500 Dogs Benefit from Free Training: A Milestone for Dogs in the Park

Our recent Dogs in the Park event in Point Cook marked an exciting milestone – over 500 dogs have now participated in this community program!

Launched by The Lost Dogs’ Home in 2019, Dogs in the Park is a council-sponsored initiative that delivers free, ethical dog training in local parks across Melbourne. Using positive reinforcement techniques, our experienced animal behaviour trainers lead each session, teaching important practical skills including loose-lead walking and recall.

But Dogs in the Park is more than just a training session – it’s a proactive prevention program designed to help dog owners build stronger bonds with their pets and access professional, force-free training support before behaviour issues arise.

By offering sessions in accessible, familiar locations and at no cost to participants, the program ensures all dog owners – regardless of their financial situation – have the opportunity to set their dogs up for success. In turn, we aim to reduce the number of dogs surrendered due to behaviour problems and help prevent dog-related incidents in the community.

As part of our commitment to responsible pet ownership, we also offer our free Chip Checker service at every Dogs in the Park event. This quick microchip scan helps ensure each dog’s microchip is working and shows owners which registry their pet is listed with – a small but crucial step toward a speedy reunion if their dog ever goes missing. 481 dogs have been scanned since our Chip Checker initiative launched less than a year ago.

Our goals

Dogs in the Park aims to empower dog owners and strengthen communities by:

• Making professional, ethical training more accessible
• Promoting responsible pet ownership
• Advocating for the physical and mental wellbeing of dogs
• Enhancing safety in parks and public spaces
• Fostering a more connected community

Our impact so far

Thank you to our council partners

Dogs in the Park is a collaborative program that would not be possible without the support of our council partners.

A special acknowledgement goes to City of Melbourne, whose early vision and leadership helped shape Dogs in the Park into a successful, community-focused model for responsible pet ownership and animal welfare education.

We’re incredibly grateful to the following councils for partnering with us and welcoming Dogs in the Park into their communities:

• Hobsons Bay City Council
• Hume City Council
• City of Melbourne
• Moonee Valley City Council
• City of Port Phillip
• Wyndham City Council

Bring Dogs in the Park to your community!

With 500 dogs trained and counting, Dogs in the Park is growing fast! We’re excited to bring it to even more communities across Melbourne.

• Dog owners: Want to come along to a Dogs in the Park event in your area? Email us your name, contact details and suburb, and we’ll let you know when we’re visiting your neighbourhood.
• Local councils (including metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria): Interested in hosting a Dogs in the Park event? Get in touch with our Outreach Team to learn how we can work together.

Contact: outreach@dogshome.com