Pawsitive Behavior

01/12/2025

01/12/2025

Germany takes dog ownership seriously, and new owners are required to prove they’re ready. Before bringing a dog home, first-time owners must pass a written exam that covers behaviour, safety, handling, and animal welfare. After that, they complete a practical test that shows they can properly interact with and control their dog in real situations.
The goal is simple: protect animals, prevent neglect, and ensure dogs live in safe, responsible homes. It’s a system many believe creates better owners and happier pets.

01/12/2025

A woman in the United States made headlines after breaking into an animal shelter to save her pit bull from being euthanized. According to iHeartDogs, the dog named Hazel had been ordered to be put down by the city due to alleged aggression issues, even though her owner, Toya Stewart, insisted that Hazel was gentle with her family. Faced with losing her companion, Stewart decided to take matters into her own hands and broke into the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter to rescue Hazel just hours before the euthanasia order was to be carried out.

The incident has sparked debate about how shelters and cities handle cases involving pit bulls, a breed often stigmatized as aggressive. According to KOKH News, Stewart’s decision was illegal, but it highlighted the emotional bond between humans and their dogs and the lengths people will go to protect them.

01/12/2025

Today, I brought this old gentleman out of the shelter. The moment he climbed into the car… he didn’t bark, he didn’t move much—he just sat quietly and stared at me with those tired, heavy eyes, as if holding back years’ worth of feelings he never got to show.

I don’t know what made him tear up first.
Maybe it was the sadness of spending 8 long months in a loud, concrete kennel… watching younger, flashier dogs walk out with families while he kept waiting.

Maybe it was remembering all those nights he curled up in the corner of a cold floor, wondering if anyone would ever look at a senior Rottie and say, “You’re mine.”

Maybe he wasn’t sure what this car ride meant—one more move? One more loss? Or something he hardly dared to hope for… a beginning.

But maybe… just maybe… those tears were something softer.
Maybe it was the warmth of the seat beneath him instead of the chill of cement.
Maybe it was hearing a calm voice speak to him instead of echoing barks.
Maybe it was the first moment in a long time that he felt safe—really safe.

He’s almost 9.
A senior Rottweiler, overlooked again and again because of his age and size.
People want puppies.
People want “easy.”

But today… he walked out of that shelter as somebody’s dog.

His name isn’t just printed on a kennel card anymore.
It’s a promise.
A promise that the rest of his life will be gentle.
A promise that he’ll spend his days on soft beds instead of hard concrete.
A promise that he’ll never be forgotten, never be left behind, never wonder if he matters.

Whether his tears were from heartbreak or hope… it doesn’t change a thing.
Because from this day forward, he will always know exactly what he is:

Loved. Deeply, truly, endlessly. 🖤🐾

27/11/2025

“Growling" Isn’t Aggression — It’s Communication

Growling isn’t the problem.
Ignoring it is.
Mislabeling it is.
Punishing it is.

A growl is your dog saying:
“I’m uncomfortable.”
“I need space.”
“That boundary matters to me.”

And that’s healthy.

People treat a growl like a red flag…
when in reality, it’s a yellow one.
A warning.
A pressure release.
A conversation.

Suppressing a growl doesn’t fix the emotion behind it —
it just removes the dog’s ability to warn you
before escalating.

Here’s the truth most owners never hear:

✔ A growl can be calm and controlled.
✔ A growl can be simply enforcing a boundary.
✔ A growl can be the safest communication a dog has.
✔ The absence of growling does not mean safety…
sometimes it means shutdown.

Your job isn’t to punish the sound —
it’s to understand the reason.

Look at the moment before the growl: • pressure
• crowding
• resource concerns
• overstimulation
• unclear leadership
• another dog ignoring signals
• or the dog simply needing space

This is especially true in multi-dog homes, packs, or high-drive dogs:

A calm, measured growl paired with relaxed body language is boundary-setting,
not resource guarding.
It’s how dogs keep the peace.
It’s how confident dogs avoid conflict.
It’s how they correct each other without escalating.

If your dog growls, don’t panic.
Don’t shame them.
Don’t call them “bad.”
Just step in, lead, create space, and guide the moment.

A growl is information.
Information you should pay attention to.

Communication isn’t dangerous —
silence is.

—
• ©
All breeds. All behaviors. Edmonton & area.

www.pawsitive-behavior.ca

27/11/2025

Here's something nobody tells you the truth about:
Most dogs don’t need more stimulation —
they need more stillness, structure, and nervous system regulation.

A tired dog isn’t the same thing as a balanced dog.

The real work happens when you teach your dog how to come down, not ramp up: • calm leash pressure
• slowing the pace
• rewarding stillness
• structured decompression
• teaching neutrality around triggers
• your calm, anchored energy

Overstimulation masquerades as excitement…
but it shows up later as reactivity, anxiety, whining, pacing, barking, and zero impulse control.

If you want real change, start leading & teaching regulation.

Your dog doesn’t need a faster world —
they need a steadier leader.

—
• The Companion Concept©
Specializing in Alll Breeds and complex behaviors

www.pawsitive-behavior.ca

27/11/2025

We expect dogs to change fast…
But nervous systems don’t work on speed. They work on safety, repetition, and leadership.

Here’s the truth I see every day:

Your dog isn’t “being difficult.”
They’re trying.
They’re learning.
They’re rewiring.
Just like any human would.

You wouldn’t heal your own anxiety in a week.
You wouldn’t break lifelong patterns in one session.
You wouldn’t regulate your nervous system without consistency, calmness, and structure.

So why do we expect our dogs to?

Growth for a dog looks almost identical to growth for a person:

• tiny improvements
• micro-moments of safety
• nervous system shifts
• calm repetition
• the long game

Real change doesn’t come from intensity.
It comes from consistency.

Every structured walk, every boundary you hold, every moment you stay calm when they can’t — all of that is shaping the pathways in their brain.
That’s how the nervous system rewires itself.

Not rushed.
Not forced.
Not emotional.
Just steady leadership repeated over time.

Your dog isn’t stuck…
they’re becoming.

Give them the environment to succeed:
✔ clarity
✔ calm structure
✔ leash-guided leadership
✔ predictable routines
✔ space to decompress
✔ your steady energy

This is how real change happens — not through pressure, but through consistent, confident guidance.

Your dog is working hard.
Match that effort with your leadership.

—
Training • The Companion Concept©
All breeds. All behaviors. Edmonton & area.

www.pawsitive-behavior.ca

20/11/2025

Poor jaxx is a good boy but he was attacked by another dog and we are helping his family with the vet costs. If you would like to donate to help us help Jax and the other dogs and cats that need us - please donate at www.zoesanimalrescue or [email protected] with Jaxx in the subject line. 

18/11/2025

17/11/2025

Animal cruelty is wrong.

If you feel the urge to argue against that statement, that's something you should examine.