A Pawsitive Step

26/11/2024

😉 BLACK FRIDAY / CYBER MONDAY DEAL! 😉

🐾We're not on local chat groups, advertising discounts as we charge as little as possible all year round.🐾

🐾😉We wanted to get involved and not miss out on the fun so just for this week, we're going to put our prices up by £2 per hour 😉🐾

🐾😃😜 You can pay the regular price by entering 'NODISCOUNT' at the checkout! 😃😜🐾

25/11/2024

👀🔎 LOOK! 🔍🔍👀

Second of my three 'Stop! Look. Listen!' series.

“It’s like going the scenic route and wearing a blindfold”

👀 Look! Your dog is actually talking to you ALL THE TIME! Yes, they "talk" using their body language and are constantly showing us what they like, dislike or are confused by. No, it's not just the tail, the eyes or the head tilt - it's their entire body all at once.

👀 Look! watch their enjoyment on a walk, don't just drag them around non-stop or pull them away from sniffing 'because it's a walk'. It's their time, not yours.

👀 Look! for distraction when out on a walk. You can't blame your dog for pulling on lead or barking if you weren't trying to help them avoid or distract them from the situation.

👀 Look! at their recall language. Of course, they are going to come back to you if none of their triggers are present. Do they continue to pull when you do put them on lead? Do they pull you towards the point they know they are going off lead?

✋ It's not about 'micro-managing' them with command cues.

✅ Book time with A Pawsitive Step to learn the combinations of whole body communication. It will completely alter your relationship with your dog in a way you didnt know was possible. It's also about the context of the situation they are in, wagging tails do not mean they are happy all the time!

✅ Walks are not about physical fitness all the time. Let them sniff! Put your phones away and be present with them in the moment, watch them enjoy thier "Sniffari". It'll be far more tiring for them if you do, the mental work is harder than the physical.

✅ Recall should be about variety of reasons to come back to you as well as a variety of ways to do so. Dogs get bored of the same basic commands and think little of them the more they are used. Its why your recall seems to wear off.

✅ Look out for more in my next post.

🐶🐶

19/11/2024

Unfortunately, Anti freeze tests and smells sweet so attracts Dogs AND Cats. As we hit a cold spell, please be careful.

Once swallowed, symptoms of antifreeze poisoning can develop in as little as an hour, and tend to include:

Wobbliness and weakness – this tends to happen within one hour of ingestion and then improves again.
Vomiting
Low energy (lethargy)
Drinking more than normal
Weeing more than normal to begin, and then less than normal from one to three days after ingestion.
Difficulty breathing or fast breathing
Seizures (fits)
Collapse

Contact your vet straight away, if you suspect your dog has come into contact with antifreeze or any other product containing ethylene glycol – don’t wait for symptoms to develop.

Head over to my Blog for more information about cold weather advice: https://apawsitivestep.co.uk/the-cold-and-dog-walking/

12/11/2024

🪦Does your dog make your joy of being out with them ancient history?
🏴‍☠️Is a fulfilling relationship with your dog a distant memory?

Come and recover your life, bring your relationship back into the Present with the multi award-winning training concepts, reactivity solutions and standards with A Pawsitive Step.

DM me with a 📜

06/11/2024

Bonfire night is over so Pets that struggled need several days to mentally recover. Give them a break from routine, provide calm, sniffing alternatives to meeting dogs, going on urban walks etc Dogs

01/11/2024

"Remember, remember the 5th of November, you're Dog doesn't like it a lot..."

when it come to unexpected noise, Festivities starter earlier and earlier in our calendars, We can also learn from watching our Dogs through half term and seeing what they are wary of in terms of sound or sights so that the Christmas Holidays are not so overwhelming for them.

The quickest way to help your Dog? Now scientifically proven to be better for your Dogs overall obedience at home than any other form of team sport with your Dog - Scentwork!

