Mind Your Paws provides therapy dog and dog training services throughout Darwin and the surrounding
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Mind Your Paws offers a variety of services including dog training and therapy dog visits. Our dog training programs are aimed at all breeds, all ages and all temperaments. We offer both group classes (puppy, beginner, intermediate and advanced) and private lessons where we come to you. Training at Mind Your Paws is reward based, utilising the language learnt in obedience skills to help improve yo
ur dogs manners in and outside of the home and ultimately building the relationship you have with your dog. There's nothing better than having a dog you can trust wherever you take them. Therapy Dog programs are tailored to suit each individual organisation and their outcomes. We can help to create individual and group programs with specific goals. To find out more about our services head to www.mindyourpaws.com.au or contact Kristy on 0400 298 505, we're always happy to chat.
Don’t miss out. There’s a few spots left!!!
Book one of our K9s C.A.R.E programs for your school and watch your students come out of their shell in a safe and supportive environment through the power of Dog.
To find out more, email [email protected]
💙 JACKSON: aka Jack, Jackie, sq**rt, little buddy.
Jackson is the baby of the Mind Your Paws team. He is the dog that makes everyone smile because he is just so cute. He loves meeting new people and greets them with a whole-body wiggle. He has the best eyes; he will hold eye contact with you longer than a dog normally does and it just feels like he is reading your mind.
Jackson is a bit of a chameleon, as he adapts to suit the people he meets. He can be gentle around toddlers and ruff house with teens. A great match for a therapy dog.
He is gentle, kind and just loves attention; and being around people, he prefers to sit in chair than on the floor.
Jackson loves to swim and it’s the only time he will play fetch. It is fair to say that he loves his teddy; he won’t go to bed without it, and can’t go to the front door without it. In fact, I think he thinks the cats are just live teddy bears that run.
At home he can be cheeky and mischievous and he loves to steal socks. He wont give up a toy without a tugging completion and fiercely stands his ground to ensure he wins.
All said at the end of the day he likes nothing better than sleeping on your lap.
🎶 Song: Happy (Pharell Williams)
Wow! What a weekend.
Don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a seminar more than this past one.
Learning from the GOAT 🐐 on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. If you don’t follow Michael, you need to. He truly is amazing.
your centre is amazing!!! Looking forward to seeing it grow.
Thank you for bringing Michael out again. It’s always appreciated from all of us here in Aus.
Add Darwin to his schedule next time he’s in Aus. We’ve got plenty of birdlife to keep him occupied in between some training.
Scoutie and Chippie, watch out boys, we’ve got lots of fun coming our way.
🧡 LUCY: aka Lucy-goosey, big girl
Lucy is definitely Darwin’s best kept secret; she is a strong confident girl with a heart as soft as marshmallow.
She can be big and bold one moment then a sook the next. She loves food just as much as she loves cuddles. However, she will perform any trick you want for a treat.
She loves the beach, swimming and a good tummy rub. And while fetch is not her thing, playing chasings definitely is. She can be as playful as a pup one moment and snoring the next.
Lucy doesn’t like Jackson getting all the attention or being outdone on the trick front. And she definitely does not like to bark. Lucy prefers an older client group, kids are just too busy.
She is definitely a lounge lizard and at visits you will usually see her relaxing with someone, she is very intuitive so she will gravitate to those that need a little extra love. Chilling is her thing using her dark eyes to look into your being. Just a gentle soul.
🎶 Song: Big Girl (Mika)
CHIP 🧡
He’s quick. He’s agile. He’s active.
He doesn’t sit still. Calm is not in his vocabulary. Rest? That’s for night time.
He’s got things to do. What? Your guess is as good as mine. He’s a thrill seeker. Loves an adventure.
He dreams to run and jump all day. He’s not a cuddler, he likes to stand on you and sneak a kiss when he can.
He wants to come everywhere, staying home is not his preference.
💚 Life motto:
Be big, be bright, stand out and always give things a go.
🎶 Song:
The Benny Hill Show
You love him, I adore him (when he’s sleeping)
He is CHIPPIE, The Cyclone 🌀
SCOUT 💙
He’s loud. He’s cheeky. He’s serious.
He’s always up for a chat. He loves to chase the ball and play tug. He takes shortcuts anywhere he can.
He doesn’t like being told no. He has an on/off switch.
