Positive Paws Dog Training

Positive Paws Dog Training 1-2-1 Dog training Hi, I’m Julia – a professional dog trainer based in Bristol and the surrounding areas.
(1)

I hold a degree in Animal Behaviour and have a strong background in working with both rescue dogs and assistance dogs. After completing my degree, I spent several years working in rescue environments. This gave me first-hand insight into the challenges and rewards of bringing a rescue dog into your life. As a lifelong owner of rescue dogs myself, I understand how important it is to support both do

gs and their humans during this transition. I can help with everything from settling your new dog in, to understanding certain behaviours, building a strong bond, and working on general obedience training. I also have extensive experience in puppy development, having spent over nine years supporting volunteers and their puppies on the journey to becoming assistance dogs. I offer guidance on early socialisation, puppy behaviours, settling at home, and foundational training. All of my training is based on positive reinforcement – using what your dog finds rewarding (such as treats, toys, praise, or cuddles) to encourage behaviours we want to see more of. This might include recall, house training, polite greetings, or building confidence around new people, objects, or situations. Training plays a vital role in strengthening your relationship with your dog. My goal is to help you build a deeper understanding and connection with your canine companion. Dogs are part of our families, and I believe they deserve to be treated with the same respect and empathy as any other family member. They just need a little guidance to navigate our world – just as we sometimes need help understanding theirs. I’m also a mum of three, and I’m passionate about involving children in dog training. If your kids would like to take part in sessions, learn about enrichment activities (like games or Kongs), or better understand dog behaviour, they are always welcome to join in!

05/08/2025

🐾 Training Tip Tuesday: Enrichment can be simple! 💡
Enrichment supports your dog’s mental and physical wellbeing by giving them healthy ways to explore, think, and play. It helps reduce boredom, builds confidence, and encourages natural behaviours — all of which make for a calmer, happier dog.

And here’s the key: it doesn’t always need to involve puzzle toys or fancy setups. This puddle and a toy? That’s enrichment, too.

Look around — what simple enrichment opportunities can you offer your dog today?

Just a quick heads up!I’ll be on holiday for the next week, recharging my batteries and having some much needed family t...
04/08/2025

Just a quick heads up!

I’ll be on holiday for the next week, recharging my batteries and having some much needed family time ☀️🐾

I’ll still be checking messages when I can, but replies might be a little slower than usual.

Thanks for your patience — I’ll be back soon and ready to get stuck back into training!

03/08/2025

🎓 Puppy Class Graduation Day! 🎉

What a fantastic journey it’s been with this lovely bunch! Today’s compilation is full of confidence-building, curious exploring and polite greetings. We also covered wait and loose lead walking!

It’s been an absolute joy watching these puppies grow week by week. Well done to all our little graduates!

🐶 Next Puppy Life Skills course starts 24th August — spaces are limited, so get in touch to book your spot!

🐾 Confident pups and happy families — that’s what it’s all about! 🐶So thrilled to hear how much Roxy and her family enjo...
01/08/2025

🐾 Confident pups and happy families — that’s what it’s all about! 🐶

So thrilled to hear how much Roxy and her family enjoyed their time in class!

Helping dogs build confidence and supporting their humans every step of the way is always my priority.

Thank you Carley and Roxy — I can’t wait to see what you achieve next! 🐕

🐾 Happy (Belated) International Friendship Day! 🐾I am a day late—but the summer holidays always throw me off 🤪 Here are ...
31/07/2025

🐾 Happy (Belated) International Friendship Day! 🐾
I am a day late—but the summer holidays always throw me off 🤪

Here are a couple of photos of Ludo and Georgie being the very best of friends—through zoomies, naps, and everything in between.

To celebrate the joy of canine companionship, I’d love to see YOUR dog’s best friend too!

Whether it’s their sibling, neighbour, hooman, or a squeaky toy that’s been through it all…

📸 Drop a photo in the comments and tell us who your dog’s bestie is!

Let’s fill this feed with fluffy friendship vibes today! 🐕💕

30/07/2025

🐾 Puppy Class Recap – Recall Fun! 🐶

In today’s class, we worked on one of the most important skills—recall!

