Pawsitive Pawrents

12/12/2024

🎄🐾 **Ho Ho HOWLiday Special! 🐾🎄

This Christmas, give the gift of a well-behaved best friend! 🎁 Whether your pup pulls on the leash, jumps on guests, or just needs a little extra help to be their best self, our **holiday sale** is here to make your season brighter!

🎅 **Special Offers:**
✨ **10% Off** All Training Packages
🌟**20% off ** All Board and Trains
✨ Free Consultation with every new booking
✨ Gift Certificates Available – Perfect for the dog lover in your life!

🎄**Our Services:**
🐾 Basic Obedience
🐾 Leash Walking
🐾 Reactivity & Aggression
🐾 Puppy Foundations

📅 Hurry – Sale ends December 31st!

🎁 **Book Now** to secure your spot before the new year rush! Click below or message us to schedule your free consultation.

Let’s make this Christmas merry, calm, and PAW-sitive for you and your furry friend! 🐶❤️

12/03/2024

🎄✨ **Holiday Cheer for You and Your Pup!** 🎁🐾

The season of giving is here, and we're bringing the joy to you and your furry friends! 🌟

🎅 **🎉 Holiday Sale Alert! 🎉** 🎅
From now until **December 31st**, enjoy:
🦴 **10%** on all training packages!
🐕‍🦺 **Special holiday-themed classes** to keep your pup's behaviour merry and bright!
🎁 **Bonus goodies** with every booking—because your dog deserves something extra special under the tree!

Whether your dog needs help with basic manners, leash skills, or calming the chaos before holiday guests arrive, I’m here to make the season stress-free and fun for everyone.

⏰ Don't wait—spots are filling up fast! Let's make this holiday season paws-itively amazing.

📲 Send me a message or visit www.pawsitivepawrents.ca to grab your deal today!

Happy Holidays from my family (and pack 🐶) to yours! ❤️🎄

11/12/2024

Thrilled to announce that I've been awarded a scholarship to pursue another incredible mentorship—this time with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)! Can't wait to dive deeper into learning and bring new insights to my training journey!

10/06/2024

Meet My new Board and Train

He's a Cairn terrier who's just too much for his owners!

We're going to teach him to not chase everything and walk lovely on leash!

09/19/2024

that time of year again!

Your support counts! Share this link to help recognize outstanding businesses in the Canadian Choice Award 2025!

09/11/2024

Understanding Dog-on-Dog Correction: Why and When It’s Necessary

Dog-on-dog correction is a natural part of canine communication. Dogs, like many animals, use corrections to establish boundaries, teach manners, and maintain social order within their group. While some dog owners may find these corrections alarming, they can be essential in helping dogs learn appropriate behaviour. However, it is important to know when and why dog-on-dog corrections are appropriate, and when they might be a cause for concern.

Why Dog-on-Dog Corrections Occur

1. **Social Learning**:
In a household, older or more experienced dogs often teach younger or more inexperienced dogs how to behave. This can include setting limits on rough play, warning against stealing food, or preventing overly excited behaviour. These corrections help dogs learn important social cues that are essential for peaceful coexistence.

2. **Establishing Boundaries**:
Dogs, much like humans, need personal space. If one dog is being overly pushy, such as getting too close during rest or being too persistent in play, a correction may occur to signal that a boundary has been crossed.

3. **Resource Guarding**:
Dogs may issue corrections when protecting resources, such as toys, food, or even attention from humans. A mild growl or snap serves as a warning to back off without escalating into a full-blown fight.

4. **Preventing Escalation**:
Corrections are often used by dogs to de-escalate a situation before it gets out of hand. If one dog becomes too excited or aggressive, a quick correction can bring balance back to the interaction.

When Are Corrections Necessary?

1. **During Play**:
Puppies, in particular, need corrections to learn the limits of acceptable play. If a puppy is biting too hard or playing too roughly, an older dog may give a quick nip or growl to indicate that the behaviour is not okay. These types of corrections are essential in teaching young dogs to control their bite strength and respect others' space.

2. **To Manage Over-Excitement**:
If one dog becomes too over-stimulated, another dog may correct them by barking, growling, or briefly pinning them down. This is a way for the calmer dog to remind the excitable one to maintain control. These corrections often happen without injury and are brief in duration.

3. **To Protect Vulnerable Dogs**:
In a multi-dog household, more balanced or older dogs may step in to correct younger, overly assertive dogs who are bothering older, injured, or more timid dogs. This correction helps maintain harmony and protects the more vulnerable members of the group.

When Corrections Are Not Appropriate

1. **Aggressive or Harmful Behaviour**:
Not all corrections are healthy. If a dog is using excessive force, such as biting with the intent to harm or pinning another dog for a prolonged period, this is not a healthy correction but rather aggression. These situations require immediate intervention and possibly professional training.

