Paw Perfect Dogs

15/11/2024

We're not mean.
We're not nasty or bad.
We’re just a little scared sometimes.
A yellow muzzle or harness isn’t a sign of aggression — it’s a gentle ask for space.
For some of us, close encounters can feel overwhelming.
When my human asks you to call your dog back, it’s not because they think your dog is naughty or unfriendly.
We just like different things, and they're just trying to help me feel safe.
So next time you see a dog wearing yellow, could you do one small thing for us?
Just give us a little extra room.
It would mean the world to us.

11/09/2024

Are you and your pup dreading firework 🧨 night? This may be of interest to you…

FIREWORKS—Like them or hate them. If you have a dog who struggles with fireworks, then NOW IS THE TIME TO START PREPARING so you and your dog can survive them with little or no stress.

♦️Do you worry about your dog when it’s time for fireworks?
♦️Do you feel like you’ve tried everything to help, and nothing has worked?
♦️Or you just don’t know where to start?

There is ALWAYS a way to help your dog get through fireworks with a minimum of stress (and ideally little to no stress at all). It doesn’t have to be hard, and it is so, so important.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE SUPPORTED, WEEK BY WEEK, TO MAKE THIS YEAR’S FIREWORKS AS LOW STRESS AS POSSIBLE? This year we’re offering you the chance to do this FOR FREE.

With 8 WEEKS TO GO you need to start NOW, have your plan in place and ready to go when Fireworks start (usually from the end of Oct).

How:
▪ Just a tiny bit of preparation every week.
▪ We’ll guide you through it, a step at a time. We'll be on hand in the group to answer all your questions,
▪ A short weekly lesson (just 15 minutes or so),
▪ Short easy to do exercises to follow (another 15 minutes)
▪ We will review your exercises with you and then guide you to the next steps.

You can do it all at a time that suits you or hop into the live sessions—whatever makes it easiest.

So what are you waiting for? Come and join us and let’s make this year the safest, kindest year yet for our wonderful canine family members.

Just hop onto the canine thinking website and you’ll find the link to sign up. It’s on the homepage and under courses.

We want this to be available to absolutely everyone, to offer every dog the best chance of being free from fear and suffering. So this year we are offering it on a ‘pay what you can’ basis. You can sign up COMPLETELY FOR FREE, or, if you’re in a position to pay the suggested price (or anywhere in between, whether that’s £5 or £50 or the full £90) then that will help us offer more things like this for free in the future.



The choice of what to pay is yours – our priority is simply your dog’s wellbeing.
https://caninethinking.com/fireworks/

13/08/2024

Calling all puppy parents…

Dog Training Classes!

Starting Saturday 31st August in Curridge.

Suitable for dogs over 6 months.
* Get help with recall and attention around distractions.
* Learn new skills.
* For all beginners or puppies looking for next steps.
* Support between classes.
* Online learning syllabus with worksheets, video demos and more.

Small classes with experienced instructors.
Positive reward-based methods.
5 week course
£110

Book here: https://www.annabalchdogtrainer.com/book

06/08/2024

Spaces now available!

18/07/2024

So true…

14/07/2024

If your dog is struggling and it’s time to get help - Anna Balch Dog Trainer is your person. Read her piece here about gorgeous Bruce…

13/05/2024

This is Bo telling me I should be offering dog pub visits as a service. (Unfortunately for Bo, she has to have an hour’s walk!)

09/05/2024

Did you know that dogs don’t see all the colours us humans do? This is how they’d see a German Shepherd on a common amongst the bluebells.

11/04/2024

Sharing for any of my Dorset friends… A great local business 🐶 🔨

04/04/2024

Worth a quick read - If you think you’re dog is a bit ‘off’, please contact Anna Balch Dog Trainer who can help work things out with you 👍🏻

My dog can’t be in pain, they don’t show any signs.

I spent the weekend walking around Cambridge for my birthday and I had a lovely time, but my chronic pain has flared up this week.

Even those people who know me best cannot tell that I’m in pain most of the time.

The signs start off so small you can barely see them unless you knew to look.

I walk with my right leg slightly turned out.
I come down the stairs on my left leg first.
I use my upper body more than I should to get myself out of bed.
My leg extension is shortened.
The list goes on!

