Pawsitive Regard Dog Training

11/11/2024

Meet Jarvis 🖤 he is a young working cocker spaniel, with an emphasis on the working! He and his lovely human recently completed my 4 week adolescent package.

His mum got in touch as she was struggling to walk Jarvis on a lead and get him to engage with her off lead! He has lots of good sniffs and hedgerows to explore BUT the downside is he has had a lot of fun self hunting and generally being disengaged with his humans. Of course all dogs should have free time to explore and be a dog but we need to be able to ask them to engage with us so it’s safe to have them off lead!

We went right back to basics and focussed on engagement games and hunting games that come from the human. All the fun happening by working with us. It’s important to know what your dog was originally bred to do and help them have that outlet. Working cocker spaniels need an job to do or they will definitely find their own job! In the wrong situation this can be dangerous to both wildlife, themselves or others e.g. chasing a deer across a road.

I’m pleased to say Jarvis is now much more engaged with his humans. It will take more time and consistency but he is getting there. His human has worked hard and they were an absolute joy to work with. Sadly I forgot to take any videos of him!

21/09/2024

This week we’ve welcomed another special Spaniel foster into our home and she’s such a sweetheart 🤎 She’s finding her paws as everything is new and her whole world has changed but we’ve see lots of positive signs that she’s settling. She loves to be right next to you and is a bit worried by strange or new things. We are taking it slowly and helping her feel safe. She gives the best cuddles and even retrieves my shoes! She’s spring loaded outside but managed to get her to completely chill inside

10/09/2024

The hidden dangers of ball throwing and why I sound like such a kill joy….

Brilliant post and handout by Canine Arthritis Management.

I’m often advising clients to find alternatives to repetitive ball throwing not only because it increases adrenaline and arousal but also because of the long term risks of painful joint disease. If you dog loves chasing balls, I like to find ways to give them this outlet in a different way. 1) Smaller amounts of controlled retrieves (sitting and waiting while the ball is thrown) and then going to get it. This can reduce the skidding or jumping and catching the ball at weird angles.

2) Find it search for a hidden ball in long grass, around your house or behind objects. This uses your dogs nose instead which can be very enriching as well as calming. You can also work together to find it, which is a great relationship building activity.

3) Other scent based activities, searching for treats or following a scent trail.

All of these activities we can also build in impulse control as they have a delayed reward, we can work together with our dog to help them get the reward (hello fun together and connection) and we are keeping their arousal from sky rocketing. Not to mention preventing painful joint disease!

04/09/2024

I’ve been busy creating a “How to Guide” to help clients introduce a new cat into their home (or a new dog in a household with cats already). Are you planning on introducing a new pet to your home and need some advice? Then please do get in touch 🐶🐈
Many dogs and cats can live together in perfect harmony but first impressions do count!

You need to first consider the personality traits of each individual and their hard-wired genetic programming. If you have a dog that has been bred to hunt and kill small fluffy things and they’re already practised at this, then this may be a more challenging task. I’m thinking of Terriers and Sighthounds, but this also goes for any dog with a high prey drive. Dogs are predators after all! It may be worth first assessing your dog with neighbourhood cats or a friend’s cat (I can help you do this safely).
Cats are both predators and prey, they may choose to attack your dog or flee. It would be worth finding out whether your new cat is skittish, will freeze or will stalk/ hunt. A cat that flees is more likely to trigger the prey drive of your dog (but also less likely to attack them)!

First and foremost, it’s important to consider the welfare of all animals involved and ensure that all their physical and emotional needs are met. This is something I’m particularly passionate about and can help you find ways to ensure you have a harmonious household!

03/09/2024

Got to meet this cutie today! Mr P is a 16 week old working cocker spaniel and an absolute joy. Safe to say I think I wore him out with all the excitement of someone new! He’s working on (most importantly) how to be a puppy and learning all about the big wide world. As well as keeping all 4 paws on the floor, coming back when called and nailing toileting outside. He was such fun to be around and a confident young boy. At this stage of life, my biggest priority would be helping him to have positive experiences to new things: places, things, people and other animals (socialisation), alongside setting up good habits

08/08/2024

There is no time like the present! Start early and build those positive experiences for your puppy. It will help shape how they feel about things as an adult. Always remember QUALITY is better than quantity, we want to expose our puppies to the world but going slow and steady with positive experiences is the most important. Short sessions where they are left feeling good is far better than too much at once, otherwise we run the risk of flooding our puppies. Go on, get out there! Infographic courtesy of

01/08/2024

Client update: I love receiving updates like this! It makes me super happy to hear that people’s hard work and dedication is paying off with their dogs and they’re enjoying each others company. Roo’s pawrent Sophia has put in so much time, care, love and attention (and patience) to Roo’s training and it’s laying off! A few weeks back Roo couldn’t settle in the new office setup as she was anticipating that Sophia would be playing with her/ giving her attention. When this expectation wasn’t met this lead to frustration (expressed as a nip). By tweaking a few things and communicating that this was quiet time, well the pictures speak for themselves 😁 well done team Roo 🧡 .ginger.roo

28/07/2024

Thanks Ros at Pool4Dogs at Jo Paws4Teaching it was lovely to hang out.

