Small Paws Dog Services

Small Paws Dog Services Puppy classes, Adult Dog Training classes, Playgroup sessions and Private Play sessions in our Private Playground. Exclusively for Small Dog Breeds.

We also provide Daycare, Home-Style Overnight Stays & More.

🐾 Look at 7-month-old Beulah today!!! 🥹❤️🐾Just two days ago, we put a collar and lead on Beulah for the very first time ...
06/09/2026

🐾 Look at 7-month-old Beulah today!!! 🥹❤️🐾

Just two days ago, we put a collar and lead on Beulah for the very first time in her life.

With very limited to no exposure to new experiences, people or dogs, every little step has been a BIG one. We’ve been taking things at her pace, building trust and showing her that the world can be a safe place.

Today, Beulah joined us for a 3-hour private play/daycare session, focusing on gently building her confidence around my dogs.

And honestly… WOW. Just WOW!!! 😭💕

Look at her with the dogs! 🥹
Snoring happily in the house!
Snuggled up on my lap! ❤️
And even walking beautifully on her lead!

She achieved way more than her owner expected. She coped being away from her, explored, experienced, interacted and relaxed — and most importantly, she started to believe that she could. 🐾

The unsure little girl we first met is beginning to come out of her shell and discover the world around her. ❤️

This is why we never rush a dog’s journey. We celebrate the courage it takes to try.

And today, sweet Beulah tried SO much. 🥹💕

Look how far you’ve already come, beautiful girl. We are SO proud of you! 🐾❤️

🐾 Puppy Class Today! 🐾Our pups had a mix of supervised play, off-lead time and training today! 🐶💕We chatted about those ...
06/09/2026

🐾 Puppy Class Today! 🐾

Our pups had a mix of supervised play, off-lead time and training today! 🐶💕

We chatted about those classic puppy behaviours — biting, jumping up on people, barking at visitors at the door and more — and, most importantly, how to teach our puppies what we want them to do instead.

We also worked on lead walking with our pups beside us, rather than out in front, and talked about the importance of setting the right expectations from the very beginning.

✨ Don’t just teach your puppy what NOT to do — teach them what TO do!

Setting good habits early gives our puppies clear guidance and helps them grow into confident, well-mannered dogs. ❤️🐾

And what a great class it was! 🥰

The photos give you a little glimpse into what we do here — puppies learning, playing, interacting and building their social skills in a safe and supervised environment. 🐾💕

There may be just a few too many photos… but they were simply too cute not to share! 😂📸

🐾 Welcome Teddy! 🐾Teddy came in for his assessment today, and this lovely boy has a little confidence-building journey a...
05/09/2026

🐾 Welcome Teddy! 🐾

Teddy came in for his assessment today, and this lovely boy has a little confidence-building journey ahead of him. ❤️

Teddy is over 18 months old and was adopted by his new family just a few months ago. We’ll be working on building his confidence around people and other dogs, while helping him develop trust, communication and a stronger connection with his owners.

One of the first things we’re working on is how Teddy walks with his people.

Teddy has been using a retractable lead attached to his harness, which allows him to continually walk out in front and make his own decisions about where he goes. This doesn’t encourage him to stay connected with his owners, check in with them or follow their lead.

Retractable leads can also present safety concerns, including the cord wrapping around people and dogs, causing cuts or rope burns, dogs reaching roads or other hazards before their owner can react, sudden jolts when the dog reaches the end of the line, and the cord becoming damaged or snapping under tension. A dropped handle can also frighten a dog and cause them to bolt.

For Teddy, we have now changed to collar with a regular lead. This allows the lead to become a communication device between Teddy and his owners, helping him learn to stay connected, check in and follow their guidance. He did amazingly!!!!

When Teddy is out on his sniff walks, we’ve introduced a long training line instead. This gives him the extra freedom he needs to have wonderful sniffing explorations while still maintaining a safe connection with his people.

And as an added bonus, long lines are fantastic for recall training! 🐾

The goal isn’t to stop Teddy from exploring. It’s about teaching him that he can enjoy his environment while staying connected to and following the guidance of his people.

Today was the beginning of Teddy’s journey — building confidence, trust, communication and a strong relationship with his new family.

He will be joining us in group class and we can’t wait to see his growth 🐾🐾

🐾 BALANCE, BODY AWARENESS & CONTROL 🐾Today’s class included some seriously clever body-awareness exercises! 🧠🐶We started...
05/09/2026

🐾 BALANCE, BODY AWARENESS & CONTROL 🐾

Today’s class included some seriously clever body-awareness exercises! 🧠🐶

We started with two BOSU balls. The dogs first found their balance with all four paws on one ball. They then stepped their front paws onto the second BOSU, keeping their back feet on the first.

