Experience that counts
At CLEAR Dog Training, the focus is practical, real-world training that helps owners build better relationships with dogs they genuinely enjoy living with.
Puppy training is a big part of CLEAR’s work, with the popular Foundation Package giving puppies and their owners a great start. CLEAR also helps older dogs with everyday manners, reactivity and more challenging behaviour problems.
Founded in 2001 by Oliver Beverly, CLEAR has always focused on calm, practical training and helping owners understand their dogs. Current owner and head trainer Caroline Strainig joined CLEAR in 2016 and credits Oliver with shaping her approach.
“Oliver was an outstanding trainer. He taught me the importance of understanding why dogs behave as they do and finding practical solutions that owners can use.”
Oliver remains available for consultation on complex behavioural cases, continuing his long association with CLEAR.
Today, CLEAR uses modern, positive reinforcement-based methods, combining effective rewards with clear boundaries and sensible management. The approach is kind but firm, giving owners practical tools to encourage good behaviour in everyday life.
Find out more about CLEAR’s training philosophy on the How we train page. For more on the company’s history, check out the celebratory Silver Anniversary spread.
A lifetime with animals
Caroline’s lifelong involvement with animals began with horses in Great Britain. She became a qualified British Horse Society riding instructor before going on to compete successfully at international level.
After winning the Junior National Three-Day Event Championship of Great Britain, Caroline went on to compete in senior international three-day events from the age of 18, including at Punchestown in Ireland. She also competed at the prestigious Burghley Horse Trials, completing a clear round, albeit with a few time faults.
In her late teens, Caroline emigrated to Australia with her parents, where she continued competing in eventing and show jumping for many years.
Years of working with horses gave Caroline a strong foundation in timing, consistency, reading animal behaviour and adapting her training to different personalities and situations — skills she continues to use in dog training today.
From horses to dog sports
Caroline’s passion eventually shifted from horses to dogs, particularly the challenge and enjoyment of training dogs to work enthusiastically and willingly with their owners.
She has competed successfully in flyball, agility, rally obedience, obedience, dances with dogs and tricks, winning numerous state and national titles and Queensland Dog of the Year awards along the way.
Over the years, Caroline has trained and competed with dogs of different ages, breeds and personalities, each bringing their own challenges and teaching her something new. She particularly enjoys developing young dogs, building their confidence and enthusiasm while helping them reach their potential.
Despite her competition success, Caroline’s greatest satisfaction comes from helping everyday owners with their family pets. Continuing to train and compete with her own dogs keeps her skills sharp, testing her timing, handling and problem-solving abilities under the pressure and unpredictability of competition.
For Caroline, the same principles that produce a successful competition dog also help create a happy, well-mannered family companion — clear communication, patience, consistency and making training something both dog and owner enjoy.