Mothers in Business | Kate Robinson of Sandy Paws

Back to my Mothers in Business series this year, and this time I caught up with Kate Robinson from Sandy Paws.

Having been part of it once myself,  I can tell you that the dog world is filled with people with lots of different ideas on how to treat and train dogs.   But for those of us with busy family lives, most of us just want a happy, contented dog that is easy to live with and include in family life and activities.

This is where Kate comes in.   She runs a dog training and walking business around the Bellarine called Sandy Paws.

"I started my own business to enable me to do the job that I love and help people and dogs, whilst being able to fit my work around my children and family life"

Fully trained and certified by the NDTF (National Dog Trainers Federation), Kate takes a balanced approach to dog training - using positive reinforcement where appropriate while still making sure the dogs know who is boss.    The goal is to have happy, well adjusted family dogs so that kids, parents and pooches can all live comfortably together.  With a focus  on working with dogs and their families together - whether it be taking the dogs for regular walks,  socialising puppies,  working to improve dog aggression, lead pulling, and recalls - it's the kind of service that every dog lover might need at some point.

Kate lives with two of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met - Djindi the staffy cross and Illy the cattle dog cross.    Lets just say I got plenty of sloppy doggie kisses in the making of this blog.  Both are rescues and are perfect for dispelling any lingering myths that rescues can’t make wonderful family dogs.

As the mum of two school aged kids kids as well (Sophie and Max) many of Kate’s clients are the same - trying to juggle the demands of family life with the demands of caring for their furry family members as well.       They need a dog trainer who understands not just dogs, but families and their needs too.

Having been a professional trainer since 2011, Kate has had experience in helping hundreds of dogs and families with every issue you can imagine.  Take for example, Leroy.

I followed Kate to see one of her regular clients - an adorable (and huge!) lab called Leroy.   Leroy is scared of walking up stairs, so he, Kate and his dedicated owner have been working on his reluctance, using treats along the way so that Leroy can associate the scary stairs with something a lot nicer - yummy treats.

If you have a dog that could do with some Sandy Paws love, you can reach Kate's website by clicking here or facebook by clicking here.

If you’re a mum in business and would love your own session, just email me hello@nataliem.com.au  .   Go beyond the headshot and show your real selves to your clients!