Four Positive Paws

Four Positive Paws Certified Canine Behaviourist specialising in Fearful, Anxious and Reactive Dog Behaviour.

I am passionate about canine welfare, education and raising awareness about having the best quality of life possible for and with our dogs. My philosophy is based on the teachings of Sheila Harper who taught me how to educate and co-habit with my own and others dogs with the utmost of respect for the individuals that they are. I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of dogs and owners wi

th great success and I continuously see the benefits and rewards of a natural and intelligent approach to consent and relationship based education. Dogs can often be our greatest teachers if we stop, observe, listen, understand and act upon their needs.

What if you could do something with your dog that wasn't about training them and was all about doing something fun toget...
31/08/2026

What if you could do something with your dog that wasn't about training them and was all about doing something fun together?

Something that supports them to use their natural abilities, problem solve and simply enjoy being a dog?

That's one of the things I love about scent trailing and tracking.

Our dogs experience so much of the world through their noses, yet so much of what we ask them to do involves us telling them where to go, what to do and when to do it.

Scent work gives them the opportunity to take the lead.

To follow a scent.

To investigate.

To work things out.

And for us, it gives us the opportunity to slow down, take a breath and observe.

To notice how our dogs work things out and what interests them.

To learn more about the dog in front of us rather than the dog we think they should be.

There is something really special about working together in this way.

It isn't about getting the perfect result.

It isn't about competition or performing and it isn't about whether your dog is "good" at it.

It's about spending time together, giving your dog something interesting to do and enjoying the experience.

It can be mentally enriching without asking for lots of obedience.

It can give dogs an outlet for something they are naturally very good at and it can give us a different way of connecting with our dogs.

Sometimes our dogs don't need another training session and neither do we.

Sometimes they just need the opportunity to explore, use their brains and be dogs.

I'm going to be offering relaxed scent trailing and tracking sessions around East Grinstead for people who would like to try something a little different with their dogs.

You don't need a working dog.

You don't need any previous experience.

And you don't need to be interested in competing or taking it to the next level.

This is simply about enjoying time with your dog and discovering what happens when we give them the opportunity to follow their nose.

I'm putting together a waiting list for anyone who would like to hear more when sessions become available.

If this sounds like something you and your dog might enjoy, feel free to send me a message.

I'd love to know if this is something you'd like to try. Drop me a message or pop SCENT in the comments for more info.

Dawn Allen at Four Positive Paws. Picture of a special dog that knows her nose.

Happy National Dog Day.Celebrating all of our Dogs and all that they teach us.
26/08/2026

Happy National Dog Day.

Celebrating all of our Dogs and all that they teach us.

Rescue Remedies Fun Day
10/08/2026

Rescue Remedies Fun Day

What's the biggest mistake people make with reactive dogs?Using the wrong lead?Giving your dog the wrong treats?Not usin...
27/07/2026

What's the biggest mistake people make with reactive dogs?

Using the wrong lead?
Giving your dog the wrong treats?
Not using the perfect training technique?

In my experience it's believing the task is to change the dog to do as we want and not as our dog currently can.

For me, the focus is on adjusting the environment and reconsidering expectations,
tweaking the route and adjusting distance.

When we adjust the environment around our dog, our dog often begins to change.

That's not giving in to our dog and them being in charge, it is about listening to our dogs needs and making small adjustments to support them.

Real progress rarely starts with asking, How can I make my dog 'behave'?

It starts with asking, What does my dog need from me today?

That's how we can start to build trust, connection and optimum positive learning experiences.

Feeling safe and trust can be a real game changer.

If you're looking for calmer, more enjoyable walks created around your dog's needs rather than obedience and compliance, that's exactly what I love helping people with. Feel free to send me a message or have a look at my Calm Walks resources.

Am I making things worse by avoiding busy places?This is a genuine concern and belief when considering socialising and b...
25/07/2026

Am I making things worse by avoiding busy places?

This is a genuine concern and belief when considering socialising and building confidence.

It isn't about giving in to your dog, letting your dog be the boss or failing to get your dog used to busy places.

But choosing not to put your dog into situations they can't yet cope with yet can prevent problems with the ways they learn to cope.

It's compassionate, kind and putting a dogs needs first to support them.

If every walk to the park means barking, lunging and both of you feeling stressed, it's okay to press pause button.

Avoidance isn't the end goal.

It's simply creating enough breathing space for positive learning to happen.

Think of it as setting your dog up to succeed rather than hoping they'll somehow cope.

The world isn't going anywhere.

There's no need to rush or put the pressure on.

Your do't need to prove anything to anyone.

We just need our dogs to feel safe enough to learn.

Has changing where you walk made a bigger difference than changing what you did?

Every dog deserves to feel safe enough to enjoy their walks. If you'd like help making that possible for you and your dog you'll find more resources on my website.

What does a successful walk actually look like?When I ask this question, most people answer with distance."We walked thr...
23/07/2026

What does a successful walk actually look like?

When I ask this question, most people answer with distance.
"We walked three miles."
"We walk for at least an hour."

Our dogs don't measure ejoymment in miles. like humans might.

They experience their walks from their perspective, scent, safety, stimulation.

A successful walk might be twenty minutes in a less busy space which could be Urban, Suburban or in the Countryside.

It might involve stopping to sniff every point of interest.

It might mean seeing one dog at a comfortable distance instead of ten dogs up close.

It might mean coming home relaxed instead of exhausted.

As humans, we often focus on where we walked and how long we walked for or how many times a day we walk.

Our dogs are far more interested in how they experienced it.

Is it time to think about our walks differently?

What would change if your goal was a calm , relaxed dog rather than a long walk?

