Paws of DownUnder

09/01/2025

These 3, Kirra, Zoey and Henry
Waiting very patiently for their dinner
They don't demand bark or complain, they just stare 👀 🤣



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30/12/2024

It is Kirra's birthday today! 🎂 she turned 4 yo, still behaving like a 9 month old 🤭
We are holidaying in QLD, as I am still on mat leave
So we decided to take her on a family walk to the local beach with some yummy treats she got for Christmas 🎄❤️

04/12/2024

Out on our first trip camping with baby and Kirra's place training is getting a real workout 🤭
The beagles are in their crate snoozing away 💤

21/11/2024

Starting our morning walk with calmness 😌

13/11/2024

Back to training Kirra, here are a few shots of her practising leash manners and calm liberty

Proud of her ❤️

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21/10/2024

🔥Introducing the Walk & Train PLATINUM program 🔥

Carefully designed to help your dog get a solid foundation on the in and outs of loose leash walking; in 3x sessions, Marni (qualified dog trainer) will teach your dog how to walk on a loose leash, then owner can take over and continue practising this skill with their dogs and finally get to enjoy your walks together!

🐾 Limited spaces available!
🐾 Register here ---> https://forms.gle/Eu8CM8wYfCXCivsu5

16/08/2024

A wonderful psychologist offering services in the Macarthur region 🙏
Give their business page a like/follow 👍

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552247536316&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Treating People & Their Pets for anxiety. Psychologist & Dog Trainer

15/06/2024

Over the past few weeks we've been busy looking after our new arrival👶, dogs 🐕 🐕 🐕 adjusted very well ( I'm very proud of them)
Here is a pic of dogs demonstrating boundaries and how they are allowed to interact with baby
From left to right:
🐶 Henry, minding his own business, on the basket, aware that baby is in the room, yet deciding it's no reason for him to do anything at all 💙
🐶 Kirra, on down, as prompted, as she is still young and needs guidance, this is becoming less frequent now as she is starting to make the right choices around baby (e.g. choosing to go to a mat or bed available in the area we are in) 🩷
🐶Zoey, she decided to jump on the sofa and lie down next to hubby and baby, she did not ask for cuddles or any form of contact, amazing choice by this old soul 💜
If you're about to welcome a new baby into your home, take the time to train your dog(s) on manners and expectations around baby *before* they arrive, it makes everything so much easier!

25/05/2024

I'm officially on Maternity leave 🤱!

Baby 🚼arrived safely! Just a bit earlier than expected 🤗

All three dogs have adjusted incredibly well 🙏

I will post remaining baby prep tips in the coming weeks! Thank you all for your patience 🩷

22/04/2024

‼️I have 4 weeks to go 🤰‼️😊

In line with previous posts, here is tip # 5

🫶 REMINDER: there is no right or wrong approach; in my posts, I will describe what I think is valuable information to share, please keep in mind my training plan and approach is what I think is best for our family and our dogs, some of these tips may resonate with you, some may not, and that is OK. I'm just sharing information and hoping some of it can be useful for those in a similar situation to mine 🙂

Baby Prep Tip # 5. Exposure to baby equipment recently added to the house

💚 We have added a number of things to our home in preparation for baby's arrival (furniture and other equipment)

💚 Some of these things will be in the nursery, and we are already training the dogs on the invisible boundary (door threshold when door is open, dogs must remain outside the nursery); but some will be in the living/common areas where the dogs spend most of their day, so I want to make sure they have a positive/neutral association with these items before there is a baby in/on them

💚 Similar to helping dogs getting used to the pram in their walks, dogs are rewarded for calm interactions and acceptance of (the presence of) the new equipment

💚 For now, we have enough room so the things that the dogs use (like their multiple beds, their couch 🤭) remain in the same place as they have always been; if further down the track we need to change this we will make sure such changes are done mindfully and allowing the dogs to adjust to such changes

💚 To those of you who may find this post useful, you may want to revise your training, and assess whether you need to make any adjustments to prepare your household and your pet(s) for your baby's arrival.

