Star Pawformers

Star Pawformers

The Big Bark was absolutely delighted to welcome Star Pawformers as our main sponsor of the Big Bark in the Park at Trentham Estate. The event took place on the 20th and 21st of May 2023, two beautifully sunny and warm days at a glorious country park in Stafforshire.

We sat down with Kate after the event to chat to her about her business. We asked her about Star Pawformers involvement in this year’s event and her unique approach to dog training. Especially when it comes to children and their best four-legged friends.

ADDO: Kate, you’re a very experienced Association of Pet Dog Trainers instructor, and signatory of the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter, aren’t you? What prompted you to set up Star Pawformers?

Kate: Yes, that’s correct. I set the business up in 2012. We cover Cheshire and Staffordshire, so we’re very busy. I’m a real advocate of fun, games-based training methods. Dogs respond really well to this type of positive encouragement in learning, and I wanted to share my methods with as many owners as possible.

ADDO:  You were involved in the Big Bark at Trentham in 2022 too, weren’t you?  What made you want to come back this year and play an even bigger part in the proceedings?

Kate:  The Big Bark was great fun last year where I met so many owners and their lovely pooches. I loved the happy atmosphere at what was a very well-organised event.

Last year, Star Pawformers hosted the tricks and Hoopers rings. We also led dog handling for kids’ sessions. I was especially struck by the number of children showing an interest in working with their pets in a fun, compassionate, and encouraging way.

ADDO: So, is working with kids and dogs a bit of a passion for you and your team?

Kate:  I’d say it’s more than a passion. Do you know that in 2022 there were more than 10 million pet dogs in the UK? That’s 3 in every ten households owning one or more dogs. Those numbers are truly staggering and ought to mean endless hours of safe play with your best four-legged buddy. However, we’ve discovered that many children don’t know how to engage safely with a dog. What’s more, lots of parents aren’t equipped with the skills to teach them either.

ADDO: Wow! Those really are big numbers. The potential for accidents must be significant. So, how does Star Pawformers help?

Kate:  We set up our Kids N K9s Training programme. It’s based on positive training techniques in a safe and fun environment and is suited to children aged between 7 and seventeen.

Although dogs might not speak our language, nonetheless they are great communicators. In turn, children are intuitive and receptive. Put both into an environment where they can begin to understand one another and you’re creating a space where dogs and kids can play and interact safely.

ADDO: Tell us more about the less obvious ways that dogs express their feelings.

Kate: A great deal of insight can be gleaned from a dog’s body language. We all assume that a wagging tail means a dog is happy and friendly. However, it can also mean that a dog is aroused in an aggressive or fearful way. It’s often possible to tell the difference by looking at the speed and angle of the wag relative to the dog’s body. Other clues such as stance and general demeanour reveal further clues about how the dog is feeling.

We teach kids to look at the bigger picture and assess all of the various aspects of any given situation. That’s not just the dog’s behaviour and body language but also the environment and circumstances, even how the child is feeling at the time.

We teach young owners about respecting boundaries. In other words, dog spaces are for dogs and to ‘let sleeping dogs lie’. We focus on appropriate interactions at the right time, avoiding winding each other up, and appropriate ways to play.

To be honest, it’s fascinating and incredibly rewarding work.

ADDO: That sounds amazing. Were visitors to the ig Bark in the Park able to find out more?

Kate: Yes, absolutely. We were there on both days and were blown away by the number of dog owners that wanted to find out more. We chatted to loads of lovely people.  Because we also hosted Have-a-Go Hoopers and Trick Training rings, we had a really high profile on both days.

We also hosted the brand new Pup Zone, an area specially set aside for dogs under 12-months, and children. This allowed us to put everything that we advocate in the Kids N K9s programme into context. Owners, parents, guardians and kids were able to have a go at some awesome training activities and games, bringing elements of the programme to life for them.

ADDO: So now that the Big Bark in the Park is over, can you share some of your top training tips here?

Kate: Yes, take a look at our Doggy Do’s & Don’t’s for Kids, this is a great resource to look at with your children. You can download it here. Please get in touch if you have any general questions or would like to know more about the work we do.