ABOUT

Paws Outdoors is a structured adventure and enrichment day program where dogs build confidence, practice real life skills, and develop good social skills - all while enjoying the outdoors.

Our days are about more than simply exercising dogs. We provide structure, guidance, learning opportunities and appropriate social interaction to help dogs become the best versions of themselves.

Throughout the session, your dog is guided through a variety of real life situations. These include walking together, waiting, settling, navigating distractions, responding to direction and learning when it's appropriate to engage with other dogs and when it is time to switch off. Dogs are guided with the use of leads and long lines, to ensure unwanted behaviours are managed and dogs are redirected as necessary.

There are opportunities to explore, sniff, run and socialise, but there are also boundaries, expectations and downtime. We provide an environment where dogs are taught how to navigate the world with a human, rather than purely making all of their own choices.

Paws Outdoors is not your traditional type of 'daycare'. Your dog isn't here purely for exercise - they are learning while experiencing the real world.

Dogs are transported to and from our facility via individual crates in the van.

SERVICES

Anchor 1

Pack Adventure and enrichment days - $69

Your dog will be collected in our van and brought back to our base where we start the day in a securely fenced paddock. This gives the dogs a chance to toilet, settle in and begin the day with some simple group exercises designed to get their minds focused on their handler.

Depending on the group energy/group goal for the day, we'll head out for an on leash pack walk. Many of our walks take place on private rural land, but we'll also visit busier environments when appropriate. These outings provide valuable real-life practice - learning to navigate distractions, different surroundings and everyday distractions with guidance.

All dogs start on leash. Off leash freedom is earned through demonstrated reliability, not simply because the dog is friendly or has good recall. We first build a solid relationship, and dogs must demonstrate a reliable response to instructions in the secure paddocks where we do lots of our training. The priority is appropriate management, safety and continued learning, so some dogs may remain on leash for these walks.

There is always a structured rest time where the dogs are guided to rest on beds.

The result is a day that balances adventures, enrichment, social learning, training and rest - rather than simply letting dogs run around together all day.

Meet and Greet

All potential dogs/owners must attend a meet and greet at our property. There is no charge for this. If you like what you see, and wish to proceed - we will then book your dog for 1:1 training walks to prepare them for integration into a pack.

Prep Walks - $79

Our prep walks are approximately 50 minutes and take place in a variety of real world environments. They give me the opportunity to get to know your dog, assess their current skills and identify what they may need to work on before joining a group.

During the walk, I'll be looking at;

* Leash skills - can your dog walk comfortably on a loose leash and follow guidance?

* Focus and responsiveness - can they listen and follow instructions when out in the real world?

* Distractions - how do they respond to people, dogs, noises, movement and other environmental distractions?

* Confidence - Are there things in the environment that worry or overwhelm them?

* Dog-to-dog behaviour - how does your dog respond when they see or pass other dogs?

* Impulse control - can they manage their excitement and impulses around other dogs, or do they immediately want to engage?

* Recovery - once something has caught their attention, can they disengage and return their focus to the handler?

These sessions are not about expecting a perfectly trained dog. It's about understanding where your dog is currently at so we can determine whether they are ready for a pack environment and if not, what skills we need to build first.

1:1 Training - Behavioural Consultation - $149

All private training starts with a behavioural consultation. This is an opportunity for us to meet, talk through the challenges you are experiencing and discuss the progress you would like to make with your dog. It's also a chance to ask questions and decide whether I am the right person to help you and your dog. From this consultation I will recommend a training package which I believe will best suit your situation. (4 session or 6 session packages available).