Paw Forward Dog Training

Paw Forward Dog Training I specialise in key areas such as loose lead walking, reliable recall, navigating adolescence, and setting puppies up for success.

šŸ¶ Helping gundog breeds & teens thrive
šŸ¦– Calm the chaos & build real-life skills
šŸ“š Certified dog trainer & behaviour consultant
šŸ™Œ Welfare-focused, reward-based training

šŸ“ Burbage / Stoke Golding & Online Hey, I'm Shannon! šŸ‘‹
I'm a professional dog trainer based in Burbage, Leicestershire, offering in-person and online training services to help dog owners build better relationships with their dogs.

As a proud owner of two Labradors and a passionate gundog trainer, I understand the unique needs of working breeds like Labradors, Spaniels, Vizslas etc. My training philosophy is grounded in kindness, positive reinforcement, and ethical practicesā€”ensuring a safe, harm-free approach to every dog I work with. When you train with me, you enter a judgement-free zone. Regardless of your past experiences or challenges, Iā€™m here to guide and support you with patience and understanding. I'm committed not only to helping my clients grow, but also to continuously expanding my own knowledge to offer the best possible guidance. If you're looking for compassionate, expert help with your dog, you've come to the right place!

21/11/2025

Want to boost your dogā€™s recall? Hereā€™s a simple trick: Reward check-ins!šŸ¤Æ

This just means that you offer your dog something they absolutely love when they choose to come to you without being called.
This could be a tasty treat, praise, or even playtime with you.

Drilling recall exercises can become so boring but by rewarding check ins, you begin building value in being near to you and making you the best choice your dog can make.
Our dogs have so few choices in life so letā€™s make the ones they do have count! šŸ™ŒšŸ¼

Thereā€™s nothing more admirable than someone willing to rethink what theyā€™ve always believed šŸ™ŒšŸ¼I was in a meeting today a...
20/11/2025

Thereā€™s nothing more admirable than someone willing to rethink what theyā€™ve always believed šŸ™ŒšŸ¼

I was in a meeting today and, as tends to happen, once you chat to me for long enough the conversation drifted towards dogs.

When it did, the gentleman I was meeting with mentioned how little dogs climb all over you in an effort to be ā€˜dominantā€™.

Normally I donā€™t get into this sort of conversation with strangers, but he was a lovely guy, so we carried on talking. I explained that dominance theory was debunked long ago.

His response was so refreshing.

He was genuinely engaged, asked thoughtful questions, and you could see the information landing. He really took something away from that conversation.

And that was it. No defensiveness, no push-back. Just curiosity.

Conversations on this topic donā€™t always go that way. The idea of alpha/pack/dominance theory is so deeply rooted for many people that it can feel uncomfortable ā€“ even threatening ā€“ to reconsider it. Challenging your own long-held beliefs and accepting new information takes courage.

So I want to take a moment to celebrate the people who are open to learning, questioning old ideas, and growing.

Changing your mind is a big thing to do.

20/11/2025

Engagement is the foundation for lead walking, recall, reactivity and so much more! This makes it a really important skill to build with teenage dogs!

I recommend spreading the cones out further than I did to give you more time ā€” thereā€™s only so much you can catch on camera šŸ˜„

19/11/2025

Are you worried that using treats to train your dog will mean they rely on them forever?

Good news: thatā€™s not the case. If youā€™ve been reinforcing behaviour properly, you can grow your dogā€™s skills and gradually reduce their reliance on food rewards.

That doesnā€™t mean you should stop rewarding altogether. If theyā€™re doing a good job, they deserve to be paid for it, right?

You need strong foundations to grow, so if you put in the work and pay well in those early stages, everything else becomes a doddle.

Thereā€™s no shame in using treats; it doesnā€™t mean youā€™ll be stuck with them forever. If you are reliant on treats, chances are youā€™ve been bribing rather than reinforcing.

This!!!šŸ™ŒšŸ¼
19/11/2025

This!!!šŸ™ŒšŸ¼

18/11/2025

Donā€™t be this person šŸ™…šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø
If you see someone out with a teenage dog, be supportive ā€“ theyā€™re probably deep in the trenches, and comments like these are never as helpful as people think they are.

Iā€™ve personally had all of these said to me, and I may or may not have shouted at a man in the street last year who told me I needed to ā€˜get my dog under controlā€™ because he barked at himā€¦ what can I say, my dog clearly picked up the šŸ‘šŸ•³ļø vibes long before the man even got close šŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø

Moral of the story: protect your peace.
Ignore the random advice givers, the ā€˜my dog will tell him offā€™ brigade, and anyone who insists your dog should be more trained, more social, or more under control. You know your dog. You know what theyā€™re working on, what theyā€™re capable of, and what they need.

