Mindfulness4Dogs

Mindfulness4Dogs I am presently the President of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers New Zealand - APDTNZ.

Mindfulness4dogs provides personalised dog training, puppy training and Dog Behavioural Issues in New Plymouth, Stratford, Inglewood, Hawera, Eltham, Cambridge, Hamilton. Darran Rowe - Qualified Clinical Canine Behaviourist

I have been working professionally as a Canine behaviourist and dog trainer for over 20 years, so I really understand how to make your life with your dog enjoyable and rewardi

ng. My training utilises only Force Free and Fear Free, positive techniques, so you can rest assured that I’m not going to hurt your dog, just to make them do things for you. I’m all about teaching dogs to make the right choice for themselves, that way you don’t have to shout and scream at them. Coming from a competitive dog agility background, my training is focused on building and promoting a positive relationship between you and your dog, one based on mutual trust and respect using mindful techniques. At the moment I live with 10 dogs at present, 2 Irish Setters, 6 Border collies of various ages (3 of which are rescue dogs) and 2 Groodle. They are all amazing dogs and have taught me so much about the canine world. Education :

Masters in Clinical Animal Behaviour - Royal (Dicks) Veterinary College, Edinburgh University. – In Progress (Studying in my second year)

Waikato University. PSYC501-15A NET (Level 7) – Introduction to Theoretical Foundations of Clinical Animal Behaviour. Post Graduate Certificate in Education, South Bank University, United Kingdom. BSc (Hons) Degree in Biology from Cardiff University , United Kingdom.

What all rescue dogs want at Christmas. A warm mat, and a tasty Hoof! Will Santa Claude bring you Sammy in your stocking...
26/12/2025

What all rescue dogs want at Christmas. A warm mat, and a tasty Hoof! Will Santa Claude bring you Sammy in your stocking this year?
For more information about this little darling check out the ARAN Animal Rescue NZ trademe page - https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/pets-animals/dogs/dogs-to-adopt/listing/5687847238

And don;t foget you can follow alog with his Training Journey on our Youtube Channel at : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVHE2mSY2tjE71X3WagZSS_zqmgszNXZt&si=EOv81J-YfqQIit8G

Both Myself and Papia and all our dogs wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Remember the Christmas ...
24/12/2025

Both Myself and Papia and all our dogs wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Remember the Christmas message is all about helping those in need, so why not welcome a rescue dog into your life in the coming year or donate to a your local dog charity.

19/12/2025

🐾 Sammy’s Recall Foundations — Learning Through Choice, Not Command

Today our ARAN Rescue guest dog, Sammy, took a huge step forward in his training journey. We’ve been laying the foundations of recall, and to put that into practice we tested his ability to greet Papia with a calm down — even with excitement and distraction swirling around him.

And you know what? He smashed it. 💛

At Mindfulness4dogs, we train through the element of choice. That means the dog isn’t coerced, commanded, or micromanaged into obedience. Instead, they learn to choose the most appropriate behaviour for the moment — and when the right choice is reinforced well, it becomes the behaviour they offer again and again.

Too often, people rely on commands alone and then wonder why their dog’s behaviour isn’t consistent. (“He comes back sometimes…”) When the behaviour isn’t owned by the dog, it disappears the second the environment changes.

Sammy is learning a different way.
He’s discovering that calm choices open doors, earn connection, and make the world feel predictable. He now has a growing set of skills he can apply to new people, new places, new situations — not just with us, but with anyone he meets.

That’s the power of giving dogs agency.
When they understand why a behaviour works, they’ll choose it long after the trainer has gone home.

This boy is becoming a confident, thoughtful, beautifully connected dog — and he’s going to make an incredible addition to someone’s family.

✨ Sammy is available for adoption through ARAN Animal Rescue NZ

Let’s help him find the home he’s been waiting for. 🐶💛
http://www.jotform.com/aranrescuenz/questionnaire

🌟 Meet Sammy — Your New Best Mate in the Making📍 9 months old • Whanganui • Mixed-breed superstarSammy isn’t just anothe...
18/12/2025

🌟 Meet Sammy — Your New Best Mate in the Making

📍 9 months old • Whanganui • Mixed-breed superstar

Sammy isn’t just another rescue dog — he’s the kind of pup who steals your heart the moment he looks up at you. A soulful, playful, deeply affectionate boy who found himself in the pound through no fault of his own, Sammy is now searching for the one thing he’s been missing: a family who will love him as much as he loves the world.

