Four Positive Paws

25/12/2024

Food safety for the festive season.

Here's your Christmas Eve reminder of festive foods that should stay out of reach of your pooches 🎄☕

[Image description: An infographic about Festive Food Safety. The advice includes keeping human treats out of reach of dogs, teaching your dog to 'leave it', no christmas cake, mince pies, christmas pudding or chocolate, no hot chocolate, mulled wine or alcohol, watch out for holly berries and mistletoe as they can cause vomiting and avoid onions, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives.]

24/12/2024

Seasonal best wishes to all of my wonderful clients, their amazing dogs and all the people that I have met, worked with and connected with this year.

I am so grateful for being part of and connected during the journey.

Learning, discovery, success and challenges have been navigated.

I am also thankful that I belong to a number of wonderful memberships and professional associations that provide support and continuous learning so that I can be the best I can be for myself and others.

It has been a tough year for so many and I hope that however we spend the next week that it brings some time for our own individual thoughts and moments to reflect on what was 2024.

There has been joy as well as grief, welcoming new people and dogs into our lives and sadly having to say our last goodbyes.

Christmas isn't always a happy time for everyone. What I do hope is that we can take good care of ourselves and others in need in our own way.

I have a lot to be grateful and thankful for.

Wishing you all love and kindness, compassion, hope and inspiration for 2025

23/12/2024

How can we help our vets to help our dogs?

When our dog is feeling unwell it can really make a difference when visiting the vet if we have made a note of the symptoms.

Capture some video footage if possible and appropriate.

Be prepared and plan the visit so that stress and anxiety is minimised for our dog and ourselves.

Write a list of the symptoms and any questions you may have.

Being as calm, clear and concise as possible can safe time and confusion.

If your dog is likely to be really anxious, fearful or reactive leave your dog in the car and go into the surgery to check whether the vet is ready. If you don't have a vehicle and are walking in to the vets, can you see inside the waiting room?

If the waiting room is full perhaps call the receptionist to let them know you have arrive and have a mooch/sniffari with your dog until the vet is ready.

It can also be a good idea to ask your vet to scan your dog to ensure the microchip can be read and is up to date.

We can advocate for our dogs. We can ask questions about what will happen during the examination and step in if our dog is struggling.

These are just a few things that can help our vets, our dogs and ourselves when our dogs are poorly.

For context, this is about our dogs that may have gone lame, be under the weather and out of sorts, may have been vomiting or had an upset tummy, suspected ear infection, allergies, flare ups of existing conditions, the routine needs when we see our vet.

Emergencies are slightly different because a vet may have to act very quickly and their focus will be on saving a life and reducing risk to the dog.

Our dogs may need the vet at any time. Taking a moment to consider what needs to be discussed, making that list and putting in a good management plan can make the vet experience as positive as possible.

02/12/2024

What’s the real problem?

A dog pulling on the lead could simply be irritating.

It could be risky and potentially result in being pulled over.

Being pulled over might just be embarrassing or annoying or it could result in a significant injury.

Our dog may slip out of the harness or collar or you may have the lead pulled from your hand resulting in the dog getting loose.

A loose dog is at high risk of getting run over, going on the run for days, weeks or months or getting into a negative situation with other people or dogs.

A dog that lunges at other people, dogs or traffic could also be irritating or embarrassing.

A dog that lunges could cause significant fear in other people and dogs and could even result in physical contact that causes harm.

When a dog causes significant fear or causes harm there is a risk of legal action being taken and serious consequences.

Instead of struggling to walk the dog and attempting to deal with the symptoms why not dig deeper and get to the root cause of the problem so that progress can be made to prevent, manage and reduce the risk?

We never believe things will go wrong until they do.

Getting help early on with our dogs behaviours that worry us doesn’t commonly happen.

Attending a class for a few weeks can provide some of the basics. The big wide world will present a huge variety of challenges and issues that we may not be prepared for.

Safety is not always on our minds until there is a reason to feel unsafe.

Being proactive and getting on board with preventative strategies can really be a game changer.

Proactive and preventative strategies have kept me., my clients and our dogs safe in some really tricky situations.

This is why I love teaching people how to prevent problems, enjoy walks and feel safe.

