Positive Paws

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.

05/09/2025

Most people that have worked with me, or people that follow me, know that I don’t follow the narrative. I’m not here to fit into “force-free,” “balanced,” or “positive-only” boxes,  because dogs don’t live in labels, and neither should their training.

Food is a fantastic reinforcer, but it’s not always enough. Genetics, adrenaline, and the thrill of the environment often override appetite. That’s why we need a wider range of motivators and strategies.

Avoidance may look like progress, but it doesn’t prepare dogs for the real world. Shielding dogs from challenge leaves them underprepared, guiding them through challenge builds resilience.

Every interaction we have with a dog uses tools, from food and toys to leads, crates, and collars. The tool isn’t the training. What matters is how we use it, and the relationship that supports it.

And not all reactivity is created equal. Fear, frustration, thrill, and lack of confidence can all look the same on the surface. The “why” behind the behaviour has to shape the “how” we work with it.

Real progress means stepping away from the noise of labels and working with the dog in front of us. Building skills, offering guidance, and exposing dogs in purposeful ways is what creates dogs who can cope with the unpredictability of life.

02/09/2025

We are so wrapped with zorro and how far not only him but his owner has come.

This is what the work is all about, making purposeful change to people life's that are at a loss.

Thank you so much for entrusting us to make a difference ❤️

I cannot speak highly enough of Davina and the team at Positive Paws!
Our 16week old Pomeranian puppy Zorro came to us completely unsocialised and was terrified of everything! He would shake, salivate excessively, defecate and run away from anyone and everything and we were at a loss of how to help him.

I tried 2 different trainers and saw very little improvement and ended up being recommend to medicate him. I hated this idea but was at such a loss that we gave it a go but I was still struggling to achieve much with him. Walks were impossible he was too scared to get very far, I couldn’t have people to the house because he was terrified and our world got smaller and smaller. By the time he was 18months old i was seriously second guessing bringing him into our family but at home with just us he was a funny, quirky little character that I didn’t want to give up on but had no idea what to do next. I spent hours searching the internet, Facebook & instagram for solutions and I came across the positive paws page. At first I wasn’t sure if I should give another trainer a go…if I was just throwing more money away but I kept watching the page and reading the reviews and thought what have I got to lose?

So I emailed Davina & then we spoke and decided to meet for a consult. She saw potential in him which gave me back a small amount of hope. I knew he needed intensive help more than a training session for an hour every week then leaving it up to me….and so we embarked upon a board and train programme where he would stay and train with Davina for 4 days per week and come home for the weekend with homework after a coaching session at the weeks end. I was so nervous dropping him off for the first time! He had never been away from us and never interacted with anyone else so i was worried he wouldn’t cope. But he did!! And he didn’t just cope he flourished! Davina welcomed him into her home, into her family. She introduced him to her dogs, novel people and to the outside world and helped him to see more clearly that everything isn’t a threat. She taught him that even when something is scary or feels too big it’s ok and those feelings can be worked through. He genuinely adores her and the positive paws team which is so heartwarming to see!

Our 5 weeks has now come to an end and I’m so happy with what he’s achieved!! He is no longer medicated, he is loving going for walks and is so much more confident and relaxed and his personality and character is finally able to shine through all that fear!

Now that he has found his confidence we will continue his journey with Davina and the positive paws team so that he can be the best he can be and our world will get bigger and bigger!
I am so glad I took the plunge and wrote that email. I honestly cannot thank Davina and the positive paws team enough.