Love Your Paws

Love Your Paws Thoughtful, kind training classes supporting dogs & owners to live their best lives together.

Fun, friendly and effective dog training that is designed to help you understand your dog & how to build a really strong and positive relationship with you dog. Using kind techniques used to promote & strengthen the bond that you already have whilst teaching your dog the skills that they need to live happily with us in our crazy human world. I am accredited through The Institute of Modern Dog Trai

ners and regularly takes courses to ensure that my knowledge is up to date to provide you and your dog with the best possible service.

🐾⛱ BACK TO WORK! ⛱🐾 something about the beach, isn’t there?This morning’s adventure walk started gently. A lovely group ...
25/06/2025

🐾⛱ BACK TO WORK! ⛱🐾

something about the beach, isn’t there?

This morning’s adventure walk started gently. A lovely group of dogs, relaxed and happy, pottering calmly along the dunes, soaking in the salty air, tails swaying. Lots of check-ins. The odd playful bounce.

And then… we hit the sand.

Game. On!

It was like someone flicked a switch.

Suddenly, the quiet turned into joyful chaos. Dogs flying in every direction, pelting through the soggy sand, chasing each other with the kind of exuberance that only a beach can bring out. Legs everywhere. Ears flapping. That deep, instinctive joy of just being alive and free.

Honestly, it was magic.

And it came with classic Cornish drama too.

Last week, we were in a heatwave. This week?

We set off in waterproofs, walking into a headwind of mizzle and drizzle. One of those mornings where you question your life choices just a little… until you remember that you’re surrounded by good humans and even better dogs!!

And by the end?

Sunshine. Almost!

Not a bad way to come back to work after a bit of time off.

Not bad at all ❤️

🩲 🫣WHAT ABOUT MY KNICKERS VICKI? 🫣🩲Believe me when I say there is no such thing as a silly question!"What about my knick...
25/06/2025

🩲 🫣WHAT ABOUT MY KNICKERS VICKI? 🫣🩲

Believe me when I say there is no such thing as a silly question!

"What about my knickers Vicki? She loves to pull at my knickers!"

As puppy owners we just never know what antics they may get up to and so we can’t possibly be prepared for all scenarios. It also means that we just never know what questions may arise during puppy hood, or where we may need some support to help understand why our puppy does the things they do.

But questions like…

❓Why does he prefer the remote control to his toys?

❓Why does she go for a wee in the kitchen as soon as we get back from a walk?

❓How much exercise should my puppy have?

❓He’s fine in the crate overnight but not in the daytime and I don’t understand why?

❓She bites me when I pick her up, how can I make her stop?

❓He hates his harness, how can I help him get used to it?

❓She annoys our oder dog and we don’t understand why he won’t just tell her off?

AND…

❓‘My puppy tries to pull my knickers off’ 🫣😂

Are all very normal and typical of the questions and conversations we have at the end of puppy class each week; it’s why we have lots of time built in at the end of class. So that you can ask questions, safe in the knowledge that there is no silly question!

Because raising a puppy can be a wild ride. Funny, frustrating, challenging, amazing… and you don’t have to face it alone (or commando!! ❌🩲)

🐾⛱ TOMORROW, I’M BACK! ⛱🐾And just like that... my holiday is over.Two weeks off has been magic. One at home with the dog...
24/06/2025

🐾⛱ TOMORROW, I’M BACK! ⛱🐾

And just like that... my holiday is over.

Two weeks off has been magic. One at home with the dogs, one in Portugal with my feet up (and probably still sand in my bag). But now it’s time to dive back in.

The day kicks off with an Adventure Walk on Porthkidney Beach, one of my favourite places to just walk together. In the afternoon we have two back-to-back Track n’ Trail sessions in Godolphin Woods.

And somewhere in between I’ll be trying to catch up on emails, texts, voice notes, WhatsApps, Messenger and possibly the odd carrier pigeon!

So if you’re waiting to hear from me, thank you for your patience. I promise I haven’t forgotten you. If you’ve not heard from me by the end of the week, feel free to give me a gentle nudge.

