Four Positive Paws

14/11/2025

What would your dogs favourite day look like?

🍗 Wake up to a roast chicken dinner. 🍗

🏝 A sniffari in the Forest with lots of scent to explore. 🏝

😴 Nap time. 😴

🐾 A mooch around the garden. 🐾

🍗 Snack time. 🍗

🧠 Another snooze. 🧠

😋 A favourite dinner. 😋

😴 Bed. 😴

Share a snippet of your Dogs perfect day in the comments below...

12/11/2025

How many times?

How many times does your dog have a big reaction on your walks?

How do you feel about those reactions?

Would you prefer a calmer more relaxed walk?

Feel like you've tried everything and nothing is working?

Sometimes small adjustments to our walks and they way we use the lead can make a big difference.

I didn't believe that when I first discovered a way to use the lead that could create walks with less pulling, calmer responses instead of big reactions and a much more enjoyable time spent with my dogs.

This lead technique was introduced to me by Sheila Harper - Canine Education

At first I felt resistant and wasn't entirely convinced it could work.

Thankfully I parked my old beliefs and judgements, opened my mind to what could be possible and stuck with it when things felt tough.

What happened? Walks were transformed, my investment in learning paid off and I gained more connected, confident, calmer walks that felt safe and enjoyable.

Frowns became smiles as we progressed.

I have adopted and adapted this lead technique over many years so that I can help people struggling with a pulling, reactive dog enjoy safer, calmer walks.

Why not drop me a message to find out how your walks could be transformed too

Walks with Confidence - Dawn Allen at Four Positive Paws

10/11/2025

How Many Relationships Do You Have With Your Dog?

Trusted care giver, Guardian, Teacher?

08/11/2025

Can you learn from your Dog?

When we open our minds and hearts:

We can create a safe, stable relationship based on trust.

We optimise opportunities for positive progression and learning about each others preferences.

We stop pushing and pressurising our Dogs to behave the way we think they should and instead open up a dialogue to discover what our Dog needs to behave in a way that embraces their individuality.

How we can learn from our Dogs?

When we truly, consciously pause to look and listen to our Dogs body language and communication in different contexts.

When we source positive, force free information from ethical professionals about canine communication.

When we accept that our Dogs are doing their best to let us know how they are feeling and may need us to make some adjustments to support them.

When we consider life from our Dogs perspective as well as our own.

Strong beliefs, outmoded methods and compelling, often conflicting opinions can leave us feeling overwhelmed, confused and frustrated.

When we invest time to listen to our hearts and open our minds we often open up to how we feel and how we can be better and best guardians, teachers and coaches for ourselves and our Dogs.

There is often a strong focus on discipline, dominance, obedience, a firm hand, control, showing a dog who is boss. It can be compelling to feel as though this is the 'right' way to 'own' a dog.

There are more opportunities now than ever before to learn about relationship and consent based co-habiting. It is a fresh and refreshing way to create harmony and well being for and with our Dogs and ourselves.

I love working with guardians that commit to learning about how to optimise their own knowledge and skills so that they become their Dogs best teacher, supporter and coach.

I love the observable changes and shifts in behaviours I see and the progress that is possible with a more natural approach that aligns and connects the canine - human relationship.

Four Positive Paws was started back in 2011 when I discovered there were simple, kind and compassionate ways to work with Dogs and their humans.

I am grateful that I took this pathway and continue to develop and enhance my skills and experience so that I can help and support people and Dogs that are struggling with behaviours that can be worrying and frustrating.

Drop me an email if you would like to find out more about how I work and how that might work for you.



Staying Safe - Dawn Allen-Four Positive Paws

05/11/2025

Conflicted and Confused.

🐾Have you started to feel overwhelmed with the amount of information about dog training and behaviour?

🐾Do you find it confusing when there are so many different methods and promises about behaviour change?

🐾Has this left you feeling conflicted about what might be best for you and your dog?

The truth is, there is no one size fits all solution.

Your dog is a sentient being with specific, individual needs.

Promises and blanket statements don't do you or your dog justice.

Statements that include 'dogs love', 'dogs must', dogs must not' lead us into thinking that this is a truth.

There are regular incidents of dogs fighting and biting and walks come with significant risks due to too many people having dogs off lead that create that risk.

