Our Philosophy

At Mind Your Pawz, we focus on the relationship between the dog and their person. We help to bridge the gap by coaching the human end of the leash and using games to teach our dogs what we want them to do. We do not use or promote fear or force to change behavior.

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“What is possible between a human and an animal is possible only within a relationship” - Suzanne Clothier

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Dogs and puppies need to understand boundaries, but they also need enrichment, mental stimulation, physical exercise, patience, and good nutrition. They also crave security.  A dog that is confident and secure in their relationship with you will be able to make better behavior choices.  We, as humans, need to learn how to better communicate our wishes in a way that our dogs understand.

Our training philosophy is grounded in proven, science-based methods.

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A Note About Positive Reinforcement 

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Positive reinforcement isn’t only about using food. There are many “real life rewards” that can eventually take the place of the food, but only once your dog fully understands the new behavior.  Freedom to sniff something on a walk, freedom to greet a person, freedom to go through the door to outside, a game of tug with you, petting and affection (if your dog enjoys that), a ball thrown - and the list goes on.  But in the beginning, when we are first teaching them what we want them to do, food is the easiest to access and deliver in a timely manner.

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If you are curious or uncertain about why we use a clicker to communicate and change your dog’s behavior, please check out:

7 Reasons to use Reward-Based Training: by Companion Animal Psychology

And click here to check out FAQ’s about Clicker Training: by Karen Pryor

 

I look forward to working with you and watching your team grow.

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Angie Greenway, KPA-CTP

Mind Your Pawz

“Bridging the Communication Gap Between Pets and Their People”

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