🙌 Engage a qualified trainer if you need help with basic training or behaviour modification, and don't leave it till last minute! Training takes time, consistency and patience; best to start as soon as possible, to set everyone up for success 🙌

I will be posting more tips once a week for the next 3 weeks 🙂

21/04/2024

Learn more about GRC with Lisa!
Kirra and I started our GRC journey last year (not last week lol) and it has been incredibly beneficial for her and me both!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/YMKFGHbX1iYnhTgx/?mibextid=xfxF2i

We are absolutely stoked to have running an intro GRC class at our facility! 💪

We feel like will be amazing for some of our clients to get amongst and for everyone of interest to learn more about the sport 🐶

‼️THIS IS A FREE CLASS‼️
📍 1/9 Peachtree rd, Penrith

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗧?


GRC dog sports is a dog sport created by USA based trainer and bully enthusiast Jay Jack. GRC seeks to celebrate and test not only the dog’s gameness (G), but the relationship (R) with the handler, and a dogs obedience (C).

Members work towards passing a “Social Responsibility” test, aimed at testing the dogs liveability and basic life skills.

To test the dogs Gameness, GRC uses a series of drive sports: Spring Pole, Mill Race, Weight Pull and Wall Climb.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗢𝗚 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗦:

While we encourage as many people as possible to come and watch - we will have only FIVE working dog spots available.

If you have a dog who loves to play tug and may be keen to get amongst and try the sport, send us an email to [email protected] and we will see if your dog is a good fit.

HEAD TO LISA’s PAIGE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SPORT OR BOOK IN SOME GRC TRAINING SESSIONS 🐾

15/04/2024

‼️I have 5 weeks to go 🤰‼️😊

In line with previous posts, here is tip # 4

🫶 REMINDER: there is no right or wrong approach; in my posts, I will describe what I think is valuable information to share, please keep in mind my training plan and approach is what I think is best for our family and our dogs, some of these tips may resonate with you, some may not, and that is OK. I'm just sharing information and hoping some of it can be useful for those in a similar situation to mine 🙂

Baby Prep Tip # 4. Leash and walking manners

💛 This is a bit of a continuation of baby prep tip # 3 from last week

💛 Leash manners are super important. For us, that means: no pulling (loose leash walking) and displaying neutrality to common "distractions" we encounter in our regular walks

💛 The beagles, who are almost 13yo, are well versed on leash manners and leash pressure. They wear a Y-shape harness in all their walks (familiar and unfamiliar locations). They are very chill in their walks, only picking up their pace when they get attracted by a scent, but they no longer pull to the point of risking injury to anyone, the moment they put pressure on the leash they know what to do (turn off the pressure), if they take a while, I help them make the right choice by using a gentle leash tap.

💛 Kirra, being younger, needs the picture to be very clear. She understands leash pressure. Equipment helps me show her a very clear picture, the right equipment also helps me communicate clearly and timely with Kirra. So, when walking in familiar areas, Kirra wears a Y-shape harness; if we take Kirra for a walk in a new or less familiar location, I put her on her martingale collar, or on a slip leash. We keep it simple, and she gets it

💛 If your dog pulls, take the time to train them on leash pressure before baby's arrival and before you attempt to take them on walks with pram and baby, a strong puller increases the risk of injury to themselves and/or their handler

💛 Other manners whilst on walks include "leave it" and not actively engaging with other (often random) dogs or people. This can all be achieved through leash pressure, and sometimes the dog needs a gentle reminder, that's when I would use "leave it" cue; however, with Henry's loss of hearing, I use the leash as main communication tool with him and the other dogs

💛 To those of you who may find this post useful, you may want to revise your training, and assess whether you need to make any adjustments to prepare your household and your pet(s) for your baby's arrival

🙌 Engage a qualified trainer if you need help with basic training or behaviour modification, and don't leave it till last minute! Training takes time, consistency and patience; best to start as soon as possible, to set everyone up for success 🙌

I will be posting more tips once a week for the next 4 weeks 🙂