Under all that fluff he’s a big softie just wanting to chase his ball and play tug all day.
He’s the bossie one of our team, he takes charge of all situations, and he lets you know he’s there.
💚 Life motto:
Get the job done, move on to the next one. Have fun a long the way.
🎶 Song:
TNT
You love him, I adore him
He is SCOUTIE BOY, Mr Handsome
⬇️ What is your dogs song? Share in the comments
HARLOW 💜
The sweetest soul, the typical therapy dog.
She’s gentle. She’s calm. She’s reliable.
She’s the queen of relaxing, taking any opportunity she can to catch a few 💤
You will find her upside down, waiting for the tummy pats. If you see her move fast, be thankful, it rarely happens.
She’s the quiet one of our team, she’s the leader/boss and happily reminds the boys when they need it.
💚 Life motto:
One day at a time, there’s no rush, be present and go explore. Take naps when you can.
🎶 Song:
My girl
You love her, I adore her.
She is HARLOW GIRL, Darwin’s Darling 👸
Following on from my previous post, a PUPPY is an untrained dog = UNKNOWN dog.
Did you 👉🏼 read through all the slides?
Let me know your thoughts down below 👇🏼
A puppy is a puppy for a short period of time, let them be one. Enjoy this brief period of time with them.
There’s no need to put the extra pressure on them, risk creating a nightmare dog unable to do the job you were hoping for.
Can it be done?
Like everything, of course. BUT I think some things need to be considered.
- how long will they be at work?
- handlers level of experience?
- safe, quiet rest space provided?
- plenty of opportunity to be a puppy?
- ability to teach appropriate behaviour?
- working closely with an experienced trainer/mentor ti help guide the process?
For me personally, Scout and Chip started some visits (1hr at headspace/private clients) early on. There was no pressure on them, it was all about fun at this time and teaching correct behaviour such as no biting/jumping/chewing.
At approximately 6 months I started taking them to the hospital and slowly built up the amount of time they worked over a period of 2-3years. Chip didn’t do his first primary school program until he was about 2 years old, he just wasn’t ready for it.
For me personally, the risks far outweigh the positives. Puppy first, working dog second 🤗
Share your thoughts below, perhaps your experience.
How cute was Chip as a puppy 😍
Should puppies be going to work with their handler if the goal is therapy dog?
Vote below and let me know your thoughts in the comments
Ask me a question about Therapy Dogs below and I’ll answer them
⬇️⬇️⬇️
📣 Let’s say it loud so down the back can hear
Therapy Dogs DO NOT have public access!!!
TD are only allowed to access places they are invited to visit.
The only dogs with public access are ASSISTANCE DOGS (AD) and they are covered by federal law.
Just a friendly reminder to those who think they can refer to their dog as TD and take it in to Woolies, shopping centres, restaurants 😉
You’re actually breaking the law doing this.
Not sure about the differences between TD and AD? Head to my pinned post where you can find out more.
What temperament makes the perfect Therapy Dog?
Traditionally TDs are calm, gentle and loving. That is what is promoted every where and what most people think.
I disagree.
After being involved in the TD space for a number of years, working alongside 5 very different TDs, I don’t think all TDs need to be calm and gentle.
It depends on the work they are doing, and also the experience and capabilities of the handler.
Let’s use all my dogs for example.
💜 Harlow- quite possibly the dog that fits the traditional TD ideals. She’s calm, gentle and loving. She wants nothing more than to relax with someone and get pats.
She is great for those who are scared of dogs (she’s predictable), great for elderly, teenagers, hospitals, workplace visits, or an allied health practice.
💙 Scout- he can relax, he loves to move, he wants fun, he wants to do things. He can go from 0-100 very quickly, he has an ON/OFF switch.
He’s a bit of an all rounder, loves to work, but there’s some places he loves to go, and others he tolerates. Visiting an elderly person and sitting around chatting is not his choice of jobs. Schools, he loves. He is active most sessions.
🧡 Chip- the least likely to fit the TD ideal. He’s on the go, calm is not him, it takes a lot for him to relax and be calm. He wants to be doing things all the time, anything will do, he just wants to move.
Schools, workplace visits and the hospital is his choice. He can sit still on someone’s lap (when bribed 😉). If he went to the same place everyday and was expected to be calm at all times would set him up to fail.
So….
