PAWSitively Calm

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PAWSitively Calm PAWSitively Calm is a fully licensed & insured Family Dog Training business focused on State of Mind Helping families live CALM, happy lives with their dogs.

A Central Florida Family Dog Training business focused on Balanced K9 Training. So why so much focus on creating CALM? Aren’t our dogs supposed to have fun and round around like maniacs? Do you have a dog that reacts on walks, reacts in the house to the dog on TV, is fearful or stressed out, creating calm can have a major impact on arousal issues. Does your dog pull on the leash, rush the door, wh

ine all the time, guard his food bowl, jump up onto the counter to grab what’s cookin, act crazy in your car, and is constantly misbehaving? Well you’re not alone. Most dog owners suffer from bratty pets due to the lack of structure and consequences needed to stop unwanted behavior. Slowing these guys down will help them make better decisions that would otherwise seem impossible. Whatever your problem may be, I am here to help you create the framework needed to ensure your dog is the calm, balanced pooch you have always imagined. I started PAWSitively Calm with the intent on helping struggling families live a more balanced and calm life with their overly excited, stressed out, bratty pets. Most of my clients say “I just want to take my dog out in public with me without him going bananas”. You see, if you could have stepped into my world a couple of years ago, you would have seen an out of control, overly aroused pack that would not stop barking, freaking out at the slightest sound, growling at visitors if they came too close, and separation anxiety at its finest. I was literally embarrassed to go out in public on leash with any of them. Packing up my three dogs in the Jeep for a beach vacation was always a nightmare with all of them barking as soon as the parking brake was engaged and the keys jingled. So there I began my research on overcoming and tackling these issues by watching and devouring any Cesar Milan book or video I could get my hands on. Something struck a nerve for me when I saw that in every episode, the owner played a significant role in creating that very behavior their dog was exhibiting. Could I really be the problem? Could too much loving and not enough structure really create this kind of madness? It sure can! And I’m here to tell you that it can all be turned around. If you want your relationship with your dog to change, you first, must change. It just takes a little bit of hard work on the dynamic of the household, and I’m here to steer you in the right direction. Rules, boundaries, and consequences are what is needed to create that balance between affection and leadership. When one of these aspects out-weighs the other, a whole slew of bad behaviors can arise. Your relationship with your dog should be permission based. Everything your dog is allowed to do, is because you gave him permission to do so. I am here to help guide you through some basic core skills in establishing your role within the pack so that you can truly have the peace of mind you’ve always imagined.

Our dog’s behavior is here to awaken us to the parts of Self still waiting to come into alignment and balance. They are ...
14/10/2025

Our dog’s behavior is here to awaken us to the parts of Self still waiting to come into alignment and balance. They are our greatest teachers—showing us where our Leadership stands, and where it’s a king to grow.

Try to notice your dog;s behavior this week—What might it be teaching you about your own energy?

08/10/2025

Well Peeps! Baby Marley traded in her diapers for some big girl pants, and is now home with her fam with a solid obedience foundation that will help all of them live much more harmoniously together.

This new foundation is built on respect for her humans, impulse control, and a stable state of mind. We were able to accomplish tasks with this pup that would normally be reserved for a much more mature dog!

We talked about how Marley will need continued shaping & controlled exposure to keep all of her new skills fresh and reliable. The key to all of this is in consistency and follow through!

We discussed how micromanaging all of her choices until they become habitual is the goal for the next few months until she starts defaulting into making good choices on her own. At no point should a puppy be allowed to make its own choices. You wouldn’t leave a four year old child home alone to make decisions on their own now would you?

Marley is well on her way to having that amazing bond all of us dog owners crave with our pets! I am so thrilled for her family to experience the true nature of this sweet little girl!

I know! It's suuuper pretty...That composed, nonchalant gate at an owner's pace.But it's sooo rare! Is it not?That’s bec...
08/10/2025

I know! It's suuuper pretty...

That composed, nonchalant gate at an owner's pace.

But it's sooo rare! Is it not?

That’s because most of us feel mean restricting our dogs from zigging to every zag they sniff. So instead we allow them to do as they will, not knowing that it all could ultimately lead to never walking pleasantly with one another again.

Owner after owner are being dragged from one sniff to the next, while their dog alerts to an oncoming stranger with ferocious tenacity.

Here's the thing...

Having your dog just behind your left knee on your walk is so much more than a pretty position. This “follower” position goes much, much deeper than aesthetics, and dives into mental positioning, relationship, and state of mind benefits!

For those of us blessed with an easy going, happy go lucky dog, heel isn’t as much a necessity. But if your dog skews heavily to the insecure, reactive, paranoid, or head strong, Heel should be an absolute priority.

When we empower, advocate, guide, and lead our dogs in the face of unfamiliarity, we create respect, trust, and the true companionship we were really meant to share.

Not only does Heel offer you less headache, but it also helps your unsure out dog feel more at ease!

07/10/2025

Well Peeps! We’ve done it again - we’ve trained up and cultivated one highly obedient, stable Puppy, that is now going to have his freest, most inclusive life with his new family.

