Pawtastic Dog Services- dog walking & training

27/02/2025

Ares, in the picture, decided to hop into my car after our training session, probably hoping for a lift.

Today was our fourth session, and we focused on gradually decreasing the distance to other dogs while reinforcing calmness through games and redirection. We also incorporated regular breaks to settle and observe triggers from a distance, rewarding Ares for staying relaxed.

For most of the session, he worked muzzle-free, which noticeably reduced his frustration and allowed him to engage more fully in the games. It was clear that a lot of prior training had gone into his progress—his responsiveness to cues and impulse control have significantly improved since our last session.

Amazing work, Team Ares! 👏

24/02/2025

Brilliant Marshal and his pawrents did some amazing job tonight. His temperament is ideal for training as he has shown high drive and being able to calm down quickly.

Building foundation skills in dog training may seem easy or even pointless to some, but it is crucial to progress reliably in various behaviours.

Marshall received a variety of rewards as motivators. These included food, praise, games, toys, attention, and affection.

Super job team Marshall!

22/02/2025

Whether your pup needs an adventure, structured exercise, or a confidence boost, I provide expert-led walks that prioritise their needs and well-being.

Areas covered: Stapleton, Eastville, Frenchay, UWE, Fishponds, Downend

📍 Local & Flexible | 📅 Book Now | Happy Dogs, Happy Owners!

📩 DM me to schedule your pup’s perfect walk.

https://pawtasticdogservices.co.uk/

Pawtastic Dog Services offer professional dog walking, training, addressing behavioural issues supported with a through phone consultation, personalised and detailed training plan and training sessions. Regular WhatsApp support and check ups. This is a fully insured Bristol based business with passi...

21/02/2025

We had a fantastic session with Lola and her dedicated pawrents today as we began her journey toward dog and people neutrality.

Lola is incredibly food-driven and eager to please, which is a great advantage. However, recognising her threshold of tolerance is fundamental. If we work too close to her triggers too soon, she may become too aroused not only to accept food but also turning what should be a positive learning experience into something overwhelming.

When a dog is over-threshold, counterconditioning, changing their emotional response, becomes counterproductive.

Keys to success:

🌟 Confidence first – before facing triggers, we focus on skills that build self-assurance.
🌟 Impulse control – teaching Lola to regulate her excitement helps her stay engaged.
🌟 Gradual exposure – increasing difficulty only when she’s truly ready.

By taking a patient, structured approach, we set Lola up for long-term success in handling real-world challenges.

Reactivity training is all about progress, not perfection, one step at a time.

21/02/2025

Here are some snapshots of my latest Pawtastic Dog Services reviews. Not only I'm grateful beyond words, but I also delighted to see my clients growing in confidence with their training.

Your kind words, honest feedback, and shared success stories help other dog guardians find the support they need. Also, they remind me why I love what I do.

Seeing your dogs grow in confidence, focus, and joy is the greatest reward. Thank you for trusting me with your pups and for taking the time to share your journey.

If my training has helped you and your dog, I’d love to hear your experience! Your review makes a huge difference.

17/02/2025

Our outdoor session with Norman and Lola was all about practising in real-life scenarios with multiple distractions. And they absolutely smashed it.

✅ Recall Games – We started at a distance, building strong responses even with distractions around.

✅ Redirection & Neutrality – Worked on smoothly disengaging from distractions and reinforcing calm responses.

✅ Calmness & Loose Lead Walking – Practiced staying relaxed near other dogs while keeping engagement and communication strong.

Super proud of these two.
Keep up the great work, Lola & Norman 🥳

14/02/2025

Suki aced her training session today.

Our aum was to help her stay calm around triggers while keeping training fun for the whole family. And wow, did she deliver.

From locking in eye contact to happily going into her bed and stay on cue, Suki tackled every game with enthusiasm. The dopamine-boosting mouse game, she loved it.

Training through games isn’t just fun for dogs, it keeps the whole family engaged, especially the little ones. And with everyone on board, consistency should get easier.

Who else loves using games to teach their pups? Drop your favourite in the comments.

10/02/2025

We had some productive sessions with Reggie & Remi today. Both different breeds and temperaments but starting with the same learning opportunities. The engagement, zest and will to pick up new skills were 100% there. What a pleasure!

