Pawsitive Pups Academy

15/08/2024

Playing in the pool at the park with Rex and Mako!

I like to take our enrichment activities out to different public spaces to work on building confidence and decreasing arousal around distractions. I am using low value treats in the pool (apple, watermelon and some charlee bear crackers). That way, they are able to move back and forth between the environment and the game. They can explore when they’re feeling curious, and return to the game to cool off (physically and emotionally) when they get overwhelmed.

I can also use high value treats to prompt them back to the pool as needed if I see they need help but aren’t capable of making a good decision.

15/08/2024

Morning field trip enrichment with Aspen and Gambit 🩷

We did some pool games, practiced our fetch skills (using food today! We will work on toy motivation in future sessions) and took a little walk!

14/08/2024

FIELD TRIP OPENING!

I have ONE spot left for field trips starting in September! This spot is with my Thursday morning group (approximately 10AM to 12PM).

Must be located in the Papillion/La Vista area for drop off/pick up.

Field trips are an enrichment based service focused on providing dogs with fun and fulfilling experiences through a variety of different activities in a variety of different environments.

We will also work on basic training and social skills during these outings and field trip clients receive a discount on additional training services, as needed.

Cost $75/trip for the first 3 months. Long term clients (3 or more months of consecutive field trip bookings) pay a lower rate of $65/trip.

Email [email protected] if you are interested!

14/08/2024

Assistant trainer Pretzel demonstrating this week’s field trip enrichment activity! We are having a little pool party with slices of watermelon, apples and some toys for the pups to fish out of the water.

12/08/2024

I’m super excited to announce I will be teaching an in person Remedial Socialization workshop in Fayetteville Arkansas in October!

This workshop is being hosted by Inside Out Dog Daycare and Training

You can sign up at their website: http://Insideoutdogs.com

10/08/2024

Meet our newest employee, Eggbert!

Egg will hopefully be joining our team of rat helpers in a couple of months, provided he takes well to training. Our rat helpers provide prey based scent enrichment for the field trip dogs and allow us to work on teaching control around prey, but it’s really important to me that they feel 100% safe and secure during any dog interactions. (Of course, they are ALWAYS physically safe and secure, but I want them to be emotionally secure as well!)

Once he settled in, Egg will start on a dog desensitization program where he will slowly learn that dogs are not a threat to him, and that he gets lots of snacks when they are around.

If he’s not into it, that’s okay too! He’ll live out his life as a pampered pet. But he’s a pretty confident little fella, so I have no doubt he’ll be just fine.

10/08/2024

Stella girl working on the August skill of the month: Retrieves!

Retrieving games are my favorite way to practice stay, focus and delayed/off body reinforcement — meaning I don’t have any toys or treats on me, but you’ll eventually get rewarded for playing the game anyways.

Stella is an absolute pro! She has been doing field trips with me for over four years and is such a rockstar.

10/08/2024

Hank on his scavenger hunt during his field trip today!

He thought the food hides were cool and all but was much more interested in searching for critters. We will be incorporating some NASDA hunting games into our field trips in October, and I am SO excited to see this boy work some rat hides! He is a very talented hunter.

09/08/2024

The idea of using food in group play this way is terrifying for a lot of people, but it’s a skill just like anything else! You need good timing and observation skills, and it helps if the majority of the dogs in the group already understand the protocol. Of course, I wouldn’t ever do this with severe resource guarders, but most dogs are totally fine with some mindful group scatters!

08/08/2024

Mako’s first field trip!

This sweet little girl is working on her confidence. Our first step is getting her really comfortable with her new crew. Then, we’ll start exposing her to lots of new places, sights and sounds.

Since she is a bit nervous, we used a group scatter method to introduce her to her new friends. I didn’t want her to walk in and suddenly be bombarded by other dogs! This crew is particularly rambunctious, which will be good for Mako in the long run, but would be overwhelming if I didn’t manage them closely at first.

Stay tuned for video footage of the introduction process!

08/08/2024

Off leash hike field trip with Asami, Jama, Lucy and assistant trainer Pretzel 🥨

07/08/2024

Winnie, Tigger, Jama and Pretzel enjoying their morning field trip!