We want our pups to love coming back to us, so we use treats, toys, and praise to make it super rewarding.

We played two fun recall games:

Ping Pong Recall – Toss a treat to get distance, then call your pup back for a reward!

Relay Recall – Perfect for two people, with the pup running between you and getting rewarded each time. We also added movement to boost excitement and practiced holding their harness when they return.

The pups did brilliantly and had so much fun learning that coming when called really pays off!

✨ Our next class starts in August—come join the fun!

29/07/2025

🐾 Training Tip Tuesday: Helping a New Rescue Settle In 🐾

When dogs are rehomed, it’s normal for them to feel a little unsure—new smells, new people, new routines. And sometimes that uncertainty shows up in behaviours like mouthing or hu***ng. It’s not “bad” behaviour—it’s communication.

Meet Potter. He’s only been with his new family for a little over a week, and today we focused on helping him feel more confident and secure around visitors.

Instead of using lots of cues like “no”, “settle”, or “down”, we waited for Potter to offer calm behaviours—like lying down—and rewarded those with pieces of his usual food. Every bit he earned was a quiet “yes, do that again!”

This kind of simple, structured session does so much:

✅ Builds confidence
✅ Encourages problem solving
✅ Keeps communication clear and positive
✅ Helps the family feel more relaxed too

And yes—we used a lot of food. But it all came from his daily allowance. That means dozens of chances to reinforce exactly what we want to see, rather than just putting that food in a bowl.

These early days are so important—and Potter is already making brilliant progress.

Happy Birthday to my golden oldie G! 🎉This little super star is everything our little family could wish for in a dog!And...
25/07/2025

Happy Birthday to my golden oldie G! 🎉

This little super star is everything our little family could wish for in a dog!

And to top it off she supports people with dementia in her community dog role for Dogs for Good - UK

Happy 9th Birthday Georgie! 🐾

23/07/2025

🐾 Puppy Class Highlights! 🐾

This week’s class was all about exploration and confidence building! 🐶

Our puppies tackled different floor surfaces, practiced stepping up onto new heights, and even explored moving objects — all at their own pace.

We introduced the “middle” position (such a handy confidence booster!) and recapped on “down” with some lovely progress. As always, we made time to troubleshoot — this week’s focus was helping puppies feel more at ease when left alone briefly. Small steps make a big difference! 💛

📅 Our next Puppy Class starts August 24th — bookings are now open! Spaces are limited, so don’t wait!

22/07/2025

🐾 Training Tip Tuesday:

Kids + Dogs = Safe, Calm, and Fun

Do your kids love being involved with your dog—but things sometimes get a bit chaotic (or even a little stressful)? 😅

This week’s Training Tip Tuesday is all about how to help your child and dog build a great bond safely.

In the video, I’m sharing 3 simple ways to involve your kids in training:

✔️ How to reward your dog without little fingers getting too close
✔️ A fun activity that gets dogs sniffing and helps kids feel helpful
✔️ A safe way to include children on walks—without giving up control

Positive reinforcement training isn’t just about your dog—it’s about the whole family feeling confident, calm, and connected

Watch the video, give one a go, and let me know how you get on in the comments!

Want support with your dog and your family routines?

Send me a message—I’d love to help.

20/07/2025

Something new is coming for Training Tip Tuesday…

My top tips on how to get kids involved with your dog whilst also keeping them safe 👧🐾

Watch this space—video drops Tuesday at 7:30AM!

Kind Words from a Recent Graduate! 🐾It was such a joy to have the gorgeous Forest and his family join both our Skills & ...
18/07/2025

Kind Words from a Recent Graduate! 🐾

It was such a joy to have the gorgeous Forest and his family join both our Skills & Manners and Recall classes 💛

"We highly recommend Julia...We’ve attended two of her classes and the skills we’ve been shown are helping shape our puppy into a beautiful dog...Julia creates a very happy, positive and safe place for the dogs and takes the time to tailor classes to each dog’s requirements. Thank you for all of your help Julia” 🐾

Thank you so much for your kind words 🐶

Address

Lyde Green
Bristol
BS167FP

Telephone

+447492946644

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Positive Paws Dog Training posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Share

Category