And if you want support from a trainer who genuinely gets adolescent chaos?
Follow along āœØ

Raising an adolescent dog is tough ā€” and even as a dog trainer, Iā€™ve had to ā€˜change the plansā€™ multiple times.But hereā€™s...
17/11/2025

Raising an adolescent dog is tough ā€” and even as a dog trainer, Iā€™ve had to ā€˜change the plansā€™ multiple times.
But hereā€™s the truth: none of these were really fails. They were perspective shifts.

Pub visits that went sideways. Woods walks that became stressful. Off-lead freedom that wasnā€™t safe everywhere.
I could train all of these things if I wanted to ā€” but I choose to prioritise what actually serves my dogsā€™ wellbeing. Management, environmental consideration, and realistic expectations are part of good training, not a failure.

If youā€™ve ever felt guilty or that youā€™ve failed your adolescent dog, know this: youā€™re doing better than you think!

Save this post for when you need a reminder that your dog isnā€™t broken ā€” and neither are you.
Follow for more realistic, welfare-first adolescent dog training tipsšŸ©µ

16/11/2025

If you want to teach your dog to deliver to hand ā€“ whether for a fun game of fetch or more formal gundog work ā€“ tug can be a brilliant foundationšŸ™ŒšŸ¼

Thereā€™s a long-standing belief in some traditional gundog circles that tug causes a ā€˜hard mouthā€™ or encourages ragging. In reality, tug doesnā€™t change how your dog handles game; it simply builds engagement, motivation and value for bringing things back to youšŸŽ¾

It also gives your dog a healthy outlet for a natural behaviour. When tug is part of your routine, dogs are far less likely to try to tug on things in unhelpful contexts ā€“ including game.

If your dog does try to tug on game, itā€™s usually just a sign youā€™ve moved on a bit too quickly and theyā€™re feeling over-aroused. Slowing down and rebuilding calm delivery normally resolves it.

Tug isnā€™t the problem ā€“ the training steps are. And used well, it can make your retrieve work clearer, calmer and much more fun šŸ‘šŸ¼

šŸŸ£Puppy Class ā€” Week 1šŸŸ£Great start to our puppy class this morning! Got some gorgeous little pupsšŸ˜First session is all ab...
16/11/2025

šŸŸ£Puppy Class ā€” Week 1šŸŸ£

Great start to our puppy class this morning! Got some gorgeous little pupsšŸ˜

First session is all about keeping it nice and easy, having some quick wins, and the best activity of allā€¦ a reward reference test, which went down a treat!šŸ˜‹

Imagine trying to body shame someone in 2025šŸ¤”I say ā€˜tryingā€™ because it didnā€™t work ā€” Iā€™m sitting here eating a massive b...
15/11/2025

Imagine trying to body shame someone in 2025šŸ¤”
I say ā€˜tryingā€™ because it didnā€™t work ā€” Iā€™m sitting here eating a massive bar of chocolate as I write this.

If anything, these comments have freed me up.
I used to dread the day that someone would body shame me. I know Iā€™m fat, I know you know Iā€™m fat, it was bound to happen.
And when it did, guess what happenedā€¦
Absolutely nothing šŸ˜‚

I actually felt sorry for all of you that you were so uneducated on the subject, while feeling so passionate about it, that you resorted to body shaming. How embarrassing is that.

So, hereā€™s to letting gošŸ„‚šŸ«

14/11/2025

Spent 2.5hours clearing up in the field today with the help of my wonderful mother and the weather has been CRAZY!!
Drenched through 3 coats!

But, weā€™re all set up ready for our Gundog Skills course and Puppy Class starting this weekendšŸ„³

13/11/2025

Three common mistakes people make when teaching loose lead walking ā€” can you spot them?

How many did you spot?
Answer reveal + more detailšŸ‘‡šŸ¼

1. Wrapping the lead around your hand ā€” the shorter the lead, the more it will feel like your dog is pulling. Loosen it up and let them have more freedom.
2. Holding the lead in the wrong hand ā€” you should always hold the lead in the hand on the opposite side of your dog and aim for the lead to be loose diagonally across your body.
3. Having your treat pouch on the wrong side ā€” your treat pouch should be on the same side as your dog. This makes it easier to deliver the rewards directly to them without leaning across or causing your them to cross in front and potentially trip you over.

This isnā€™t intended to teach your dog how to walk on a loose lead. It is simply intended to show you good lead walking mechanics ā€” it all starts with you. I will do a video another time on how to teach loose lead walking.

Address

Burbage
Hinckley

Website

https://linktr.ee/pawforwarddogtraining

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