Tiny Paws Outdoors

07/11/2024

WHEN SECONDS COUNT

This post is not advocating that dogs meet every other dog, but about how to go about it, if and when it does happen, in a safer way.

The 3 second rule for dogs meeting each other is used as a guideline to help foster positive introductions, prevent either dog from feeling overwhelmed or trapped and prevent any potential reactivity and stress.

A short 3 second introduction is enough time to provide important information to both dogs.

Enough information for dogs to know – “are you a threat?”, “do I like you?”, “do I want to learn more about you?”, “do I really dislike you?”, “do I need you to go away?” etc. Both dogs may not feel the same way – one may not be happy to engage while the other may want to.

All interactions should ideally happen like this, not just initially. Just like us, dogs can have off days – things like pain, trigger stacking, lack of sleep or a host of other reasons can influence whether a dog wants to interact or not.

There are countless times I have witnessed meetings or introductions between dogs that have gone on just a few seconds too long and have not ended well. This can have long lasting effects on future behaviour when meeting other dogs.

Understanding body language is critically important. If we are going to share our lives with another species, protect them, advocate for them and help them feel safe, then we need to understand and respect their language.

The examples in this post of red and green flags are just a few general ones to look out for – there are many more and these will differ depending on the individual dog, context and circumstances.

Here are some resources and links to learn more about body language -
On Talking Terms With Dogs - Calming Signals, 2nd Edition by Turid Rugaas
https://www.dogwise.com/on-talking-terms-with-dogs-calming-signals-2nd-edition/?srsltid=AfmBOoqj8ruQJx5bCP7qWb03TqCyAGfmAvCj988UuWk_L1_UHbYcZsES

The Veterinary Behaviour Centre
https://www.heska.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TVBC-Canine-Dog-Body-Language-handout.pdf

Make sure those first 3 seconds count – they can make all the difference.

06/11/2024

31/10/2024

25/10/2024

A little Halloween giveaway for you all 🎃👻

23/10/2024

BORN THIS WAY?
Why is a dog the way they are? Are they just born this way?

Genetics certainly play a part, but genetics are not always a reliable predicter of behaviour.

Genetics can provide us with insight as to what could be expected, but it’s so much more than just that.

Genetics, environment, life experiences and individuality all play a role in shaping a dog’s behaviour.

Just like us, dogs are unique individuals, each with their own personalities, emotions, likes and dislikes, sociability, preferences or different health issues. These often change throughout life.

Just as we learn and change through our life experiences, so do dogs. Negative or positive experiences, trauma, stress, learned habits, training methods, trust, feeling safe and secure, predictability and stability are all part of how these type of experiences affect behaviour.

Many dogs live in environments that are not compatible with what they were selectively bred to do.

People bred dogs to do certain jobs like guarding, herding, hunting, pointing, scenting, tracking or companionship. When dogs that were bred for specific jobs, find themselves “unemployed” and have no outlet for what they were originally bred to do, this often leads to pent up frustration and behaviour problems.

Conflict between the environment and a dog’s genetics are an increasingly common reason for behaviour problems.

Yes, a dog may have just been “born this way”, but always look at the whole picture to understand the why of behaviour.

Genetics, environment, individuality and experiences – they all matter.

21/10/2024

Today the staff had fun playing with the new hedgehogs,these will be coming up to tricks classes so watch out all tiny paws outdoors tricksters 😁

20/10/2024

Huge congratulations to Victoria,Harry and Dougie at their first Heel work to music association competition , coming away with a first and second ,fantastic work 👏👏👏👏

20/10/2024

We are now offering 1-2-1 trick training via video call, you can work towards your tiny paws trick dog titles, or any tricks your trying to master, in the comfort of your own home .Pm or WhatsApp for more information 🐾

18/10/2024

Order going in this week for any one interested in these fantastic leads and lanyards, help to support small businesses

16/10/2024

Starting to get our mojo back ,

15/10/2024

DISTANCE ASSISTANCE
It’s not easy having a reactive dog. As much as we may feel frustrated, restricted, angry or even ashamed or embarrassed, our reactive dogs are also experiencing a range of negative emotions when they react to something that triggers them.

This reaction is usually caused by anxiety, fear, feeling threatened, frustrated or related to pain.

These emotions cause high levels of stress and stress prevents both us and our dogs from being able to process information, think clearly or learn a different, more acceptable way of reacting to whatever triggers us.

This is why creating enough distance is so important. I’m really scared of snakes and even struggle to look at them. The only thing I want to do is run away and create as much distance as possible.

If someone was restraining me, forcing me to sit down and look at the snake while trying to feed me my favourite chocolate, telling me there was nothing to worry about or trying to educate me about the specific species, it would do nothing to alleviate my fear and would only increase my stress levels.