It all comes down to the work site for a TD.
- are the needing to be calm and gentle in an office?
- will they be moving from workplace to workplace?
- are the clients scared/nervous, or are they active and want to be moving with the dog?
Here at Mind Your Paws, we select the right time that will fit the job. Not just with my 3, but also
All our teams have their ➕ and ➖. It is our jobs as their handler/owner to make sure they are comfortable in the space they will be working.
Any questions, pop them down below 👇🏼
The beautiful Lucy and Jackson spreading joy at SEDA college.
It’s a stressful time of year for year 12 students.
Give them some time to just be, take a break from studying and be present by booking our chill and relax therapy dog visits.
These two can take all the stress away 🤗
TERM 4 AVAILABILITY
Our school programs are:
💚 Curriculum focussed. Our primary K9s CARE programs are linked to the Australian Curriculum.
💜 Goal oriented. Programs allow students to focus on their personal goals (IEPs)
💙 Inclusive. We work with ALL students, ALL ages.
🧡 Safe. We encourage students to have a go, to take their time building a trustworthy relationship with the Therapy Dogs and facilitator.
Want to find out more about our K9s CARE programs?
📧 [email protected]
Is one breed better than the other when it comes to therapy dogs?
NO
There’s so many things to consider when deciding what breed will suit Therapy Dog work.
Of course some breeds are more suited to this type of work over other breeds. Cavaliers, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Oodles are some of the more common breeds working as TDs.
Some things you should consider when choosing:
- Owner lifestyle. A Border Collie isn’t going to suit a handler who doesn’t live an active life. A Bulldog probably isn’t going to suit someone who wants to also run 5km with their dog each day.
💚 TDs are pets FIRST, then a working dog.
- Grooming requirements. Some breeds cost a lot to get groomed professionally or require a lot of time to maintain their coat at home.
- Owner preference. A TD is your pet, choose a breed you like. Clearly my requirement is fluffy 🤗
- Work required. A Cavalier might suit a quiet psychologists office, but Scout would find that very boring.
- Size. I prefer large dogs, but Chip was chosen for his size. Easy to pick up if need be, a nice weight to sit on laps, don’t need to be nervous of a potential fall, people’s fear of large dogs.
I’ve seen many rescue dogs working, German Shepherds, Daschunds. On one of our courses there was a Basset Hound 😮
is a perfect example of this. Lucy is a gorgeous Rottweiler with a heart of gold (the first Rottie in the NT as a TD) but over the years she has been turned away by organisations purely because of her breed. Society and people’s personal opinions 🙄
👇🏼 What other breeds have you seen working in the TD field?
Remember when it comes to deciding what breed you’d like to have working alongside you….
THEY ARE YOUR PET FIRST
💭 Have a question about TDs…. Post them below.
Where will you see Therapy Dogs working?
Everywhere
Nursing homes, hospitals, schools, universities, rehab centres, allied health centres, doctors/dentist surgeries.
The possibilities of seeing a therapy dog working are endless.
➡️ Swipe to see some of the places you will see a Mind Your Paws therapy dog team visiting.
THERES ONE PLACE YOU WONT SEE A THERAPY DOG….
🛒 Woolies… If you see someone refer to their dog as a therapy dog in this type of environment they are breaking the law 😉
👇🏼 Let me know in the comments where you’ve seen a therapy dog team working
💚 Don’t forget to like and share this post too. Every little bit helps.
September is THERPAY DOG AWARENESS MONTH… have a question? Pop it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer throughout the month.
RUOK? DAY
Thursday 12th September
A day all about having a conversation with your colleague, peer, friend, teammate, partner or family member to really find out how they are going.
We should be doing this everyday, but a reminder to check back in to reality and be present with those around us is good for us all.
And this is where we can help out on the day.
Dogs are all about being present, living in the moment. Not worrying about what they are going to have for dinner, fitting in their exercise, running the kids around, picking up groceries, making sure the bills are paid or if the whole team will show up to the game or not.
They are right there with you, taking in everything around them. They are the masters of mindfulness.
💚 We not treat your staff to a Therapy Dog visit on RUOK? DAY.