But, what if we have struggled with the problem behaviour for a while and we are struggling to find a solution to make things better and safer? Is it too late for change?

It’s never too late! There is always a way to make changes.

The hardest step to take is often that first step, we might not know what to ask, where to start, what those next steps look like and how to go about it.

Reaching out and asking about what support is available is when we start to see what is possible.

Taking that first step can be a real game changer

“Before we started working with Dawn on her 8 week programme, we were feeling pretty down about how fearful and reactive our 1 yr old cavapoo Reggie was. Stress levels for him and us were running high and we felt overwhelmed by the conflicting information out there online. Dawn is calm, kind and compassionate towards both the dogs and humans she works with! She has helped us understand the world from Reggie's perspective and build a closer relationship with him. We are also able to reframe walks and their purpose and benefits to Reggie. It's not about hours of exercise but about quality and calm experiences. Whilst Reggie still struggles with other dogs we are able to handle and manage situations much better and advocate for what he needs. His lead pulling is also much improved. Still very much work in progress but progress is definitely happening. Thank you Dawn for being a great source of information, education and kindness”

I really appreciate all of my clients that take that first step to getting help and support and want to understand their dogs so that progress is possible.

27/11/2024

Dogs that behave in a fearful, anxious and reactive way need support not punishment or correction.

When we show compassion and empathy towards our individual dogs needs we open up the door to a world that is bigger and better than it would be if we simply focused on fixing our dog without considering the underlying reason for the behaviour.

When we are struggling with an emotion or physical challenge the last thing we need is to be told we are stupid or silly. We don't need to be flooded with suggestions and opinions about what to 'do' to fix our struggle.

We don't want or need to be told to suck it up, get on with it and pull ourselves together.

What can be of greatest help is to be heard and understood and to feel safe and supported.

Our Dogs need us to hear and understand them, to feel safe and supported when they are struggling from their perspective.

Even if we think that our Dogs are safe, even if we do think they might be 'playing up', being 'stubborn' and a word I heard describing a dogs behaviour recently 'beligerant' our Dogs need us to listen and get curious about how they are feeling and what they need to feel better in and of themselves.

There are many ways a dog communicates that they are struggling.

I love teaching people how to understand their dogs better so that they can facilitate their dogs needs. This is especially important with fearful, anxious and reactive behaviour.

Understanding our Dogs, translating their communication and taking simple steps to help them to feel safe can be the difference between a warning and a bite.

Using force or fear when a dog is resorting to high level warnings like growls or even a snap may offer a very temporary pause in some cases.

The underlying cause and emotion is still there. The behaviour has been supressed, momentarily. It is unlikely to go away forever.

Some dogs, when they have escalated their communication and warnings to a growl or a snap, if threatened or harmed from their perspective will go ahead and bite.

How serious that bite will be depends on a lot of factors.

I help people to understand what to do and what not to do to keep themselves, their dogs and others safe.

I understand how it can feel to live with a dog that has bitten or attempted to bite. I understand the fall out when this happens and how challenging those next steps and decisions can be.

Prevention is our friend. Punishment isn't the answer. Stepping up to understand our dogs and take the steps needed is the way forward.

My behaviour support roadmap is not off the shelf because one size doesn't fit all. It has been designed to offer the most beneficial support tailored to individual needs and circumstances.

We owe it to ourselves and our dogs to educate in a compassionate and force free way that can make the world of difference.

Curious and want to find out more about how you can get help right now to make life a lot better?

Message me or book a complimentary discovery call.

We can be the difference our Dog needs for our own and their best life.

27/11/2024

How can we make adjustments for safer and more enjoyable walks?

Parallel walking.

Consider how you feel when a person is walking straight towards you while you are in a Supermarket.

Consider the non verbal communication and body language you both engage in.

Consider how you feel if that person ignores your own signals to avoid getting too close or even a potential collision (they may be on their phone or not paying attention).

Think about them getting too close and you having to dodge out of their way and how you feel if it happens more than once with different people during your shop.

We all have our own comfort zone with personal space. It varies depending on the context, environment, situation and familiarity with the other person.

Our dogs also have their own comfort zone.

How often do you have a person with or without a dog make a head to head approach towards you and your dog?

How do you feel when it happens?

How does your dog feel when it happens?