✅ We started off with a scavenger hunt! The group had to use their noses to sniff out kibble and little bits of chicken nuggets in the yard. Some were hidden in snuffle mats, some in food toys and some in the grass.

✅ Then we did some structured social time. This was Winnie and Tiggers first time meeting Jama, so we aimed for neutrality today.

✅ We ended with a skill of the month session! This month we are working on retrieves. Winnie and Tigger are just working on toy motivation. Jama has moved on from toys and is now practicing retrieving antlers!

(We will have 2 field trip spots available in September. Please reach out to [email protected] if you are interested.)

26/07/2024

Morning Sniffspot enrichment field trip with Pretzel and Jama!

We LOVE sniffspot. It’s a huge part of my field trip program. There are nearly 100 options in the Omaha/Lincoln area and new ones are being added all the time! This is “Freya’s Playground” in Loess Hills and it features a private, wooded hiking trail that is PERFECT for off leash training and tons of enriching spaces to explore throughout the 5 acre property.

Drop a picture of your favorite sniffspot in the comments!

22/07/2024

Edit: this spot has been filled!

I have a spot open for enrichment field trips on Thursdays!

Pick up/drop off service area: Elkhorn (and nearby)

Time: early afternoons (1PM - 3PM)

Service: enrichment field trips, which consist of off leash group play, training sessions, groups hikes, swimming, etc.! We do all sorts of fun stuff.

Cost: $75/day for the first 3 months. The price drops to $65 for long term clients.

I pick up and drop off. Dogs are safely transported in Ruffland travel crates. They will be in a group of 5 dogs, maximum.

This service is great for: socializing and exercising puppies, confidence boosting for shy dogs, giving over the top adolescents a safe and productive energy outlet

It is not appropriate for dogs with serious behavior concerns, but is great for dogs with mild/excitement based reactivity!

DM or email me at [email protected] if you’re interested and are in or near the service area.

Please share if you’re local 😊

30/06/2024

I am teaching my first ever hybrid virtual/in person class starting tomorrow!

There’s still time to get into my in person on and off leash foundations class at Canine Field of Dreams tomorrow night! There are 2 spots left. It is six weeks and runs from 7PM to 8:30PM CST. Learn how to teach your dog how to WANT to walk with you, even when they are off leash around distractions.

Class will be live recorded in case you can’t make it in person!

If you’d prefer to just do virtual or you are not local, you can sign up for my membership and you will receive a live link to attend each class virtually via zoom AND a full recording of the class after we finish AND an additional study hall virtual meeting after the class is complete to either work through exercises live for feedback, submit videos for review, ask questions or just observe other people’s videos and feedback.

For virtual only, sign up here: https://www.pawsitivepupsacademy.com/virtual-services

For in person, email [email protected] to sign up!

13/06/2024

Baby Lucy ❤️

19/04/2024

If you are a member of OAPS, I will be speaking at their upcoming member meeting AND you can enter to win a free professional consultation to learn more about incorporating training and enrichment into your pet care program!

Thank you to Omaha Area Pet Sitters for inviting me and for offering this great service.

Sponsor Spawtlight::

Pawsitive Pups Academy

Pawsitive Pups Academy is a dog training and pet care professional coaching business owned and operated by Ashlee Osborn, KPA-CTP FDM, a certified professional dog trainer with over a decade of experience working with pets and the people who love them. In addition to your standard dog training services, Pawsitive Pups Academy is committed to providing in depth behavior and training education and mentorships to pet care providers from all different corners of the industry.

Tiktok and Instagram - Ash.andthepawsitivepups
Website - pawsitivepupsacademy.com

We are happy to welcome Ashlee as both an OAPS sponsor AND guest speaker at our 2024 Networking Meeting! 🐾🐾

Thank you, Ashlee!

19/04/2024

Crackle is ready to be matched with a handler!

She is coming up on 5 months old and is a wonderful little service dog in training.

🐶 great handler focus, toy and food drive for her age
🐶 super environmentally stable, will lay down and chill out just about anywhere
🐶 incredibly confident and loves trying new things
🐶 best friend to everyone she meets, but does really well focusing on her handler when asked
🐶 so cute??? like I don’t know how it’s legal to be this cute???