Can’t wait to see you all, and your dogs, again ❤️🐾

💦🐶MUD SPLASH INCOMING...🐶💦Evening walks with Lochy always hold the possibility of peace... or chaos. Tonight, we got bot...
24/06/2025

💦🐶MUD SPLASH INCOMING...🐶💦

Evening walks with Lochy always hold the possibility of peace... or chaos. Tonight, we got both.

She was in her element, hunting through the undergrowth, tail high, nose low. I heard splashing... assumed (hoped 🙈)water.

Called her back before her hunting brain took over.

She came flying ❤

And she was covered. In bog mud. 🙈

Not a splash. Not a speck. Absolutely caked.

I bent down to pop her lead on, just as she did what every self-respecting, bog-sodden spaniel would do... and shook. 💦😅

Head to tail. Full throttle. No mercy.

Cue me, dripping in eau de spaniel swamp.

But she came back. With joy. With trust. With a face that said, “Look what I found!”

So I took a breath, laughed (eventually), and we walked on. A little soggier. A lot muddier. But still walking together.

Life with dogs isn’t always clean or tidy. But it is rich. It is real.

And it’s always worth it. 🥰

🐾❤️ LIFE TOGETHER ON OUR TERMS ❤️🐾I don’t measure success by how ‘trained’ my dogs are.Sam will never be the kind of dog...
21/06/2025

🐾❤️ LIFE TOGETHER ON OUR TERMS ❤️🐾

I don’t measure success by how ‘trained’ my dogs are.

Sam will never be the kind of dog who joins me for coffee in a busy café. He doesn’t need to be. His world is carefully shaped around what makes him feel safe, where his confidence can grow without pressure. That’s not failing him—it’s honouring who he is.

Lochy isn’t the ‘best-trained’ dog in Cornwall, despite what everyone kept telling her when she was a puppy. 🫣 That was never the goal. We train when we feel like it, because we enjoy it, because it builds skills that let her live her best life. Sometimes she’s off-lead, hunting, exploring, playing. Other times, she turns her ears off entirely, and the lead goes back on. No frustration, no drama—just adjusting to what she needs in the moment.

There is no expectation for them to be ‘perfect’. They don’t have to meet anyone else’s idea of a good dog. They just have to be them.

This doesn’t mean chaos. It means trust. Agency. The space to say no. If Sam wants to avoid people, I respect that. If Lochy isn’t in the mood to train, we do something else. Boundaries and safety are always in place, but so is choice.

I’ll always reward them for checking in, for choosing connection, for sharing their world with me. Just because they’ve done something before doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be acknowledged for it today. Effort matters. Choosing to listen, to come back, to engage—it’s never taken for granted.

Training isn’t what shapes our life together. Living does. The pauses before we step through a gate. The way we move through the world side by side. The understanding that we don’t always have to do something to be in sync.

I don’t need perfect obedience. I need this. Loving them for who they are, as we all navigate life together 🐾❤️

🐾🐶 WHY SCENT WORK? 🐶🐾A couple of years ago, Sam and I undertook (yet another) scent work course together. But this one w...
19/06/2025

🐾🐶 WHY SCENT WORK? 🐶🐾

A couple of years ago, Sam and I undertook (yet another) scent work course together.

But this one was different. Really different. And it shaped how we’ve approached & taught scent work ever since.

‘Teaching Scent Work’ was a 6 month coaching programme run by a former military scent dog handler & clinical behaviourist; the wonderful Sally Gutteridge

Throughout the course, as well as learning lots; new approaches to training scent work, different search patterns, thinking about how different search disciplines overlap & learning from some of the best scent dog handlers in the industry… my biggest takeaway was just how much Sam & I love the shared experiences of scent work.

During the course we were challenged to share videos of a number of different searches to show our progress.

I think my entries showed exactly why I love scent work so much. They showed a happy, confident, resilient collie who is in his element 🥰

Which is a very different collie to the one you may meet if you ever bump into us out on a walk - scent work is Sam’s happy place. When he’s searching the world makes sense; nothing else matters, and nothing phases him.

