Pawesome Time

12/07/2024

Its another Hot Summer but we are still out enjoying our walks:)

19/06/2024

Pawesome dogs those last few weeks:)

10/05/2024

Those Pawesome doggies! always by my side!

11/04/2024

Those Pawesome dogs!

15/03/2024

My apologies for not sharing in a while, we have been busy walking...walking and walking 💕❣️

20/12/2023

This is again what i hate about this job.....
For the third time this year, we had to say Goodbye to another client of mine : Austin......i loved walking with him, he was one of the best walker i had, he loved swimming and he just loved every dog and everybody.
I will forever remember you Austin💗
Rest in Peace.
May you enjoy the company of Max and Milo and all the other animals out there.

20/12/2023

It was another Pawesome year!
Here are some of the latest pics of the crew!

10/11/2023

More pictures of those Pawesome doggies.

10/11/2023

Treat time!!!

31/10/2023

Shanti and i ready for Halloween :)

31/10/2023

Even though Quincy loooooves water, he doesn't like to be surprised by it ahah

31/10/2023

Sharing some latest pictures of my Pawesome clients.

16/10/2023

Here's to you Max, may you rest in Peace, thank you for many years of awesome walks with you, ill miss you....
My heart is once again broken...now you get to spend with people and animals that i miss so much❣️.
Ill remember you as my Maxou, wagging your tail and always ready for an adventure, ill miss your stubbornness when it was time to get in the car after our walks.
Thanks for the memories.
Love you.

23/08/2023

It's HOT but we are still out having fun!

05/08/2023

Love them all forever 🥰

17/07/2023

The part I hate the most about my Job.
My dear Milo passed Away last night...😢
Milo was a rescue and had the best Mamas he could have. He walked by my side for many years and i will miss him dearly.
He left me many memories 🩷.
He fought Cancer like a champ I even thought at one point he had won.
I wil forever love him.

30/06/2023

Austin demanding a walk when he wasn't suppose to get one....
Did he get it?!

Yea of course!

30/06/2023

Hot days !!! Still loving to walk though

01/06/2023

It's not just a walk, it's an adventure💕

27/05/2023

Those Pawesome dogs! Love them all.
🥰😍😘

22/04/2023

Those Pawesome client that i love so much🥰my days wouldn't be the same without them.

15/03/2023

TRIGGER STACKING – WHEN BEHAVIOUR HAPPENS “OUT OF THE BLUE”
We’ve all had those days when nothing seems to go right and one frustrating thing after another happens, leaving us feeling wound up, stressed and ready to explode at the next unsuspecting person who dares to ask us something. This “unsuspecting” person may think we have a serious behaviour problem or need anger management coaching, when the truth is that we’ve just had a really bad day and don’t usually behave like this at all.

Dogs are no different and a behaviour that seems completely out of character or happens “out of the blue” is often caused by “trigger stacking”.

A trigger may be anything that increases a dog’s stress levels and has a negative impact on their emotional, mental or physical state. These may be small things that we may not even notice or seem insignificant to us, but they are all adding to an increasing “stack” of things that may end in a “trigger”.

When stress levels reach a certain point, the next stressful event, however small, may cause a reaction that is completely unexpected.

Instead of just focusing on a particular behaviour and seeing it as a problem that needs to be prevented, take a step backwards, look at the bigger picture, look at events, circumstances or environmental factors that may have played a role in causing that particular behaviour.

Being aware of potential stressors and allowing your dog time to decompress, relax and unwind can often make all the difference between “normal behaviour” and a behaviour that seems completely out of character.

12/03/2023

Oso is a big cuddly bear just like his name suggests! He pulls a little on leash, but will respond to his name for leash training. His tail was wagging as he eagerly explored the park. When I stopped to sit on a bench for a few minutes, we cuddled, and he tried to climb into my lap! He's friendly and cute. Someone should scoop him up from .

25/02/2023

In a time of such acrimonious divide among trainers, we can easily forget that all of us are humans, wounded in some way, and doing what we can at the moment with what we have available to us.

Whether it's belonging to a specific group or defending our practices, or inexplicably using our preferred jargon & thinking model(s) as a war cry against Them in the name of doing right by the dogs (and horses and others), somehow, we are being blinded to the human beings all around us.

Anger so often springs from fear, and it is palpable, the fast and furious current of fear and defensiveness rampant in the training world at the moment.