Some dogs will clearly communicate how they feel. That may be a big emotional response, a big verbal reaction, a lunge or it could be a medium response, a growl or grumble and a pull forward on the lead.

It could be less obvious. I have a dog that does not vocalise now and does not lunge. To a person looking at us he would appear to be 'fine'. But he isn't fine at all. He is currently uncomfortable around unfamiliar dogs.

When you are at your end of the lead, you may see and experience obvious communications from your dog that they need more space but often I see dogs that are not fine andt this is not easy to observe from the other end of the lead.

Head to head approaches can be very uncomfortable for dogs and for people too.

How often are we seeing reels on social media now that feature a stressed, anxious or fearful dog on a lead being walked directly towards another dog to get them used to it and to face their fears?

How do we avoid this or reduce the number of times we are approached head to head by an unfamiliar dog and person?

Parallel walking.

Parallel walking at the right distance for our individual dog can offer relief, take the pressure off and make a very unpleasant feeling feel a lot better.

I love teaching safe lead and handling skills because the benefits are so tangible for both ends of the lead.

Safe lead skills can make a huge difference to a walk for reduced pulling and lunging as well as a slower, sniffier and better quality of walk that optimises calmness and peace of mind.

I include safe lead skills to all of my behaviour clients as a fundamental foundation for positive progress for fearful, anxious and reactive behaviours.

I also love teaching this on line for people that live too far away to have an in person programme and want to learn about this fabulous lead technique and all that is included in the full behaviour programmes.

If you would like to find out more I have popped a link in the comments.

26/11/2024

Living with dogs that stretch us.

Behaviour issues can be particularly stretching for us and can put significant demands on our resources.

I am so proud of my clients that go above and beyond to reach out for support and advocate for their dogs.

Sometimes behaviours are well practised and change can take time.

Having the commitment, dedication, desire and compassion to support a dog that is often struggling can be a game changer.

I really do appreciate and value the work that I do and the people and dogs that I get to meet.

Success means different things to different people and dogs.

I see confidence, trust and relationships build, I see skills and knowledge developed and I see improvement in quality of life as well as peace of mind.

Thank you to all of you amazing guardians and your fabulous dogs.

I really appreciate your feedback too.

'Dawn is excellent. We were having some behavioural issues with our 8 year old Cockapoo, who had picked up some bad habits over the years. Since we are thinking about getting another dog, we thought it was best to try and iron out these issues, so our current dog, Wilbur, was feeling happier and more secure, before we considered a new addition.

Dawn has helped us to create a much more confident Wilbur. He has become so much more sure of himself which is so lovely to see.

Working with Dawn has been an absolute pleasure.

As a family, she has taught us copiously, in regard to our own body language, Wilbur’s body language, simplifying commands and scent work.

Wilbur has always had an issue with resource guarding.

Since having our sessions with Dawn, we have noticed considerable improvement in this behaviour.

He now responds exceptionally well to the command to leave the item. I never would have thought this possible before!

I have thoroughly enjoyed our 6 week course with Dawn.
She is extremely knowledgable, friendly, and has given me so much confidence in regard to understanding Wilbur. Her thorough written feedback after each session has been incredibly helpful too, and allows me to reread and understand our sessions even after our course has ended.

Wilbur is my ultimate best friend, and Dawn has massively helped to strengthen our bond further and improve both of our lives.
I could not recommend more. Thank you Dawn.'

I offer a free initial discovery call which can now be over the phone or zoom. The benefit of the call is to find out how we can work together in a way that suits you and your dogs individual needs.

You can choose a date and time via my website, the link is in the comments below.

24/11/2024

Calmness and connection as a foundation for positive progress.

When we are struggling to understand our dogs behaviour and when we are feeling at a loss at what to do for the best, creating a foundation of calmness can give us some much needed respite.

Calm connections can help ground us and our dogs and can give us both a window to create a positive learning opportunity.

Instead of jumping right in to train the dog or to stop the behaviour we need to uncover the reason for the behaviour and why our dog may need to be doing what they are doing.

I absolutely love supporting people to navigate challenges and put together the pieces of the behaviour puzzle.

I am so appreciative of what is possible when a guardian is fully invested in their dogs well being and curious about what can be realised for peace of mind and a best quality of life.