Start early, succeed for life.

Puppy brain is like a sponge. This is because 5-12 weeks of age is the most powerful learning time in your dogs' life. The earlier you start training, the easier it is to prevent bad habits and build confidence, trust, and communication.

✅ Socislisation matter – Early exposure to different people, dogs, and environments helps prevent fear and reactivity later.
✅ Good habits from day one– It’s much easier to teach a puppy what to do than to fix problem behaviours later.
✅ Bonding & Trusting – Training builds a strong relationship, making you your puppy’s safe place in any situation.
✅ Brain Development– Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise for a growing pup.

Start training now, and you’ll set your puppy up for a lifetime of success.

Need help? Let’s chat.

10/02/2025

How do dogs boost our mental health?

It’s no secret that dogs make us happier, but did you know there’s solid science behind their impact on mental well-being?

Stress reduction– Interacting with dogs increases oxytosin, the love hormone, while lowering cortisol,  the stress hormone. Just petting a dog can bring a sense of calm and connection.

Improved mood – Dogs help stimulate dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters linked to happiness. Their companionship can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.

More movement– Daily walks with a dog encourage exercise, which releases endorphins, improving mood, and reducing stress.

Social connection – Dogs help people connect. Whether it’s meeting other dog owners or having a furry friend to confide in, social bonds strengthen mental health.

Routine and purpose– Taking care of a dog provides structure and responsibility, which can help combat feelings of loneliness and provide a sense of purpose.

Science agrees—dogs truly are therapy on four paws.

What’s something your dog does that lifts your mood instantly?

09/02/2025

🎉 Limited spaces available in Pawtastic Training Classes 🎉

Looking to energise the bond with your dog, create reliable skills, or dazzle with performance moves?

✨ Our training classes have something for every dog and caregiver.🐾

🥉Bronze - Energise Your Obedience:
Master the effective communication with your dog. Build focus, fundamental cues, and reliable responses while having fun.

🥈Silver - Socialisation, Neutrality, & Engagement:
Take your training to the next level with socialization skills, calm neutrality, and engagement games that strengthen connection and confidence.

🥇Gold - Heelwork to Music:
Unleash your inner performer. Learn creative heelwork routines that showcase precision and style.🎶

Whether you're just starting out or aiming for gold, we’ve got a class for you🌟

📆 Limited spots available. Book now to join the fun and help your dog shine 👊

More details:
https://pawtasticdogservices.co.uk/training-classes/

Send me a message, and I will contact you with many more details.

07/02/2025

🏆 Bramble Smashing Goals! 🏆

Another fantastic session with the wonderful Bramble and his dedicated pawrents today. He almost made it to bed at the end—progress in action.

We focused on stimulus control around food and movemen, both triggers for Bramble. As a lighthouse, he needs structured skills to build confidence and calmness. That means breaking things down, reinforcing the right moments, and making success inevitable.

Exercises we covered today:

🔹 Impulse control—gradual movement introduction
🔹 Intro to focused heel—building engagement & precision
🔹 Flirt pole activity—wait ➡️ move ➡️ release ➡️ chase ➡️ grab ➡️ parade
🔹 Mouse game—dopamine boost while watching slow movement, release & grab

Team Bramble, you’re smashing it with your commitment & consistency. Keep up the amazing work!

05/02/2025

I'm proud of everyone participating in our Energise Your Obedience class tonight.

Your progress is clear evidence that consistency, clear communication & positive reinforcement create the expected results in dog training.

04/02/2025

Loose Lead Walking with Max

Teaching your dog to walk calmly on a lead can be frustrating and time-consuming, as success depends on many factors. Some breeds, like draught dogs, may take longer to master the skill since they were bred to pull carts or sledges.

Even when we teach loose lead walking, dogs may still pull due to frustration, fear, or difficulty managing their emotions around distractions and triggers.

Clear communication, rewarding calm behaviour, and providing healthy outlets for both mental and physical stimulation all contribute to a more balanced and focused dog. In addition, working on stimulus control, encouraging regular eye contact, and offering reassurance can make the process smoother.

