Pawsitive Behaviours

26/02/2025

𝗧𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸?

Dog parks might seem like a great place for exercise and socialisation, but are they really the best choice for your dog? We have been asked "𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬?" and heard "𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵" A LOT. So, let's break it down:

✅ Pros of Dog Parks, especially during a quiet time:
✔️ Off-leash freedom in a fenced area
✔️ Opportunity for socialisation (if well-managed)
✔️ Mental and physical exercise

❌ Cons of Dog Parks:
⚠️ Unpredictable dog behavior (not all dogs are well-trained or socialised and you don't know the humans reasons for taking their dog/s there)
⚠️ Risk of fights, injuries, or bad experiences
⚠️ Exposure to diseases or parasites
⚠️ Overstimulation, which can lead to reactivity, anxiety and other behavioural problems

🔄 Better Alternatives for Socialisation & Exercise:
🐾 Structured Playdates: Arrange play sessions with dogs that have similar play styles and temperaments.
🐾 Decompression Walks: Explore nature trails, letting your dog sniff and experience the world at their own pace.
🐾 Training Classes: Group classes or structured socialisation sessions help build confidence in a controlled environment.
🐾 Canine Sports: Activities like agility, scent work, or even flirt pole sessions provide mental and physical stimulation.
🐾 Sniffaris & Enrichment Activities: Play, scent games, puzzle feeders, and enrichment walks are great ways to engage your dog's brain. Did you know we rent our paddock for private use? It's like a Dog Park but just for you! Find out more here - https://pawsitivebehaviours.com/bookourpaddock/

While we don't recommend dog parks we also can't tell you not to go. A client once told me - if you are not clued up on dog body language AND prepared to watch your dog carefully the dog park is not the place for you. Accidents can happen really quickly and if you don't intervene quick enough the consequences can have a lasting effect on both you and your dog

Dog parks may not be the best fit for every pup. A well-balanced, structured approach to socialisation and exercise will lead to a happier, more confident dog! 🐶💙

31/01/2025

Our next Puppy Play and Train class starts this Monday evening at 6pm 🐾
Puppy Play and Train focuses on safe, positive and well rounded socialisation - including with people, other dogs, sounds, movement, surfaces and handling - alongside basic training and troubleshooting those common puppy behaviours like separation, toilet training and biting
If you have a pup 8-16 weeks old and want to get them off to a great start, enrol with us today
Email [email protected] or head to our www.pawsitivebehaviours.com for more info and to register

05/01/2025

🌸𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁🌸
𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 - here's where you'll find an overview of our services and current availability
𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀:
𝑃𝘶𝑝𝘱𝑦 𝑃𝘭𝑎𝘺 𝘢𝑛𝘥 𝘛𝑟𝘢𝑖𝘯: Sunday 23rd March 2pm, Sunday 27th April 2pm, Sunday 1st June 2pm
𝘛𝑤𝘦𝑒𝘯𝑠: Sunday 23rd March 3:30pm, Thursday 15th May 3:30pm
𝘛𝑒𝘦𝑛𝘴: Wednesday 12th March 6pm, Sunday 27th April 3:30pm
𝐴𝘥𝑢𝘭𝑡 𝐷𝘰𝑔𝘴 𝘓1: Thursday 10th April 3:30pm, Sunday 1st June 3:30pm
𝐴𝘥𝑢𝘭𝑡 𝐷𝘰𝑔𝘴 𝘓2: TBC
𝘈𝑑𝘶𝑙𝘵 𝘋𝑜𝘨𝑠 𝐿3: TBC
𝗜𝗻-𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: wait list OPEN!
𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀: Wait list OPEN. Pre-requisite applies to be offered a spot on our wait list. See website for details
*For all the information on our services head to www.pawsitivebehaviours.com or email [email protected]
📸 Michelle Davies Photography NZ

02/01/2025

🌼PUPPY CLASSES🌼
There are so many gorgeous new puppies around and we have had loads of new enquiries for puppy classes. So... I have added a new class to start on:
🟠Tuesday 14th January at 6pm
🙋‍♀️Email [email protected] for more info and to register
👀For all the info on our classes, including our brand new classes for 2025, head to https://pawsitivebehaviours.com/group-training-classes/
📸Cinnamin, one of our December Puppy Class Graduates. Such a cutie!