Thank you for being a fabulous person to work with, for taking such great care of Rocky and for giving me the opportunity to meet and work with you both.

"Dawn is great, really calm and not just a dog person but a people person too. We choose the eight week reactive to responsive behavior programme for our dog Rocky, he was really struggling with meeting other dogs, excessive digging of the carpet, stealing our stuff, and mouthing visitors to name but a few. Dawn coached us and gave support at the sessions, detailed notes via email and lots of extra resources to read and watch this helped us understand Rocky. Dawn also gave us a truly fabulous book called on talking terms with dogs: calming signals by Turid Rugaas.
Rocky is more calm, walks are less stressful, now that we have lots of coping mechanisms for certain behaviors and situations, I think it’s still a work in progress and takes time and dedication on our part to support our dog as he grows but would not have had these tools if, it wasn’t for Dawn".

23/11/2024

We love Equafleece.

Great quality, hard wearing, wash well, dry quickly and comfy for the dogs.

We prefer the tankie fleece for optimum freedom of movement.

20/11/2024

Discovering safe walks

We love discovering new spaces to add to our safe walks menu.

Finding a space that is shared by others that we can use safely to reduce the risk of inappropriate approaches from unskilled dogs feels really great.

The walk may look and feel different from a ‘normal’ walk but it can be really fulfilling and we don’t have to feel deprived or feel that we are depriving our dogs.

This video is nice example of how we can enhance and optimise our walks in a public space by finding a spot that suits us and our dogs.

Choosing an off peak time makes this walk even better so we may choose a week day or a rainy day to explore it.

Plenty of mental and physical stimulation for both ends of the lead.

Peace of mind for a WISE (Walks In Safe Environments) walk.

18/11/2024

Mind your own Beeswax

During a recent walk we spotted a large dog on an extender lead.

We increased our distance to prevent a non consenting approach from the unfamiliar dog.

We also created space so that the dog would not make a head to head approach because that can be particularly difficult for many dogs. It can feel invasive and worrying, especially when there is a big size differential.

The person proceeded to let their dog come towards us and we moved further away.

The extender lead was extending to the point when I had to say ‘No’ to the guardian.

They made direct eye contact with me, continued with the approach and I repeated ‘No’, ‘No thank you’.

A reasonable statement, a polite request, a non offensive ask?

I thought it was but, I got a confrontational facial expression and was asked ‘why’, ‘why not’?

It wasn’t an inquisitive tone, it was spoken in a challenging way, accompanied with the facial expression it was a brief but unpleasant way to be communicated with.

My response was a simple and polite ‘because my dog doesn’t know your dog’.

I got a nasty look and moved on because I did not want to engage in further communication or have to justify my choice to support and advocate for my dog.

I understand that my reason for our dogs not getting up close and personal would not have made sense to the person. That is okay, sometimes, some things will not make sense.

It was the reaction to my request that was the bigger concern.

I understand that my reason may have not made sense because many people think that by saying hello to each other the dogs would then have got to know each other.

However, that person does not know my dog and I don’t know their dog.

Other people don’t know the underlying reasons for our dogs not getting really close to an unfamiliar dog, especially on lead.

Saying no is our choice, it does not affect other people or their dogs, it is not offensive and no means no.

We do not have to say yes to a person that decides they want their dog to come up to our dog and say hello.

We don’t have to justify the reason why we don’t want the other dog to get into our dogs personal, safe space.

I do wish that there was a better awareness about appropriate approaches, social skills, giving our dogs a positive learning experience and respect for people and dogs choices.

It is not an insult or offensive to say no thank you. If a person is offended that is on them not us.

It isn’t rude or anti social to say no thank you to a dog getting up close, especially when on lead.

I wish there was more open mindedness about dogs that may not want or need to get so close to an unfamiliar dog.

Imagine being a person that likes personal space and a complete stranger walked directly towards us. reached out and hugged us just because we are another human being. Imagine it happening regularly, unpredictably and every time we went out for a walk.

It is not okay for us and whilst many dogs tolerate an approach that is too fast or too close from an unfamiliar dog, it doesn’t mean it is a positive experience for the dogs.

