Dog Minds NZ

Dog Minds NZ Dog Minds NZ - Patricia - is a certified and experienced dog trainer & behaviour professional with a passion for education.
(13)

We work closely with owners to help dogs & humans live a happier life together in this crazy modern world. Patricia is a certified behaviour professional & trainer. Tailored 1-1 training & owner coaching sessions:
- private puppy/teen training sessions
- reactivity & anxiety
- full behaviour modification programmes
- educational workshops

Training Session with Mila and her mum to fine tune some of the basics of engagement and 'teamwork' during their outings...
24/11/2024

Training Session with Mila and her mum to fine tune some of the basics of engagement and 'teamwork' during their outings to help her trust her mum to make decisions and keep her safe.

We also talked about strategies to avoid interactions with strange dogs when walking, as these can contribute to more reactivity down the line and recall games to keep her close by more often.

She is such a cutie pie and she is full of beans and tons of personality and we love her 😍🐾

We walked, we chilled, we learned, and we had fun. We saw dogs, we saw kids, we explored a new park, and we hung out. Wi...
22/11/2024

We walked, we chilled, we learned, and we had fun. We saw dogs, we saw kids, we explored a new park, and we hung out. Within a few sessions, we can already see a big change in his behaviour. Don't get me wrong, he still loses it when he first gets out of the car, but only for a few seconds, and then he is ok. He knows now that we will not move until he has regrouped, so he's getting so much better at it.

🐾 ROCCO 🐾Meet Rocco the Lagotto. This boy is a bundle of sweetness with a sprinkle of nervousness, and all he wants is t...
20/11/2024

🐾 ROCCO 🐾
Meet Rocco the Lagotto. This boy is a bundle of sweetness with a sprinkle of nervousness, and all he wants is to do is please. He loves working with his humans, and he will do anything for food.

He can be a bit unsure and can be triggered by dogs, which can be an issue when your backyard is by a river walk - talk about the importance of the environment!!

But Rocco showed us that as long he gets a bit of help, he is capable of learning that it's ok for dogs to go by without him telling them off.

It will be process, but he will get there.

We have been working on these for a while, and we are very excited to finally having the chance to bring them to the pub...
12/11/2024

We have been working on these for a while, and we are very excited to finally having the chance to bring them to the public.

Do you want to learn more about:
- how dogs behave & communicate?
- how to read Dog Body Language?
- how to interact with dogs in a positive way?
- how to keep safe around strange dogs?

These sessions are for everyone in our community, not just dog owners. They are focused on behaviour, communication, needs, & safety of dogs and humans.

27th Nov, 1pm - at Pukete Neighbourhood House
12th Dec, 5.30pm - at Western Community Centre
(confirm attendance at Western Community Centre here:) https://westernstars.wufoo.com/forms/q13pt4931q5x6j3/

Next Social Walk: this Saturday, 16th November, 10.30am, Lake Kainui.•PM us if you're coming!
12/11/2024

Next Social Walk: this Saturday, 16th November, 10.30am, Lake Kainui.

PM us if you're coming!

Ok, now this is a wonderful idea!! Get involved  🐶 🐾 Amazing work Waikato Canine Adventure Park  and The Pet Food Pantry...
10/11/2024

Ok, now this is a wonderful idea!! Get involved 🐶 🐾
Amazing work Waikato Canine Adventure Park and The Pet Food Pantry 💙🐾💙🐾💙🐾💙

We are really excited to announce a collaboration with The Pet Food Pantry to bring you our first Xmas Pet Food Drive! 🎉

Today marked the day of installation of our "Paw Pantry."

The Pet Food Pantry has been operating for coming up 6 years, the last 3 in the Waikato. Chloe works tirelessly to provide primarily food, but toys, beds, and blankets to pets, owners, and rescue organisations who are doing it tough!

HOW IT WILL WORK:
From now until the 20th of December, during your booking, you can drop off food canned or kibble (NO raw meat, please) or good quality bedding and toys to the onsite Paw Pantry🙏🐶

Alternatively, anyone can drop off at our Kennels facility office during our opening hours.

MON-FRI 7.30am-9am 4pm- 5.30pm
SAT 10am-11am
SUN 3pm-4pm

The last day for drop off to Paw Pantry will be the 20th of December. This will give us time to get everything together ready for The Pet Food Pantrys Xmas drop-off run on the 23rd/24th.