👃New! Progression sessions for 'Mantrailing' TUESDSY evenings for more experienced Trailers. Sunday mornings and afternoons for all Dogs of all abilities. Book via the pawsitive step website: https://www.apawsitvestep.co.uk
👃NEW! UK Sniffer Dogs Bronze & Silver Workshops and Classes for all Dogs of all ages and abilities. Locations of Didmarton & Great Somerford. Book via the website.
NEW! Puppy FUNdamentals & AdoleSENSE classes for the last time this year (already!!) starting at the end of November in Malmesbury. Booking via the website.

Want more information? Either use 👃 for Scentwork DM or 🐶 for Puppy & Adolescent class information.

30/10/2024

"Remember, remember the 5th of November, your Dog doesn't like it a lot. Then there's Halloween, a sigh to be seen with your Dog frozen still to the spot!"
There's still time to plan for this weekends fireworks displays, children walking past windows in costumes (Dog'd find this odd and scary as humans don't normally 'look like that') so take time today to do the followIng:

👻...ONLY walk your dog in the morning or lunchtime. DO NOT walk them as it starts to get dark.
🎆....It's too late to use soft music and low level fireworks playlists to start to get your dogs used to the background noises. Just play your TV louder than normal during all the potential hours of noise and sights
🎃 Close all curtains and blinds early. Make the house feel 'secure' in every room.
🐈 Please keep your pets (including your CATS) indoors BEFORE DARK and only take Dogs out on lead for a toilet break. it is not cruel, it is purely to manage the situation.
👃🏼Buy a phermamone plug-in for both Cats and Dogs. Pet Remedy do a good one that works for both pets. If you only have one kind of pet, I highly recommend using the plug-in specifically for the species from Beaphar. It won't 'solve' the problem but alongside everything else, it will reduce fear.
🧘‍♀️ Relax! In the presence of your pet, if you're uptight and stressed, it makes the dogs feel there is something to be worried about. Settle yourself;f early, don't run around after family if you can and show your Pet all is OK.
💞Its OK to show your Pet affection, if they ask. ONLY if they ask. Leave them alone if they wish to take themselves away BUT provide an enclosed, covered and well padded space for them to retreat to, preferably away from the main hustle and bustle of life.

For more information, check out my Blog about how to manage the fun whilst keeping your Pet
https://apawsitivestep.co.uk/the-fifth-of-november/

16/10/2024

✋🚦STOP! 🚦✋

First of three in my ‘Stop! Look. Listen!’ Series.

🚦Stop! Training your dog. Yes, that’s right. Stop ‘training’ your dog. Look at it as a joint learning experience. Reframe your thinking

🚦Stop! Telling your Dog off. It’s all very valid information when they bark or growl. You’ll only have yourself to blame when they bite.

🚦Stop! Blaming their breed type as an excuse for thier ‘disobedience’. They are actually bored of the ‘seven basic commands’

✋It’s not about ‘micro-managing’ with command cues.

✅ It’s about guiding your dog to make the best decisions in that moment. They are emotionally-led beings who learn through emotion, not verbal commands. They learn through visual cues and movement, not with a noise that only works if you feel you say it often and loud enough!

✅ Make your sessions interactive where you watch your dog figure out what will be the most enjoyable and valuable experience will be for them.

✅ Only when you understand how to work with your dog, reshape their thinking into positive and helpful choices, where the outcome works with your lifestyle. Only then will a command cue actually have any meaning that they understand and undertake willingly.

✅ Look out for more in the next post ‘Look’ 👊🏼🐾👏🏻

🐶🐶

13/10/2024

🚦In a series of three, each week I’m going to elaborate on how you can change your Dogs behaviour on lead. Don’t own your dog, love your dog by learning how they communicate.

🚦STOP! Telling your Dog what to do. Show them with kindness and ‘concept’ training.
🚦LOOK! Stop walking your dog through reactivity. Watch them change as you work with them at home and in hiring a dog field for vigorous exercise
🚦LISTEN! Understand how they feel, don’t tell them off for expressing their feelings.

