ABOUT me

Hi I'm Gabrielle,

I am the founder and owner of Bark Off NZ.

Just like my t-shirt says, I am easily distracted by dogs. I have always been obsessed with everything canine related, so I decided to take my own passion into the workforce and start my own business.

I am a qualified Canine Trainer and Behaviour Consultant.

• Certificate in Canine Training and Behaviour (CBT-CANZ) from Unitec (Auckland)
• Certificate in Animal Welfare investigations (Animal welfare law) from Unitec (Auckland)
• I am also looking forward to future study of Canine Psychology

I only use gentle, holistic training methods and do not condone the use of anything forceful or adverse (Shock collars, Bark collars etc). However, if I have a client who is currently using these methods and tools, I do my best to educate and to not pass judgement (unless I believe intervention is needed).

I am a stay at home mum, so I am able to take on clients and my workload around family life.

I am privileged to be able to offer many services, from dog walking to teaching puppy/adolescent classes, behaviour consultations and more!

Bark Off NZ - "Creating a strong bond between you and your dog"

Aurora's Story

I am sharing Aurora's story in the hopes others can learn from our mistakes...

While we don't regret bringing Aurora into our lives we wish to educate others.

If you are thinking of adopting a canine companion please check out the tab in the menu - Considering Canine Adoption

for more information that we hope you will find helpful.

My husband and I adopted Aurora just before we got married from a backyard breeder.

We were uneducated and didn't know what red flags to watch out for when adopting a dog from Trade Me. We never met her parents only one other sibling, who we were told was a litter mate. Looking back I am not sure if this was true or not. She was four months old when we brought her home, which unless you are choosing to rescue or adopt an older dog is not an ideal age to adopt a young puppy. Aurora had no socialization experience which became clear as she developed and we tried to introduce her to friend's dogs. She loved people and became the youth group dog for a while. The teenagers loved her and treated her with so much love, one young lad in particular loved carrying her around like a baby and she would look so content and calm in his arms.

Unfortunately, when Aurora was around six months old she had her first traumatic experience. We were at a bar sitting outside and my husband had her on a lead tied to the table (which was concreted into the ground). A large, built man walked past our table and she growled at him from under the table. She didn't lunge or move from her spot, however he did not like this. He turned around swore at us kicked her in the head and called her a 'dumb dog'. She yelped in pain and was shaking terrified. My husband was not impressed and asked the man to leave us alone. Other members of the public who were eating their lunch also became vocal towards the man. The manager of the bar heard the commotion and came outside to see what all the commotion was about. He saw Aurora shaking and her mouth bleeding and he spoke to the man calmly asking him to finish his meal and leave the premises. The man was tress-passed from the bar and not allowed to revisit. Aurora was physically okay for the most part and the blood had come from her gums. We are so grateful to the manager and everyone else who stuck up for Aurora that day. It still brings tears to my eyes to know people had our back.

Over the next few months and Aurora developed a fear of men as a result of that horrible incident. She would snap, lunge, growl, hide, shake, bark and run away with her tail between her legs around any men with a similar build to that man. We didn't know what to do so just kept her away from men where we could. About a year later I decided to study dog training to gain some skills to help her and realised it was a field I found interesting. Aurora studied with me at Unitec and it was an amazing bonding experience for us as a unit. Studying at Unitec was the first time I heard the term 'Reactivity' and became aware that Aurora was actually struggling emotionally.

I am happy to say after lots of hard work, desensitizing and help from the kindest male friends - Aurora is much happier around men!

While she will never be a calm temperament and will need management (always on a lead and muzzled sometimes) in public spaces, she is my soul dog and I wouldn't change anything. It has been a journey but I will never give up on her as long as she lives.

If you made it this far thanks for reading

Much Love

-Gabrielle