We would love for our awesome Adventure Park, Kennels, and K9 School community to jump on board with this initiative and help give back ❤️

Lots of love, the Waikato Pets team 🐶

Waikato Boarding Kennels and Cattery
Waikato Canine Adventure Park

Our boy Max had to go to the vets recently after he started limping. Last time he went to the vet, he was feeling a bit ...
10/11/2024

Our boy Max had to go to the vets recently after he started limping. Last time he went to the vet, he was feeling a bit sensitive and didn't have the best experience, so we went along to help him a bit. And yes, he had busted his cruciate 🥺 the poor bu**er is now on crate rest to avoid damage to the other leg, and he will be having surgery this week followed by a few weeks recovery, hydrotherapy and managed exercise. There will be no training walks for this boy for a while, but we will still be visiting him and guiding his humans throughout this process. 💙

We will be doing this community workshop at the Western Community Centre on the 12th Dec, 5.30pmWant to learn more about...
08/11/2024

We will be doing this community workshop at the Western Community Centre on the 12th Dec, 5.30pm
Want to learn more about dogs? Come on down!
Confirm your presence here https://tinyurl.com/2nk9ea89

Workshop: Dogs in our Community
Thursday 12th December at 5.30pm

Dog Minds NZ is coming to the Western Community Centre to talk about dogs and how we can help them and everyone else around us live happier together. This free workshop is all about understanding how dogs work and what they need from us.

We will be talking about how dogs behave and communicate, how to read dog body language better, how to interact with dogs in a more positive way, how to keep safe around strange dogs and in general, how to help dogs live a better life in this busy modern world.

Book your seat here https://tinyurl.com/2nk9ea89

🐾 WILLOW 🐾This is Willow, and she is stunning. Being so cute can draw attention, which is something Willow does not real...
08/11/2024

🐾 WILLOW 🐾
This is Willow, and she is stunning. Being so cute can draw attention, which is something Willow does not really enjoy. She has what we often categorise as stranger-danger. She does not trust strangers and doesn't want them to approach, invade her space, or 'try to be her friend'.

She is suspicious and displays signs of fear when she approaches someone new, and she can be spooked easily, which can be hard to manage, so learning to read the situation and body language is key, to make sure humans interfere when needed.

Her trust takes time and can easily be broken, so we will be taking it slow and working on building trust, increasing positive associations, working within safety distances, and gradually helping her change her emotions and reactions towards new humans and dogs when on lead.

Training walk with Zeus also include exposing to all sorts of random things like a hammock at the park, a group of loud ...
05/11/2024

Training walk with Zeus also include exposing to all sorts of random things like a hammock at the park, a group of loud teenagers in hoodies, bikes and scooters, and dogs. Zeus can be a bit weary of "odd" or new things, including strangers. He has that suspicious personality we often see in GSDs with strong guarding instincts. It's perfectly natural, especially when the breed was originally for guarding purposes.

He has learned to just watch it and leave it alone without reacting, which is a great achievement. He is such a handsome boy 🥰

🐾 TEDDY 🐾This is little Teddy (and Pixie, who was only there for the treats) and he is an adorable bundle of fluf, but h...
04/11/2024

🐾 TEDDY 🐾
This is little Teddy (and Pixie, who was only there for the treats) and he is an adorable bundle of fluf, but he is also struggling with a few anxiety related behaviours: hypervigilance, frantic barking at everything that comes into or walks past his backyard, in-house urination, high levels of reactivity towards dogs.

These issues are affecting Teddy's overall quality of life (and his humans') as he can't handle going out for walks without exploding at triggers. But what may look like "naughty" behaviour and often labelled by some as "disobedience", it is actually behaviour triggered by fear and other emotions that can be very hard to process when the dogs don't have the tools for it.

Teddy needs help at a very foundational level in order to help him build more resilience and ability to self-regulate and to increase control and confidence. It's not a simple training process. It's complex behaviour modification and it will take time to address it all, but we know that Mr Teddy will do his best. 💛

Next time you see a dog reacting, please be kind. Humans and dogs could be struggling, and there is no need to judge.

When dogs stay with us, they are part of the family. They get all the perks, the cuddles, and the adventures. Miss Teina...
30/10/2024

When dogs stay with us, they are part of the family. They get all the perks, the cuddles, and the adventures. Miss Teina has just stayed with us for the long weekend, and we made sure she felt at home. She loves Elven a lot (sometimes a bit too much), and she was his little shadow, but this was a great time to also practice boundaries and teach her to stop.

She is such a great little pocket rocket, and we love her.

Why do we talk so much about building a strong relationship based on trust?! Because there will be a time that we have t...
27/10/2024

Why do we talk so much about building a strong relationship based on trust?! Because there will be a time that we have to push the boundaries and do things our dogs may not be totally happy with.

I know my dog very well, and I know his level of sensitivity mixed with a couple of less positive vet experiences would be coming to play. So, yes, I was feeling a bit anxious about it. I didn't want to traumatise him and make the vets a "No Thank You" place, and most of all, I didn't want to put anyone at risk.

We are very open to medication, but at this stage, we didn't think it was needed, and we have also considered a muzzle as precaution, but there was no need for it this time either.

This vet visit was mainly to assess his (random) levels anxiety when triggered by something, especially at home. Elven had recently had a few days of what we can only describe as a kind of 'panic attack' - excessive panting, drooling, trembling body, hiding under a table, dilated pupils).