Would be a GREAT psychiatric SD. Absolutely zero handler sensitivity.

I’d say the only downside to her is that she attracts a lot of extra attention because LOOK AT HER!!!

Can be placed anywhere in the US, but closer to Omaha, NE is preferable so you can come visit and work with her while she goes through the remainder of the program! (She will need to stay with me for about a year to finish out her training.)

https://errorlessservicedogsllc.com for more information

11/04/2024

Understanding the difference between NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT and REDIRECTION procedures for group play management

From a certified professional trainer
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NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT refers to removing access to something the dog wants in order to decrease an unwanted behavior
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REDIRECTION refers to prompting a dog to do something that is incompatible with an unwanted behavior
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Leashing up a dog during a social play session in order to reduce problematic behaviors like mounting, pestering and demand barking, can fall under either of these categories.
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In a NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT protocol, the goal of the leash walk is to communicate to the dog that they will lose access to social interaction if they perform the unwanted behavior.
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In a REDIRECTION protocol, the goal of the leash walk is to engage the dog in a more appropriate behavior that will serve as a functional reinforcer by addressing the dog's motivating operation.
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Why does it matter?

The vocabulary isn’t what’s important here. We could talk about quadrants all day and never get anywhere meaningful.

However,

Understanding how and why a particular protocol works or doesn’t work is the key to more effective behavior intervention.
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A NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT protocol will only work if the access to social play is the motivating operation for the behavior you are trying to alter. A REDIRECTION protocol will only work if the behavior you are redirecting the dog to addresses the underlying motivation.
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For example, if a dog is mounting during play because they are anxious and overstimulated, the motivating operation for the mounting behavior is not social. It is stress relief.
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If you leash the dog to remove their access to their playmate with the goal of negatively punishing the behavior, you are unlikely to be successful, unless you unintentionally prompt the dog into a calming behavior.
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If you leash the dog in an effort to redirect them to an appropriate behavior, but you don’t understand what behaviors will functionally reinforce the dog’s need to release their anxious energy, you won’t know how to troubleshoot if just walking in circles around the yard isn’t effective.

Understanding the function of each protocol does make a difference!
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Pawsitive Pups Academy is on a mission to provide in depth behavior and training education to pet care providers.

Follow us on socials for more helpful tips.

Pawsitive Pups Academy on Facebook
Ash.andthepawsitivepups on IG and TikTok

Or visit PawsitivePupsAcademy.com for more information on staff training and mentorship services

11/04/2024

4 tips for dog daycare providers to improve the behavior of your client dogs

1. Start rest breaks at early signs of fatigue

A lot of dogs, particularly adolescents, will amp up when they are tired. They begin to pester and look for ways to start conflict. Starting rest breaks at the first signs of fatigue rather than waiting for a designated time can prevent them from rehearsing this behavior and encourage emotional regulation.

2. Vary the energy levels in your play groups

A lot of facilities separate their groups by size and energy, but a double digit group of all large, rowdy dogs can easily escalate into unhealthy levels of arousal. Instead, try breaking up your groups so that there are only a couple of higher energy dogs and they are matched with more balanced playmates.

3. Provide parallel enrichment opportunities

Helping the dogs learn to exist around each other without constantly interacting will make a huge difference in their ability to self regulate during play. Encourage the dogs to sniff, dig, chew on toys or play in a baby pool between bouts of social play. If you are well versed in using food in a group setting, training games can be helpful for this as well.

4. Keep groups consistent

Every dog has their own unique personality and way of communicating in social situations. The more time they spend together, the more they figure out each other's particular social quirks and the more comfortable they become with one another.

10/04/2024

Since I started doing mentor sessions in my membership, I’ve gotten some requests to do more in depth mentorship programs and I love this request! It’s an option that is sorely lacking in the industry.

I am now doing custom mentorship programs for aspiring or practicing dog pros (walkers and sitters welcome as well!)

These plans will include shadowing, case studies, book and other educational material study and discussion, direct case supervision for your own client dogs, etc.

Plans will be customized to your needs. It could mean we are just working through one particularly tough client, or starting from scratch with your training career.