👃🏼Scent work /nose-work is the most SUCCESSFUL way to help your dogs overall ‘obedience’ and build a calmer and less reactive dog. Scientifically proven)

Come and learn how with Scent Detection and Mantrailing classes and workshops. DM with a 🐾 and book your success now.

01/10/2024

🍂"Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go" - Unknown. 🍃

Do you dream of letting your dog go off lead and they comeback to you? Do you wish your Pup would let go of that 'thing in their mouth'? Come and learn with an awarding winning Trainer, to embrace the season of letting go and worrying about your Dog!

🎆 Bangs & Slams! Noise Sensitivity workshop - give yourself plenty of time to train and work with your dog to make those dark autumn noises nothing to worry about. Sat 5th October at 9AM. 2 hour workshop. 🎆

🍂New! Puppy Classes move to a Saturday morning. Puppy Fundamentals - 12th October 8.30AM
🍂New! AdoleSENSE classes move to a Saturday morning. 12th October 9.30AM.

🎃 Come sniff out something fun with NEW Scent detection classes starting 9th October in Didmarton
🎃 Join in with a Mantrailing Introduction Workshop - Sunday 13th October and ongoing progressions sessions Sundays and Wednesdays

DM 🍂 for further details and links to book the relevant classes.

30/09/2024

🎆 "REMEMBER, REMEMBER! To plan in September,
💥 for the dreaded day of number 5.
🤯 It's 6 weeks from now,
🎓 start training and Wow!
🐶 You'll see your Dog flourish and thrive!” 🎆 💥
🍂 C.MacGregor, 2024. 😁

DM me for details of the successful 'Bangs and Slams' Workshop covering noise sensitivity.
Workshop Sat 5th October 9AM £40 2 Hrs

28/09/2024

🐾 Show me you ❤️your Dogs without telling me you love your Dogs 🐾

🐾 I put the same effort into your Dogs wellbeing as I do my own Dogs. It’s why I’ve earned my awards. 🏆

🐾 Just like us, your Dogs behaviour is directly affected by hidden pain and the quality of products we feed them. Just taken delivery of new Vince the Vet supplements to add into the existing gut health, parasitic health and joint health products I give to both my Dogs. This helps keep them more balanced in terms of mental and physical health. 🥗

🤨 It’s also a case of ‘trial and error’ as to what suits your Dogs biology. Never just go with an advert or mass Amazon star rating. What suits their Dog may not entirely suit the next one. Be flexible with your choices 🤔

Find a supply source you trust. Not all foods and supplements are created equal in terms of quality. Of course, it must suit your budget. I have Murphy’s Doggy Deli to thank for tremendous advice around food brands.

🏥 Lastly, the below is one hell of a lot CHEAPER than growing Vet visits, health insurance and bills, as one of my Dogs has needed support from the start of their lives. So far, so good 👍🏼



paleoridge Paleo Ridge Raw Dog Food ACE - Tilley Farm

vincethevetofficial vincethevetofficial A-OK9 aok9official Mersey Raw merseyrawdogfood

22/09/2024

🚦STOP! Telling your Dog what to do. Show them with kindness and ‘concept’ training.
🚦LOOK! Stop walking your dog through reactivity. Watch them change as you work with them at home and in hiring a dog field for vigorous exercise
🚦LISTEN! Understand how they feel, don’t tell them off for expressing their feelings.

👃🏼Scent work /nose-work is the most SUCCESSFUL way to help your dogs overall ‘obedience’ and build a calmer and less reactive dog. Scientifically proven)

Come and learn how with Scent Detection and Mantrailing classes and workshops. DM with a 🐾 and book your success now.

21/09/2024

Building optimism in your dog to be a happy and relaxed being comes from YOU. Your efforts do make the difference so and respect the amazing Dog in front of you to get the results you want.

Training together and being proactive in your approach is HUGE. Come and find out your potential with the award-winning format and approach through Classes

18/09/2024