Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training

24/02/2025

MYTH: Dogs are descendents of wolves and therefore training should be based on how wolf packs interact with each other.

REALITY: Dogs are NOT wolves and there are many significant differences between dog and wolf behavior such that wolf behavior is completely irrelevant to how we live and interact with our dogs. Moreover, when wolf behavior is mentioned as a model for dog training, the understanding of wolf behavior used is often incorrect and based on studies that have long since been dis proven by research scientists who study wolves extensively. ~APDT

21/02/2025

SOCIALIZE YOUR PUPPY......

Make sure that your puppy has a great time meeting all sorts of people. Expose her to noises, objects, surfaces in a gradual, positive way. Encourage her to explore new things. Introduce her to puppies and dogs with good play skills. Remember that socialization is a process, not an event. Just because your pup has met one child, does not mean she is now socialized to all children.

16/02/2025

DYNAMICS CHANGE ONCE THE BABY IS CRAWLING...

If you have a newly crawling baby, you know that your life has become much more complicated! Now the baby is mobile and wants to explore and interact with everything, including the dogs. Now you find yourself following the baby around and finding out that even though you thought you had thoroughly baby-proofed, there are sill hazards that the baby will undoubtedly uncover.

There is no such thing as a 100% baby-proofed dog. No matter how sweet and gentle your dog is, there comes a point where he will not tolerate any more from the baby. Hopefully at this point he just relocates to a safe area that you have provided for him, but he may decide that he has no choice but to growl or bite if the baby persists.

Management is key. Never leave the baby and dog unattended.

13/02/2025

NO AMOUNT OF CHOCOLATE IS SAFE!

Even a little bit of chocolate can make your dog ill.

Dark chocolates, baking chocolate, and dry cocoa powder are more dangerous than white or milk chocolate. But 1 ounce of milk chocolate per pound of body weight could still be deadly.

Keep chocolate out of your dog's reach.

ASPCA...your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call (888) 426-4435.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY from Pat and Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training.

10/02/2025

DOES YOUR DOG JUMP ON YOU OR GUESTS?

Dogs jump up to say hi and express affection. It would be cruel to respond to their affection with painful corrections. It’s far easier to train your dog to do something else when they meet people. Something that they can’t do while jumping up. But what could that something be…? Maybe a SIT? Easy enough.

06/02/2025

SUPER BOWL

Have fun with your company, but keep your dog safe.

*NO people food
*NO bones from the barbeque
*WATCH children around your dog

Nothing can set you back in your training like a house full of people ignoring the rules and boundaries you have set with your dog. **YOUR house. YOUR rules.** And remember, people are ALWAYS harder to train than your dog.

04/02/2025

TV DOG TRAINERS....

Every TV dog training program has some good and not-so-good points mixed in there. It’s really up to you to decide what to keep, what to toss in the way of advice, and what “tips” you’ll pick up from these shows. Here are a few points to consider as you evaluate each episode:

• Don’t Try This At Home. If your TV dog-training program starts out with a disclaimer, take it seriously! Some TV-personality trainers have good dog-handling skills that may not transfer successfully to you through the airwaves, so you’re probably not going to be able to successfully replicate their results at home. Ask yourself if you’d feel comfortable doing this yourself or having your children do it. Also, note if the TV trainer or owner is bitten or injured during the session; if so, this is NOT a technique you’ll want to implement on your own.

• One Size Does Not Fit All! The same apparent behavior problem or training challenge may have many different causes, and therefore many different solutions. So if you’re not a trained dog trainer, you can’t assume that the miracle cure you observed on TV will apply to your dog, and you can’t assume that your ex*****on of that technique will be as effective as what you observed on the (heavily-edited) TV program. How many ‘takes’ do you get in real life?

31/01/2025

YET ANOTHER "DOMINANCE" MYTH...

Dogs push you out of the way and run through a doorway ahead of you to show you they're in charge.

Just like with walking on leash, dogs get easily excited and don't know this is unacceptable behavior if you don't teach them otherwise.

• You only get pushed because you're in the way of whatever it is on the other side that the dog finds interesting and exciting. NOT because they are trying to dominate you.

• Teach your dog a wait command (or stay command) in door ways and practice so they become used to the idea that you get to come and go first.