My dog barks and lunges. Should I keep exposing them until they get used to it?It's a very common questions I hear."If I...
21/07/2026

My dog barks and lunges. Should I keep exposing them until they get used to it?

It's a very common questions I hear.

"If I keep taking my dog to busy places, won't they eventually get used to it?"

Maybe. But maybe not.

Imagine being frightened of heights.

Would standing on the edge of a cliff every day help you feel safer or would it simply reinforce how frightening it feels?

Dogs learn best when they feel safe enough to experience the world without being overwhelmed by it.

If every walk is pushing them beyond what they can cope with, they're spending more time in survival mode and what are they learning?

Are they learning that they have no agency, little choice and that they may not trust their guardian?

That doesn't mean avoiding challenges forever or wrapping our dogs in cotton wool.

Instead, can we consiser choosing situations where positive learning iexperiences are possible?

Confidence grows from successful experiences, not repeated overwhelm.

Sometimes slowing down is the fastest way forward.

If this sounds familiar, I'd love to hear about the biggest challenge you face on walks.

What sort of help do you want for you and your dog?There is so much information out there in the public domain and all o...
21/07/2026

What sort of help do you want for you and your dog?

There is so much information out there in the public domain and all over social media.

I understand how challenging it can be to find the right person to work with.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed with information overload and then there are the conflicting methods too.

There are different ways to learn and teach.

Getting help can be both super easy and super difficult because of all that information and the vast quantity of people now offering training and behaviour for dogs.

The world has changed and there is more variety which can be a good thing.

Not all dog training and behaviour support is equal.

Even going by word of mouth can result in a mishap when the method or match doesn't connect.

How do we know who to choose?

When I choose to work with someone with my own dogs, first and foremost they need to be able to communicate with me and understand my dog in a calm, compassionate and clear way.

I need to feel confident that no form of punishment is going to be suggested. Often punishment is dressed up as 'corrections'. That isn't to say that our dogs don't have any boundaries at all but for me, my dog needs to know what I am asking of them and that I introduce them to a situation that they can cope with and are able to learn in.

The person needs to be knowledgeable, skilled, have a level of expertise in their field and preferably a recognised/relevant qualification.

I like things to be relaxed and enjoyable so that I can also have a positive learning experience.

I like to smile and have a sense of achievement when we get things right and things go well. I love to see my dogs enjoying themselves too.

Welfare and well being is also important to me. Someone that gets it, that is flexible and okay for us to sit things out if we feel a bit overwhelmed or need a pause.

I enjoy working with people that are ethical and have integrity, that don't have a big ego or show boats and instead, are confident in their levels of competence and simply and humbly know they do a good job.

These are some of my own values that are the foundation of working with people that are stressed and struggling and dogs that are needing calm, gentle support.

Results are important, progress needs to be possible and a better quality of life experienced.

Seeing positive learning take place can have such a positive impact on us and our dogs too.

I am blessed to work with some truly amazing people and their awesome dogs.

"We went on the four week program that Dawn offers, as I was having problems with a nervous reactive dog who was showing signs of problem behaviour and was a nightmare to walk. We needed professional help and did not know how to proceed for the best.
The strategies and video were very helpful to show trigger behaviour and signs of escalating anxiety and then how to deal with it or prevent it.
The program gave us more confidence when out walking and me the skills and knowledge to observe situations that may impact behaviour. Due to this I am more relaxed, when out on walks, and so is my dog.
With Dawns guidance I learnt how to manage and walk a nervous and reactive dog.
She is very knowledgeable and patient and would throughly recommend the program offered."

Does my dog really need to walk in busy public spaces to have a good walk?Many people believe that a "good" dog should b...
19/07/2026

Does my dog really need to walk in busy public spaces to have a good walk?

Many people believe that a "good" dog should be able to walk through busy parks, visit cafés, cope with town centres and ignore everything going on around them.

But the question I often ask is , Who is the walk for?

If your dog is constantly scanning the environment, barking, lunging, pulling or simply looking overwhelmed, they aren't choosing to be difficult. They're telling us they're struggling.

We often assume the answer is to help them cope with busier places.

Instead, can we ask whether they need to be there at all?
A quiet woodland path.
An earlier morning walk.
A peaceful field where they can sniff, explore and relax.

For many dogs, those walks are far more enriching and fulfilling than an hour spent trying to "behave" somewhere that feels overwhelming.

Progress doesn't always mean doing more.
Sometimes progress starts by doing less, but doing it well.

Your dog's world doesn't have to look like everyone else's to be a happy one.
I'd love to know... what's your dog's favourite place to walk?

The Cat, the Crow and the Jogger.This morning's walk presented us with all of the above.First the Cat, stood, staring th...
07/07/2026

The Cat, the Crow and the Jogger.

This morning's walk presented us with all of the above.

First the Cat, stood, staring then ran, in a straight line all the way down the road. This created excitement, a bit of frustration and some pulling.

A lovely recovery which is a huge improvement.

Next the Crow. A huge Crow landed just across the street. It peaked interest and the need to pause, stare and process the sight, sound and scent.

We waited for as long as he neeeded and moved on when he was ready.

Then the Jogger, running from behind us, a little concern as we gently crossed the road to create some distance. Watching by a tree that was used as a natural comforter with some long grass to sniff while the jogger passed.

This was all in a short space of time. No barking, a little pulling, quick recovery and ready to rest and relax now.

Our walks can include a lot of input for our dogs.

Even if our dog doesn't appear to react or seems to cope well, we can consider what it might be like from our dogs perspective.

If we later see some excessive barking or our dog seems to struggle to settle, it may often be more than just something in the moment.

Address

East Grinstead

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+447941517571

Website

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