It's understandable that you reach out for ways to change your dogs behaviour.

Television programmes, Social Media, Facebook Groups other dog guardians give out information, often free and this can start to create confusion.

🐶What do you need to do, which bit of advice do you implement, will it work for your dog?

🐶What choices do you have?

Free advice is tempting but can be costly if it goes wrong.

Consider your own learning style, how you feel about your dogs well being, what your beliefs are around training methods and how serious or worrying your dogs behaviour is.

Reach out to a qualified, experienced professional that specialises in your dogs behaviour and have a chat.

You are under no pressure to buy. You can compare different methods, prices, services and make an informed decision that aligns with your values.

People that I typically support have a desire to commit to making some adjustments to help their dog, they want to use force free, kind and compassionate methods and understand that change can take time.

If you are curious about working in a dog and person centred way without judgement drop me a message.

Your dog is an individual - Woofers not Widgets 😊



Stay safe - Dawn Allen - Four Positive Paws

03/11/2025

💛 Welcome to Four Positive Paws

Hi, I’m Dawn, Certified Canine Behaviourist and founder of Four Positive Paws.

I help people living with reactive, anxious, or fearful dogs, the ones who bark, lunge, or find the world a bit too much sometimes.

I know how it feels to love your dog deeply but worry about every walk or visitor, I’ve been there too.

When we work together, whether in person or remotely, I’ll help you understand what’s driving your dog’s behaviour and how to support them in everyday life so that you can both feel calmer, safer, and more in control.

Everything I do is kind, ethical, and force-free, with no judgment, just empathy, practical guidance, and positive progress.

Change is possible and it starts with feeling safe and supported. 💛

02/11/2025

Do you have a false sense of security?

Have you been told your dog is simply a frustrated greeter?

Are you managing your dogs behaviour on walks?

How often does your dog have a big reaction to an unfamiliar dog or person?

If you are ever worried about your walks and would love to feel more relaxed with your dog there are ways to safely create change and build confidence.

So what if you've been told your dog is just frustrated?

What does that mean?

Is it a case of reducing that frustration by allowing your dog to meet and greet unfamiliar dogs?

Is this a safe option for you, your dog, other dogs and people?

Labels can lead us into a false sense of security. It can create a belief that our dog just needs to 'say hello' and then they will relax.

Too close is too late if you don't have the necessary skills to read your own dogs and other dogs body language and communication.

Not all communication is obvious and clear.

Don't be lulled into a false sense of security and put yourself and your dog at risk.

We all want the answers and the solutions and not many people knowingly or willingly live with a dog that is displaying reactive behaviour.

Safety is front and centre of how I work to help people enjoy safer walks with less worry.

Drop me a message if you'd like to find out more about positive progress without causing harm, fear or frustration.

Feel free to drop a comment about your own experiences or a picture of your dog for tax : )

28/10/2025

Do you do Halloween 🎃?

We don't.

27/10/2025

24/10/2025

24/10/2025

No Means No 🐾

Walking a dog who feels uncomfortable around unfamiliar dogs can be worrying.

Choosing a safe space to walk doesn’t have to mean isolation or avoidance. There are plenty of on-lead only routes and quieter areas where your dog can feel more relaxed.

Making positive choices to support a dog that struggles on walks can make the difference between a calm, enjoyable walk and a stressful experience.

Even after choosing a safe route, it can be frustrating when someone ignores those boundaries, putting dogs and guardians into a vulnerable situation.

Just because your dog is friendly, has great recall, or means no harm, it doesn’t change how a worried dog or guardian feels in that moment.

Advocating for your dog is not about conflict and avoidance it’s about creating safety and calm.

“No” is a complete sentence.

An explanation isn’t always necessary, even though we might wish for the perfect words.

As Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski puts it, sometimes simply saying “no” is enough.

Some dogs may behave aggressively in certain contexts, which is why it’s so important to consider the situation and give dogs space when needed.

Tip: If another dog approaches, pause and create distance.

Even a small step or using a natural barrier can help them feel safer and prevent tension from escalating.

Remember: asking for space is not offensive it’s advocating for the safety and wellbeing of your dog.

How someone perceives that request says more about them than it does about you or your dog.

Staying Safe One Walk at a time. Dawn at Four Positive Paws