• Use baby-gates to block the dog from running through the house and use them to teach behavior such as wait, stay or sit at doorways.

28/01/2025

TRAINING DOs...

*Set Consistent Rules:
Decide as a family what the rules are and enforce them from the beginning. If it's not going to be cute when your dog is 10, don't let him do it when he's 10 weeks. Sending a consistent message to your dog is an important part of training.

*Be Positive:
Positive-reinforcement training is a great way to teach your dog the rules while establishing a solid relationship. Be patient.

*Socialize:
If you have a puppy, make sure to socialize him to other dogs, people, children, skateboards and everything else you don't want him to fear.

23/01/2025

19/01/2025

MYTH...Dogs alpha roll each other.
A study of captive wolves (later debunked) gave rise to this theory. Dogs roll onto their backs to expose their tummies to other animals -- or people -- and signal deference and no threat. Dogs willingly show their tummies to people or other dogs they want to placate or acquiesce. Dogs DO NOT FORCE other dogs onto their backs to prove leadership. Alpha rolling your dog may confuse or frighten him and some dogs even fight back. Don't risk it!

I don’t care what “TV trainers“ try to pawn off as training. Don’t put your dog on its back and pin him down. That is absolutely ridiculous.

14/01/2025

YOUR DOG IS NOT OUT TO GET YOU!

I hear SO often that the dog dug a whole in the yard, peed or pooped in the house, etc. because they are mad and spiteful.

NEWS FLASH : This is not true. When we don’t know how or why an animal behavior problem exists, we tend to make it about us; we personalize it. In the animal behavior world, this is referred to as Anthropomorphism.

(Anthropomorphism: Attributing human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena)

Let’s really think about this. If our dogs peed and pooped out of spite or malice, that means they would have to understand and believe that urine and f***s are “gross”. That is OUR personal, human perception of urine and f***s.

Our dogs are not plotting their revenge to get a reaction from you. Their behavior is not about YOU.

DOGS ARE NOT FUR KIDS!!

Ok, we all refer to our dogs as “fur kids”, even I do sometimes, but dogs are not humans. They have their very own specific environmental, mental, and physical needs that need to be met. When we treat them as if they are children, we are not recognizing what they inherently need to be happy and healthy in our home. Your dog is not a child, nor should they be treated like one. We need to learn to see dogs for who they are; a living being that has species-specific needs.

Is your dog under exercised?
is your dog REALLY potty trained?
Is your dog bored?
Is your dog anxious? (separation anxiety)
Does your dog have medical problems?

So what’s the message here? Our dogs are not plotting their revenge on us. They are not planning how to get back at us. They are not programmed the way humans are. So we must learn to recognize what is really going on with the dog. Yes, “accidents” and mishaps happen in the house, but not because that’s the dogs way of acting out and being “mad” at us. Please take the human perceptions and judgments out of the situation, and learn to view life from the dog's perspective. Help them! Find out what they need and what is causing their behavior. There is always a valid reason and explanation behind it, and it’s not about trying to upset us.

10/01/2025

A trainer, and I use that term lightly, instructed someone to put coffee grounds on an area they wanted to keep their dog out of. Please know that coffee grounds are highly toxic. Before you take advice please make sure the person you are talking to is educated.

06/01/2025

SMALL DOGS ARE NOT TOYS FOR CHILDREN!

“I’m little and adorable, and I might bite you, because you pick me up and sweep me into the air when I least expect it and it scares me and I hate it and no matter what I do I can’t seem to stop 2-legs from doing it to me all the time like some monster out of a horror movie.”

So says a gazillion small dogs who become defensively aggressive through no fault of their own. I suggest teaching small dogs a cue like “Up and Away!” to let them know you are about to pick them up. What about you? Do you have a small dog who gets picked up by strangers?

By Patricia McConnell

02/01/2025

Start training and stop complaining !

31/12/2024

Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training wish you all a happy and safe 2025.

Don’t forget to keep your dogs and cats safe and in the house while you are celebrating the new year.

27/12/2024

SO COLD. Keep your dog inside. Family members belong in with the family where they can be warm AND learn manners at the same time. Can't learn much in a back yard or garage.

This is a win-win situation.

24/12/2024

Pat and Pawsitive Solutions Dog Training wish you a wonderful holiday.