22/12/2024

As another year comes to a close we want to say a HUGE thanks to two local businesses who have kept Pawsitive Behaviours moving (literally) again this year
🚙Ged, Brendan and Liam at Gedz Garage in Waikanae - you guys are simply elite, the best mechanics around. Nothing is too much, you speak in language I understand and you understand how important our vans are to the safety and success of our business.
🛞Veronica, Brooke and Harry at Tyre First in Waikanae - we are so grateful for you! Going above and beyond by offering flexibility and changing and repairing tyres while we pack walk makes all the difference for us - thank you 🥰
If you are in need of a mechanic or tyre repairs or replacements, Pawsitive Behaviours highly recommends Gedzgarage and Tyre First We love their work and wouldn't go anywhere else
📸 At Gedz - he was a good sport and took part in our 2023 Staff Do Photo Scavenger Hunt. Legend!

19/12/2024

One of my final clients for the year.. not the handsome guy at the front.. the cutie and his human in the back! Little Charlie has been training with Pawsitive Behaviours for a little over a year now and lately we have been beginning to work through is reactivity. During this session, my big guy Loki (handsome fella with the muzzle), got to be the distractor dog! He absolutely aced it - much to my surprise! In fact, he flopped for a nap at the end 😅 He was chill enough for Charlie to calm down significantly in a short space of time and be able to walk loose lead in his presence and mostly focus on his human. What an amazing helper and demo dog he can be!
I am hopefully this is a step forward in Pawsitive Behaviours ability to offer more structured approaches to training with Reactive Dogs as well as utilise our group training space for one on one training too! Hats off to Charlie and his human for putting in the work and seeing the progress :D
No doubt you'll see more of helper Loki in 2025 👀 If reactivity is something you are struggling with and you are interested in some in-home training head to https://pawsitivebehaviours.com/in-home-training/ to join our wait list. We are back online Jan 6th and will respond to new enquiries from then 🤩

19/12/2024

Thank you Sophie from Pawsitive Behaviours!🙏🤗 Today was certainly a bit of an emotional experience for me as I took this step.

Afterwards I still felt a lot of nerves, 😳🫣 but this also opened up a conversation with my kids on our way home, about how a fear of anything is so real and valid for the person who has the fear. We talked about how it is so important to acknowledge someone's fear and to not make fun of them if you are privileged enough to have someone share that fear with you. It is very real for them.

Thank you again, so so much. I'm in awe of the amazing kind soul that you are. I look forward to our next catch up.🙏💃🐕

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDvputfM8lQ/?igsh=MTk1a3Y0MGZpZXhhNQ==

19/12/2024

I'm very proud of this amazing lady, Mel, for bravely contacting me for some help understanding and working through her fear of dogs. I talked her through my fear of flying. Our respective fears stem from bad experiences and are pretty severe so they can very much restrict us from doing things we want to do!
Today we talked about Dog Body Language and how understanding how a dog might be feeling can help us to better understand them and potentially build our confidence in their presence. As well as some tips for beginning some gradual exposure to dogs from a distance. Certainly an interesting experience for me - usually I'm recommending the dog have gradual exposure to humans from a distance!
Mel and her kids got to meet my Hazy at the end of our session :) We got to observe the initial nervy bark and how Hazy relaxed when they were calm and let her come to them. Very quickly there was treats and pats for Hazy from the kids. I have a very tired puppy - thank you!
Well done Mel for bravely choosing to start working through your fear! Hazy and I look forward to seeing you all again 😁

14/12/2024

Paddock bookings are now wide open for the Holiday Season 🎅🎅
If you are looking for a private, fenced space to exercise your dog/s or have a play date over the break then check out our spot! Over an acre of grass with a range of dog play equipment as well as a sand pit so your dogs can jump around, play, train, dig and run until they're heart's content!
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 🤩
I know this time of year can be hard for those of us with reactive dogs so I have opened up bookings for almost every day between 16 Dec and 5 Jan, 8am-8:15pm. You can book here -

Did you know you have the opportunity to book our day care and training area on weekends for private use? Well, you do! We welcome you to Sophie’s Spot for private use of our fully fenced pad…

