Portrait: Diona Chu
Hachi Way Trainer
Diona Chu
Reactive dogs, puppy raising, autistic owners, multi-dog households.
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Find a Trainer
Every trainer listed here has been trained in The Hachi Way and selected by Diona Chu to deliver it.
Every trainer listed here has been trained in The Hachi Way and selected by Diona Chu to deliver it. They are not franchisees. They run their own practices. What they share is a methodology and a credential that means an owner walking into one of their sessions knows what to expect.
A Hachi Way trainer will teach you to read your dog before they teach your dog a command. They will set a structure for the household before they set a behaviour goal. They will explain the why of every recommendation, and they will hold the line on the parts owners cave on the most.
Currently in Melbourne, expanding through 2026 and beyond.
The trainers
Portrait: Auveen Twomey
Hachi Way Trainer
Auveen Twomey
Leash reactivity, rescue and adolescent dogs, puppy foundations.
Diona Chu
About
I am Diona Chu, the founding practitioner of The Hachi Way. I have spent fourteen years working with dogs across veterinary science, early childhood education, zoos, wildlife reserves, assistance dog programs, and private pet training. I started my own practice in 2022 and now run it three days a week, by choice. The rest of the week goes into developing the methodology and training the next generation of Hachi Way trainers.
I work with motivated owners who have tried multiple trainers and ended up with a dog who still feels like a project. The dogs themselves are usually not the problem. The household has gaps that no amount of obedience work has been able to close. That is the work I do.
How I work
In person, I see clients in Newport, Docklands, and the Williamstown corridor. Home visits within the Melbourne metro are available with a call-out fee.
Virtually, I take cases anywhere in the world. The virtual format suits owners who have already done some of the reading and want a structured assessment, a programme, and ongoing video review over WhatsApp. It is not a watered-down version of the in-person work. It is a different shape of the same methodology, with the video loop carrying more of the weight.
Every initial consult is 90 minutes. We walk through the dog's history, observe the dog in the household, run a behavioural assessment, and leave with a programme.
What I specialise in
- Reactive dogs, on lead, towards other dogs, people, or cars.
- Puppy raising for owners who want to do it once, properly.
- Autistic owners. I am autistic, and the methodology is unusually well suited to the audience.
- Multi-dog households where the dogs are training each other into the wrong defaults.
- Adolescent dogs whose training has stopped working.
Pricing
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Private consultation | AU$400 / 90 min |
| 4-week training programme | AU$1,520 |
| 9-week online puppy programme | AU$440 |
| Home visit call-out, Melbourne metro | from AU$60, varies by suburb |
Virtual consultations are billed at the same rate as in-person. Payment plans on the 4-week programme are available on request.
Book with me
Book a session directly through The Hachi Way checkout, or send a question through the contact form.
Auveen Twomey
Draft profile, built from Auveen's existing public bio. Auveen rewrites this in her own voice before the listing goes live.
About
I came to dog training the long way. Before this work I spent more than twenty years as a primary school teacher. I grew up in a household where dogs were treated as members of the family, and dogs have been alongside me since.
The shift came when I rescued a German Shepherd cross with a long list of behaviours nobody seemed able to help me with. Leash reactivity. Mouthing. Jumping. Barking at the wall. Destruction when she was left alone. What we both needed was not a quick fix or a rigid technique. We needed structure, understanding, and a way of working that asked why the behaviour was there in the first place. The answers I found in the process of helping her are the reason I now do this for other households.
How I work
In person, in private one-on-one sessions. I take time over the household, the dog, and the owner. The work is calm. It is built on trust and consistency rather than control. I run sessions in the inner west of Melbourne.
I welcome neurodivergent owners and the LGBTQ+ community. My sessions are an inclusive space for any owner who wants to do the work without being talked down to.
What I specialise in
- Leash reactivity, in particular with rescue and adolescent dogs.
- Behavioural challenges that have not responded to obedience-first training.
- Puppy foundations for households who want to do it once, properly.
- The Polished Paws Program, a structured training support series for owners who want a longer programme than a single consult.
Pricing
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Private consultation | from AU$250 / 90 min |
| Programme pricing | Confirmed with Auveen before listing |
Book with me
For trainers
Are you a trainer?
The Hachi Way certifies trainers who teach owners to read their dog first, and command it second. Applications for Cohort 1 of The PACE Intensive close 15 June 2026.