Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training

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Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training

Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training I’m Patricia Schoenrock, the owner, operator and instructor at Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training.

I have been involved with dogs for over 30 years. I am certified through Animal Behavior College where I now mentor future trainers. I have been involved with the “Ask the Trainer” program through the Los Angeles City Animal Shelters and I also conduct workshops designed to help dog owners with behavior problems. My goal, as a trainer and canine behavior consultant, is to teach people to build

a healthy relationship, through positive training methods, with their dogs and to help strengthen the bond between dog and owner by showing people how to train their dogs in a way that is not only effective, but fun for both dog and owner alike. The world of dog training is constantly evolving and many dogs are different in the way they learn. Because of this, I continue to read new material, attend seminars and discuss new methods with other trainers. Currently, most of my work is with family dogs in need of basic obedience skills and problem solving behavior issues that people experience with their pets. A well trained dog is a wonderful addition to everyone’s life. My greatest reward is to see the success that people experience in training their dogs.

09/09/2025

IT'S OK...

A dog in training needs gentle acceptance of who they are now as they work toward what they will become. You are also in training, so don't be too hard on yourself if you forget half of your routine.

JUST KEEP TRAINING!

03/09/2025

YES, YOU DO HAVE TIME...

Training does not mean hours of work. Training should NOT mean hours of work. You will get bored, and more importantly, so will your dog.

Pick minutes throughout the day. Waiting for the pot to come to a boil? Have your dog do a few sit and down stays. Waiting for a commercial to end? Perfect time to work on "watch me." Heading out to get the mail? Have your dog practice "wait." Want to play Tug of War? Use the "take" and "give" commands.

See? You have more time than you thought.

01/09/2025

From Pat and Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training.

31/08/2025

MYTH: If you adopt an older dog, it won't bond to you or learn new behaviors and how to live with a new family because "an old dog can't learn new tricks."

REALITY: You can train a dog, or any animal for that matter, at any age. However, keep in mind that the older an animal is the longer they may have had rehearsed a behavior that you may now want to change. Because of this it may take a little longer to change that behavior. On the other hand, in some ways training an older dog can be easier than training a puppy. Older dogs are generally calmer than young puppies and in turn have better focus and attention when working with you.

26/08/2025

DOGS LEARN BY ASSOCIATION.......

When training, it is important that the reward closely follow the desired behavior. For example, when teaching your dog to sit, the praise and treat should be given when his rear touches the floor, not after he’s stood up again.

On the other side of the coin, reprimanding your dog for something he may have done hours, or even minutes ago (for example, you come home to find your slippers shredded) is pointless; your dog won’t associate your yelling with what he’s done, and if it happens often enough, he may begin to fear your arrival home, as you’re always angry for no reason he can fathom.

24/08/2025

HOW OLD?

It is against California State law to sell or adopt a puppy under the age of 8 weeks. Do not purchase or take home a puppy under the age of 8 weeks. Doing so greatly jeopardizes the future behavior of the puppy. Most GOOD breeders won’t sell a puppy under 12 weeks.

If you see people selling under age dogs, report them. I have seen puppies as young as 5 weeks old being sold. REPORT THEM.

21/08/2025

HOW TO HELP SHY/FEARFUL DOGS.

Dogs can be fearful for many reasons, including genetics, lack of early socialization, and traumatic experience. But regardless of the reason, there are things you can do to help.

Take rehabilitation in slow, gradual steps. One of the best ways to help a dog who is afraid of a specific thing, whether it’s other dogs, strangers, or your vacuum cleaner, is by employing the technique known as desensitization. That means exposing your dog to the thing that frightens him—the trigger—in a systematic, GRADUAL way.

If your dog is fearful of strangers, teach people to use non-threatening body language. If your dog is shy of people, allow her to approach them in her own time instead of the other way around. A person walking toward your dog and leaning over her can be frightening! The person can even turn their body to the side. This body language will make your dog more comfortable.

Don't let strangers pet your dog if your dog is not comfortable with this. If not forced into this situation, they may rehabilitate faster.

It is so sad to see dogs in this state of anxiety. Forcing a dog into a situation that they are fearful of rarely works, plus they will lose trust in the only thing they DO trust...you!

17/08/2025

TEACHING YOUR DOG BASIC COMMANDS...-

"Come," "Stay," "Sit," "Heel," and "Down" - is essential to your relationship and the safety of your dog.

You may think you can do it on your own, but there's a right way and a wrong way to train. Starting out the right way is much easier than trying to retrain after bad habits are already formed.

*Teach the action first, then the command
*Keep training sessions short
*Be consistent
*Do not get angry
*Praise each success
*Praise or correct behavior immediately
*PATIENCE
*CONSISTENCY…

I know TV trainers make it look easy, but it's editing, NOT training.

14/08/2025

CHECK YOUR DOG'S THYROID!

If your dog becomes seemingly easily agitated or you adopt a dog and experience aggression, either towards people or other dogs, PLEASE have that dog's thyroid checked.

A thyroid imbalance can and does cause these problems. I am sure dogs are being euthanized when all it takes is a simple blood test and a cheap pill to bring things back into balance.

This is a common problem.