Most importantly: SERVICE TRADE OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE!

I am offering direct service trades for: in person assistance in training sessions and transport, admin tasks, social media content creation and other miscellaneous (business related) tasks.

We will establish a price for services and then do a direct trade for mentorship sessions. DM or email me at [email protected] if you’re interested in service trades.

Members also get 40% off! DM or email for the discount code if you’re a member.

You can sign up for the initial consult here:

Schedule your appointment online Pawsitive Pups Academy

09/04/2024

MYTH: When a dog sneezes it means they are just playing

Sneezing in dogs is a displacement or appeasement behavior

In social situations, sneezing can be:

An effort to reduce or avoid conflict (appeasement)
A way to release tension (displacement)
A request for a short break in play
A signal that a dog would like to interact differently

When accompanied by growling and snapping, sneezing means “I don’t want to fight but please leave me alone”

When sneezing happens during play, it can be a request for a short break or a change in the interaction, depending on the follow up

When it happens during a training session, it signals that a dog is confused or frustrated

Canine body language is often oversimplified in the public consciousness

“A wagging tail means a dog is friendly and happy,” for instance

But just like any language, canine body language is incredibly nuanced and always exists within a larger context of communication signals

24/02/2024

ATTENTION PET CARE PROFESSIONALS (and aspiring pet care professionals)

I will be offering my very first MENTOR SESSION this coming Monday (2/26) at 8PM CST

This will be live on zoom. The recording will also be available to all who sign up.

If you are an aspiring or practicing animal professional of any kind, these sessions are for you!

This month, we are talking about Functional Analysis. That means we are going to dive into figuring out the WHY behind the behavior and using that to influence our training plans.

We are going to talk about how to gather and analyze a dog's behavior history, coming up with a "why" hypothesis, monitoring and pivoting your training plans based on results and how to get and keep your clients on board.

We'll do this by looking at a number of common behaviors like jumping up, pulling on leash and barking/lunging. We'll discuss the different possible motivations for each behavior and the questions we can ask during our intake process to get to the root of them. Then we will jump into possible training plans that address the function of the behavior and how we can look at the results of those training plans to tell us whether our hypothesis was correct. We will also chat about how we explain all this to clients in a way that they will understand.

This is geared towards pet care professionals, but regular owners can certainly get a lot out of it as well!

The session should last 90 minutes, give or take. A recording will be available for those who'd like to review it or who cannot attend live. It is $35 or FREE with membership (memberships are $45/month)

You can sign up for the mentor session here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=24708027&appointmentType=56792373

And read more or sign up for the membership here: https://www.pawsitivepupsacademy.com/virtual-services

Virtual Services The Pawsitive Pups Online Academy has options to meet every budget and training goal! From one-on-one video sessions, on demand webinars, live virtual workshops and multi-week classes, plus a membership option that gets you free or discounted access to all of the above. The Academy....

21/02/2024

“Duck Tollers need 2 hours of exercise a day.”
“American Cockers need 1 hour of exercise a day.”
“She needs more exercise.”

Here’s the problem with these statements: exercise isn’t one thing.
One hour of leash walking is not one hour of hiking. One hour of bikejoring is not one hour of fetch. One hour of a sniffy walk is not one hour at the dog park. Different activities produce different results for the dog.

By lumping everything together in just “exercise”, we really do ourselves, each other, and the dogs a disservice. Almost every dog who comes into my coaching program has some exercise issues. Maybe they can’t stop/won’t stop around toys or water. They bolt as soon as they go off leash. They get hours of exercise but they’re constantly squirrely. So often, the issue is that the type of exercise isn’t serving them. Not the amount.

If the dog needs more freedom of movement, just adding more fetch isn’t going to help! If they need to stretch their body and go hard and fast, a long line sniffy walk isn’t the answer. And if all they do is physical exercise with little to no learning and problem solving, well there’s a gap there too.

I challenge you to think hard about what you mean when you say “exercise”.

If you want to learn all about exercise, how we can better conceptualize it and why it’s important, check out my webinar Understanding Exercise. Not only does Understanding Exercise break down exercise into more easily communicated elements, it teaches how to meet a dogs’ needs in a way that works for them and is conducive for our busy lives.