Bear came to us your typical pup — overly excited in inappropriate environments, a bit nervous and overly concerned around new things, showing signs of resistance & fear around the unpredictable, with little understanding of rules and boundaries. He now has an unbelievable foundation based in Permission Only training that will set him up for an unbelievably freer life! Bear, at only 5 months old, is off-leash capable, and can be taken everywhere dogs are allowed to go.

I am soo happy for his family and am so thrilled with how proactive they’ve been with their dog’s training. This is a model example of starting early and establishing leadership young before really unhealthy behavior has a chance to bubble to the surface. Because of this, Bear is going to live to his fullest potential.

So don’t wait until bad behavior becomes impossible to control! Get your pup trained!

All dogs are self-serving swindlers… it’s in their DNA.Dogs (and people), make choices based on their very own personal ...
07/10/2025

All dogs are self-serving swindlers… it’s in their DNA.

Dogs (and people), make choices based on their very own personal desires, and how to get more of what feels good, or what offers relief. Our actions are based on how much pleasure is granted out of each choice made.

—If jumping on guests, or you, gets them attention and petting... they’ll keep doing it.
—If barking at the back door to be let in gets you off of the couch... they’ll keep doing it.
—If whining gets you to coddle and sweet talk them out of discomfort... they’ll keep doing it.
—If pawing at your leg or hand gets you to throw their ball... they’ll keep doing it.
—If whining or barking while in the crate gets you to let them out... they’ll keep doing it.
—If charging out the front door ahead of you gets them outside quicker... they’ll keep doing it.
—If lunging and growling at other dogs or humans gets them to move further away... they’ll keep doing it.
—If pulling on the leash gets them to that tree they want to mark... they’ll keep doing it.
—If growling when trying to take the bone away gets you to move away... they’ll keep doing it.
—If snapping when moving them off the furniture gets them more time on your bed… they’ll keep doing it.

The bad news is, when this “stuff” is left unaddressed, it all intensifies and gets worse. Way worse. The more something works to bring pleasure, the more frequently it will occur, and the intenser it gets.

It’s our job to let our dogs know what works for them isn’t necessarily what’s in their best interest, (and sometimes it just doesn’t work for us). Effective leadership, which includes both Yes and No, encourages our dogs to make RESPECTFUL choices based on what WE allow, not what is always gratifying to them.

06/10/2025

The Spooky Springer Spaniel, Marley, had her very 1st store experience today! This is typically reserved to our 3WK B&T’s, but we felt this kiddo was ready for a different kind of exposure!

It’s so critical to get your pups out and exposed to the world so that they learn how to healthily process their emotions in the face of the unfamiliar. But even more critical is building engagement and trust prior to so that the pup has a solid foundation in deference and following their leader.

We all went to Lowes, to test out Marley’s obedience in the real world!

Boy what a difference a few trips out in the real world can make for a spooky kid like Marley! From being completely driven by her reactive impulses and overwhelm in the beginning of last week, to holding command while new and unfamiliar triggers are presented!

This is the part of her training journey where she learns to ignore the public, ignore noises, ignore EVERYTHING, and to hold her person in the highest regard. Demanding focus on our walks through a new environment is how she will learn to defer to her human for guidance and instruction. This cultivates a hierarchy of who’s in control and who is not, who needs the protecting, and who does the protecting, and also helps Marley settle into her role as “follower” without feeling the burden to control matters herself.

Awesome job gorgeous girl!

A good percentage of dogs that come to us for help are juiced up, over-stimulated, inordinately aroused, completely unhi...
06/10/2025

A good percentage of dogs that come to us for help are juiced up, over-stimulated, inordinately aroused, completely unhinged, and have nerves that are completely shot. Unfamiliar objects, sudden movements, or unpredictable sounds (that are insignificant to us), are a major cause for concern and over-reaction.

With enough time to practice this into habit, you get an insanely confused dog that startles at the unfamiliar, is panicky for no reason, completely tunes out any instruction, and cannot emotionally process the world around them.

It’s very plain to see that these hyper-sensitive dogs have been allowed to navigate their lives with little to no guidance—leaving them frazzled, unhinged messes. If you find your dog pacing, whining, barking, growling, or spinning in panicked reactivity, you can guarantee that they find their surroundings unstable, unsure, and unpredictable, with no one to look to control it.

Non-stop movement is a symptom of a leaderless lifestyle, and the only way a frazzled dog knows how to self-soothe.

Providing reliable, consistent rules, & a structure-rich, daily routine, can be the difference in a stable and calm dog, versus a hyper-alert, reactive dog when leadership is questionable.

When we step in as Leaders, and define what is and isn’t acceptable behavior in all of the smaller moments that comprise our day, our dogs start to look at the world very differently. When our dogs are incapable of slowing down, it’s time for us to step in and enforce that they do. It’s much crueler to allow a motion-junkie to remain in a perpetual spin-out than it is to insist they be still.

If you’re a pushover...Expect to be pushed.Dogs are constantly evaluating their environment to see what options will ser...
05/10/2025

If you’re a pushover...

Expect to be pushed.

Dogs are constantly evaluating their environment to see what options will serve them best. No different than us, they feel out their surroundings, and quickly assess what’s up for grabs.