Multiple approaches from unfamiliar dogs does not mean our dogs will get used to it. It can start to affect a dogs responses towards other dogs and may result in our dogs escalating their communication from avoidance to a significant reaction. This can be ‘normal’ behaviour in certain contexts however, if our dogs are not feeling comfortable and safe, why would we continue to put them in a situation where they must react to unfamiliar dogs at a higher leve.

One day, one dog may react with a snap and this may then escalate to a fight.

Good socialisation and social skills come naturally for some dogs while others need more time, different distances and choices to feel safe from their perspective.

I am not suggesting no dogs should be able to interact with other dogs. There are plenty of dogs that can mix well with unfamiliar dogs off lead and have good social skills. There are some well skilled dogs that will not make an approach because they can read the other dogs body language.

Being kind and compassionate, respecting each others space and choices goes a long way to a walk that feels safe and enjoyable for both ends of the lead.

We could say that a walk like that could be the Bees Knees.

14/11/2024

Medication and behaviour support for our dogs that are struggling.

This is a really important post and video by Ros Pooley - The Mutty Professor and one that I believe every dog guardian will benefit from listening to and watching.

Why?

When we struggle with a physical, emotional or mental health challenge we can decide to take medication to support ourselves and our well being.

If we are in physical pain we can get pain relief from a store or pharmacy (in the UK) and we can seek out clinical support via a Doctor for advice.

If we are struggling with our mental health, we may have strong beliefs about medication.

We can explore options and opportunities, we can have a conversation with a qualified professional, a Doctor, a mental health practitioner, etc and we may choose whether or not to utilise medication for support.

Times have changed, medication is usually not given as a stand alone and a Doctor will suggest additional support to compliment and combine with medication such as counselling.

A combined support can work well for many people that may have tried lots of other routes to improving mood, emotions and mental health well being.

Our dogs lives have also changed as mentions in the post below.

Only a Vet can prescribe medication for our dogs.

If you are struggling with your dog and if your dog is suffering and struggling, please have a discussion with your vet.

There is no shame or failure in reaching out for clinical and behavioural support.

Your vet will provide you with up to date, accurate information about the medications available, the purpose and function of the medication, possible side effects and how to administer it.

I have a duty of care to my clients to listen, observe and support without making statements about what should or shouldn't be done ref medication. I am not a clinical behaviourist so I cannot diagnose or make statements about what medication should be used.

Instead, I can support the client with their dogs behaviour to prevent, manage and improve it and focus on welfare and well being both ends of the lead.

I can certainly suggest a discussion with the vet in certain, individual circumstances.

Shaming people, sharing personal opinions without the appropriate clinical qualifications and scare mongering is a huge disservice to dogs and their care givers.

A huge thank you to The Mutty Professor for the post below.

13/11/2024

HELP! WE ARE REALLY STRUGGLING.

Whether we have just adopted or purchased a dog, whether we have bought home a puppy, adolescent, adult or older dog we may see signs of behaviour that we are concerned about.

Trauma is something that is to be considered when our dogs are struggling in a new home.

Some dogs may be resilient and may transition to a new home relatively quickly and naturally.

Many dogs, depending on their history may well be feeling the effects of trauma.

A sudden change in environment and circumstances can be a traumatic event for our dogs.

It is easy to underestimate the frequency, duration and intensity of behaviours that we may see when we welcome our new dog into our home.

Going slow is the quickest way to help our dogs feel safe and secure.

Managing our expectations can help reduce disappointment, fear and frustration.

Self care and support for ourselves is also important when our own emotions feel as though they are all over the place.

Our behaviour will impact on our dogs behaviour.

Planning and preparation is a positive way to help our dogs settle in.

We often do not know how our dogs will behave until they land in our homes and our lives.

When what we imagined doesn't materialise we can very quickly regret our decisions. We may then feel guilty or panic and feel as though things are not going to work out.

This is quite a normal response when there are challenges.

Some challenges may feel small and easy to manage but many feel huge and overwhelming.

One of the most important things when we bring a new dog into our homes is to feel safe and for our dogs to feel safe from their perspective.

The dog that first arrives is often not the dog we will be living with in the future because they need time to adjust, to get to know and trust us and us them.

Trauma in dogs can present in a variety of ways.

