Tiny Paws Outdoors

23/12/2024

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS ….

Not just for Christmas, but every day of a dog’s life – these are some of the things I believe dogs would want -

Gifts of love, kindness, compassion, understanding and knowledge.

Gifts of helping them feel safe, secure and protected in their environment

Gifts of unconditional love, second chances and a forever home

Gifts of allowing appropriate choices

Gifts of mental and physical stimulation.

Gifts of proper nutrition and health care.

Gifts of never using punishment, force, fear, intimidation or tools that cause pain.

Gifts of acceptance for the dog that they are.

Wishing you and dog’s everywhere a very Happy Christmas filled with the gifts that really matter!

20/12/2024

As the year draws to an end, the boys and I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year 🐾

14/12/2024

Super proud of these ladies. They rose to the challenge and we had such a laugh while doing it. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas 🐾

13/12/2024

More to follow but a few photos of my fabulous tricks ladies and their dogs getting into the Christmas spirit, thank you ladies for a wonderful year of tricks and a very entertaining afternoon 🐾

06/12/2024

Dog Walking Etiquette 101: 5 Essential Tips for Happy Walks! 🐕

1. Respect Personal Space
➡️ Not every dog is social! Always ask before letting your dog approach others. Look out for yellow ribbons or gear that indicate a dog needs space. 💛

2. Leash Up in Public Areas
➡️ Even the friendliest dog should be on a leash unless you're in a designated off-leash area. This ensures safety for everyone, including wildlife.

3. Pick Up After Your Dog 💩
➡️ Always carry waste bags and clean up after your furry friend. It's courteous and keeps the environment clean for everyone.

4. Stay Aware of Your Surroundings 👀
➡️ Keep an eye out for other dogs, wildlife, joggers, cyclists, or kids. A quick reaction can prevent unnecessary stress or accidents.

5. Control Excitable Behaviour
➡️ Keep your dog close when passing others to prevent jumping or barking. Reward calm behaviour to reinforce good manners.

What other tips would you add to this list? ⤵️
https://www.yellowdoguk.co.uk/store/

04/12/2024

THE PERILS OF PUNISHMENT

It’s easy to stop or suppress a behaviour by using punishment, force or pain and say that it really works, so why even bother to do it differently?

Punishment based methods may well “fix” the behaviour quickly, are far easier, require far less effort, less knowledge, less education, or even just be based on traditional belief, but these methods come at a great cost - destroying trust, creating insecurity, fear, anxiety, provoking aggression, causing dogs to shut down or feel helpless and prevent dogs from learning an alternative, more acceptable behaviour.

There is so much modern, scientific evidence to support force free, positive reinforcement methods as being the most effective and successful way to modify behaviour.

There is nothing admirable, ethical or intelligent in physically or emotionally forcing any sentient being to comply.

Take the time and make a commitment to understand and learn about positive, force free, science-based methods.

02/12/2024

We've had so many requests to run another collab competition... so here it is!
Festive drum roll please… 🎄🎁

The Muzzle Movement, Tug-E-Nuff and PerfectFit Facebook Exclusive Giveaway! 😍
This is huge! 🎉

We love supporting brands who have a real passion for ethical dog training and a commitment to bettering dog welfare, just like us. 🫶
We also love how many similar colours we have. So, basically, your dog is going to look and feel epic! And with the added addition of muzzle friendly toys from Tug-E-Nuff, nothing will stop them having fun this Christmas! 🥰

For our Christmas competition, we are going to do it a little differently...
We want you to nominate someone who you think has gone above and beyond with their training efforts, maybe someone who has had a tricky journey with their dog and hasn't given up or someone you just think really, really deserves it. Don’t forget to tell us why they deserve it! 🫶❤️

You can nominate as many people as you like.

If selected, you will win a PerfectFit Harness a matching training lead, Muzzle Movement muzzle and the Tug-E-Nuff Fetch Fanatics gift box. 🙌
How amazing is that!? 😍

Here's how to enter:
1. Follow PerfectFit, Muzzle Movement and Tug-E-Nuff on Facebook.
2. Tag all your friends who would LOVE this giveaway, tag your friends who you think really deserve to win.
3. Share on your Facebook story and tag us!

T&Cs❗️
Giveaway closes at 9:00 am 15/12/24. The winner will be picked at random and contacted on or after 15/12/24 by direct message from . This giveaway 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.

22/11/2024

ARE YOU MANAGING?
Are you managing your dog’s environment to prevent or improve unwanted behaviour?

As people, we tend to prefer and look for the more complicated solutions to problems. This tendency is termed “complexity bias” - the tendency to prefer complicated explanations and solutions instead of looking for the simpler ones.

Surely a complicated, time consuming, detailed solution has to be more effective, superior, impressive, or correct?

Complexity bias is so relevant when it comes to changing a dog’s unwanted behaviour. We often get so stuck on trying to modify behaviour through counter conditioning, desensitization or detailed training plans when sometimes the simplest solution to the problem lies in simply managing the environment.

Dogs will do what dogs do – when an opportunity arises to help themselves to food left on a table, to bark at the gate at anyone passing by, to have a drink from that big water bowl at the perfect height, that we call a toilet, to running off with irresistibly smelly dirty underwear, to rummaging through bins in search of anything that may or may not be edible, to running out an opened door in search of adventure - the list is long - dogs will be dogs.

Parents of little children use management all the time without giving it much thought. Baby locks on cupboards, covers on electrical sockets, valuable or dangerous items put far out of reach, fences and locks around pools, etc.

We wouldn’t just train a toddler not to stick their fingers in an electrical socket, not to open cupboards, not to touch a hot plate – it’s far safer, simpler and logical to first manage the environment, to prevent potential incidents.

The same principle should apply to managing a dog’s environment to prevent unwanted behaviour.

The more a behaviour is practiced the more difficult it is to prevent. The more a behaviour is rehearsed the better dogs become at it.

Preventing the behaviour from happening in the first place by using management is the logical, simple and effective way to address it.

Be a good manager – it’s far less stressful, for both us and our dogs.

15/11/2024

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

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 🐾