20/11/2024

📣Final Puppy Play and Train for 2024 starts next week!
If you have a puppy aged between 8-16 weeks old and want to get puppy classes in before Christmas then this is your chance!
At PB, our puppy class focus is to teach you about appropriate and important socialisation and how to use positive, rewards based training. Not just with people and other dogs but with sounds, textures, objects, handling, other animals and different environments too. As well as how to do this safely outside of the classes. We do a little bit of basic training too! Like recall, introducing the lead and sit and down.
You can head to the website - www.pawsitivebehaviours.com - or email [email protected] for more info and to register. All our classes are held on private property in Te Horo Beach

06/10/2024

Exciting News 🤩
Now that daylight saving has arrived I have opened up the paddock for some weekday afternoon and evening bookings as well as extended weekend hours!
To book your private use of our fully fenced, 1 acre paddock head to the website - https://pawsitivebehaviours.com/bookourpaddock/
We've loved all the positive feedback and messages, letting us know how much your dogs are enjoying using this space! Have a photo from your time here? Post it in the comments!

19/09/2024

Puppy Classes starting soon!
Little Hazy is just about to complete her Puppy Play and Train here at PB.. not that I am biased or anything, (Hazy may be our latest addition 🤭), but she's such a cutie and has learnt a lot in this class. So much so that her Dad has decided to do it all over again!
Our next Puppy Play and Train begins this coming Monday! Starting with a Zoom session on Monday evening at 6pm followed by 4x in-person classes on Sundays at 4:30pm. There's a couple of spots left so if you have a new addition that's still between 8-16 weeks old email [email protected] for more info and to register!
We've had some great feedback about our puppy classes lately:
🐶"I enjoyed seeing quick progress week to week. Tasks were easily achievable outside of the sessions and not hard to practice. Sophie you were relatable, easy to follow and really knowledgeable. This is our 4th dog but the first time doing training and I have been inspired to be consistent and give 100%"
🐶"Very impressed with Sophie’s interactions with each owner and their puppy during the group training sessions – as each pairing is navigating a slightly different path"
🐶"It was so informative and valuable. The zoom session at the start was really useful too and so much information that I wouldn’t have had so thank you."

01/09/2024

How gorgeous are these Key Chains?!
One of my very talented clients, cdp.creations, has designed these Dog Key Chains. I was honoured she created a Mini American Shepherd key chain that looks just like my Misty and gifted me one 🥹
The key chains selection features many different breeds and you can check them out here - https://cdpcreations.co.nz/collections/dog-keychains
Purchasing one doesn't just mean you are supporting local business but also HUHA as $1 from every key chain sold is donated to the animals in need 🥰

24/08/2024

I DID IT! I think..
Paddock bookings are all go again through a new site that I have managed to create myself!
You can access the booking site via my website, (hopefully that will make it easier to access, seeing as my website link is in both my Instagram and FB bio), or click here - https://pawsitivebehaviours.com/bookourpaddock/
Book away, share away, spread the word 🤩

Did you know you have the opportunity to book our day care and training area on weekends for private use? Well, you do! We welcome you to Sophie’s Spot for private use of our fully fenced pad…

07/08/2024

🌿PADDOCK BOOKINGS UPDATE🌿
It would appear the MyDogPark site is still out of action. I am still in the dark as to why 🤷‍♀️ it was going so well!
If you would like to make a booking you can DM/PM or email [email protected] with the time you'd like and how many dogs you are bringing. NOTE: bookings are currently available Saturdays 8-5 and Sundays 8-2 ONLY
It's obviously not as smooth or instant as using the site so be prepared for a slight delay in response and to need to come along at a slightly different time
I will add an information page to my website over the weekend to start taking bookings through there 🥰

12/07/2024

Congratulations to Helen Robertson, the winner of our gardening fundraiser! We can wait to get stuck in and have your garden looking fab when you return from holiday 🤩
A huge thank you to everyone who bought a number in this fundraiser and to everyone who has donated so far. We've almost raised enough to cover the conference tickets which is absolutely massive. I'm so grateful and feel humbled that people believe in what we are doing for the dogs in our care 🐾

