Pawsitive Pup Training

11/20/2025

Just one generation ago, if a dog growled while eating, people said,

“Hey! Don’t bother him while he’s eating.”

And that was it.

We respected the warning.

We understood the dog was simply communicating.

Today?

That same dog gets corrected, labeled, or, even worse…

euthanized.

Somewhere along the way, we stopped allowing dogs to say

“No.” We stopped giving them the space to express fear,

discomfort, or uncertainty.

We expect them to be perfectly happy, perfectly calm, and

perfectly tolerant 100% of the time.

But here’s the truth:

Dogs deserve the right to feel. They deserve the right to

communicate. And a growl is not an act of aggression, it’s a sentence. It’s information.

It’s a dog saying, “I’m not okay right now.”

We’ve lost all nuance. If a dog is anything other than silly, social, and sunshine-on four legs, we slap the label “AGGRESSIVE” on them.

People…please…listen to your dogs.

They are communicating with you in the only way they know how.

Honor that.

Learn from it.

And give them back the right to speak.

11/19/2025

Scent work gives dogs something they rarely get in human spaces: control. When a dog follows a trail, chooses where to investigate, and solves a scent puzzle, they’re not just “working”—they’re regulating.

Sniffing lowers heart rate, reduces stress, and builds confidence. It’s a gentle way to offer autonomy, navigating new environments, or simply needing a moment to decompress.

So when your dog pauses to sniff, let them.

If you would like to learn more about nose work with your dog, have a look at this mini-ebook course written by fellow behaviourist Ela. https://www.withoutworrycanineeducation.co.uk/ownersguidetonosework

11/19/2025

2. Give your dog choices.

11/11/2025

A friendly reminder to reward the good! 💜🐾

11/11/2025

Classical conditioning is such a powerful technique to use in dog training, but many people find it confusing. Here are three ways in which we can use classical conditioning:
As part of desensitization and counter-conditioning
As ad-hoc counter-conditioning
As a preventive measure to stop fears from developing

You can learn more in the post on my blog about 3 ways to use classical conditioning in dog training--and if you really want to make sure you're getting it right, check out my book Bark! Details of both via the link in bio and below.

3 important ways to use classical conditioning: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2024/11/three-important-uses-for-classical.html
Bark!: https://amzn.to/3Xkk5nC

11/11/2025

Rethinking “Rank”: Understanding Dog Interactions Beyond Dominance

For a long time, people interpreted dog interactions through the idea of rank or dominance — assuming one dog is “alpha” and the other is “submissive.”
But modern behavioural science has shown that this way of thinking is outdated and oversimplified.

When dogs interact, they’re not trying to climb a social ladder — they’re navigating complex emotional and social dynamics. Their behaviour can reflect:
Confidence and emotional state – A dog that stands tall or uses stillness may be uncertain or anxious, not “in charge.”
Context – Is there a valuable resource around (like a toy or owner attention)? Are both dogs comfortable in this space?
Communication style – Just like people, dogs have different social skills. Some are more assertive or forward, others more subtle.
Learning history – Past experiences shape how a dog responds to others. A dog that’s been told off for greeting too eagerly may appear “submissive,” when it’s really showing caution.

It’s also vital to remember that how a dog feels physically and emotionally will influence their social behaviour.
Pain, discomfort, or underlying health issues can make dogs less tolerant or more avoidant.
Recent stress — such as changes at home, vet visits, loud noises, or multiple challenging experiences in a short period — can leave them with less capacity to cope calmly with other dogs.

When we focus only on rank, we risk missing the real message — how a dog feels. Understanding that behaviour is driven by emotion allows us to respond with empathy and to support both dogs in feeling safe and confident.

Next time you see two dogs interacting, try asking:
“Who’s feeling comfortable here?”
"Who’s managing space and movement?”
“Are both dogs enjoying this?”

These questions tell us far more than who’s “the boss.”

As a Clinical Animal Behaviourist (APBC, ABTC), my goal is always to help owners look beyond labels and understand the rich, subtle world of canine communication — where trust, safety, and emotion matter most.
www.paulinewhittaker.co.uk

11/07/2025

"Thousands of practitioners are already out there, daily, getting the job done, both in training, behavior modification, management of animals, the full gamut of case types, and they're doing so without aversives." That was Jean Donaldson back in 2016 when I interviewed her for my blog to celebrate the anniversary of her seminal book, Culture Clash. It makes you think about why some trainers still choose to use aversives, doesn't it?! Because it is a choice--reward-based methods work.

If you want to read the interview in full, you can find it on my blog (link in bio).

11/06/2025

11/06/2025

Reward-based methods aren't just for sunny days and easy dogs and puppies. They are for all dogs. And for all cats too, I might add.

10/28/2025

*Preventing unwanted litters is a goal we all share—but it's time to rethink the surgical approach. Hysterectomies and vasectomies, which preserve hormonal balance, can safely be performed as early as 8 weeks of age, making dogs sterile without disrupting their natural hormones.

New peer-reviewed study published in Nature:

How a dog’s lifetime exposure to his own hormones (before being neutered) affects how well he handles aging and frailty later in life.

Study Background

• Frailty = when older dogs (and people) become weaker, less resilient, and more prone to illness and death.
• Most research looks at how to prevent frailty — this study looked at what makes some dogs bounce back better after frailty sets in.
• The focus was on the HPG axis — the hormonal system that produces testosterone and controls reproduction.

Key Findings

• Dogs neutered very young (before 2 years old) had:

o A much higher risk of death once they became frail.
o About 16% higher mortality for every small increase in frailty.

• Dogs kept intact longer (more than ~10 years) showed:
o No increase in mortality linked to frailty.
o Their hormones seemed to “buffer” the negative effects of aging.

• Each extra year of natural hormone exposure reduced frailty-related death risk by ~1%.

What It Means

• Hormones from the te**es may protect against the worst effects of aging later in life.
• Removing them too early could make dogs less resilient to age-related decline.
• Frailty isn’t just about getting old — it’s also shaped by early-life events like the timing of neutering.
• This supports a “life course” view: what happens early in life affects health decades later.

Why It Matters

• The study suggests timing of neutering might influence how well dogs age.

10/24/2025

Just like humans, dogs can experience sensory processing sensitivity. These highly sensitive dogs often react strongly to everyday sounds, sights, and experiences that other dogs handle easily. If…