Workplace Therapy Dogs can have the following benefits:
- ⬇️ 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙭𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮, 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣
- 📈 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮
- 🤗 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨
- 🗣️𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 & 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨
- 🩸 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚
- ☺️ 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙨, 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 & 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙞𝙣𝙜
- ⬆️ 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙭𝙮𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙣
To find out more about how one of our Therapy Dog teams can support your staff on RUOK? DAY send a DM or email [email protected]
Tag your workplace, your boss, share this post with them and let’s get the conversations started together.
September is THERAPY DOG AWARENESS MONTH… got a question, pop it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer it throughout the month.
❓How did I get in to this field?
This guy ⬇️
Ralph - the best boy, my first dog, gentle giant, lover of people
I adored him and I wanted to share him with every one. Probably how many TD handlers started.
I was lucky to be working at a school at the time that was open to teachers bringing their dogs to work every now and then (I’m no longer a fan of this, but we’ll save that for another day).
Every now and then I’d pop home at lunch, pick Ralph up and take him to the last few classes of the day.
I quickly noticed students were nice to each other, they would listen to other students talk, they were present, students smiled and laughed, they were happy and as a PE teacher…..
Students were ACTIVE.
Taking Ralph on laps around the court counted when it came to working with teenagers ok 🤗
I’d then have students ask when he’d be coming in again next so they could make sure they were at school for him 🤩
After noticing this at school, and my love for Ralph and wanting to share him with everyone, I set on my Therapy Dog journey.
Ralph and I were already part of a training club, reaching the top level quite quickly. I decided to do the dog training course being offered and then we completed one of the first therapy dog courses offered in Aus at the time through in 2010.
From here my dream began and I’m still working towards achieving it.
Ralph is the face of Mind Your Paws, he is the reason behind us, he inspired many owners to do more with their dogs, he loved everyone he met and most importantly…
He turned my life upside down for the better and set me on this journey in the TD world.
Here’s to RALPH, the legend… He will always be the face of Mind Your Paws.
If you met Ralph, share below what you remember most about him 🤗
September is THERAPY DOG AWARENESS MONTH… got a question, pop it in the comments below and I’ll Be sure to answer throughout the month
THERAPY DOG AWARENESS MONTH
September is all about Therapy Dogs which means I am going to celebrate my 3 amazing gorgeous floofs, my colleagues , our friends in the industry ALL whilst educating you about Therapy Dogs.
Comment below what you’d like to hear more about, ideas are always great.
Got a question about Therapy Dogs? Pop it down below and I’ll be sure to answer it throughout the month.
📸
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A massive thank you to Jaydene who has made this incredible donation 🐾
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Harlow and Scout had a fantastic visit at Forrest Parade School yesterday.
Did you know Forrest Parade was one of our first schools we ran programs in? We visited when the school first opened in 2017.
ASSISTANCE ANIMAL is the correct terminology used in Australian Legislation however I will refer to assistance dog (AD) in this post as I’m a dog page after all 🤗
You may have heard of other terms such as Service Dog, there is no difference, except service is American & as said above not the term used in our legislation.
ASSISTANCE DOGS
🟢 ARE protected by the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992. See section 9 for the requirements.
🟢 DO have public access rights. There are certain areas they may need extra permission to enter or not be allowed at all. For example sections of the Zoo and ICU. You will see ADs at the movies, shopping centres, planes, cafes/restaurants, medical clinics, educational settings, supermarkets, public transport etc
To fly with your dog you do need approval from the airline. Only certain airlines accept ADs so do your research first. From my understanding it’s not easy.
🟢 CAN BE guide/hearing dogs, psychiatric, medical alert… the list goes on. Remember some disabilities are hidden.
🟢 CAN BE owner trained or through an organisation. There’s pros and cons to each way you. Do you research and determine what is best for you. Purchasing a trainer AD from an organisation is expensive, as is training individually.
🟢 DO work for their handler. They are focussed on their person whilst working.
🟢 ARE task trained specifically for their handler. Each AD will have a good unique set of skills that supports their handlers disability.
🟢 DO have different requirements to meet depending on the state/territory teams are in. Here in the NT, AD teams need to meet the DDA 1992 only. We don’t have a public transport pass as some other states do.
🟢 CAN BE questioned and asked if they are an AD and for evidence of training or if the workplace/venue suspects the AD is unwell & protecting health of the public or other animals is required.
👇🏼 Where have you seen an AD working?
👇🏼 Any other questions re AD? Pop em down below.