2. **Frequent Corrections**:
If one dog is constantly correcting another, it may indicate a larger issue such as underlying anxiety, frustration, or resource guarding that is out of control. In this case, the dogs’ interactions should be closely monitored, and professional guidance may be needed.

3. **Age or Health Differences**:
If a correction occurs between two dogs where one is significantly older, sick, or frail, it may be dangerous. Dogs with physical limitations might not be able to defend themselves properly, leading to potential injuries.

How to Handle Dog-on-Dog Corrections

1. **Observe First**:
If the correction is brief and both dogs return to normal behaviour afterward, there’s usually no need for concern. Dogs are excellent at reading each other's body language and often resolve conflicts quickly on their own.

2. **Intervene if Necessary**:
If a correction seems to be escalating or if one dog is not backing down after the other has shown fear, it’s time to step in. Use calm energy to separate the dogs, and give them time to cool off before reintroducing them.

3. **Promote Positive Interactions**:
Encourage positive play and interaction between dogs. Reward calm and friendly behaviour, and provide plenty of mental and physical stimulation to prevent frustration that could lead to excessive corrections.

4. **Seek Professional Help**:
If you’re concerned that your dog’s corrections are too harsh or frequent, or if you notice signs of aggression, it may be time to consult a professional dog trainer or behaviourist. They can help assess the situation and provide guidance on how to ensure healthy interactions between your dogs.

Conclusion

Dog-on-dog corrections are a normal and important part of how dogs communicate. These corrections help teach social boundaries and prevent conflicts from escalating. However, understanding when a correction is necessary versus when it’s a sign of a deeper issue is crucial. By observing your dogs closely and intervening when needed, you can ensure a balanced, harmonious relationship between your pets.

09/04/2024

08/25/2024

Please vote! Thanks everyone

Find the best voted businesses in Canada voted by the people for Canadian Choice Award

08/15/2024

WEVE GOT CONTACT!

08/10/2024

I'm going to tell you how long, in my opinion, it takes to deal with reactivity. I'm also going to tell you the six things all reactive dogs need to make progress.

There are some caveats. The first is that every dog is different. The second is that every caregiver is different. The third is that every situation is different. And the fourth is that I'll be discussing dog to dog reactivity here, although I think the answers remain the same no matter the reactivity.

These are not cop out answers, they're just facts. All of these things will impact how quickly a dog progresses.

However, there are some simple things that need to occur, in my opinion, to see genuine progress. This is based on almost all of the dogs that I've worked with through their reactivity journey.

Firstly, they need consistency. Dogs can be reactive for lots of reasons, but the antidote for most of them is routine. Your dog is anxious because of the unexpected behaviour of other dogs? Develop a specific routine to help them decompress when we spot one. Your dog is desperate to say hello to every dog they see? Develop a routine that allows them the opportunity to so without getting overaroused.

Secondly, they need safe exposure. We build a plan around allowing your dog to process the things they're concerned about. Being able to watch, examine and perceive threats without it building to anything. Dogs can do these in classes, workshops, or walks in wide open spaces.

Thirdly, they need skills. Dogs should be dogs, and allowed to do dog related activities. But so many dogs don't have innate skills or behaviours to cope with the world around them. Teaching your dog certain behaviours and concepts will help them build resilience - Nosework is my favourite for this, but stuff like Loose Lead Walking and Recall is also beneficial.

Fourthly, they need bases covered. You can put all the time in the world, but if your dog has an undiagnosed medical condition, or dietary issue? It won't matter. You can't out train pain.

Fifth, they need downtime. You can't blitz anxiety or frustration. It's a process, and your dog will need time to rest in between those experiences. Most students have a day on (tackling problems) and day off (avoiding problems) cycle.

Sixth, you need support. Going this alone is hard as hell, and having someone in your corner to guide you can be the difference between making progress and stagnation.

If you have all six things? Then, in my experience, in a month? You'll understand your dog a hell of a lot better. In three months? You'll be doing stuff you thought you would never do. In six months? You'll won't recognise yourself. And in a year? You won't recognise your dog.

Again, I will stress, every dog and situation is different. But you can make far more progress than you think you can, I promise.

If you'd like more info on how we can make that happen together, check the links in the comments!

-Jack

07/31/2024

Zane is settling in pretty well ^_^

Zane is 10 months, a service dog prospect and needs some minor manner reminders. He's with me for 6 weeks :)

We are working along side Jessica from Pet Intel & emotional well-being as well as Jessica from sit n Stay.

07/24/2024

Who wants to play guess the breed!!!!

07/06/2024

Even when it's hot we're outside! Lots of shade and water time