Positive Paws

Positive Paws Dog Trainer- Behaviour consultant At Positive Paws we strive to create the best possible relationship between you and your canine friend.
(1)

we use the most upto date science based methods to ensure we are providing the best possible service. We offer 1 on 1 sessions, to help you understand the reasons for your dog’s behaviour. From puppy socialisation and the basic commands, to the more complex cases such as anxious, aggressive and reactive behavior. Our aim us to get the best results for you and your dog. Every breed has a different

need! We work with all sizes, shapes and ages. No challenge is too great, and no dog is a problem not worth helping.

29/10/2025

Reinforcement isn’t simple,it’s layered.

Dogs don’t repeat behaviours because they’re “bad.” They do it because something inside or around them pays them for it.

Our job is to work out what’s fuelling that payment, and then replace it with something functional, clear, and sustainable.

It isn’t just about treats, it’s about chemistry, emotion, and the environment.

Sometimes it’s the thrill, the relief, or even the sound of their own bark that keeps the cycle alive.

Understanding what’s actually paying your dog is where behaviour change really starts.

Because every repetition is being fuelled by something, and it’s rarely as simple as “they just like it.”

25/10/2025

I often get asked how I can run multiple entire dogs together, including entire males and bi***es, without chaos.

The truth?

There is chaos.

It just doesn’t stay chaos, because it’s managed.

Hormones bring energy, emotion, and change. That’s normal. It’s part of development.

When those emotions rise, so does behaviour, but that doesn’t mean something’s wrong.

What’s become normal is for people to see a developing adolescent dog and label it as abnormal.
We’ve lost sight of what healthy development looks like.

Hormones aren’t bad.

They’re essential for growth, bone health, confidence, and emotional maturity.

They help dogs learn to regulate and adapt, and when guided well, they support training rather than derail it.

Of course, there are cases where early desexing is the right call, health reasons, multi-dog households, or when there isn’t enough structure or fulfilment to support that stage.

But removing hormones doesn’t fix a problem.

It might reduce intensity, but it doesn’t teach the dog the skills they were missing in the first place.

Hormones can elevate existing issues, but they don’t cause them.

More often than not, they simply make what’s already there more visible.

So instead of panicking when behaviour changes, recognise it for what it is: development.

Your dog isn’t broken. They’re growing.

And yes, sometimes it’s chaotic, but that’s not failure.

That’s feedback.

When you manage that chaos with structure, guidance, and calm leadership, you don’t just survive the hormones, you use them to build the dog in front of you.

Hormones, emotions, and frustration are all normal parts of growing up. Just like human teenagers with spots and mood swings, it’s a phase.

If you can ride it out safely, ethically, and with good guidance, it does get better

18/10/2025

Dog training isn’t always easy, it asks for patience, consistency, and a calm head when things feel messy. It’s not just about teaching your dog, it’s about building your ability to stay steady when progress feels slow.

There’ll be moments where you think, “We were doing so well, what happened?” That’s normal. Behaviour change isn’t linear, and sometimes the hardest weeks are the ones that lead to the biggest breakthroughs.

Find clarity in the setbacks, and keep moving forward, even when it feels like you’re standing still.

12/10/2025

𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁

This is my boy Billy.

When he was younger, one of the most valuable lessons we worked on wasn’t a trick or obedience cue. It was learning how to cope with restraint.

And just to be clear, this wasn’t cooperative care. It wasn’t a “choice-based” session.
It was about teaching him that sometimes, in life, things have to happen, vet checks, nail clipping, grooming, or treatment and it’s our responsibility to help dogs cope with that calmly and safely.

If we only ever train for cooperation and never teach tolerance, we set dogs up to struggle when restraint or motivation is unavoidable.
Because here’s the truth: if a dog only complies when food or a toy is on offer and that motivation runs out, they’re likely to turn their frustration toward the person doing the handling.

And obviously, with some dogs, especially large or powerful breeds,it can become dangerous to even start this kind of work once they’re older.
That’s when you may have to look at alternatives like cooperative care, r use food and toys strategically to build positive associations and slowly condition them to accept handling.

But ideally, we shouldn’t needto rely on those methods as a fix . Weshould be laying the groundwork from day one. 
From the moment you bring your puppy home, start with gentle, calm handling and short moments of restraint.
And if you’re lucky enough to have a breeder who’s already done this early exposure, you’re miles ahead you’ll hit the ground running with a dog who already understands what being handled means.

Billy used to find this really hard. He didn’t just squirm,. He'd growl and redirect on anyone else who tried to hold him.
For him, being restrained wasn’t an option,. It triggered a full physiological response. His body would tense, squirm, and say “no, I don’t like this,” even though there was no pain involved.

Over time, he learned that the quicker he relaxed and stopped resisting, the quicker I could get the job done and the sooner he could be released.
It was never about forcing him, it was about teaching him to cope with a feeling of temporary discomfort and trust the process.