So when there was a fun competition between the course members & we won

😊🐶 HAPPIEST SEARCH DOG 🐶😊

receiving comments such as

“Sammy has overcome his own challenges and worries to become one of the happiest, keenest search dogs I have ever seen”

It really cemented for me the purpose of scent work, as a fun activity for our pets dogs.

So why scent work?

Well, if you and your dog get even a fraction of the joy that Sam & I get from it, you’ll know!!

💕🐶 PUPPY SOCIALISATION 🐶💕 There are a lot of misconceptions about Puppy Socialisation and how you should ‘socialise’ yo...
19/06/2025

💕🐶 PUPPY SOCIALISATION 🐶💕

There are a lot of misconceptions about Puppy Socialisation and how you should ‘socialise’ your puppy.

If we actually describe what we want for our puppies so that they are able to enjoy their lives to the full with us, the list would probably include:

🐶 Confidence

🐶 Appropriate behaviour around dogs

🐶 Appropriate behaviour around people

🐶 Comfortable in different environments

🐶 Resilient

All of these are things that you can help your puppy to achieve

And to do so, we actually (in technical training terms) want to ‘habituate’ our puppies to different sights, sounds, environments.

Habituate (verb) :- "become accustomed or used to something"

If you want a dog who can...

✅ listen to you in the presence of other dogs

✅ walk past other dogs (rather than drag you towards them)

✅ happily hang out with you whether you’re on the beach, in a cafe, at the school gates or in the park

Then your goal should be to ‘habituate’ your puppy, not to ’socialise’ your puppy.

Does your puppy need time with other dogs? Yes, it’s really important that dogs get to spend time with other dogs. But always think about QUALITY not quantity.

In Puppy Paws we practice all these skills to help your puppy grow up into a polite, calm, well ‘socialised’ dog 🥰

Our Puppy Paws Membership is currently full but you can join the waiting list & learn more about it here http://subscribepage.io/membership-waitinglist

🐾🐶 GOT A DOG WHO LOVES TO SNIFF? 🐶🐾Then this might be their new favourite thing.Scent work isn’t just a fun way to spend...
18/06/2025

🐾🐶 GOT A DOG WHO LOVES TO SNIFF? 🐶🐾

Then this might be their new favourite thing.

Scent work isn’t just a fun way to spend an hour (although it definitely is that).
It’s enriching, confidence-building, and great for dogs who enjoy using their nose. Whether they need a bit more focus, a boost in confidence, or just a new hobby to enjoy with you.

Our next Foundation Scent Work course starts Wednesday 26th June at 6pm in Carleen, near Helston. There are just 2 spaces left.

Small, friendly, and taught in a way that helps dogs feel good about learning.

All breeds, all ages, all sniffers welcome.
If this sounds like something your dog would enjoy, you’re very welcome to join us.

For full details please see link in comments.

🐾 ❤️ LOVE. IT ISN’T ALWAYS EASY ❤️🐾Some dogs bring light and ease into your life 🥰 That’s Lochy. At 2 years old, she’s ...
17/06/2025

🐾 ❤️ LOVE. IT ISN’T ALWAYS EASY ❤️🐾

Some dogs bring light and ease into your life 🥰

That’s Lochy. At 2 years old, she’s sunshine in dog form. Confident, happy, and balanced. She pretty much skips along on walks, greets her favourite people with joy, reads other dogs well (most of the time) and can coax even the less confident dogs into play.

She climbs all over you, snuggles in, rests her face against yours in a bid to be as close as she possibly can. All the while wiggling & her tail wagging. She’s a joy to be around, creates smiles & makes it easy to relax and just be.

And then there’s Sam ❤️

Sam is a different kind of gift. And I love him all the more deeply for it. But living with him is a complex, more thoughtful journey.

Every interaction is layered with awareness—of his boundaries, his comfort, his safety.