Once positioned, they had to pause and hold a nice, controlled stand, before shifting their body backwards and moving into a sit.

We then progressed to sit → stand → hold → back into a sit, teaching them to control their movements rather than simply rushing through them.

Next came the same concept on a solid raised platform. From a sit on the platform, they stepped their front feet down onto the floor, held their position, then carefully shifted their weight backwards and returned to a sit back on the platform.

These exercises are fantastic for developing proprioception (body awareness), balance, core strength, coordination, rear-end awareness and controlled weight shifting.

Most importantly, the dogs have to actually think about where their bodies are in space and learn to control each movement. 🐾

It might look like a few simple sits and steps, but there’s a LOT going on in those little brains and bodies! ❤️🧠🐶

Meet beautiful Beulah! At just 7 months old, Beulah has had a very different start to life. She was adopted at 20 weeks ...
04/09/2026

Meet beautiful Beulah!
At just 7 months old, Beulah has had a very different start to life. She was adopted at 20 weeks and, prior to that, had very little exposure to the inside of a home, no formal training and very limited opportunities for socialisation.

Today she came in for an assessment/private session — and what a lovely little girl she is. 🥹💕

We took everything slowly and allowed Beulah to work at her own pace. By the end of the session, she was comfortable having a very light collar put on and was beginning to walk around with a lead attached.

We also introduced some simple activities with the lead lying on the floor, allowing her to investigate and become comfortable with this strange new piece of equipment without pressure. We used an especially light lead so the experience remained as easy and positive as possible.

Beulah also met my boy Benji today. Initially, sharing space with another dog was a little uncertain for her, but as the session progressed she became more comfortable and settled. 🐾

We’ve decided that group classes are not the right next step for Beulah just yet. Putting her straight into a busy class environment would simply be too much, too soon.

Instead, we’ll build her confidence through private one-on-one sessions and short daycare visits, where I can gradually help her become comfortable around my dogs and introduce her to new experiences in a controlled, supportive environment.

There is absolutely no need to rush her. 💕

And then there was the sweetest moment of all… after everything she had achieved, this gorgeous girl curled up on my lap and gave me a little lick right on the nose. 🥹🤎

Sometimes the biggest achievements are the quiet ones — a little more trust, a little more confidence and a willingness to try.

Well done, beautiful Beulah. 🌱🐾

03/09/2026

These are the sounds of “Come on, let’s PLAY!!!!
And then come the squeals of pure delight as they chase each other around! 😂💕

This little group have such a lovely bond. They know each other, trust each other and have spent plenty of time learning each other’s personalities and play styles. They genuinely enjoy being together — and you can see it in the way they invite each other to play and happily join in. 🐾
So much energy in playgroup tonight! They will sleep well!!

03/09/2026

🐾 Don’t force your dog to do something by simply putting them in.

Give them the time and patience they need to work it out for themselves. Let them try, try, try again — and celebrate those little moments when they finally figure it out! 🥰

Building confidence through choice and encouragement is so much more valuable than forcing the behaviour.

🌟 Well done, Cheeky Face!! You kept trying and you got there! ❤️🐾

03/09/2026

Best friends are even better when they show up unexpectedly! 💕

Stella came for her private play date today, and Cheeky Face is spending the day with us. The moment these two girls realise the other one is here, they are SO excited! 🥰🐶

They absolutely love each other’s company and have the best time together — running, playing, chasing, sniffing and generally having a wonderful time being dogs. 😂🐾

Two happy little girls, making the most of their play day together! ❤️

💕 Our cuties enjoying playgroup tonight! 💕So much fun, little friendships and plenty of happy tails! 🥰🐶It’s always lovel...
02/09/2026

💕 Our cuties enjoying playgroup tonight! 💕

So much fun, little friendships and plenty of happy tails! 🥰🐶

It’s always lovely watching our little ones build confidence, practise their social skills and simply enjoy being dogs together in a safe, supervised environment. 💕✨

Just look at those happy faces! 😍🐾

Betty and Tilly had the best day in daycare today and it didn’t take long to become friends. 🥰🐶These two girls are very ...
02/09/2026

Betty and Tilly had the best day in daycare today and it didn’t take long to become friends. 🥰🐶

These two girls are very evenly matched in size, energy, play style and personality — and that is so important when creating a happy and positive daycare experience.

It’s not simply about putting two dogs together and hoping they’ll get along.
Matching dogs appropriately helps ensure they can communicate, play, take breaks and enjoy each other’s company without one dog feeling overwhelmed or constantly trying to keep up.

These two little ladies were a perfect match and had a wonderful day together! 💕🐾

Address

265 Kilmore East Road
Kilmore East, VIC
3764

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 9am - 6pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Small Paws Dog Services posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category