renee rice
Founder of K9 Connections | Dog Trainer | Behaviour Specialist | Competitor | Breeder
My love and passion for dogs and dog training started at a very young age. Long before K9 Connections, competition titles or formal qualifications, I was simply a kid who loved spending hours with my dogs and figuring out how to teach them something new.
My first two dogs were a Dachshund and a Dachshund × Corgi. They certainly weren't the easiest dogs to train, but looking back, I think that was one of the best ways I could have started.
I spent countless hours enjoying their company and taking on the challenge of training them. They taught me patience, persistence, problem-solving and, most importantly, that every dog is different. I didn't realise it at the time, but those early experiences were building skills and a passion that would eventually shape my entire life.
Jasmine – The Dog Who Showed Me the Sky Was the Limit
My next dog was Jasmine, a Border Collie × Kelpie, and she opened up a completely different world for me.
Jasmine showed me just how much could be achieved when you developed a genuine partnership with a dog.
Together we performed training and trick demonstrations at agricultural shows, aged-care homes, schools and community events. We even had the incredible experience of performing on Jimmy Barnes' stage.
Living in Manjimup at the time meant there were limitations on how far I could take our training. There simply weren't the same opportunities or facilities available to develop the skills I wanted to learn.
So I improvised.
I even created my own agility arena in the paddock so Jasmine and I could continue learning and challenging ourselves.
She was the dog who made me realise there was so much more I wanted to learn.
Skye – The Beginning of Competition
In 2009, I moved to Bunbury and another important chapter of my life with dogs began.
I joined the Bunbury & Districts Dog Club with my Border Collie, Skye, and was extremely fortunate to find a fantastic coach, Sandra, who taught me so much about the sports of agility and obedience.
Skye and I began competing in obedience and agility in 2010.
Competition opened an entirely new world for me. It wasn't simply about learning how to negotiate an agility course or perform an obedience exercise. It made me want to understand more about how dogs learn, why they behave the way they do, how to motivate different dogs and how tiny changes in a handler's communication can completely change a dog's response.
Skye and I learnt together, and the skills I developed during those years became another important foundation for the trainer I would eventually become.
The Pack Grew – And So Did My Experience
Over the years, Turbo, Ollie, Kalani and Lulu joined our pack and became part of that journey.
Every one of my dogs has been different.
Some have challenged me. Some have made things look easy. Some have forced me to rethink the way I train. And all of them have taught me something.
I've been incredibly fortunate to compete successfully at high levels and to win and place at major events including the Perth Royal Show, Victorian and Queensland Agility Nationals, State Trials and Western Classics.
But my dogs' value to me has never been determined by what they won.
The greatest lessons often came from the things that didn't work.
Every difficult training session, mistake, breakthrough and challenge added another piece to my understanding of dogs. Those experiences helped develop not only my competition skills but also my understanding of canine behaviour and behaviour modification.
Turning My Passion into K9 Connections
As my knowledge and experience grew, I realised I wanted to use those skills to help other people and their dogs.
That eventually led me to establish K9 Connections.
I wanted to create something that went beyond simply teaching people how to make their dogs sit, stay or heel. I wanted owners to understand why their dogs behave the way they do, how dogs learn and how to develop a relationship based on clear communication and understanding.
I also knew that practical experience needed to be supported by professional education.
I travelled to Victoria to complete my Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training through the National Dog Trainers Federation (NDTF).
I later continued my professional development and achieved my Certificate IV in Dog Behaviour and Training through IMDT.
Those qualifications added formal education and theory to the years of practical experience I had already gained living, training and competing with dogs.
K9 Connections – More Than a Career
Running K9 Connections is much more than a career for me.
It's my passion and my lifestyle.
There is something incredibly rewarding about helping rehabilitate a dog that is struggling, supporting an owner who feels like they've run out of options, watching a puppy develop into a confident adult or seeing a handler achieve something with their dog that they never thought was possible.
My work now encompasses puppy development, obedience, behaviour modification, agility, Rally-O, scent detection, tricks, private training and specialised programs.
I work with everyday family dogs as well as people who want to progress into dog sports and competition.
At the heart of everything I do is something my first dogs began teaching me all those years ago:
Every dog is an individual.
There isn't one approach that works for every dog. Their genetics, experiences, personality, motivation and environment all influence the dog standing in front of us.
My job is to understand that dog and then help their owner understand them too.
Dustrazor Performance Border Collies
My passion for dogs has also developed into Dustrazor Performance Border Collies.
Breeding has given me another opportunity to learn and has strengthened my interest in genetics, temperament, structure, working ability and the development of young dogs.
My goal is to produce Border Collies that are sound in mind and body, intelligent, capable and driven, with the potential to succeed in performance sports while still being wonderful family companions.
For me, breeding isn't simply about producing the next competition dog. It's about giving each dog the foundations and opportunities to become the best version of themselves.
Still Learning
After all these years, one thing hasn't changed:
I'm still learning.
Dogs have a wonderful way of making sure that happens.
From those first two stubborn little dogs, to Jasmine performing tricks, to building an agility course in a Manjimup paddock, starting competition with Skye, developing K9 Connections and eventually travelling across Australia to compete with my dogs at national level—every stage has contributed something to the trainer and person I am today.
Some of my greatest achievements have happened in competition rings.
Others have happened quietly in training sessions when a frightened dog finally trusted someone, when a frustrated owner suddenly understood what their dog was trying to communicate, or when a behaviour everyone thought was impossible to change began to improve.
Those moments are why I do what I do.
Dog training isn't simply about producing perfectly obedient dogs.
It's about understanding behaviour, developing communication, building confidence and creating a partnership between a person and their dog.
What started as a little girl spending hours training her dogs has become my career, sport, passion, family business and lifestyle.
And after all these years, I still love the challenge of discovering just how much a dog and their person can achieve together.
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