I employ the five-second rule whenever physically interacting him, pausing frequently to let him decide if he wants to continue. When he was younger, he would ask for touch, but could quickly become conflicted by the closeness of the encounter; a conflicted Sam isn’t a dog you want to be in close proximity with 😔

Some days he’s happy to have his harness put on. Sometimes he isn’t.

One day he’ll decide that being towel dried is the best thing ever, the next he’ll warn you not to put the towel anywhere near him.

Sometimes he wants the biggest, most intense cuddles, he can’t get close enough to you & doesn’t want it to end. Until he does.

Walking with Sam means constantly scanning the environment. Are there people or dogs nearby? Does he have the space he needs to feel safe?

Lochy’s sunny nature highlights this contrast. With her, I can just be. With Sam, I’m always aware, watching his body language, highly attuned to any subtle changes.

But, although I wish (for his sake) that he found life easier, I wouldn’t change my journey either of them. ❤️❤️ I would go back to the day we said ‘yes’ to having Sam & say ‘yes’ again & again. Every time.

Sam has taught me patience, empathy, and a profound respect for his boundaries. He’s made me a better dog trainer, a better dog owner, and a better person. And although I sometimes wonder whether things could have been different for him if I’d known then what I know now…

Would he feel less conflicted?
Would I have been able to help him more?

I’ll never know.

What I do know is that loving a dog like Sam is its own kind of joy.

It’s quieter, harder, but all the more rewarding.

If you’re living with a dog who challenges you in ways you never imagined, you’re not alone. It’s OK to admit it’s hard sometimes. It doesn’t diminish the love you feel or the bond you share.

Our dogs don’t come to us by accident. They shape us, teach us, and change us. Whether they’re sunshine or stormy skies, they’re ours. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. 🐶❤️🐶❤️

🐾❤️ GOTCHA DAY!! ❤️🐾2 years ago today I drove home from Andover with my little Pickle in a crate strapped in to the pass...
15/06/2025

🐾❤️ GOTCHA DAY!! ❤️🐾

2 years ago today I drove home from Andover with my little Pickle in a crate strapped in to the passenger seat.

She bounced into our lives full of energy, a zest for life, some feral pheasant hunting tendencies & a bucket load of sass. But we wouldn’t have her any other way 🥰

I’ll be forever grateful to Clare Kybensha Cockers for choosing us to be her family 🙏🏻

Happy Gotcha Day Lochy! Here’s to years of adventures & sass to come!! ❤️

🐾🐶 TRACKING n TRAILING 🐶🐾How do we teach the dogs how to Track n Trail?We don’t!! 🙈They already know how to track n trai...
14/06/2025

🐾🐶 TRACKING n TRAILING 🐶🐾

How do we teach the dogs how to Track n Trail?

We don’t!! 🙈

They already know how to track n trail. They’re better at it than we can begin to comprehend.

What we can do is teach YOU how to Track n Trail with your dog. 😊

Kindly, thoughtfully & whilst having loads of fun!

This is our most popular service so places are very limited; but if you’d like to know more please just ask!

🐾😊 SCENT WORK… A STARTING POINT NOT AN AFTER THOUGHT 😊🐾Scent work is often seen as a fun extra. Something to try once th...
13/06/2025

🐾😊 SCENT WORK… A STARTING POINT NOT AN AFTER THOUGHT 😊🐾

Scent work is often seen as a fun extra. Something to try once the “real” training is done.

But for many dogs, it’s exactly where we should begin.

Because when a dog works with their nose, a few really important things happen:

• Their heart rate lowers
• Their breathing slows
• Their body starts to regulate
• And their brain becomes more available for learning

That means they can process more, cope better, and actually engage with you — instead of being stuck in a state of distraction, stress, or over-arousal.

So if your dog struggles with recall, loose lead walking, focus or frustration — scent work isn’t a distraction from those things.
It’s often the first step towards changing them.

Our next Foundation Scent Work course starts June 26th. For further details please see link in comments 🐶🐾

Address

Helston
TR139NT

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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+447773399435

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