Pawsitive Influence Dog Training

03/07/2025

Behavior shaping happens in the small moments, too. 🐶🐾
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I have a few extra pups tonight! This is Taffy, and he’s supervising while I clean up after dinner. (Unintentional kitchen ASMR 😅)
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Taffy sometimes struggles to settle during down time - he’d prefer to operate cranked up to 12/10.
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So we’re practicing being part of things while also being physically still. It’s really difficult for this busy, driven dog.
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If this is also difficult for your dog to do *when you ask them to,* reach out to us. We specialize in helping dogs who don’t know how to manage the intensity of their breed instincts.
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*****
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Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.
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Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!
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03/06/2025

When you're sick and can't work what do you do??
Why to ball fetch with your big dog that loves to be outside.
Two ball fetch is one of our favorite ways to give our pups good exercise, and build some skills. Rollie is still learning how to manage himself and listen in high stimulus environments and maintain himself in the face of what he wants. So we practice small steps heavy sprinting and then managing a simple sit. Building the game into a tool that helps facilitate calm, obedient behavior.

02/20/2025

We love this drill! It’s great for building:

🐾 Name recognition
🐾 Positive association with kenneling-up
🐾 Impulse control
🐾 Delayed gratification
🐾 Focus
🐾 Better than reliable recall

🧢 Consistent leadership
🧢 Consistent sequencing
🧢 Patience (for you!)
🧢 Calm, regulated behavior (from you!)
🧢 Opportunities to practice

You’ll notice that Christina’s pack has two extra dogs.

Seven is the German Shepherd and Clover is the Golden Retriever. This is the second time running this drill with the whole group.

This is great for homes with only one dog, too!

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

02/15/2025

📣 ANNOUNCING ADVENTURE PUPS (semi-urban edition)

What is Adventure Pups?

This is a class imagined by Christina's dream to empower everyone she meets to go on adventures with their dogs, and made real by Willie's uncanny ability to coach the rest of us to do things we never thought we could, through intentional risk-taking.

With these things in mind, we developed Adventure Pups to equip dog owners to confidently navigate new environments with their dogs.

Many handlers struggle with uncertainty, over-managing their dogs, or avoiding challenges altogether.

This class is designed to build both human and canine confidence by introducing structured (and sometimes intentionally chaotic!), real-world experiences that encourage growth.

Through structured exposure, clear leadership, and controlled risk-taking, handlers learn to trust themselves and their training, while their dogs develop resilience, adaptability, and a stronger bond with their humans.

Adventure Pups is about stepping outside your comfort zone—together—so you and your dog can enjoy a fuller, freer life.

Please note: this class is invitation-only, meaning that we screen dogs and handlers to be sure you're ready for this class. HOWEVER, if you'd like to be considered for an invitation, please leave a comment or send us a message.

Additional note: we realize that Oregon weather can be unpredictable this time of year, so we're planning adventures that are semi-urban to cut down on muddy dogs, muddy humans and overall mud. 😆

Starts Sunday, March 16, 2025. Contact us soon, space is limited.

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

01/20/2025

You call their name, whistle, even break out the special treats... but your dog is so locked in on playtime that you might as well be invisible. 🐕💨

It’s frustrating, it might feel embarrassing, and let’s be honest—chasing them around isn’t how you imagined spending your afternoon.

Here’s the thing: Dogs thrive with clear, consistent boundaries, even when they’re having fun. Teaching your pup how to disengage isn’t about ending the fun—it’s about building trust and showing them that you are the most rewarding part of their world.

Sound familiar? Interested in learning how to build better behavior in your pack? Drop a 🐕‍🦺 in the comments if you’re ready to master the art of the recall and turn those playtime struggles into smooth, confident transitions!

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

01/15/2025

Part 6 of 6 - Breakfast

"You might remember that during part 3, or Masha’s breakfast just 24 hours before this video, Masha had a seriously hard time with the meal time protocol. I mentioned previously that I wondered if part of the issue during that meal was that she was extra hungry at breakfast. So I am really interested to see if Masha’s newfound patience and self-soothing will run into a roadblock during this meal. Specifically I’m wondering if the stress of feeling physically hungry will cause her to show more frustration during this meal."

"I want to reiterate that THIS IS HARD for dogs of all ages. Choosing to do what your human wants you to do, rather than joining in with what the other dogs in the pack are doing, is advanced."

Follow along to see Masha's meal time behavior shift in SIX MEALS.

Content notification: only a few loud noises, mostly not from puppies. Adjust your volume accordingly.

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

01/14/2025

Part 5 of 6

"During part 4, where we saw so much success, that was her lunchtime meal. I mentioned it in that video, too, but I suspected at the time it was possible that her really great level of self-management during that meal was, in part, due to not dealing with the other pups eating while she was waiting for her food."

