Paws to Think NZ

Paws to Think NZ Positive reinforcement based dog training to achieve your dreams with your canine team-mate

17/06/2025

Totally.

The beautiful dog in my header profile is Rossi. Rossi was the reason I set up this business after he taught me so much....
14/06/2025

The beautiful dog in my header profile is Rossi. Rossi was the reason I set up this business after he taught me so much. He was my heart dog and my teacher.

Rossi passed away last week aged 7, far too soon. This business, Paws to Think NZ, is his legacy, and he will always be in my heart.

30/04/2025

A quick video showing how you can tell your dog how they are going to get their reward. I trained the three reinforcement cues separately and now I can put them all together

I don’t usually post our own results on here but it was suggested I might post about this weekend.Lexi (the collie) and ...
20/04/2025

I don’t usually post our own results on here but it was suggested I might post about this weekend.

Lexi (the collie) and Jack were both brought up in a completely positive environment and they are amazing and smart family members. They are also my trusted team-mates, and these photos speak volumes about how that works out ❤️
Results from our agility show this weekend (in the rain mostly 😂)

Extra proud of them right now 🏆

Even though they have no idea what ribbons mean 😂

02/04/2025

There is lots going on in this video I did yesterday.

Rossi is six and needs absolute clarity about what he's doing and what he's going to get rewarded for.

In this video I reward him for lying down and not taking the food and then only taking the food when he hears his release word which is Break. I have practiced mixing this up with other words too to make sure he is listening. I also reinforce the fact that his job is to lie down by telling him Drop, even though he is lying down. I would hope to fade that reminder soon.

Then I do it with him sitting.

I never tell him to wait or stay because lying down or sitting is his job which he should do until I release him or reward him for doing it.

I do lots of quiet work like this especially with high drive dogs like Rossi because it helps them think and focus

💜

Progress when training a dog is not linear. Your lovely dog will not necessary get more skilled every day.You need a pla...
03/02/2025

Progress when training a dog is not linear. Your lovely dog will not necessary get more skilled every day.

You need a plan and then work through it, allowing for those days when everything seems to go backwards 😂 . And there are many of them, I can assure you!

This skill from my Lexi looks amazing, even to me.

It took me 6 months to train this.

Keep going, have a plan, break it into tiny layers, whatever your plan is, and above all else - keep going ♥️

If you do dog sports this is why I am so keen on keeping your dog fit, with the right exercises and the right diet. Look...
20/01/2025

If you do dog sports this is why I am so keen on keeping your dog fit, with the right exercises and the right diet. Look at how much my dog Lexi is bending through these weaves 😲

13/01/2025

This is a really good example of play between dogs who get on. They are playing the classic Bitey Face game and it's actually extremely gentle.

I can also interrupt them at any time and they will stop (not shown in this video though).

Dogs need to be dogs and play like dogs sometimes 💜

08/01/2025

This is a really good simple game to play indoors or outdoors. You need two similar bowls and small treats in each hand.

Start with the bowls very close together and feed one bowl then the other. Move the bowls apart. Then add in a small obstacle the dog has to choose to go round to get the treat.

This game can be extended if you want, to create real distance work, or else it can just be used as a soothing pattern for a dog that likes to move their body.

The Vito game

28/12/2024

Never in a million years that I think I would be able to train Rossi to weave.

He was very prone to frustration as a puppy and as a teenager but now he is 6 years old.

Don't give up, listen to how your dog is learning, use a lot of reinforcement for a dog that's not sure what the end goal is, and you can achieve amazing things 💜

End of the year update, for Shadowstaff Jakabite Lad.We don't do as many shows as some people. But I'm very proud to dis...
17/12/2024

End of the year update, for Shadowstaff Jakabite Lad.

We don't do as many shows as some people. But I'm very proud to discover that on the just-for-fun league for agility results in New Zealand, Jack's results put him in the top 20% of all the small dogs running agility this year. This includes Senior dogs and Champions.

So we did an end of year photo. Of course 😂

I could not be prouder of this little man and the teammate he has become, especially given his spinal injury in 2023.

His ribbons from this year. Agility plus one breed show

Today I have been thinking about the power of video.I video myself a LOT when I am training - it is like having another ...
06/11/2024

Today I have been thinking about the power of video.

I video myself a LOT when I am training - it is like having another set of eyes on what I am doing. And it is hugely instructive - I can see my own mechanics from a completely different perspective and can usually also work out why things are going wrong 😂

I only use an android phone and a cheap tripod.

Go on - give it a go 😊 Video anything where you'd like to see what's happening!

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Roscrea Place, Christchurch
Swannanoa
7692

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+64279292207

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