At around 9 months old, Sammy is that perfect blend of puppy joy and growing maturity. He’ll be a medium–large dog once fully grown — the ideal companion for walks, adventures, river swims, beach missions, and snuggly evenings on the couch. He would absolutely adore having a friendly dog buddy to play with, learn from, and explore alongside.

This boy has been thriving in training — learning impulse control, taking treats gently by choice, and discovering that calm brings connection. He tries so hard to get things right, and his eagerness to engage makes him a dream for anyone wanting a dog who genuinely wants to bond.

💛 Sammy Is Looking For

A loving home where:

People are around more often than not

He gets companionship, structure, and gentle guidance

He has a secure outdoor space for play and downtime

He is welcomed indoors as part of the family

He’s never chained, isolated, or left long hours alone

If you want a dog who greets every day with enthusiasm and every person with a wag, Sammy is your boy.

🐾 What ARAN Has Already Covered

Sammy has been:

✔️ Desexed

✔️ Vaccinated

✔️ Registered

✔️ Microchipped

His adoption fee of $300 is heavily subsidised — simply a contribution to ARAN toward the care he’s already received.

🌱 Adoption Trial & Support

All ARAN Animal Rescue NZ adoptions include an approval process and a 2-week trial, giving you time to make sure Sammy is the perfect fit. But we’re quietly confident he’ll win you over completely.

🌟 If You’re Looking for a Loyal, Loving, Adventure-Ready Companion… Sammy is waiting.

He’s ready to brighten your mornings, join your adventures, and become the happy, connected family dog he was always meant to be.

👉 Express an interest in adopting Sammy - http://www.jotform.com/aranrescuenz/questionnaire
👉 Check out Sammy's training journey -
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVHE2mSY2tjE71X3WagZSS_zqmgszNXZt&si=HQV0-K17ndmzgj6g
👉 Find him on TradeMe - https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/pets-animals/dogs/dogs-to-adopt/listing/5676089408

Let’s get this beautiful boy the fresh start he deserves. 🐶💛

16/12/2025

🐾 Sammy’s Learning Moment: Taking Treats Gently

Today’s training with our ARAN Animal Rescue NZ - Sammy, and wow, this boy is all heart and all enthusiasm rolled into one gorgeous wagging machine.

This morning we worked on one of the small but mighty foundations of emotional regulation: taking treats gently.
Not through commands… not through “ah-ah!” or corrections… but through choice.

When Sammy pauses, softens, and chooses a calmer way to take the treat, he’s practising impulse control — the same skill that helps dogs make better decisions in exciting, stressful, or overwhelming moments. And he smashed it. Absolutely nailed it.

Sammy’s a clever, affectionate dog, who genuinely wants to get it right. He just needs a family who will guide him with patience, kindness, and the same heart he brings to every interaction.

He’s ready.
He’s gorgeous.
And he deserves a forever couch. 🛋️💕

👉 Check out Sammy’s Facebook profile to see more of his journey
👉 And jump onto TradeMe if you’re thinking, “Hmm… I could be Sammy’s person.”

Let’s find this superstar the loving home he’s been waiting for.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/pets-animals/dogs/dogs-to-adopt/listing/5676089408

13/12/2025

So this just happened!!!

Maggie the Groodle obviously decided it was her time to try out the agilty equipment, as she escaped the house when the door was open and shot straight out in the new Agility Area.

Anyway we have never done anything like this with her before, so I thought why not let her have a go and see what she can do.

Well its rarely I'm left speechless, but this dog is CLEVER. Snakes and pull throughs with no training. WOW. I think I've found my new agility dog for 2026....
Bellawai Dogs Golden Retriever, Goldendoodle, Retrodoodle NZ

13/12/2025

Just a little update from Sammy. Check out the improvement from yesterday. ARAN Animal Rescue NZ

12/12/2025

Sammy the ARAN Animal Rescue NZ superstar is back in training — and today it’s all about harness manners!

Most dogs think a harness is the most exciting thing in the universe… because in their minds, harness = walk = PARTY TIME 🎉🐶
The trouble is, if we clip it on while they’re bouncing around like popcorn, we’re actually reinforcing the very behaviour we don’t want.