"And I’ll be totally honest, as I set up the camera and started the process for this fifth meal, I was ready for a little regression. AND THAT’S NORMAL. Why? Because something pretty big is different as compared to lunch - she’ll need to deal with the other pups eating first, and that has historically been really tough for Masha."

Follow along to see Masha's meal time behavior shift in SIX MEALS.

Content notification: only a few loud noises. Adjust your volume accordingly.

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

01/09/2025

Part 4 of 6

"I know these are tiny details, but dogs this age don’t lie very well. It’s all adding up to building my belief that Masha is managing herself pretty darn well."

"This meal was a real confirmation that not only is she (Masha) a quick learner, but she is capable of adaptation in a very short period of time when there are consistent boundaries and expectations."

Follow along to see Masha's meal time behavior shift in SIX MEALS.

Content notification: NEARLY NO loud puppy noises. Adjust your volume accordingly.

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

01/08/2025

Part 3 of 6

"If Masha doesn’t learn that she has the agency to calm herself down, she will actually be a really underperforming and possibly dangerous livestock guardian. It is my strong opinion that a few moments of discomfort for Masha now will empower her to live a long, healthy and happy life doing the job she was built for."

Follow along to see Masha's meal time behavior shift in SIX MEALS.

Content notification: loud puppy noises. Adjust your volume accordingly.

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

01/07/2025

Part 2 of 6
Follow along to see Masha's meal time behavior shift in SIX MEALS.
Content notification: LOUD puppy vocalizations. Adjust your volume accordingly.

"I noticed that ... Masha *does* have patience. As long as you, the human, are performing the ritual that she expects, she is willing to wait, to an extent. She demonstrates a lot of performative patience. It's not internalized yet, but she is practicing something that I want to cultivate and develop."

So this is Masha's first meal time with Christina's entire pack. She definitely notices when she is not fed quickly, and protests loudly. But here's the thing, she's not exhibiting the same level of calm as the rest of the pack, either. Having the same expectations of behavior in order to receive "good" stuff for your young or new pack members is BETTER for dogs than making exceptions based on age or trauma history (rescued pups, for example).

Although this one feels a little longer than the first video, Masha's vocalizations are less intense, and she doesn't need her kennel covered in order to understand the assignment. She's also testing the rules to help herself learn faster, which is actually a great sign.

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

01/05/2025

Part 1 of 6

"These 10 to 15 minute meal protocols are the single most important behavior shaping opportunity that you have with your puppy ... during the first 4 weeks they're in your home."

Follow along to see Masha's meal time behavior shift in SIX MEALS.

Content notification: LOUD puppy vocalizations. Adjust your volume accordingly.

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

10/30/2024

👻 Halloween Pack Walk, y'all.

It's spooky season, and we are HERE FOR IT. (To say we're excited is an understatement.)

When: Thursday, October 31, 2024 at 4:30pm

Where: super secret neighborhood off River Road in Eugene (register for details)

Who: YOU! This pack walk is open to the public, but space is limited so we're requiring registration.

Cost: $50 per pup (one pup per handler)

Link to register: https://form.jotform.com/242985818006161

It's going to be so much fun. Rain or shine. If you haven't Trick-or-Treated in the rain, are you really an Oregonian? 😆😉

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

10/30/2024

We’ve had lots of questions about this pack walk.

✅ Yes! Kids are welcome! Bring your monsters.

✅ Strollers are also welcome. We want this to be an opportunity to practice in real life. Strollers are part of real life!

✅ Yes! There are still spots left. Tap the link to register.

👻 Halloween Pack Walk, y'all.

It's spooky season, and we are HERE FOR IT. (To say we're excited is an understatement.)

When: Thursday, October 31, 2024 at 4:30pm

Where: super secret neighborhood off River Road in Eugene (register for details)

Who: YOU! This pack walk is open to the public, but space is limited so we're requiring registration.

Cost: $50 per pup (one pup per handler)

Link to register: https://form.jotform.com/242985818006161

It's going to be so much fun. Rain or shine. If you haven't Trick-or-Treated in the rain, are you really an Oregonian? 😆😉

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

10/26/2024

Oberon (left) was our helper today, showing Callie (right) how to get calm inside Tractor Supply Co.

We can’t say it often enough: calm dogs make good choices. 🐶💯

*****

Training starts the moment your pup enters your house.

Building a good pup takes time, and patience, and maybe a little help from the Pawsitive Influence Dog Training team!

10/12/2024

To say that I practice what I preach is an understatement. Y'all if your not willing to work your dog, you'll never know what they're capable of. Rollie went to his first Gameday! A few thousand loud, screaming, fans complete with the marching band was alot for this pup. He was an absolute prince and I couldn't be prouder!!

09/12/2024

Late post y'all, but this is what my office looked like this Tuesday. Life's good when you've got a chocolate lab to help with the swimming.