11/10/2025

Seeing the Dog in Front of You 

Seeing the dog in front of you sounds simple, but it’s one of the hardest things to actually do.

Every dog learns differently.

Some work through feel, some through rhythm, some by trial and error, and some by quietly processing in the background until it all clicks.

The more dogs I work with, the more I realise the magic isn’t in the method,it’s in understanding how that individual dog thinks.
Because once you see that, the whole picture changes.
This is why I’m so passionate about what I do and why I’ll always stand by the belief that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach in dog training or behaviour work. Every dog learns, feels, and processes the world differently. The real art lies in reading the dog in front of you, adjusting, communicating, and meeting them where they are.
You can hand two trainers the same “method,” but it’s how they apply it, how they observe, adapt, and connect, that shapes the outcome.
That’s where the magic truly happens.

Here are a few of the thinking styles I see most often 

The Intuitives

These are the dogs that just get it.
They link ideas quickly, fill in gaps naturally, and seem to carry lessons from one environment to the next with ease.
Training with them feels effortless, like they’re one step ahead of you the whole time.

The Processors

The quiet thinkers.
You might swear nothing’s sinking in, and then the next day, they walk out and perform like they’ve been practicing all night.
They need space and time to absorb, not repetition, but reflection.

The Interpreters

For these dogs, context is everything.
“Sit” in the kitchen doesn’t mean “sit” at the park.
They need clear, consistent communication across different spaces.
Once the pattern connects, their reliability is unmatched.

The Analysts

Your deep thinkers.
They like to figure things out on their own.
Too much repetition bores them, but challenge fuels them.
When curiosity meets clarity, they come alive.

The Firecrackers

All heart, all energy.
Their enthusiasm can run ahead of their understanding, but that spark is gold when you learn to channel it.
They don’t need less drive. They need better direction.

Weekend Learning with Michael Ellis!! This weekend I had the incredible opportunity to learn from one of the greats!!! M...
06/10/2025

Weekend Learning with Michael Ellis!!

This weekend I had the incredible opportunity to learn from one of the greats!!! Michael Ellis, an internationally renowned dog trainer, competitor, and educator whose influence has shaped the modern landscape of balanced training and dog sports worldwide.

I was lucky enough not only to watch him work but also to have a working spot with Reba, which made the experience even more valuable. Seeing the way he breaks down communication, motivation, timing, and precision and how he reads both handler and dog, was inspiring on every level.

For those who may not know, Michael has spent decades immersed in competitive dog sports such as Mondioring and IGP, and runs one of the most respected training schools in the world, the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers in California. His approach blends technical skill with relationship, clarity, and purpose.

What I enjoyed most was realising how closely his philosophy aligns with my own, the way he works, communicates, and balances structure with drive felt incredibly familiar and refreshing. It was a reminder that good training transcends trends and always comes back to understanding the dog in front of you.

A huge thank you to my clients for your patience while I was away over the weekend, it was absolutely worth it. I can’t wait to bring these insights back into our training sessions.

01/10/2025

The Neutrality Myth

Neutrality has become one of those words everyone throws around in dog training. These days, it usually means a dog is in a passive state, doing nothing.

And yes, being able to switch off and be passive is an important skill. But the problem comes when we expect dogs to be passive in every situation, without first giving them the ability to cope with the environment.

The word “neutrality” has been stretched so far that many owners now believe: “If my dog isn’t neutral, it can’t live in society.” That’s a huge misunderstanding. What looks like neutrality often isn’t real, it’s suppression, over-management, or a dog barely holding it together.

Neutrality isn’t the first step. It’s not something you can just demand. Neutrality is the by-product of good social skill.

And here’s what that really means:

Good social skill doesn’t mean doing nothing.

It means the dog can exist in the environment comfortably. It means resilience, being able to handle traffic, noise, kids, sudden movement, dogs in proximity, without tipping over.

When a dog has good social skill, neutrality emerges naturally. It’s not a separate goal. It’s simply what happens when a dog can live in the world with confidence and cope with the life we put them into.

So stop chasing neutrality as a tick-box outcome.

Chase good social skill first, because neutrality is only ever the result of that foundation.

Address

Pukekohe
Auckland
2675

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

Website

Alerts

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

Contact The Business

Send a message to Positive Paws:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Our Story

At Positive Paws we strive to create the best possible relationship between you and your canine friend. We use the most up to date modern science-based methods to ensure we are providing the help possible. We offer a range of services such as behavioural assessment to help understand the reason for your dogs behaviour, 1-2-1 sessions, training walks, day training and board and train. From puppy socialisation and the basic commands, to the more complex cases such as anxious, aggressive and reactive behaviour. Our aim us to get the best results for you and your dog. Every breed has a different need! We work with all sizes, shapes and ages. No challenge is too great, and no dog is a problem not worth fixing.