Hopefully this clears up some questions the community has and shows the difference between ADs and TDs.
THERAPY DOGS…
There’s plenty of confusion in the community about all the different working dogs out there and people using the wrong classification for their dog or advising clients incorrectly.
As Therapy Dogs are our niche, here’s a little info to help clear things up.
𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗚𝗦
𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩
🟢 Work for their handler/owner.
- TDs work alongside their handler, helping clients work towards achieving their goals or outcomes set out in a plan.
🟢 Need to pass a PAT test
- PAT (Public Access Test) tests are for Assistance Dogs. Depending on the state you are in this may be required, but not for TD work.
🟢 Have public access rights.
- TDs are allowed places they are invited and have permission to enter usually meaning an animal assisted activity of some sort will be conducted and facilitated by the TDs handler. TDs are seen in Hospitals, Schools, Workplaces, Mental Health Centres, Allied Centres, Medical clinics etc.
🟢 ARE NOT the same as Assistance Dogs.
- Assistance dogs mitigate a person’s disability.
If you have any questions about Therapy Dogs pop them down below and I’ll be happy to answer 👇🏼
Please click SHARE so we can educate the community and stop the confusion.
Interested in an activity to do with your dog, mantrailing is the one!!
It's the only activity that exhausts Chip. Getting out in to the bush, watching your furry friend use their nose and find someone hiding is pretty cool. Plus it's a great way to keep active too.
Great activity for dogs of all ages and all breeds.
Send a message to learn more
Chips Rally journey started last night, competing in his first ever competition at the Royal Darwin Show.
Started rough, sniffing the ground for the first few stations but he still managed to do the obstacles. More heel work is required, when he gets on a smell he shoots off, thankfully in Novice he’s still on lead.
It’s been so long since I’ve done a novice course, as we moved towards the end I thought I’d skipped half the course, thankfully I didn’t.
Pleased to say the little Chip-a-Dood, try hard chocolate, Chipsqueak, Chipanator came…..
🥇
With a score of 97/100. How amazing is that!!!
Scoutie couldn’t let his lil bro have the limelight, he also came 🥇 matching his score 97/100. He needs 4 more qualies to receive his championship.
Swipe 👉🏼 to see Chip, Scout, Django and Razzle showing off their ribbons.
🧡 Want to see Chips video… sign up to our online RALLY course and join Chip on this journey.
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What can I say about this guy? He’s a raging lunatic on the agility course and he sends me crazy. I swear he sees the big equipment on the course and he thinks ‘yep, time to do what I want and run like mad’. Everything is a race, he has to be in front but then cracks it and tells me off coz he doesn’t know what to do. When he’s switched on, he’s amazing. If only this was all the time. But… last night was still successful in both runs. 🐶 Novice Agility He missed a few things but he entered the weave poles perfectly. He may not have completed them but we can work on this. Normally he like to enter at number 2 or 3 in a comp and it drives me mad. He also took off and I just tried to keep up with him as much as I could. 🐶 Novice Jumping It wasn’t technically correct but sometimes you just got to do what you got to do. A few rear crosses, but it saves me from getting cleaned up by him. Scout received his 4th qualie in novice jumping, one more and we move up to the next level 😬 He’ll forever test my patience, but he’ll forever be my greatest teacher!!!
Our last night at the show had Harlow competing in Excellent Jumping and Novice Agility. Scout was in Novice Jumping & Agility. We didn’t get any qualies but we sure had fun and that was the most important part. I expected Harlow to be super nervous and potentially be scared and not one to go on the field. She can be unsure when places she’s use to change, such as the loud noises and people watching on the side. I was super happy she completed both the courses, looking spectacular as per usual
Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?
Mind Your Paws offers a variety of services including dog training and therapy dog visits. Our dog training programs are aimed at all breeds, all ages and all temperaments. We offer both group classes (puppy, beginner, intermediate and advanced) and private lessons where we come to you. Training at Mind Your Paws is reward based, utilising the language learnt in obedience skills to help improve your dogs manners in and outside of the home and ultimately building the relationship you have with your dog. There's nothing better than having a dog you can trust wherever you take them. Therapy Dog programs are tailored to suit each individual organisation and their outcomes. We can help to create individual and group programs with specific goals. To find out more about our services head to www.mindyourpaws.com.au or contact Kristy on 0400 298 505, we're always happy to chat.