Settling in our new dogs, when we see behaviour challenges and when we want change to happen, we will do well to consider what we can do to help our dogs without over asking of them.

Give them the time they need. This may not be aligned with our own agenda or time frame but, if we can give our dogs this time it will certainly help create a foundation to build on in the future.

If we rush things, try to hurry the settling in along too quickly or over stretch our dogs we are likely to see the potential fall out of that mindset.

Go slow, take time, facilitate a safe environment built on trust and enable a positive relationship to flourish over time.

This multimedia expert program is designed to provide practical tools and strategies for working with rescue dogs who have experienced canine trauma. You will learn about the most common sources of trauma in dogs, how it affects their behaviour, brain development and emotions, and how to create safe...

13/11/2024

On lead only dogs.

There are often strong beliefs that our dogs should be walked off lead because it is critical for their physical and emotional exercise.

Many dogs lack the important skills to be off lead in public spaces.

I love seeing dogs that have good social skills off lead because a dog with these skills will often be able to read other dogs body language and not approach inappropriately or at all in many cases.

When a dog is off lead and does make an inappropriate approach it is easy to judge and blame the guardian with their on lead dog.

Blaming the on lead dog and guardian may be due to embarrassment or defefensive mind set.

Sharing public spaces can be a pleasure or a pain depending on the individual and collective dogs and humans skills.

Respecting individual needs and choices can go a long way to enjoying our walks and feeling safe.

If we have an on lead dog, we can choose quieter times to walk, bigger spaces, less dog dense areas and different environments where our dogs feel safer and we are less likely to have a negative experience.

If we have a dog off lead, we can ask permission for our dog to approach, recall our dog from an approach before they reach the other dog or pop our dogs on lead and provide adequate space and distance.

There are common beliefs that only bad dogs or aggressive dogs are on lead which simply isn't true.

I was delighted to be approached by who has written a wonderful article in Magazine all about dogs being walked on lead.

I have popped the link to the article in comments.

12/11/2024

Making sense of our dogs behaviour.

Living with a dog that is challenging to walk or cannot switch off at home can be draining.

Is our dogs behaviour what we expected or imagined?

I work with many people that wanted a dog to enhance their lives and the reality has been very different.

When we first experience a behaviour that we find stressful or worrying it is usual to hope it will stop and just go away.

When the behaviour continues we often reach out to friends with dogs or dog groups on social media and receive lots of well intentioned opionions and comments about what others have done to sort the problem out.

We may then work on trial and error, trying different suggestions and hoping things will change for the better.

We may learn to live with the behaviours and hope they don't get worse.

Until . . . .

The behaviour becomes too much to cope with

The behaviour escalates

The dog attempts to or actually nips or bites a person or another dog

We feel that there is no hope

It is absolutely possible to prevent, manage and improve our dogs behaviour with the right guidance and support for you and your individual dogs needs.

What else gets in the way of reaching out for professional support?

Denial, embarrassment, concersn about costs and how much work might be involved and whether we have the time and resources to do what is necessary.

Another barrier might be concerns about who to work with and the methods used.

I have experienced all of the above and decided in 2011 to not only get the help I needed for my own dog and myself but to also qualify as a behaviourist specialising in fearful, anxious and reactive behaviour.

I have lived experience of life with dogs with challenging and complex behaviours and the emotions that go alongside this.

My one wish would be that people could feel able to reach out as soon as the behaviour starts or as early as possible.

It is common place to reach out after years of our dogs practising unwanted and worrying behaviour.

It is usual to reach out when we hit crisis point.

I often work with people that have tried a lot of things or have worked with a few other people.

That isn't to say there is anything wrong with the previous people, it may simply of not been a good fit, it may be that we were unable to put in the work needed, it may be that our dogs behaviour has changed and has different needs now.

I wholly empathise with the emotional stretch we experience when our dogs are not what we thought they would be.

I also know that positive progress is possible from a human and canine perspective.

Taking care of both ends of the lead makes a big difference.

I fully appreciate the journey, the ups and downs, the successes and the challenges of life with a dog that is struggling and a care giver that is feeling at their wits end.

I offer a free initial call so that we can explore what might be possible for a better quality of life with less worry and more peace of mind.

My website link is in the comments.

You are not alone and help is there for you and your dog.