11/02/2024

Took Giraffeman on a barkour walk. Our confidence building nosework program has made a huge difference for him. He was still nervous during parts of this walk but consistently took food and listened to cues which is way better than last time we came down here!

Most dogs who appear stubborn, unmotivated or easily distracted on walks are actually fearful, frustrated or otherwise distressed. If traditional leash training is not working for you, it’s likely that you are dealing with an emotional issue, not a skills based one.

If you have been putting in work to leash train your dog and aren’t seeing any progress, consider suspending walks and focusing on other confidence building exercises for awhile.

11/02/2024

Took Giraffeman on a barkour walk. Our confidence building nosework program has made a huge difference for him. He was still nervous during parts of this walk but consistently took food and listened to cues which is way better than last time we came down here!

Most dogs who appear stubborn, unmotivated or easily distracted on walks are actually fearful, frustrated or otherwise distressed. If traditional leash training is not working for you, it’s likely that you are dealing with an emotional issue, not a skills based one.

If you have been putting in work to leash train your dog and aren’t seeing any progress, consider suspending walks and focusing on other confidence building exercises for awhile.

22/01/2024

Snow dogs 🐶

31/12/2023

The membership sale ends tonight!

I am so grateful to everyone who has signed up and/or referred other people. This has been my most successful sale to date.

But it’s not over yet, and I want to end with a bang!

If we can get 5 more people to sign up, I am giving EVERY member an extra $20 off a private session (that’s on top of the 20% discount members already get, making it only $45 for a private session.)

Those coupons will be good for a full year. So you can hang out in the membership, learn a bunch, and then schedule for personalized feedback whenever you need it.

Sign up here and share with your friends!

https://www.pawsitivepupsacademy.com/holiday-sale

24/12/2023

Social sleeping has been a huge part of my training for the past couple of years. It is a big part of my dog to dog socialization groups and I love incorporating group rest activities into my plans when I do dog daycare consulting.

Napping with your dog is also one of my favorite low effort enrichment activities! My dogs don’t sleep in bed with me for a number of reasons, but I will regularly take naps on the couch with them and have noticed it makes a genuine difference in their general arousal and anxiety levels.

It’s a huge part of my puppy training plan, as well. One of the first steps I take in teaching puppies to settle on cue is to set up the context I want them to settle in (you are in the living room, the television is on, the other dogs are settling), putting management into place (a playpen, usually) and then literally just taking a nap.

This is also something you could apply to chronically over aroused adolescent or adult dogs as part of a larger plan.

Dogs are social sleepers. In fact, a 2020 study showed that “86% of dogs given the choice, preferred to sleep in close proximity to people.” It’s also been observed by various researchers that street dogs specifically do not tend to sleep alone, rather with one another. ⁣
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For dogs, social sleeping creates a feeling of safety and security, both of which are vital for proper, restful sleep. ⁣
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Social sleeping is especially important for puppies because isolation at a young age causes changes in brain chemistry, increases stress and affects cognitive development. All of which can manifest in problem behaviours in adolescence/adulthood. Social sleeping helps puppies form secure attachments, a key part of raising a confident adult with good social, coping and decision-making skills.⁣
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All of this doesn’t mean that your dog must sleep in your bed with you; we recognize that quality sleep is critical for you too. But we hope your pooch is at least nearby, in the same room. Besides, who doesn’t want to wake up on Christmas morning with their favourite furrball next to them? ⁣
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There you have it, twenty-four of the most meaningful gifts for dogs from a Wholesome Canine perspective. Though it’s not quite over, we really hope you enjoyed our virtual advent as much as we enjoyed creating it.⁣
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Please have a thought for all the dogs out there who don’t have the benefit of wonderful guardians or a cozy bed to lay in. And join us in supporting local rescues in any way that you can including food donations, monetary donations, fostering and of course, adoption 💙

19/12/2023

My holiday sale is still going strong!

A lot of new members have requested video reviews/discussion of dog to dog social play footage with their own or client dogs, so I’m planning to add that next year too.

Sign up here: https://www.pawsitivepupsacademy.com/holiday-sale