So with Sammy, we’re helping him learn a calmer pattern:
calm behaviour → harness goes on → adventure begins.

It’s not about shutting his joy down — goodness, no.
It’s about letting him get the fizz out first, then shaping it into something more thoughtful and safe.

We also practise the “preferred behaviours” outside of harness time so they’re already strong when we need them.

And Sammy?
He’s nailing it. Again. Because he’s a clever wee soul who just needed someone to explain the rules of the game.

Someone out there is going to be very lucky to adopt this boy 💜🐾
If you think that might be you, reach out to ARAN Rescue. http://www.jotform.com/aranrescuenz/questionnaire

Our NEW AGILITY AREA is officially READY — and I’m buzzing! 🐶It’s taken almost a full year of mahi… flattening the land,...
12/12/2025

Our NEW AGILITY AREA is officially READY — and I’m buzzing! 🐶

It’s taken almost a full year of mahi… flattening the land, prepping the soil, seeding, watering, nurturing, and crossing fingers through every weather mood New Zealand could throw at us.

But look at it now — lush, level, and absolutely beautiful.
I’ve popped a few photos in showing the journey from “paddock-ish” to “playground perfection.”

I honestly can’t wait to get the dogs out here, stretching their legs, building confidence, and having an absolute blast on the equipment. This space is going to bring so much joy — and a whole lot of zoomies.

Here’s to new adventures, muddy paws, and mindful movement
On Point Contracting 2021 Limited Thanks to a little magic with Kanes diggers. 🐾

11/12/2025

🐾 Sammy’s Training Diary — Targeting Basics

Today our ARAN Animal Rescue NZ guest superstar, Sammy, learned one of my absolute favourite foundation skills: hand targeting — “touching the hand.”

Why do we teach this?
Because for many rescue dogs, especially those who are a little hand-shy or unsure about people reaching for their collar, this skill becomes pure gold. Instead of us grabbing or guiding them, they learn to move themselves towards our hand. It’s cooperative, it’s confidence-building, and it keeps everyone safe.

➡️ It helps with:
• Moving your dog around without pressure
• Building trust in hands coming towards them
• Teaching a calm, alternative greeting (instead of… leaping up at people)
• Recall training — “touch” becomes a fun, easy cue

Watching Sammy choose to bop my hand with his nose — instead of jumping all over me — is a huge win. These little moments are where rescue dogs start to feel safe, understood, and connected.

Proud of you, big guy. 💜🐾

09/12/2025

Sammy our ARAN Animal Rescue NZ guest dog.

Just a small day of training today for Sammy. More a day to reflect on all the changes. Some simple desensitisation of touch, particularly the mouth area. So many dogs hate being handled in this region. It's so important to make sure you do this training regularly. It will certainly help your vet, but will also allow you to check on teeth as your dog gets older.

With Sammy, no issues at all.

Remember Samny still needs a forever home...

09/12/2025

🐾Sammy the ARAN Animal Rescue NZ guest dog: Impulse Control.

Today’s lesson?
Impulse control — or as I like to call it, the art of not doing the thing your entire body desperately wants to do. 😅

When dogs use their instincts with us, it’s called working drive.
Think of collies herding sheep: focused, purposeful, chef’s kiss beautiful.

When those same instincts pop out in unhelpful ways — like chasing cats, wildlife, or your neighbour’s Sunday roast — we call it… well… a behavioural issue. Still the same brain, just slightly misguided enthusiasm.

So today Sammy and I introduced a simple game of choice.
Nothing fancy. No pressure. Just learning that waiting, thinking, and checking in with your human actually leads to the good stuff.

And Sammy the Superstar?
Absolutely crushed it again.
You could almost see the cogs turning:

“Impulse… control… means… I get the thing? Ohhhh I can do THAT!”

This new skill is gold.
Once a dog learns how to pause before acting, you can use it everywhere — at the door, around food, near other dogs, meeting people, you name it. It’s the foundation of calm, confident communication.

And with Sammy’s big heart and even bigger brain, he’s picking it up beautifully.

Sammy still needs a forever home.
If you’re looking for a dog who’s equal parts goofball and genius, contact ARAN Rescue and ask about the Superstar himself. 💜
http://www.jotform.com/aranrescuenz/questionnaire

Address

Stratford

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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+64274585872

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