The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 18

ASSOCIATION NEWS | APDT AUSTRALIA
The association was incorporated in
November and the first meeting held in
December 1997. The enthusiasm was
palpable at that first official meeting
and the number of people present was
overwhelming. From that meeting, a
decision was made for this association to
be all inclusive, open to anyone interested
in learning about dog behavior and
training. APDT Australia was born. Our
organisations have existed alongside each
other for more than 20 years now but more
recently have begun to work together,
share information and resources and
generally connect. APDT Australia still
uses the original name of Association of
Pet Dog Trainers. We also made the move
to change the word Pet to Professional
but unfortunately another organization
in Australia has already added the word
Professional to their name, a name that
is very close to our name, so for the time
being that option to move to Professional
Dog Trainers is not possible.
Meet the Association of Pet
Dog Trainers Australia
By Louise Ginman, APDT Australia president
APDT Australia began in 1997 and was largely the
brainchild of an incredible and inspirational lady, Susan
Wilkins, who in the early 1990s was an avid reader of
Dr. Ian Dunbar’s books and watched his BBC TV Series
“Training Dogs with Dunbar.” It was through Dr. Dunbar
that Susan learned about APDT in the United States and
promptly joined in 1995.
Everything about APDT USA, including the motto
“Building Better Trainers through Education,” resonated
with Susan and she realized Australia needed an association
like this where likeminded pet dog trainers could
come together, share knowledge and experience through conferences and networking
opportunities. So one Sunday in August 1997, 24 inspirational trainers attended a ‘gettogether.’
That gathering was the first time trainers had really come together to share
information and watch videos from legendary figures in the dog world. A passion was
ignited and APDT Australia was born.
Since those early days, APDT Australia
membership has grown and is now
the largest dog training association in
Australia. Our purpose is still deeply rooted
in ‘Building Better Trainers Through
Education’ with our annual conference
remaining the educational highlight
each year. Over the past eight years, our
association has evolved. Our conferences
became national events, moving from state
to state each year rather than remaining in
New South Wales (NSW). Our committee
and dedicated members began attending
community events to raise awareness and
further our reach in both the dog enthusiast
and dog professional and business world.
A range of merchandise was also developed
to both promote our association but also
create new income streams. In more recent
times, a strategic plan was developed to
guide us in our future direction, which in
turn affects decision making and yearly
goal setting.
Other keys projects we are working
on are the development of a new logo
as our current logo was developed 20
16 Building Better Trainers Through Education