10/08/2025

Urine Marking Behavior…

Male dogs have strong instincts to mark their home territory. If a dog perceives the boundaries of that territory to be outside the house, there's a better chance he will leave these scent marks there.

Most male dogs can be overstimulated to the point that they will mark indoors. It just depends on the level of stimulation in the situation, and on the individual dog.

Neutered dogs are triggered to this behavior less readily, particularly if neutered during the first year of their lives.

One example of a situation that could elicit urine-marking from a dog you've never seen do it before would be if another male dog visited your home and did it first. It's highly likely your male dog would mark over that urine.

A female in heat is another stimulus. Some males will be stimulated by a cat litter box being in the house, or a baby with a dirty diaper.

Unless any old housetraining accidents from dogs living there in the past or present are neutralized by the right methods and products, these will strongly stimulate the dog to mark.

Smaller dogs tend to mark indoors more, perhaps because the inside of the house feels to them large enough to comprise a home territory. Another reason is surely that the smaller amount of urine output makes it more likely an owner will not find and properly treat a small dog's accidents. Then the scent remains and signals to the dog's instincts that "this is the place." Housetraining accidents from a larger dog are less likely to be overlooked in this manner.

Urine marking is far from hopeless. Most of all, it is NOT an insult from your dog to you. The dog is marking out the territory he's willing to lay down his life to defend.

Here are some steps to take if you are dealing with this problem:

1. When your dog has this problem, act quickly before it can become a habit.

2. Have the dog neutered as soon as your veterinarian says he is a good candidate for surgery. If you plan to keep the dog intact for breeding, realize that in some cases this will mean your dog will never be reliable loose in your home unsupervised. It's preferable to neuter prior to the development of indoor urine marking, but later neutering may still help.

3. Confine your dog when you can't supervise him, and supervise him whenever
.
4. Consider the use of a belly band during the times you're supervising him in the house. This is a soft band to catch urine. It could breed infection if worn all the time, but can serve as a back up for short periods when the dog is loose in the house under your supervision. Some owners have found it helped call the dog's attention to what he was doing. This behavior is instinctive, not premeditated, and perhaps the belly band helps make it more apparent to the dog. At the least it can help prevent some accidents.

5. Don't use punishment for any housetraining problems, including this one. Even if you catch the dog in the act, simply interrupt him and take him to an approriate place for urination. Praise him when he does it there. Don't let housetraining issues of any kind ruin your relationship with your dog. In fact, handled correctly, housetraining can be one means of developing a good rapport between dog and owner.

07/08/2025

WHINING

In the middle of the night, at the dinner table, at the door – whining is annoying. Learn what whining means and how to correct it.

WHY DOGS WHINE...
People often try to comfort whining dogs. But in reality, the dog is often demanding something – and when you give it, you’ve just taught him that whining works! Whining can mean many things, but it almost always means the dog wants something:
*A dog whining when you are sitting down to eat is probably saying, ‘Give me your food.’
*A dog whining at the back door or bedroom door is probably saying, ‘I want to come in.’
*A dog whining in his kennel or crate at night is probably saying, ‘I want out now!’
*A housetrained dog whining while inside may be saying, ‘I need to go outside!'

WHAT TO DO...
What you want to do is establish when whining is OK (rarely) and when it is not okay (most of the time). When your dog understands that, he’s less likely to whine. As always, the following tips are more effective the sooner you do them:
If your dog is whining to go out and go to the bathroom, be sure to comply. Go out, take care of business, and come back in with no play. In all other cases of whining, be strong. Don’t give in. When your dog whines, give him something productive to do like ‘sit’ or ‘down’ - have him do several commands in a row and then praise him calmly.
Try to notice the sweet sounds of silence and praise your dog then. If he gets attention for being quiet, he should start weaning off the whining.
Make your dog’s crate a comfortable den so your dog will like time there. Make it cozy and include toys. Crate him for short periods, often, so he learns to accept it calmly.
If your dog suddenly starts whining “out of the blue,” take him to the veterinarian. He may be in pain.

WHAT NOT TO DO...
Don’t give it in...
Like people, dogs do what works so he’ll whine more and longer next time. Do it enough times and your dog will view whining as the best way to get what he wants. Also, avoid giving in after holding out for a long time. If your dog or new puppy whines when left alone for the night, and you let him whine for three hours and then give in, your dog will think that whining for three hours is the best way to get your attention (which is what your pup wanted in the first place.)

04/08/2025

POTTY TRAINING....

If your dog is continuing to dirty in the house, it is NOT your dog's fault. If your dog doesn't have a medical condition, please know that this is 100% owner error.

You need to confine your dog to smaller spaces and NOT give the dog run of the house. Use crates, tethers and baby gates and get your dog out often.

I worked with a client with a rescued 5 year old Cocker. Once she got used to using the back yard she did great. Her only problem is that she like to p*e in one of the bedrooms. Easy fix. Leave the door closed. Not too hard, is it? Well they did this for a couple of weeks then decided she was trained. NOT!! Now they are angry because she went p*e in there once again. Now....they get to start over.

I suggested that door stay shut for months, not a couple of weeks. Now they want to get rid of the dog. Once again a dog pays for OWNER ERROR.

If you are going to pay a trainer for help...please follow the expert advice given.

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