By taking a holistic approach tailored to each individual dog, we can build a reliable and enjoyable loose lead walking experience.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding your dog training.

To watch a full video, go to my You Tube channel:

https://youtu.be/Y8lJ12MGc1c?si=sjG4bhyURh-w9vep

29/01/2025

✨ Energise Your Obedience class tonight ✨

Huge shoutout to all the incredible teams in today’s session. Seeing both caregivers and their dogs grow in confidence, engagement, and communication is what it’s all about.

We focused on building reliable behaviours round distractions and dog neutrality, using fun, structured games. From handling calmness in close proximity to other dogs to strengthening focus under distraction, every team stepped up to the challenge, and it showed.

The best part? Watching the joy on dogs' faces as they tackled each task with enthusiasm, alongside caregivers who are putting in the work between sessions.

It's the third class for this group and they all working consistently to gradually reinforce the reliability of behaviours round distractions, dog neutrality and managing overarousal.

Proud of everyone today – keep up the fantastic progress.

27/01/2025

Our session with Rolo today was to address his jumping up habits when overaroused.

We're gradually building and rewarding impulse control, calmness, and new skills to help him manage his over-excitement round visitors.

We worked on:
- effective marking
- reward timing and handling
- solid eye contact with four paws in the floor
- polite approaches
- charging this way cue
- bed send
- prolonged settle

Our next session will offer more structure, practice, and rewards for welcoming guests in a low arisal state.

#

25/01/2025

Today, we had three very different sessions. One with Misty to address her resource guarding habits. The second one, with amazing Disco to start working on dog neutrality outdoors and the third one with Nova, who is highly reactive to moving objects, animals and joggers.

Reactivity to movement, whether it’s bikes, joggers, or other dogs, is a common challenge for many dogs. But did you know that practising calmness at a distance from triggers can rewire your dog’s brain?

Here’s the science: when your dog reacts to a trigger, their fight-or-flight response engages, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Over time, repeated reactions can turn into a habit, hard-wiring reactivity into their brain. However, there’s good news, this response can be counterconditioned with patience and consistent practice.

Why distance matter?

The closer a dog is to a trigger, the harder it is for them to think clearly. From a safe distance ,where your dog notices the trigger but remains under threshold, they can process the situation without going over their limit. This is where calmness training shines.

Counterconditioning process:

1️⃣ Start far enough from the trigger so your dog is aware but relaxed—this is their “calm learning zone.”

2️⃣ Reward calm behaviours like looking at the trigger and back to you. Pair the presence of the trigger with positive reinforcement e.g., treats, praise, reassurence with continous clear communications to lower the stress level.

3️⃣ Gradually decrease the distance over time as your dog builds confidence and forms new, positive associations.

The goal:

Through repetition, we teach our dogs that movement triggers don’t mean danger or frustration but good things. This process rewires their emotional response, reducing the urge to react.

Remember, reactivity isn’t a quick fix, but each calm interaction at a distance is a step towards lifelong success. Celebrate the small wins, you and your dog are a team, and progress happens together.

Have you practised counterconditioning with your dog? Share your success stories or questions below

24/01/2025

Dogs live in the moment, find joy in the simplest things, and show us how love and trust can change everything. Let’s strive to see the world through their eyes with curiosity, kindness, and an open heart.

19/01/2025

🎉 Level Up Your Dog Training! 🎉

Looking to energise the bond with your dog, create reliable skills, or dazzle with performance moves?

✨ Our training classes have something for every dog and caregiver.🐾

🥉Bronze - Energise Your Obedience:
Master the effective communication with your dog. Build focus, fundamental cues, and reliable responses while having fun.

🥈Silver - Socialisation, Neutrality, & Engagement:
Take your training to the next level with socialization skills, calm neutrality, and engagement games that strengthen connection and confidence.

🥇Gold - Heelwork to Music:
Unleash your inner performer. Learn creative heelwork routines that showcase precision and style.🎶

Whether you're just starting out or aiming for gold, we’ve got a class for you🌟

📆 Limited spots available. Book now to join the fun and help your dog shine 👊

More details:
https://pawtasticdogservices.co.uk/training-classes/

Send me a message, and I will contact you with many more details.