Pawsitive Training NL

04/08/2025

Congratulations to everyone who completed the basic obedience class!

Everyone made great progress with learning new skills and how to work with distractions. If you’re interested in our basic obedience message us for more details or to register.
We look forward to seeing you and your dogs!

04/07/2025

“Why is your dog wearing a muzzle?”

A question we love to answer! 🙂

Too many people still assume a muzzled dog is dangerous. That it’s aggressive. That the human on the other end of the lead has failed. But the truth? That muzzle is often the result of love, training, and responsibility.

🐾 Some dogs are muzzle trained because they get overwhelmed in busy environments.

🐾 Some wear one at the vet… because they’re in pain, and pain makes behaviour unpredictable.

🐾 Some have a history of trauma or reactivity, and a muzzle gives them safe access to the world.

🐾 Others have a habit of scavenging… things like chicken bones, trash, or even medications left on the ground.

🐾 And for many, it’s just about being prepared. Emergency situations happen fast, and a muzzle trained dog is safer to handle when things go wrong.

Pain, fear, stress, overstimulation… these are real, valid reasons a dog might struggle. A muzzle doesn’t mean they’re a threat. It means they’re protected.

The more we educate, the more we create empathy. 💕

The more we normalise muzzles, the more we protect dogs from judgment… and from situations that could cost them their lives. 💕

We muzzle because we care. Let’s start changing the question from “What’s wrong with that dog?” to “How can I learn more?”

Who is with us?

04/06/2025

Does your dog enjoy running and jumping! Looking for new ways to spend that energy and have fun with your dog. This is an excellent course providing great foundation skills for agility and for life. Message me or Nicole for more info or to sign up.

04/06/2025

Puppy play - Tuesday 5:30-6:00. Need 3 people to comment here that they can come for it to go ahead!

04/05/2025

Everyone loves tricks! And teaching tricks is fun for both you and your dog. And how about doing fun obedience routines! These 2 classes are new but offer fun for you and your dog. Both require good communication and a foundation built on trust. Message me if you'd like to give one of these classes a try. Classes will be on Saturdays, one hour a week for 8 weeks, and will start when we have a minimum of 4 students signed up. Maximum class size is 6.

04/04/2025

Puppy class with Steve

04/04/2025

Puppy class with Jenna

04/01/2025

Is Fetch Ruining Your Dog's "Dogginess"?

There's been quite an animated discussion on social media lately about whether dogs should be allowed to fetch or not.

I wanted to add a different viewpoint to this conversation.
First, let me be clear: I think it's completely fine if dogs *safely* fetch for 10 minutes a day. This won't break their training or cause significant problems.

(I do emphasize "safely" fetch. Not every dog can fetch safely. Some dogs are so driven, so focused on the motion, so reckless with their body that they never can safely fetch. They slam on brakes, twist incorrectly, and risk injury.
But many dogs can engage in safe, moderate fetching.)

Here's where I see the real problem: Fetching, because it's so enticing and such a high-value activity, can take away from dogs showing normal doggy behaviors. They would rather just fetch the whole time.

This isn't a theoretical concern. I first noticed it with my own Border Collie, Fusion, eleven years ago.

When he was young and we lived in the city, I played a lot of fetch with him in our backyard and at the park. He absolutely loved his balls.

Then we moved to the mountains. Suddenly, my backyard had endless miles of trails, forests, and mountains. I was excited to take him on beautiful long walks in nature.

But on these walks, he barely interacted with the environment at all. He would just circle me with his ball, drop it at my feet, lay down expectantly. If I didn't take it, he'd grab it, run ahead, throw it down again.

He didn't do any of what you'd expect from a healthy young dog in nature. He didn't run around exploring. He didn't sniff things. He didn't mark territory. He didn't dig holes or roll in interesting scents.

He was just obsessed with his ball.

I realized the fetching was taking away from his "dogginess" - from all the experiences he could and should have as a dog.

Since then, I've seen this same pattern with many of my in-person clients, especially those with high-energy, driven dogs like Aussies, German Shepherds, or German Shorthair Pointers.

I remember visiting a client with a young German Shepherd. They had a huge yard and three other dogs. The entire time I was there, this dog was obsessing about a ball, carrying it around, dropping it at the owner's feet.

I asked: "Does your dog ever play with the other dogs?"
"No."
"Does he ever wander around your yard? Lay in the sun? Dig holes? Chew bushes? Get the zoomies?"
"No, he mostly just wants to fetch."

This is where the danger lies. Fetch can create such an obsession in certain types of dogs that their behavioral diversity becomes severely limited.

My goal is always to help dogs live the happiest, most fulfilled lives where they can express as many aspects of their natural "dogginess" as possible.

Dogs' lives become rich and full through variety - exploring their environment, following scent trails, interacting with other dogs, digging in interesting spots, finding sunny patches to rest in, investigating rustling leaves, choosing different resting spots, making decisions about their own movement, and yes, even sometimes rolling in (or eating) disgusting things.

If any single activity suppresses so many natural behaviors as intensely as intense fetching can do, we need to seriously consider whether we're doing our dogs a favor with all that fetching (or whether we need to rein it in a bit)

What do you think? Have you noticed fetch becoming an obsession for your dog? Or are they able to switch from being focused on their ball, to doing all kinds of other doggy things?

Happy Training!

03/31/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16AcktUrJw/

03/30/2025

Puppy Play - Tuesday April 1, 5:30-6pm. Need three puppies confirmed to go ahead with it. Comment below if you are interested.

03/29/2025

Although this is not Corner Brook, Texas dogs have been arriving. Be careful. Parvo can be deadly and is very persistent in the environment.

🚨 Parvovirus Alert in Our Community 🚨

Recently, several puppies in our community have tested positive for Parvovirus. Cases continue to emerge across the region, putting unvaccinated and young dogs at high risk.

Parvovirus is a highly contagious and deadly virus that spreads through contact with infected dogs, contaminated surfaces, and even human shoes or clothing. It attacks the gastrointestinal system, causing severe vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and often requires intensive veterinary care.

💉 How to Protect Your Dog:
✔️ Ensure your dog is fully vaccinated—puppies need a series of vaccines, and adult dogs require regular boosters.
✔️ Avoid dog parks, daycare, or high-traffic areas if your dog is unvaccinated or overdue for vaccines.
✔️ Practice strict hygiene—wash hands and change clothes if exposed to unknown dogs or environments.
✔️ Contact your vet immediately if your dog shows symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or loss of appetite.

Parvo can become life threatening if left untreated and vaccination is the best defense. Please share this message to help protect our community’s pets. Stay safe! 🐶❤️

03/29/2025

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1106925344802616&id=100064554828455

ADOPTION PENDING!!!

RIGGLY is looking for a forever home! This sweet boy is an 8 month old male Nova Scotia Duck Toller Mix.

Riggly is very affectionate, and highly trainable as he is so smart. He will need an owner who is willing work on his manners, as he does jump up when excited. For this reason, we recommend that he go to a home without young children.

Riggly is approximately 60lbs. He will require an active home. He will be vaccinated and neutered, and this will be included in his adoption fee.

If you are interested in adopting Riggly please send us an adoption application https://sites.google.com/view/nlwestspca/adoption-application

03/29/2025