★★★★★ 5.0 from 67 reviews (Sep 2026)Do you have a Flat Coated Retriever that needs some training help? Natalie from Crazy Kind Calm dog training can help!
With over 900 dogs trained across the Macedon Ranges, Natalie understands the unique personality and needs that come with this wonderful breed.
Flat-Coated Retrievers are the eternal puppies of the retriever world — joyful, exuberant dogs who maintain their playful nature well into old age. They're energetic, social, and incredibly enthusiastic about everything.
Flat-Coat owners know they have the Peter Pan of the dog world. If your Flat-Coat still acts like a puppy at five years old, greets everyone like a long-lost friend, or can't walk past a stick without picking it up — that's the breed being its wonderful, exuberant self. Their joy is infectious and their eagerness to please makes training genuinely fun. You just need patience with the extended puppyhood.
Whether your Flat Coated Retriever is a new puppy or an older dog with some habits to work on, we've got options to suit.
Personalised sessions in your home, where the challenges actually happen. We work together on your specific goals — whether it's pulling on lead, barking, poor recall, jumping up, or something else entirely.
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Group classes in Kyneton for puppies aged 8-16 weeks. Build confidence, learn essential skills, and socialise with other pups in a safe, supportive environment.
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"Natalie has been fantastic with our 2 over exuberant anxious dogs and us their humans, we have just had a third training session and it turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks, our dogs 2.5 and 5.5 yrs old are calmer, easier to walk and not barking crazy at everyone that wanders past our fence, it still is a work in progress but Natalie has been an amazing resource and her manner and dealings with us and doggies is wise and professional"
— sue greaves
"I was really impressed with Natalie's knowledge and experience when she visited our 3 resident dogs at home this morning to advise on the management of a really difficult situation in which one dog is attacking another, with me injured as well, and literally thousands spent on vet bills. The situation has been exacerbated by recent stressors such as moving house and inadequate room, and Natalie gave some important guidance and insights to manage the situation, including where it is likely to go from here (high risk of serious injuries to dogs and humans or a death, which I totally see happening) and what we can do to control and manage the dogs, as I do not wish to euthanise or re-home the stressed-out, attacking dog without trying to work on this. She advised on strategies, equipment and training that will all actually work because it was personalised and done with the doggers present, displaying all their wonderful behaviours. The visit was much better than a phone consult could ever be because Natalie was able to review the house, property and dog pen and suggest points for barriers and ways to provide time out and decompression, including specific types of play to encourage calmness and focus. She also noted behaviours that we didn't see and explained what they meant and what was going on, and how we needed to manage and distract from them. Am really happy with Natalie's services, it was money well spent - but I rather wish I'd sought help for this some time ago before it all escalated to a crisis of serious proportions. I hope that with Natalie's insights, notes and support materials we will be able to develop into a manageable, moderately tolerant 3-dog household. Thank you so much Natalie."
— I Dobell November 2025
"We have 2 rescue Kelpies with issues. Our first session with Nat has given us some positive, managable activities to put into practice to help us all calm down."
— Sue Hobbs
Let's talk about your goals and how we can help your Flat Coated Retriever become the best dog they can be.
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