In Episode 373 of The Canine Paradigm, Glenn Cooke and Pat Stuart sit down with David McKelson, founder of Pro Dog Training.
David has one of the more unusual backgrounds in Australian dog training. Before moving into dogs, he spent 17 years working in zoos. Much of that time was centred around elephant handling and training.
He also worked with marine mammals and assisted with the training of many other species. Those included gorillas, giraffes and maned wolves.
That experience gave David a very different perspective on training, animal welfare, staff development and risk management.
From Elephants to Dog Training
David’s career with animals began in a small wildlife park before he eventually secured a position at a major zoo.
Early in his career, he worked across several departments. He eventually moved into elephant handling, where he remained for many years.
Working with elephants carried serious consequences. David explains that when things go wrong with an elephant, the result may not simply be an injury.
That reality shaped the way his team approached training.
Clear systems mattered. Preparation mattered. Staff development mattered. David also became increasingly focused on creating training processes that reduced unnecessary errors.
Over time, he travelled internationally and worked alongside experienced elephant trainers in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and Asia.
Animal Welfare, Suppression and Enrichment
One of the strongest parts of the episode explores the relationship between training and animal welfare.
David discusses elephants that had experienced heavily suppressive handling earlier in life. Some became extremely difficult and potentially dangerous.
One female elephant provides a particularly striking example.
She rarely vocalised and displayed repetitive behaviour. She also struggled to settle and sleep normally.
After she was introduced to another female elephant, her behaviour changed dramatically. She began vocalising and later started lying down to sleep.
The discussion highlights the importance of social needs, enrichment and appropriate relationships.
It also raises a larger question.
Are animal management decisions always being made because they improve welfare, or are some decisions influenced by how things appear to the public?
Training Versus Public Perception
David explains how elephant management within zoos began changing.
There was increasing pressure to move away from free-contact programs and towards protected-contact systems.
Safety was part of that discussion. Public perception was another.
David describes the difficulty of balancing staff safety, animal welfare and the opportunities created through training.
The group also discusses how removing training opportunities can sometimes create another problem.
Animals still require stimulation.
They need opportunities to move, solve problems, interact and engage with their environment.
David makes the point that training itself can be an important form of enrichment.
That same principle carries directly into dogs.
What This Means for Dogs
Glenn, Pat and David draw several comparisons between zoo animals and domestic dogs.
Simply providing more space does not automatically create better welfare.
An animal can have space and still lack meaningful activity.
Dogs in boarding or daycare environments may also struggle when they spend too much time without appropriate interaction or stimulation.
The conversation examines the importance of enrichment, training and experienced staff.
Good animal care requires people who can observe behaviour and recognise when something is beginning to change.
That can be particularly important in daycare environments, where group dynamics can shift quickly.
Building Pro Dog Training
After leaving the zoo industry, David began moving into professional dog training.
He completed the NDTF Certificate III and continued developing his practical dog training experience.
David later established Pro Dog Training.
The business developed from dog training and daycare into a much larger professional operation.
Training eventually became approximately 70 per cent of the business.
At the time of this conversation, the West Footscray operation was delivering around 80 private lessons each week, along with approximately 40 to 50 classes.
David explains that one of the areas he is most proud of is client retention.
Many clients who begin with puppy training continue progressing through higher levels of the Pro Dog system.
Leadership and Developing Trainers
David’s zoo career also shaped the way he approaches staff development.
He had already spent years managing teams before entering the dog training industry.
That included dealing with strong personalities, workplace culture and the challenges that come with highly specialised animal professionals.
David explains that technical skill is only one part of building a good organisation.
Communication matters.
Leadership matters.
Culture matters.
Those principles later became central to the way Pro Dog developed.
Creating Safer Dog Daycare Systems
Pro Dog also takes a structured approach to daycare.
Dogs generally attend on the same day each week rather than entering the system casually.
This allows the team to develop more stable groups.
David believes this creates a safer environment and allows staff to understand the individual dogs more thoroughly.
The group also discusses one of the biggest mistakes new daycare operations can make.
Growing too quickly can create significant risk.
Adding large numbers of unfamiliar dogs into an inexperienced system can quickly overwhelm staff and destabilise groups.
Good daycare requires patience, observation and competent supervision.
Systems, Franchising and Business Growth
The discussion then moves into franchising and business systems.
David explains that Pro Dog spent considerable time developing its operating procedures before offering franchise opportunities.
The business created extensive systems, manuals and processes.
However, David does not believe documentation replaces good leadership.
Franchise operators still need support, communication and access to experienced people.
He also explains that Pro Dog is not pursuing growth at any cost.
In fact, David says they often try to talk potential franchise applicants out of proceeding.
The objective is to find people who understand the workload and genuinely want to operate the system properly.
Dr Stuart Hilliard
The episode finishes with a discussion about Dr Stuart Hilliard and his upcoming Australian seminars.
David explains Stuart’s background in working dogs, behavioural science and military dog programs.
The seminars will explore topics including Pavlovian conditioning, instrumental conditioning, reward, sign tracking, goal tracking and ethology.
The discussion also touches on Stuart’s long history in working dogs and his contribution to the development of modern training knowledge.
For serious dog trainers, David believes the opportunity to learn from someone with Stuart’s depth of experience is significant.
A Conversation About More Than Dogs
Episode 373 covers much more than David McKelson’s journey into dog training.
It explores animal welfare, enrichment, risk, leadership, business systems and the consequences of removing meaningful activity from intelligent animals.
Most importantly, it asks a question that applies across many areas of animal training.
Are we making decisions because they genuinely improve the animal’s life, or because they are easier to explain and defend publicly?
That question runs throughout David’s story, from elephants and zoo management through to dogs, daycare and professional training.
Further Details
Learn more about David McKelson and Pro Dog Training, including their dog training programs, daycare services and professional education.
You can also follow Pro Dog Training through their social media channels for updates on workshops and future events.
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