Paws & Listen

06/11/2024

🐾💖Behaviour, Training & Emotional Release!💖👣

04/11/2024

I spent years training & working with my Own Reactive dogs Jazzy & Sky. I studied canine Behaviour & Training, worked in boarding kennels, vets & rescue centres. I did online workshops & courses, but no matter what I learnt, I constantly felt worried, upset, embarrassed & frustrated by my own dog’s behaviour!😫

It wasn’t until I discovered Denis Murphy & Rachel Knotts amazing courses, that I Finally Realised that my dogs had been Sensing & Reacting to Emotions that were in my Unconscious! I didn't even know that some of these Emotions were there, but my dogs did!🤯

🐶Sky is a Very Sensitive Romanian street dog, her Behaviour will show me instantly how I am feeling, just not in an obvious way! I would always try to turn her behaviour into a positive learning opportunity or tell myself that I just needed to accept her for who she is! By doing this I wasn't Listening to what she was showing me! So her behaviour would then bring up Stronger feelings, so that I had to Listen to them!💞

🌟Now I work with People & their Dogs Very Differently because I know that we are Linked to Our Dogs in a Deeper Way then we Realise!🌟

🐾💖I am Very Excited to Share these Amazing Insights with my Clients!👣💖
www.pawsandlisten.co.uk

05/10/2024

Thank you Flamin good Designs 🦩for the kind & thoughtful gifts! 🥰

03/10/2024

Thank you Jennifer Webster Loomes for this lovely review, I really enjoyed the session with you and Coco today, and love this gorgeous photo! 🥰

Review:
Brilliant session this morning with Helen, I learn't how emotions can affect my dog's behaviour. It was amazing to see Coco's behaviour change while using the emotional release technique!

Helen is so calm and knowledgeable. So much good advice.

30/09/2024

Your dog is sensing all of your emotions through your Pheromones! 😭😡😨They have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their nose, whereas we have around 5 million.
Your Dog can even Sense what is in Your Subconscious that you are not aware of! 🧐

In my Paws & Listen with Helen Sessions, You will Discover why Your Dogs Behaviour is Reflecting Your own Emotions, and how to Listen to & Release them so that you can Feel the Change in You, & Your Dog!🐾💖👣

Here is the link to find out more: https://www.pawsandlisten.co.uk/courses/pawsandlistenwithhelen

20/09/2024

Recall is an Essential Skill that could save your dogs Life, so getting it Right is very Important‼️

Everything that Bean has learnt has been taught inside first, this way he can focus👀 this then means that good responses become a habit! 😀 Now he knows his Recall word he can Respond Outside. 🐶This needs to be practiced away from distractions first to become Successful! 👍Only then will it be Reliable around other dogs and people, because it will have become a habit for life! 🤩

10/09/2024

💖Loved watching the difference in Pippa this morning as her confidence grew, during her first session. 🥰Setting up choice based training so that your dog learns to love training with you, really lets your dogs personality shine through! 😃🌞🐶

05/09/2024

🐶 Bean is learning fun Recall games ✅ to walk on a Loose lead ✅ to Leave food off the floor ✅ to give Eye contact and Focus outside ✅ and to settle on a mat ✅

He loves to learn, and is Acing his Adolescent Course! 🤩

29/08/2024

As humans, we can have a tendency to label things, including behaviours in our canine companions. Behaviour tends to get put into the categories 'good' or 'bad' depending on whether it is a behaviour we like or one that is considered problematic for us.

The truth is that there is no such thing as good or bad behaviour. There is only behaviour.

So what is behaviour?

Think of the behaviours that we see in our dogs as being symptoms of their inner state. The behaviours we tend to perceive as good generally happen when the dog is happy and relaxed, contented with their situation and the world around them.

The 'bad' labelled behaviours are symptomatic of something that the dog is unhappy about or is struggling with.

It could be that something is scaring them or causing them distress.
Perhaps their needs are not being met adequately.

Maybe they are unwell or in pain (this should always be high on the list of considerations, especially if there is a sudden change in behaviour).

Stop thinking about good or bad and instead think about the 'why' of the behaviour - because when we can understand the root cause, we can begin to see what the dog needs so they no longer feel the need to carry out those behaviours.

28/08/2024

27/08/2024

Beautiful Jess is settling into a new life with a new person! 🥰 She finds being outside very overwhelming, so she is unable to focus and pulls on the lead! 🦮

Only when she feels connected and ready inside will she be able to understand that we would like her to walk with a loose lead, and to stay connected to her person when outside.😍🐾

We can only achieve this connection with choice based training, and by going at her pace.🐾💖👣

15/08/2024

Wanting a behaviour from our dogs to stop is common. Sadly, there are so many 'trainers' who appear on television or have massive social media followings who will advocate using devices and methods that 'will stop it fast'. Let's be honest, as humans we are often results driven, so I can see why these would appeal to people who don't know why these things should not be recommended and used. The reality is that they can make the situation so much worse.

Suppressing a behaviour doesn't mean that the reasons that behaviour happened aren't still there, just that the dog can't do what they feel they need to in that situation. That can lead to increased frustration, stress, fear - depending on what the driver for that behaviour is. Think of it like a pressure cooker, adding more and more pressure, with no way to reduce that pressure. Eventually there comes a point where the pressure is just too much and boom.

If a behaviour is something we can't live with, there are things we can do without suppressing that behaviour. Manage the situation so that the dog is not in a position to practice that behaviour - for example baby gates to stop them jumping up at arriving guests or finding quiet areas to walk if your dog is uncomfortable with other dogs close up. If there is something you would prefer them to do in that situation keep using the management and then, using kind and ethical methods, teach them what you would like them to do instead. If the behaviour is not something that we can simply train an alternative for - a dog who reacts to other dogs around for example - find a behaviour consultant who uses modern and kind methods to help the dog no longer feel the need to use that behaviour.

Behaviour suppression is never the answer.

Here are links to a couple of blog posts that explore the topic a little further:
https://www.goodguardianship.com/post/the-first-question-to-ask-wtf-what-s-the-function
https://www.goodguardianship.com/post/why-we-should-look-beyond-stopping-behaviour

12/08/2024

Murphy is a very strong dog and was nearly pulling his people over on walks! He has been learning to do different behaviours that will help him to feel calm and connected, these include things like settling on a mat, and making eye contact. 👀

He is now learning to walk on a loose lead more easily because we have built his understanding away from distractions first! His people have seen a huge difference in his behaviour when out and about.🐶😀

06/08/2024

*Image used is to emphasise the point of the post, and is in no way an endorsement of such tools.