Pause 4 Paws

15/01/2025

In the professional dog industry we often use the term reactive dog but what does this mean. A reactive dogs is a dog that displays excessive lunging, barking or growling when it sees or hears people and/or other dogs.
Our first dog Zeus brought me into the world of reactive dogs. I grew up with friendly furry Samoyeds who weren't reactive and then we rescued Zeus. He was 50kg of fluff who would lung and bark, even at a great distance, at other dogs and could be unpredictable with people.
Walks were hard work, we were either hypervigilant looking for his triggers to avoid or it was a case of managing a thrashing 50kg of scared frustrated dog on the end of the lead.
Back then I didn't understand Zeus' trauma and it was embarrassing taking him out. We had to be very selective who we trusted and who could handle him, I was very skilled at hanging on to him but we knew if we or someone else made a mistake that could result in him pts and someone else getting hurt.
We had a trusted friend who took the time to get to know him and was strong enough to handle him but as we started a family, days out had to be either planned in blocks to warrant asking our friend to travel the 300 mile round trip to help us out or we had to make sure we were home in four hours for him. Now with my work on dog behaviour from the Wolf and Dog Development Centre, I am even more equipped to handle situations that arise and read their body language to know how to help them.
If you have a reactive dog and you are struggling to walk them or leave them to go out for the day, contact me to see if I can help take some pressure off.

14/01/2025

The power of stillness. Slowing down and truly stopping rather than trying to cope while still are very different things.

12/01/2025

Reframing with empathy

How many times do we say won't? When they see another dog they won't listen to me. My dog sits fine at home but out they just won't do it. Fido won't take a treat out, isn't interested in food for rewards which makes training difficult .

What if we looked at these behaviours and swapped won't for can't.

When your dog sees another dog and it takes them past their developmental ability to cope, their survival system kicks in and they can't hear you, they are hyper focused on the threat. They can't, they are not using their will to avoid doing what you have asked, they can't mentally or physically cope with what your asking of them.

When you ask a dog to sit and they are nervous in the environment, they are overwhelmed and they might not be able to carry out your instructions. Imobilisation will not make them feel safe, they need to be able to run away if needed. They can't, they aren't choosing not to.

When our dogs are stressed their system shuts down the digestive system, conserving energy to trigger their flight or fight. Remember the last time you were stressed and worried, did you want a meal or did you feel sick in your stomach ? It's not they won't take treats they can't.

If we see our dogs as a can't 't rather than a won't, reframing their behaviour in our minds, it helps us remember that they are not doing it to make our lives difficult, they aren't choosing their response. They are in overwhelm and can't do as we ask. One way I know how my dogs are feeling in an environment is to offer food, if they can't take it that tells me all I need to know about their emotional state. Rather than getting cross at their willful disobedience, empathy for the can't opens us up to offer comfort, to find a quieter or more familiar space they can cope with and above all offer support not punishment.

Please share with anyone who would benefit from reframing and follow me on Facebook and Instagram

09/01/2025

Lets talk squeaky toys. My dogs have lots of squeaky toys , the shark in Bear's mouth had 7 squeakers! Had being the key word. As a dog mum I've honed my skills to find and surgically remove all before I let them play with them. This is not just because they drive my ears crazy but because of what they represent to dogs.
When we play with our pups with a squeaky toy, we teach them that when you bite something, when you tug and it squeaks - bite harder. We pull and tug, we ramp up the biting, the excitement and the game and with every squeak they bite harder, get more excited.
So what happens when this translates in to dog interactions. Lets look at social "play fighting", the biting and energy ramps up between them. One dog gets hurt and squeals, this should be a sign that you hurt me, it should be teamed with a pause in the interaction to check if each other are ok. Then decide through safety cues if they are good to play again, adjust the play or stop. But we just spent hours teaching them that squeaking means bite harder ramp up the excitement, in effect go harder. This is the reason as a dog mum I remove all their squeakers.

If you want to see more , like my post and follow me on facebook and Instagram

05/01/2025

I love watching these three play together. In their "play" as we call it, they visit their survival modes, moving through freeze, fight and flight. They practise the things they need to survive and move their nervous system through the roller coaster of hi to low energy. The bonds of family made and tested in this process. They check in with each other, looking for safety cues, which allows them to know they are ok to continue or they do not feel safe too. If its just Shamus and Bella they can stop with a pause, a look and its all that is needed to end their play session. Bear needs some help still to know when they have had enough but he is getting better at reading their cues that its not safe to continue and I am there to help him with that.