Dogs learn very quickly who can and won’t be pushed. A pushover will always be taken advantage of. When owners blur their boundaries under the mask of love and kindness, they set themselves up to be taken advantage of. The too soft and too timid become prime targets to be pushed and manipulated by the stubborn, pushy, or bratty.

Depending on the personality lottery you’ve won, a boundary-less dog (even cupcake dogs), can become reactive on leash, can resource guard, will over-protect, or a turn into a dog that never listens when it’s critical, is always overly adrenalized, confused, or turns hyper-responsive to anything new or unfamiliar.

If a dog knows they can get away with bad choices with little to no consequence, they will continue to push. But, when we link a repercussion to a bad, unhealthy choice, we foster forethought and consideration. Boundaries become something to contemplate, and you become someone to acknowledge.

It’s not super complex... We can continue being the sucker our dog steamrolls over because we secretly feel mean, cruel, or even inhumane for demanding good behavior. OR, we can stand strong and make OUR boundaries and rules crystal clear so that the dog knows what can and cannot be pushed.

And here’s the thing… Boundaries are the distance at which you can love your Self and your dog, simultaneously.

Struggle is just a sign post, a signal, a message, or feedback for us to grow into more of who we are meant to become. I...
04/10/2025

Struggle is just a sign post, a signal, a message, or feedback for us to grow into more of who we are meant to become.

Instead of taking our dog’s bad behavior personally, we can look at it as information. Your dog is simply telling you what they need: more clarity, more structure, more calm leadership. When we provide this, behavior changes — not because the dog ‘decided to behave,’ but because they finally feel secure enough to follow our lead.

It’s HARD to see a dog suffer, in ANY capacity!Trembling, pacing, drooling, whining, or panicked behavior, were my cues ...
03/10/2025

It’s HARD to see a dog suffer, in ANY capacity!

Trembling, pacing, drooling, whining, or panicked behavior, were my cues for pampering, coddling, soft reassurances, and even avoidance.

THIS, was me.

Shielding from all harm or discomfort, I taught my unstable dog that he was incapable of coping.

I thought my role was to protect him from pain, so I ended up teaching him that disaster is always right around the corner.

By shielding him constantly, I taught him how to be afraid. I taught him to hide. I taught him he isn’t capable of what life might bring.

I watched him slowly unravel over time. I watched him fall.

But then I watched him rise.

Instead of coddling and soothing, we worked through our triggers, and learned to process them in a healthier fashion.

We can see you FEAR, and it’s big. But I can see his courage now emerging, and it’s bigger.

Dogs aren’t nearly as delicate as we make them out to be.

My advice: Prepare your dog for the journey, not the journey for your dog.

Large scale behavioral issues don’t occur instantaneously, out of thin air. “Oh my God! I can’t believe they just did th...
02/10/2025

Large scale behavioral issues don’t occur instantaneously, out of thin air.

“Oh my God! I can’t believe they just did that! They’ve never done that before!”

It takes time and successful practice for unhealthy micro-offenses to become intense, reflexive habit — some of which seem completely unfathomable.

— The rude, and inconsiderate blasts through doorways ahead of you that evolve into impulsive, uncontrolled recklessness.
— The at one-time, cute nudge for attention that manifests into incessant whining, demand barking, then separation anxiety.
— The casual huff or puff at the fire hydrant during your walk that manifests into fence fighting the neighbor’s dog.
— The seemingly playful nipping around a toy that turns into resource guarding your bed.
— The piercing stare and tense posturing when another dog approaches that mutates into an attack.
— The alert “woof” at an arriving house guest that turns wickedly threatening.

Most full blown, dangerous behavior does not reveal itself without a previously undetected, or unaddressed warning.

While most of the above early distress signals can easily be ignored or dismissed because they don’t seem all that bothersome, it is the tiny moments LEADING UP TO the big issue that are the green light for intensification. Neglecting to address the smaller offenses, will inevitably guarantee a deepening and intensification of them.

Small stuff leads to big stuff! Address it before it has a chance to turn into something regretful.

01/10/2025

Well Peeps... Bear & Cub, are now back home with their family, after spending 3 weeks with us learning how to control their impulses and cultivate a more stable state of mind. Bear came to us explosively reactive to other dogs when on leash, and Cub was simply a gluttonous, over;y stimulated recking ball that was utterly out of control.

Both dogs came to us with major attention deficit issues and a smidge of anxiety to boot. Pair this with hyper-arousal, and BAM! You have two dogs that feed off of each others anxiety and begin to explode or become unhinged at new or novel things.

Now both dogs are equipped with the ability to self-regulate and make better choices when distractions are at their highest. Although Cub tend to be more challenging, with consistency and accountability, he’ll come around to being the dog they’ve always wanted in him. Their parents now have the knowledge to follow through with their obedience and continue to pattern them for CALM behavior so that they can have the everywhere dogs they’ve always wanted! All it takes is a bit of practice to master the tools, and not feeling mean for imposing structure and boundaries around the house.

They have two great dogs on their hands, and both Bear and Cub have two total rockstars for parents! They are going to have an amazing life together!

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