their dogs using methods based on behavioural science using positive signals and positive reinforcement. This training concept has numerous applications and is popular among athletic coaches, educators working with special needs kids, pilot instruction schools, dolphin & whale trainer, and, yes, dog trainers.

Our training focuses on real-life & social skills and problem prevention along with basic training skills. We guide dogs to make good decisions and become a happy and well-mannered member of the family. You both will learn how to communicate so you can understand each other; developing wonderful relationship based on cooperation and trust.

We understand that dog training and behaviour modification are about finding creative ways to change the problem behaviour in the midst of our busy and complex lives. It is easy to change behaviour and solve problems if we have the luxury of time, space and human resources, however good dog trainers understand that we don’t work in a controlled environment like laboratory or the zoo, therefore we have to find realistic solutions that can be applied by dog owners. This is where Puppy Colours can help, as a school that offers both training and behaviour modification, we have certified trainers that will help you during training session(s) and during working hours. This means that your dog can come to our Day School –which is run like Montessori but for dogs- and enjoy the opportunity to learn and socialise with other dogs. Our teachers will follow the curriculum of each class and also specific issues (varies from dog to dog).

Our Teachers
Kristina loves working with both dog and human. She believes that animal training is both Science and Art and she loves figuring out elegant and practical solution to overcome challenges. She uses methods that are humane and easy to understand by both human and dogs. She believes that dog trainer and behaviour consultant should adhere to the same standard as medical physician or psychologist: using evidence-based approach and be kind and respectful to both human and animal.

She holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Canine Life Sciences from Bergin University of Canine Studies (USA). She completed the Learning and Living with Animals in 2017. At the moment, she is studying to earn a degree in Ethology – a field of study focusing in animal behaviour – under the guidance of Dr Roger Abrantes, the Scientific Director of Ethology Institute Cambridge. Kristina is always learning new things from her dog students and from experts in animal behaviour.

A certified dog trainer, Kristina has seen first-hand the difference she can make in the life of a pet dog’s life through positive signals and positive reinforcement. Kristina specialises in training puppies and in helping shy and fearful dogs using counter-conditioning and desensitisation techniques. She believes that if she could proactively provide puppies with the much-needed social and life skills, most behaviour problems can be prevented.

Kristina’s career transition to become a Dog Trainer & Behaviour Consultant was sparked from her lifelong passion for animals and her dog, Josh – a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She realised how fearful he was and found herself totally unprepared. She started looking for ways to help Josh and started training him using reward-based training methods to help Josh overcome his fears. Dieta saw how Josh becomes happier and more confident each day and she decided to go to the US and learn more about dog behaviour.

She is a graduate with distinction from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behaviour, USA; under the supervision of the world-renowned dog trainer, Terry Ryan. She has also become a KPA-CTP (Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner) and took the Puppy Start Right for Instructor Course from the same institution to learn more about puppy socialisation and learning. She is also a TAGteach Level 2 Certified Teacher in TAG, a revolutionary new way of teaching using tag point.

Barbara already knew as a child that one day she would be a professional dog trainer. She used to train her pet poodle to do “agility”, jumping over make shift jumps made out of Crocket sets in her back yard and reinforcing the desired behavior with sausages she had taken from the fridge. She was already sold on positive reinforcement then, as together the dog and her improved their skills and also had so much fun together.

Her first “real” experience in the Dog World was as a volunteer at Guiding Eyes for the blind in the USA in 1996. A great experience, however as in those years, most of guide dogs were still being trained with choke chains and a high level of negative reinforcement. Barbara knew that this was not what she wanted to do in the long run. She embarked on a search for knowledge which led her to study with the Animal Care College in the U.K. and ultimately graduating in 2004 with honors from the Academy for Dog Trainers at the San Francisco SPCA. She thrives on keeping her scientific approach to dog training current by attending various local and International conferences regularly and hence she also completed the Certificate of Excellence – LLA with Susan Friedman as well as “Life Skills for Puppies” at Lincoln University in 2014 .

In 2005 Barbara founded and ran Positive Puppies in Sydney until she moved to Singapore due to her husband job in 2015. In the 10 years she ran Positive Puppies she taught classes, conducted behaviour and training consults and trained hundreds of clients dogs whilst they boarded in her own home . She also trained and supported all the Positive Puppies trainers as well as other independent dog trainers in Sydney and liaised with all the vets and other training venues. The Positive Puppies curriculum was fully designed to cater to the needs of puppies and their owners, ensuring that training would be conducted with only humane, kind and scientifically proven methods. Positive Puppies has, over the years, helped thousands of owners train a safe, healthy and happy family dog.

She enjoys understanding all aspects of dog ownership and hence she has participated in many dog and animal training related activities such as hospital visiting dog therapy, agility, sheep herding, scent training. She has volunteered at the free flight bird show of Taronga Zoo, sponsored and supported a PH.D. Study on optimism in dogs with the University of Sydney and supported Assistance Dogs Australia with training puppies and the support of puppy raisers. Barbara also has been known to clicker train her chicken.

TEACHING METHODS
At Puppy Colours, we believe that we should adhere to the same standards as medical physicians and psychologist: Do No Harm, be kind and respectful to both human and animal.

Canine psychology works somewhat differently than the human mind. Sometimes things that may seem like common sense to us are not so for dogs. Dogs behave a certain way for a reason, therefore It is important to understand how the dog perceived the world and communicate with them in a way that they understand and enjoy.

We teach dog owners to teach their dogs using methods based on behavioural science using positive signals and positive reinforcement. We want to nurture thinking dogs to make good decision. We teach them what to do instead of telling them what not to do.We start with finding things that motivates the dog and use that to encourage them to make good decisions. There are various things that can motivate a dog such as attention, treats, play, game, clicker, etc. Ultimately dogs will perform behaviours because of the relationship and trust between the dog and the dog owner.

OUR CAMPUS

Our Newton campus is located at 182 Bukit Timah Road. It features an approximately 3000sqft area, 70% of which is allocated for dog-related activities. There is a secluded park just behind our school where our dog students will go for a one-to-one stroll and enjoy the outdoor environment.

We put in a lot of time and thoughts to the planning and development of our campus because we want to create a dog-friendly environment that is spacious with ample of natural light while providing excellent level of hygiene, safety and supervision. We want our dog and human students to feel comfortable and safe in school.

We have three activity areas:
Day School Classroom
Private Consultation Room
Indoor Dog Run
Facility Features:
Hospital Grade Vinyl Flooring
Tarkett – made in USA. This surface is hygienic, soft-impact and good for joints, anti-slip. This is the flooring material used in Singapore General Hospital, National University Hospital, Gleneagles and more.
IQ air – True HEPA Air Filter
Our Swiss-made air filter effectively removes a great variety of particulates and molecular air pollutants. Tested and certified in accordance with European Norm EN1822 – it filters ultrafine pollution particles that is … (read more)
Drinking Fountain
Charcoal filter keeps water fresh and clean while free-falling stream adds oxygen to water and entices our students to drink more.
Rockwool Building Insulation
Insulates noise while contributing to energy efficiency and fire-safe building with good acoustics and a comfortable indoor climate.
Low Emission Glass
Low-E, or low-emissivity, glass was created to minimise the amount of infrared and ultraviolet light that comes through your glass, while allowing plenty of natural into the campus
Magic Glass
Magic Glass. Our Magic Glass is a revolutionary smart glass that gives flexibility to switch between transparent to translucent at a click of button. It allows light to go through while maintaining privacy when needed