31/12/2024

At the end of the year, it is traditional for us to reflect on what has happened in 2024 and what we hope for 2025.
I think back to a difficult year for us but the main thought in my mind is what our Bear could have missed. His first Christmas has just passed, his previous owners couldn't cope with his dysregulation and his need for emotional support so they felt pts was an option to consider.

He wouldn't have made his first Christmas, shared joy with my son in water at the heath or beach, had lamb ribs in the paddock on Christmas day, his first pub trip or pup ice-cream at Sea Palling. He wouldn't have snuggles on the sofa or have found his tolerant canine mentors in the form of Bella and Shamus.

He would have lived his short 6 months of life unable to fully rest, unable to deal with the big feelings that come with toddlerhood and that would have been his story, his ending.

It hasn't been easy, as always he has taught me much on our short 4 month journey. Now he can sleep, he can choose to let us regulate him in his overwhelm rather than fight it and us. He can ask for help when he needs it and we are much more in tune with knowing what he needs. If he gets scared he doesn't have to cope alone or bite - he flies on our laps and asks for comfort and safety.

It took empathy, quiet, calm and shrinking his world down till he felt safe - not wearing out on multiple walks a day or throwing a ball till he was tired enough to sleep. It took bonding with his family and unconditional connection. A tough thing to offer when they have adult teeth but just like a toddler who is having a difficult time with their emotions , the naughty step or isolation from his caregivers won't help, that is why he got to here in the first place. They need you there to co-regulate them through it till they can start to do it on their own. Sometimes in the beginning, when the biting was too intense, that looked like Bear in a crate and me sitting the other side of the bars, deep beathing to regulate my nervous system so it could help his. Now its my touch , my calm voice and my regulated system still talking to his bringing him down. I hope we have many more Christmas' as a family, one thing i know for sure is Bear is here to stay and our journey together will teach us both more than I thought, they always do. We never get the dog we want, we get the one we need xx

24/12/2024

Merry Christmas to everyone, hope all your furry babies have a happy festive season ###

05/12/2024

24/11/2024

Check out my latest blog post on the power of validation. Making our dogs feel seen can have a powerful effect on our relationship, building trust in our decisions.
Being the calm in their storm rather than joining them in their noise and fear.

Like and share if know anyone struggling with their dog.

Below is a video of Bear after being with us for 5 weeks. He heard dogs barking in a nearby field, he came straight to…

02/11/2024

Beautiful insight from one of the wolf centre instructors

Adopting my first rescue dog was a completely new experience. Growing up, we only had cats. I remember being afraid of dogs as a child. However, in my twenties, I had a few positive encounters with dogs at house parties. After a few drinks for courage, I found myself enjoying their company Befor

24/10/2024

Find out about the world of wolves and dogs from my mentors.

07/10/2024

It's such a pleasure to spend time with this happy boy. If your pup needs a visit to break up their day drop me a message or call me on 07379 329321

We can tailor the activities to their needs.

Holly Pause4paws

01/10/2024

I am so proud of how far this boy has come, they heard a dog barking in the near by farmers field. They all rushed to the fence and I went down to validate that we were OK. I returned to the bench and they all came back with me. Bear came in for reassurance and safety, then moved positions so he was in between my legs for extra protection. Just want I want him to do, look for me in the times he is unsure and look for how I feel about the situation and use me as his safe place. No better feel than when your hard work pays off. Looking for me for direction will keep him safe in the wider world

Check out Bears journey at https://pause4paws.co.uk/meet-bear

17/09/2024

Always a great start to Tuesday when you have this handsome boy to accompany you on your walk.
Drop me a message if your dog fancies a morning ramble with me or a lunchtime stroll.
07379 329321

13/09/2024

Had the pleasure of looking after this gorgeous girl recently for a week. It's lovely to have repeat bookings as we both get to know each other very well.

If you need your cat cuddled while your away give me a call 07379 329321

Holly Pause4paws

11/09/2024

When Bear arrived he couldn't calm, if we went up in energy he would go to biting. Now he looks for my connection to steady him and will come back down. Exercising his nervous system in this way will help imprint on his brain and eventually he will be able to regulate himself.

Learn more about Bear and his journey with us.

http://pause4paws.co.uk/meet-bear

08/09/2024

We took on a 6 month old addition to our family nearly three weeks ago. In my new blog Meet Bear, find out how we helped him move out of his survival brain and into connection with us.

https://pause4paws.co.uk/meet-bear