My pain has worsened as a result of my lovely weekend away and at this point you can see a bigger change in my mental health.

I’m less tolerant and more cranky.
I’m reluctant to be hugged.
I am noise sensitive.
I don’t feel like being sociable.

Now, I still do things either because I want to (and they make me feel good) or because I have to. I continue to ‘behave’ because that is what society has taught me and I can just about handle it.

I am grateful that I am not attached to a lead, or walking on slippery floors, or overly exposed to things that make me feel triggered.

Don’t let it fool you. I am writing this from a place of ‘crankiness’ 😆 but I’m not limping or complaining or going to the doctors and my pain does affect me. My pain builds over time and fluctuates. My pain has a direct impact on my behaviour.

It’s the same for our dogs except they can’t ask for help.

16/03/2024

Six months ago, I thought while I retrain as a dog trainer, I’d ’just’ do a bit of dog walking.

As I ventured into this world, little did I know that my perspective would change and I’d begin to understand that dog walking should be a recognised profession.

After all, I remember when customer services was ‘just an entry level job’, yet now it can differentiate organisations.

I remember when Internal Communications was ‘just the company journalists’, yet now they’ve a place on the Board.

So please don’t think walking your dog is safe something your next door neighbour’s child’s friend could do for a tenner an hour.

A professional will have paid for a canine first aid course, a DBS check, insurance and know what to do in an emergency.

A professional will understand the breed type and know how to create a more fulfilling walk so it has mental stimulation as well as physical.

A professional will understand how the age of your dog will impact the walk. Puppies, adolescents and older dogs have different needs.

A professional will understand dog body language and what to do in different circumstances.

A professional will have knowledge of DEFRA guidelines.

Which is why I jumped at the chance of being in the first cohort of trainers new course for professional dog walkers.

So if you’re looking for dogwalker, please look for a safe pair of hands. Please look for the logo…


The IMDT

16/03/2024

In December, I was part of the first cohort to do 's new course: Dog Walking - Care, Welfare and Professional Practices.
This week, I received the updated logo design. If you're a dog owner and want to choose a professional dog walker - look for the logo.

08/03/2024

… and this is why research in to trainers is so important…

08/02/2024

My Thatcham/Bucklebury/Cold Ash contacts - please keep an eye out and let the owner know if you see her…

31/01/2024

A dog only knows how to be a dog, so why shout at it if it isn't doing human stuff?
Positive, reward-based approach is the ethical way forward for humans and canines to live happily together ☺️🐕‍🦺

Yes, a swift resolution to a behavioural problem might be appealing!

It's natural to want immediate results when dealing with a challenging habit.

However, these rapid solutions can often be risky and potentially detrimental to your dog's wellbeing. The reasoning behind this is multifold.

Firstly, quick fixes tend to focus on suppressing the symptoms of a problem rather than tackling its root cause.

For example, a dog barking excessively could be displaying signs of fear, anxiety, or boredom. A quick fix might involve using a device to deter barking, but this doesn't help the dog cope with the underlying emotions causing the barking. The problem is likely to persist or manifest in another, potentially more harmful behaviour.

Secondly, many quick-fix solutions rely on punishment or negative reinforcement.

These methods might produce an immediate response, but they also risk instilling fear or anxiety in your dog. In the long term, this can lead to a breakdown in trust and a negative impact on your relationship with your dog.

Thirdly, quick fixes don't educate your dog about the correct behaviour.

They merely suppress the undesirable one. A more ethical and effective approach is to use positive reinforcement to reward good behaviour, helping the dog to understand what is expected of them. This does require more time and patience, but it's a more sustainable solution that improves your dog's overall behaviour and strengthens your bond.

Lastly, quick fixes can sometimes backfire and exacerbate the issue.

For example, a dog that's punished for barking at visitors might start to associate visitors with the punishment and become more fearful or aggressive.

In a nutshell, quick-fix behavioural changes are risky because they overlook the underlying issues, rely heavily on negative reinforcement, fail to teach the dog about the correct behaviour, and can even worsen the problem.

Even the smallest amount of ethical learning will make you a better dog trainer and advocate for your dog than employing a quick fix punisher.

Want to learn how - comment below!