If anything I did or said resulted in such fearful defensiveness or outright attack from an animal, I'd have to spend a lot of time looking in the mirror wondering where I'd lost sight of the animal before me. Had I deliberately triggered this response by my own actions? or, if I had acted with integrity and brought my best skills to the moment and still was met with snarling snapping rage and defensiveness, then wisdom would guide me to step back and stand down. I would need to recognize that what happened to that animal long ago might be why they react now as they do. And I would have to ask why I continued to provoke an angry or scared animal -- that is not a respectful interaction.

It is heartbreaking to see how much vitriol is ready to hand, sent flying from keyboards. It is much harder to remember that a real human is behind the words meant to inflame, hurt, fuel the flames. A person with a history and a perspective that may not align with your own, and yet -- like every single human I have ever met -- tender places and fears and struggles that very often are unseen by most.

It is perhaps the hardest work of being human: to make space in our hearts for our fellow humans, and respecting their freedom to walk their own path just as you walk yours.

24/02/2023

Pawesome week with Pawesome dogs what else do we need???

23/02/2023

WHY DO SOME DOGS BARK SO MUCH?
Whether we find it irritating, annoying, frustrating, are indifferent or it doesn’t really bother us, barking is what dogs do, some dogs more than others, just like some people talk far more than others! Barking is a species typical, natural and normal behaviour.

Barking is simply a form of communication. Excessive barking is often a symptom of an underlying issue. How to get a dog to bark less all depends on why they are barking in the first place. When we know the “why?” it’s far easier to work on the “how?” to prevent or decrease the behaviour.

The “why” can be due to so many reasons - boredom, frustration, loneliness, anxiety, fear, frustration, separation distress, lack of mental or physical stimulation, lack of social interaction, environmental stimuli, attention seeking, excitement, greeting, to initiate play or even a medical condition. Look at what the consequence of barking is for the dog – does something move closer or further away, do they receive attention, whether positive or negative – negative attention is still attention.

We recently had contractors repairing our roof after a particularly bad storm. My husband became increasingly irritated and angry at the dogs constantly barking at the strange people climbing all over the roof. We live in a crime riddled country and I asked him if he would still be irritated if they barked at burglars trying to gain access from the roof to the house in the middle of the night. The dogs don’t know the difference and their barking, although irritating, was understandable. Giving them a long-lasting chew, telling them that all was fine and keeping them inside where they couldn’t hear or see the contractors, solved the problem.

Using punishment or any other type of aversive method to stop barking is cruel and inhumane. We don’t punish people for speaking. Look for the “why”, before working on the “how”.

In the wise words of Dr Ian Dunbar – “Punishing a dog for barking is like punishing a bird for singing"

17/02/2023

3 days per week you can find us on the morning at Commons ford Ranch ,rain or shine.🥰

17/02/2023

It is with a sad heart that we say goodbye to Freddy, who crossed the 🌈 Bridge yesterday, and got his angel wings. Safe travels buddy...
😇❤️

25/01/2023

As a Trainer, I believe that patience and compassion will always be better for the human-dog bond as a way of addressing behavior. ❤️

I’M NOT STUBBORN! I’M JUST NOT MOTIVATED….
Not providing enough motivation plays a big role, but there are many other reasons that a dog’s behaviour may look like a dog is just being stubborn.
What looks like stubbornness is often a reaction to something else that is going on, on an emotional, mental, physical, environmental or genetic level. While dogs experience a range of emotions, choosing to be stubborn is not part of that range.
The label of “stubborn” is really not fair. It’s often used as an “acceptable excuse” to explain away a behaviour. It removes any pressure on us to find the root cause because we have labelled it. Just like us, dogs do what works for them and when they’re not doing what we want, there is usually a valid reason.
Perhaps it’s because they associate that behaviour with something aversive, perhaps they don’t understand what we’re wanting, they’re too distracted, over excited, tired, feeling stressed, or in pain. It’s our responsibility as the supposedly more intelligent species to figure out why. Our relationships with our dogs should be based on understanding - a cooperative partnership and not a dictatorship.
Be consistent in always rewarding behaviours you’re looking for with lots of positive reinforcement to build motivation. When a dog knows that a particular behaviour will be rewarding it will result in a dog being motivated instead of "stubborn".
The wellbeing of our dogs will be far better when we stop calling them “stubborn” and learn how to help them be more responsive.

11/01/2023

Milo advertising for a friend:)