Doing this at a sufficient distance, where I felt safe would be far more effective and my stress levels would be much lower. In time, with patience and practice, I may even be able to get much closer to the snake without having a negative reaction.

The same principle applies to reactive dogs. Creating sufficient distance where they can see the trigger but still feel safe and don’t react is the best way of helping them to cope with their feelings.

Some dogs (and people) may never be able to decrease that distance and that’s also okay.

Accept your dog for the unique individual they are, keep working on the things you can change and accept the things you can’t.

14/10/2024

14/10/2024

Who’s ready for some hoopers fun ?

08/10/2024

Competition now closed.

Congratulations to Megan Evans! 🎉

This is a big one.... The Perfect Autumn Pairing! 🍂🥰

We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with, none other than, the fantastic Equafleece for a joint giveaway.
The winner can choose any Equafleece fleece garment of their choice plus a PerfectFit Harness. All in your chosen colours!

Here's how to enter:
1. Make sure you are following the PerfectFit page and the Equafleece page
2. On our Facebook post, tag all your friends who would LOVE this giveaway (the more tags the more entries!!!) And it's open to UK and overseas followers!
3. Share on your Facebook story and tag us!

T&Cs❗️
Give away closes at 9:00am 14/10/24. The winner will be picked at random and contacted on or after 14/10/24 by direct message from .
Competition is open on Facebook only. This give away is not sponsored, endorsed or associated with Instagram or Facebook. Please be aware of fraudulent pages. We will never ask for any payment details or ask you to follow a link to claim your prize."

08/10/2024

QUITTING SO MUCH SITTING
How did we become so obsessed with making our dogs sit for everything?
Maybe because it’s believed that dogs that sit on cue are obedient, well mannered, calm, self-controlled and that sitting is incompatible with unwanted behaviours. Maybe because we think it makes us look good as responsible dog guardians.

But is it all really necessary or more importantly in the best interests of our dogs, both physically and emotionally to expect them to sit so much?

Sometimes what we have always believed to be true is not always what’s best for our dogs. As we continue to learn more through research and ongoing education, our methods and beliefs need to change accordingly.

“Sit” is usually one of the first thing puppies are taught. Just one session at puppy school may include up to 20 or more “sits” - that’s a really high intensity workout for a dog at any age, but puppies in the growing stages are particularly at risk.

These sitting repetitions put excessive pressure on the developing skeletal system which may lead to damage or injury that may only become apparent at a later stage.

Senior dogs may find it really painful to sit down and then get back up. Sitting puts pressure on the lower back, hips and supporting muscles. Certain breeds are just not anatomically designed to repeatedly sit.

Asking a fearful or reactive dog to sit in the presence of whatever is triggering that emotion is probably the worst thing to do. The belief that sitting will magically create calmness and stop the negative emotion is not logical.

There is nothing wrong with teaching our dogs to sit and occasionally asking for sits in certain situations, but look at teaching more natural, alternative behaviours, that are just as effective.

In the words of Turid Rugaas – “If you yourself want to sit, sit! If you want your dog to sit, think twice!”

For more detailed information on this subject, here are some links -

https://blog.bharcs.com/2021/03/06/should-we-ask-our-dogs-to-sit/ #:~:text=Young%20dogs%20are%20very%20good,which%20starts%20causing%20compensatory%20issues.

http://www.turid-rugaas.no/sit.html

01/10/2024

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!
It may be really disappointing and frustrating when our dogs are not the social beings we expected them to be.

Many believe dogs should just naturally get along with other dogs, after all they’re the same species.

Some believe the “unsociable” dog has a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”.

Early, appropriately timed and correct socialisation is vitally important, but sometimes despite all of this, some dogs are just not that sociable.

Sometimes this can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance and sociability, which also change throughout life.

If we, as a human species, don’t get along with everyone we meet, how can we expect our dogs to?

Do we label every person that has an argument, doesn’t make friends with everyone they meet, doesn’t like every other person, prefers not to socialise - as having a problem that needs to be fixed?

Why is it so easy to accept that every individual person is different than to accept that every individual dog is different?

When we have done what we can to improve our dogs’ social skills, we need to accept and acknowledge our dogs for the individuals they are, allow and respect their choice of whether to be sociable or not and never force interactions that a dog is not comfortable with.

30/09/2024

A wet and windy monday with 2 training walks to get us started. The lovely big Bobbie is a rescue from abroad and finds life outside the house quite overwhelming and scary but is making fantastic progress in a short space of time.Then we had daisy the diva I’ve been working with her a while now reducing her triggers and reactivity towards other dogs, both such a pleasure to work with 🐾