Thanks to The Mutty Professor team and all that attended for the great time.

What a brilliant weekend meeting likeminded people! Great opportunity to learn from others and feel a part of a community.

Lots of thought provoking discussions with other trainers and behaviourists with a similar ethical outlook to myself. Lots to process now but invigorated to keep learning….!

19/07/2024

I’ve been busy prepping for the Woolavington village dog show to support the church! Come find me where I’ll be doing some activities, selling dog treats and talking about ethical dog training

13/07/2024

One of the most important things I discuss with new puppy parents is socialisation. What is it? What do I mean by socialisation? Why is it important and how to achieve it with your pups emotional needs at the centre of this? And no it’s not introducing them to Instagram or Facebook 😂

Many of us think it’s puppies playing together but actually it’s a lot more than that. Yes, it’s careful social interaction with well matched and social dogs where neither dog feels overwhelmed. I would also argue the biggest picture is everything else!

Our human world is brand new to our puppies: sounds, sights, objects, people, animals, children, surfaces, textures (everything and anything you can think of that you’d like your puppy to be comfortable with). It’s important to expose your puppy during their key window of socialisation but the MOST important thing is how they feel about it. I’m an advocate of quality over quantity, reading your pups body language. Here is a sneak preview of basics that I suggest in that first development stage. If you’d like to know more or how I can help with training your puppy then do get in touch

05/04/2024

Hello all!
I'm offering 1-2-1 and group dog training services for all ages, helping you to train your dog! I'm based in Woolavington but I offer home visits across the whole of Sedgemoor and surrounds up to Weston-s-m, Cheddar and across to Wells.

Why pick me?
I'm an ABTC registered ATI; I’m qualified, experienced and insured.
I only use humane, ethical and welfare friendly based training techniques.
My approach is best on scientific based methods.
My puppy classes in Blackford are small in size to ensure you get 1-2-1 attention.
I use a behaviourally informed approach to training that is focussed on how your puppy or dog feels and why they may be responding this way. I tailor my approach to the individual human and dog.

Visit my website or FB page to find out more or get in contact directly using the details below. https://www.pawsitiveregard.org/1-2-1-private-sessions-with-lucy

28/03/2024

If you’re looking to learn more about dog body language, I highly recommend this FREE course by PACT

So this year we put together a completely FREE course discussing canine body language. It's available for anyone to watch (not just professionals) so if you're interested or know someone that might be (your clients included) please do sign up and share far and wide💚
https://pact-course.thinkific.com/courses/PACTtastercourse

21/03/2024

20/03/2024

27/02/2024

I have the absolute pleasure and good fortune to be working with this ginger beauty, Roo, and her lovely guardian. Roo is a 10 week old Vizsla and is still growing into paws. She has lots of energy, is very smart (as well as being gorgeous) and has lots to learn about the world. Her guardians want to give her the best start in life and clearly have a lot to give her. They have booked onto my puppy package to help support them through all things puppy: mouthing/ biting, zoomies, object stealing, toileting, crate/ pen training, socialisation, basic obedience, play, suitable outlets, impulse control, play and of course bonding (and fun)!

This week we focussed on drop, preventing resource guarding and managing those sharkie moments! Vizsla are a gundog breed (Hunt Point Retrievers) so they’re inherently motivated to find, carry, parade and retain objects. It’s even more important that we make sure Roo is confident with humans around things she finds precious to prevent resource guarding. As she grows up it will also be important to give her some suitable breed outlets such as hunting games, find it games and retrieving games.

I can’t wait to see their progress as I think they’re all doing fabulously so far 🧡

11/02/2024

ABOUT ME! Who is Pawsitive Regard Dog Training?

Hello and welcome!

I’m Lucy Partridge, I'm a full PACT Member and I’m a registered Animal Training Instructor (ATI) with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC). What does that mean? It means I only use Ethical, science-based and Welfare-friendly training approaches to help you train your dog. It also means I’ve been assessed by a professional body as competent.

Something about me….
I've worked with many animals over the years both large and small- with Reindeer being the most unusual! As a teenager/ young adult we had a reactive Labrador x collie called Phoebe. She is the dog that started it all! I developed a growing interest in how to understand canine behaviour in order to help her overcome her issues.

In 2017, I started fostering dogs and helping out a well known assistance dog charity at their training centre. I learnt a huge amount from their trainers but mostly from the dogs that I fostered, understanding their quirks and unique personalities. I also developed my passion for training using reward based training methods.

My undergraduate degree is in Neuroscience, and since then I have studied for a short time on a Veterinary Science course (uncompleted). I’m also working towards an MSc in Person-Centred Psychotherapy and love working with people. From these experiences, I’ve developed an understanding of the role of training to help with husbandry and veterinary procedures, as well as the link between health issues and behaviour.

I’m all too aware of the human element of training; I'm keen to understand the human and dog relationship more and why our dogs may be behaving the way they are. Guardians can be strongly affected by their dog's behaviour and vice versa. With this understanding, I hope to work with both human and dog to create a positive bond and long lasting relationship by laying strong foundations.

I plan to increase my knowledge in behaviour and I have just started the Canine Behaviour Technician course with the Professional Association of Canine Trainers (PACT) 2024.

(I also love cats and horses)