Belinda stepped into the world of animal training in early 2010, while working as a veterinary nurse and being tasked with running puppy pre-school classes. In the same year, she was fortunate enough to attend a parrot conference and learn about applied behaviour analysis and learning theory from the likes of Dr Susan Friedman, Nic Bishop, and Jim McKendry. That was all it took to become hooked!
In 2013, while completing her Certificate 4 in Companion Animal Services through the Delta Institute in Australia, she took the plunge and started a companion animal training business – Treat. Play. Love. This has been Belinda’s full-time job since 2016, when she left vet nursing for good.
Through her business, Belinda works with families and their pet dogs, cats, and parrots. She especially enjoys showing people just how fun training can be with moden, reward-based training methods. Belinda works with clients on basic training problems as well as significant behavioural challenges, such as leash reactivity and separation anxiety.
In addition to working with training clients, Belinda has been employed to teach veterinary students at JCU Vet School in Townsville about parrot behaviour and training, has spoken at Australian conferences, and worked with vet clinics, doggy daycares, and other animal professionals to educate team members on a range of training and behaviour topics.
Belinda relocated to Sydney, Australia, in late 2021, where she continues to offer one-on-one training services for all species of companion animals.