07/07/2024

5 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER OUR RAFFLE FUNDRAISER: Help Sarah and Sophie get to Australia this September!
INSTRUCTIONS: to claim a number simply comment which number/s you want and when we reply 'confirmed' we'll wait 48 hours for payment to clear to secure your number/s. We'll put a ✅ once payment is received
We have the opportunity to head to Australia this September for a 3 day workshop with the amazing Michael Ellis. Focusing on Play, Advanced Markers and Basic Principles of Behaviour Modification, these are so relevant in dog training today. We solidly believe these will enhance our dog training skills and abilities. This will further enable us to offer new ways to work with our clients in both an in-home and day service setting and continue furthering our mission to promote, educate and encourage responsible dog ownership on the Kapiti Coast
Winner will receive a combined 6 hours gardening/yard work, or 3 hours each from Sophie and Sarah, (Sarah... is a gardening extraordinaire!), on Sunday 14th July from 9am-12pm. Rain or shine... we'll be there!
INSTRUCTIONS: To claim a number simply comment which number/s you want and when we reply 'confirmed' we'll wait 48 hours for payment to clear to secure your number/s. We'll put a ✅ once payment is received
We have 100 tickets at $20 per ticket available.
Money to be deposited into: S A Bell 38 9017 0254227 00
Please provide your phone number and raffle number as reference
Good luck 🐾
Numbers available:
1. Tom Ayley ✅️
2. Trudi Christie ✅️
3. Keely Marshall-Taylor✅️
4. Elspeth McIntyre ✅️
5. Trudi Christie ✅️
6. Trudi Christie ✅️
7. Jane Clarke ✅️
8. Sarah Denzel ✅️
9.
10. Rachel Delaney ✅️
11. Anita Murrell ✅️
12. Lindsay Phillips ✅️
13. Tom Ayley✅️
14.
15. Annabel Louise
16.
17.
18. Keely Marshall-Taylor ✅️
19. Emma Weir ✅️
20.
21. Kelley McGill ✅️
22.
23. Lara Gee ✅️
24. Renee Regal ✅️
25.
26. Elspeth McIntyre ✅️
27. Philippa Ross-James ✅️
28. Hayley Kaiwai ✅️
29.
30. Aston Mitchell ✅️
31. Elspeth McIntyre ✅️
32. Nana the Lab ✅️
33. Louisa Ness ✅️
34.
35.
36.
37. Kris Hickling ✅️
39.
39.
40.
41.
42. Helen Robertson ✅️
43.
44. Michelle Galvin ✅️
45.
46.
47. Philippa Ross-James ✅️
48. Bianca Beach ✅️
49.
50.
51.
52. Kelley McGill ✅️
53. Katie Dooley
54.
55.
56.
57.
58. Nina Beaumont✅️
59.
60. Kelley McGill ✅️
61.
62.
63.
64.
65. Dale Pfeiler ✅️
66. Kris Hickling ✅️
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73. Sarah Courtnage ✅️
74.
75.
76.
77. Lindsay Phillips ✅️
78.
79.
80. Nicole Bishell ✅️
81.
82.
83.
84. Bianca Beach ✅️
85.
86.
87. Emma Watson-Eykel ✅️
88. Sarah Andrews ✅️
89. Jane Clarke ✅️
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95. Bianca Beach ✅️
96.
97.
98.
99.
100. Nana the Lab ✅️

26/06/2024

🌻TESTIMONIAL🌻
"Sophie and her team have helped my dog and our family so much. Their knowledge and experience had made a big difference to my reactive, nervous dogs life.
We were at a loss being unable to go for a walk without our dog barking and lunging at other dogs, cats and being scared of all manner of noises. She was barking at people walking past our house and generally a very anxious dog. I was almost a breaking point with how hard it was getting.
However with the combination of classes, one on one home sessions and two days per week dog walks we are coming out the other side.
The classes have been amazing for learning socialization and manners skills with other dogs and basic dog handling skills.
Some at home one on one trainings to teach me how to reduce her reactivity have been very successful.
She loves the group walks and has made human and dog friendships.
Sophie has been very accommodating with working with a local kennel to pick my dog up for her routine walks while I have been overseas.
The whole team are awesome and I trust them completely.
Thanks so much Pawsitive Behaviours"
Thank you so much to Louise for her encouraging words for our team. It means so much to us to know the work we are all doing, (owner-dog team included!), is paying off 🥰
I know group classes have been particularly helpful for this team. The set up for classes allows for dogs who need space to have their own area and an opportunity to work on skills to cope with reactivity or a over-excitement in a safe, controlled set up. If this sounds like something you are interested in we have a few Workshops coming up in July. All the info is online at www.pawsitivebehaviours.com