Pawsitive Pup Training

12/17/2025

12/17/2025

12/15/2025

Management vs. Training — what’s the difference? 🤔

These two terms get used interchangeably in dog training, but they are not the same.

Management is about controlling the environment so unwanted behaviors don’t happen in the first place. This might look like using gates, crates, leashes, or distance to prevent jumping, chewing, counter surfing, or over-arousal. Management is immediate and keeps dogs (and humans) safe!

Training is about teaching your dog what to do instead. Through repetition and reinforcement, dogs learn behaviors like sit, settle, leave it, and recall. Training takes time, but it creates long-term behavior change.

Here’s the key part:
👉 Management prevents rehearsal of unwanted behavior.
👉 Training builds the behaviors you want to see more of.

The most effective dog training plans use both. Management supports learning, and training makes management less necessary over time.

That being said, it is also okay to JUST use management in situations when you feel you need it! As a busy parent, management is essential to both your success and the success of your dog and baby or toddler!

Have questions? We’ve got answers to help support you through this journey!

Send us a DM today and we will help connect you with the right resources to help!! 🐶

12/15/2025

12/15/2025

12/10/2025

12/10/2025

New Podcast Episode!
Ep.36 - Is the Fear Genetic? Tough Decisions about Keeper Puppies

Listen now - link in comments
Or search MADCAP RADIO wherever you get your podcasts

This episode's question is about what to do when your “keeper” puppy starts showing significant fear issues. Listen in as I discuss:

* How to tell if a fear issue is a developmental or genetic issue and what the line is between normal and pathological fear
* My personal experiences and outcomes in this area
* Words of encouragement for small program breeders, with thoughts for surviving emotional setbacks and staying in the breeding game

12/10/2025

We all want to prevent unwanted litters. Hysterectomies and vasectomies offer early, safe sterilization, starting at 8 weeks, while preserving the natural hormones dogs need.

New Peer-reviewed study shows s*x hormones (like estrogen and testosterone) help the spine and discs develop properly. Removing these hormones from dogs too early can affect bone growth and disc strength, making the spine more vulnerable.

Spaying/neutering early (before 12 months) greatly increased the risk of slipped discs in French Bulldogs.

• For males:
o Early-neutered males were almost twice as likely to develop IVDH compared to intact males.
o Neutering after 12 months actually lowered their risk.

• For females:
o The effect was even stronger.
o Spayed females were about 5 times more likely to have IVDH than intact females.
o If spayed before 12 months, they were almost 10 times more likely to develop the problem.

The age you choose to spay or neuter a French Bulldog can have a major impact on their long-term spine health.

Looking for the most up-to-date, evidence-based review on spay/neuter health effects? This exclusive 2025 guide brings together the latest research to support informed, science-driven decisions for dogs.

Comment FixFacts below and we’ll send you the free PDF.

12/09/2025

12/07/2025

A dominance-focused, "alpha wolf" model has influenced dog training for a long time. But evidence shows that the most effective and healthy way to change a dog's behavior looks more like gentle parenting for pets, Kelly Conaboy wrote in 2023: https://theatln.tc/2l1jgEDK