We work and love cooperative care as much as possible, and we did a lot of it at home so that Elven could do it at the vets. He did it at the start, but as time went by, he didn't want to work, but he was ok and still took treats, so we just let him be and minimised any tension or things he wasn't as comfortable with.

Our vet and the team were absolutely amazing and they worked with us at his pace and following my guidance to stop when needed. Dr Antonia at Dinsdale also allowed him freedom to move, offered treats, and understood his concept of spatial pressure.

Turns out there is a chance he could have hip displaysia or some issues with his hips/back legs, so we are now on pain meds, and we will trial anti-anxiety situational medication.

He trusted me, and that was the most important thing. He took treats, he jumped on things, walked out happily, and enjoyed a big hoon at the park.


Training walks with our tiny Louie exploring shops, carparks, parks, streets, and everywhere we can go! He loves his wal...
24/10/2024

Training walks with our tiny Louie exploring shops, carparks, parks, streets, and everywhere we can go! He loves his walks, and even though cars and dogs can still be hard for him, he is doing the best he can to control his emotions and reactions. Speed and distance are the key factors and for now, we will just keep exposing him at safe distances and to slower movements. He is such an adorable "little old man" 🥰.


Catching up with Miss Sunny 🌞 is always a highlight for us. This 8mo girl is everything you can expect from a teenage Go...
23/10/2024

Catching up with Miss Sunny 🌞 is always a highlight for us. This 8mo girl is everything you can expect from a teenage Golden Retriever. She is curious, fun, playful, and full of life, but she is also very keen to learn, and she learns fast. But those teenage hormones and fear periods that often happen during this phase, can affect her emotional reactions and behaviours, which may be affecting her sensitivity toward some pretty "normal human stuff", like runners, bikes, statues, etc.

She is doing amazingly well navigating all of that, and we are so lucky to be part of it.




🐾 AMBER 🐾 This gorgeous girl has recently found herself in a new home, and she is so lucky because her amazing humans wa...
22/10/2024

🐾 AMBER 🐾
This gorgeous girl has recently found herself in a new home, and she is so lucky because her amazing humans want to learn all about what she needs, who she is, and how to make her life better in her new environment.

The initial session was packed with information to help them better understand who Amber is as a young teen (6mo), her emotions, sensitivities, and her behaviours. We also covered bonding and relationship, mental stimulation, safe exposure to her new world, triggers, and leash communication.

She was in forster care with the local Hamilton and we are so excited to be part of her journey.




The best way to work on desensitization and more neutrality towards a trigger is to gradually expose them to the trigger...
18/10/2024

The best way to work on desensitization and more neutrality towards a trigger is to gradually expose them to the trigger from a safety distance (where the dog can remain calm and still process things). We also like to combine playing, sniffing, and running around (doing their thing) while the triggers are in the background.

Luna did very well when we took her to the park to watch dogs from a far and then slowly get a bit closer. Dogs get her very stressed and agitated, and when they come very close, she goes into a frenzy, so distance is the key factor in this process.



🐾 TARA 🐾She is stunning and she knows it. But don't be fooled by that tough look because she is a goofball, but she is a...
17/10/2024

🐾 TARA 🐾
She is stunning and she knows it. But don't be fooled by that tough look because she is a goofball, but she is also a bit unsure and scared of the outside world.

Miss Tara is only 1yo and is going through a peak of hormonal development and behaviour changes. We went to see her mainly because she is an avid leash puller. She pulls, and she loves it 😅 she basically does what works for her because pulling makes walking faster and allows her to get to places and things faster.

But things changed this week as we taught her mum some of the key techniques to teach her not to pull. Some exercises to do at home and practical recommendations for when out on walks.

Halfway through the coaching session, she was walking beside her mum, willingly engaging and showing off her skills for everyone to see. She is a very smart cookie 😁

She was tired at the end of the session and ready to go home. She will probably still try to pull, but with enough consistency and practice, she will get there.





Address

St Andrews
Hamilton
3200

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

+6421775562

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dog Minds NZ posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Dog Minds NZ:

Videos

Share

Category

Our Mindset

We help owners understand their dog’s temperament and behaviour at a deeper level. We focus on strengthening the bond and relationship between human and dog, guaranteeing that the dog’s basic needs are met and then we address specific issues and/or behaviour problems.

We believe that without a strong bond based on trust and a positive relationship between dog and human as well as the basic needs fulfilled (for each dog), successful training and behaviour modification will not be possible.

We also believe in real life everyday "training/management" of our dogs and we are passionate about ensuring dogs have an opportunity to live their best life and embrace their inner canine so we help owners know and better understand their dog's true nature.

We see our dogs as the bestfriends and life companions that we choose to share our lives with. But these friends need our help to understand how our crazy (human) world works and what is expected of them.