PAWSitiveTransformations

Home
United States
Chattanooga, TN
PAWSitiveTransformations

Dog Training
🐾PAWSitive Reinforcement🐾
🐾Successive Approximation🐾 I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement.

At Pawsitive Transformations my work is finding your dog's drive, using games and techniques that your pup finds fun. I will work with you, teaching you how to keep your dog's attention and engagement as your dog learns through positive reinforcement and successive approximation. The other key factor is successive approximation. Shaping, or as it's formally known, “shaping by successive approximat

ions,” means breaking down a behavior into tiny increments, and reinforcing the dog at each incremental step until you've achieved the full behavior. Through these methods, I will teach you how to clearly and effectively communicate. Your dog will be excited and eager to learn, using a positive approach to motivate your dog with enthusiasm and respect instead of fear and pain, the result will be a well-behaved and balanced dog. If you currently use electronic collars, prong collars, or choke collars, I will gladly work with you and your pup to transition away from pain and use positive reinforcement and successive approximation techniques. Benefits of these techniques:

• Builds a strong bond with your dog based on trust and respect.
• Avoids increasing anxiety or aggression.
• Uses fun, easy training methods for the entire family.
• Provides mental stimulation, preventing boredom and problem behaviors.
• Allows a dog to choose, without fear of repercussions. I believe that training should involve the entire family. I will work with all of you so that your relationship is happy, healthy, and with clear boundaries & expectations! Training should be fun and involve every one of any age and ability!

07/28/2026

Buckley and Winnie are back! 🐾❤️

One of my favorite things about what I do is that when life gets busy for our clients, their dogs always have a second home with us. Watching these two come running back like they’re part of the family never gets old.

One of my favorite moments from this video is Flint riding his Onewheel while walking Buckley through Downtown Chattanooga and the North Shore. I couldn’t be prouder of both of them! It speaks volumes about Buckley’s training that I’m completely confident he won’t pull Flint off balance, and it also shows just how much Flint has learned. His balance, confidence, and dog handling skills continue to amaze me.

Days like this remind me that this never feels like work. Exploring the city, making memories, and helping dogs become/maintain the best versions of themselves is something I’ll never take for granted. I truly feel blessed to do what I love every single day. ❤️🐶

07/27/2026

When we don’t have dogs in training, you’ll usually find us training… our cat and rabbit instead! 😂

Yesterday we took Flint, my goddaughter, Flint’s best friend, Pup our Rottweiler, Shambala the cat, and Waddles the rabbit to Coolidge Park for an evening adventure.

Believe it or not, getting Waddles out into busy public places wasn’t just because I’ve always wanted a rabbit. It was part of the plan from the very beginning! So many dogs struggle with prey drive and react to rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals. By making sure Waddles is calm, confident, and comfortable around people, dogs, loud noises, and lots of distractions, she becomes an incredible training partner for the dogs in our program.

And Shambala? Well… having a harness trained cat who is best friends with a rabbit definitely doesn’t hurt either! 😆

Let’s be honest… it’s pretty fun being able to say, “Sure, I train dogs… but have you ever seen a harness trained cat and rabbit that are best friends?”

At PAWSitive Transformations, we believe the best training happens in the real world, creating calm, confident animals one adventure at a time. ❤️🐾🐇🐈

07/22/2026

I was driving my family up to Wisconsin, and training doesn’t stop just because we’re on the road. In this video, we’re taking a lunch break while my mom works with her seeing eye dog. This is exactly the kind of real world experience that helps create confident, well behaved dogs.

Think about everything Augie is learning all at once: new sights, unfamiliar sounds, different smells, busy restaurants, people coming and going, and the opportunity to calmly observe a highly trained working dog without interacting. Instead of focusing on the seeing eye dog, Augie is learning that his job is to stay engaged with me. Those are priceless lessons that simply can’t be recreated in a controlled training room.

This is why I’ve intentionally kept PAWSitive Transformations small. We are not your typical board and train facility where dogs spend most of their day in kennels. Every dog becomes part of our family and our daily lives. Whether we’re running errands, enjoying lunch on a road trip, or exploring new environments, every moment becomes a learning opportunity.

Real life creates real results, and that’s what fully immersive training is all about.

Congratulations on your new name (and home), Augie! We can’t wait to watch you continue to grow into an incredible companion.

07/15/2026

Augie officially has a name!

I’m currently driving my family up to Wisconsin, so training doesn’t stop just because we’re on the road. In this video, we’re taking a lunch break while my mom works with her seeing eye dog. This is exactly the kind of real world experience that helps create confident, well behaved dogs.

Think about everything Augie is learning all at once. New sights, unfamiliar sounds, different smells, busy restaurants, people coming and going, and the opportunity to calmly observe a highly trained working dog without interacting. Instead of focusing on the seeing eye dog, Augie is learning that his job is to stay engaged with me. Those are priceless lessons that simply can’t be recreated in a controlled training room.

This is why I’ve intentionally kept PAWSitive Transformations small. We are not your typical board and train facility where dogs spend most of their day in kennels. Every dog becomes part of our family and our daily lives. Whether we’re running errands, enjoying lunch on a road trip, or exploring new environments, every moment becomes a learning opportunity.

Real life creates real results, and that’s what fully immersive training is all about.

Congratulations on your new name, Augie! We can’t wait to watch you continue to grow into an incredible companion.

07/13/2026

We’re Wisconsin bound! I’ve intentionally kept my business small to give the best, stress free, fully immersive training. Augie is part of our family and headed up north with us. This gives him a fully immersive training! I’ll post longer videos of our adventures later. Back on the road!

07/11/2026

Today’s adventure brought us to White Duck Taco Shop, one of my favorite places to train! It’s full of people, food, kids, noises, and all kinds of distractions, making it the perfect environment to help puppies learn how to focus on their handler instead of everything happening around them.

Joining us today is this adorable young Aussiedoodle from Remedy Ranch Aussiedoodles! He doesn’t officially have a name yet because his family is still deciding, so we’re excited to see what they choose!

We also have someone very special to introduce… meet Miss Waddles! 🐇❤️

Miss Waddles is our nine week old Flemish Giant rabbit and the newest member of the PAWSitive Transformations family. She has the sweetest temperament imaginable, and I’ve been spending lots of time harness training her, socializing her, and helping her become confident in new environments.

She isn’t just here because she’s adorable though. Miss Waddles has an important job!

Many of the dogs and puppies that come into training struggle with impulse control, excitement around small animals, or have a naturally high prey drive. Under careful supervision and at a distance where everyone is comfortable, Miss Waddles helps us teach dogs how to remain calm, make good choices, and focus on their handler instead of reacting to what’s around them.

Our goal isn’t simply to teach dogs to obey. We want them to think through situations, regulate their emotions, and learn that calm behavior is rewarding, even around exciting distractions.

Every outing is another opportunity to build confidence, strengthen communication, and create dogs that are prepared for the real world.

What do you think they should name this sweet little Aussiedoodle? Leave your suggestions in the comments! 🐶🐇

06/24/2026

One of my passions has always been wildlife rehabilitation. During the COVID shutdowns, life slowed down in a way that allowed us to form some pretty incredible bonds with the animals around us. They became so accustomed to us that I could step onto the front porch and call out, “Squirrel, Robin, Dov, come!” and they would come flying from the trees or scurrying down for breakfast.

In this video, my goddaughter Cadence is carrying things in from the car while Squirrel is absolutely harassing her for snacks. You’ll also see Nubs, a dog I got at a day old and bottle raised… a two-legged hound dog, convinced he’s finally going to catch that squirrel! Then Flint jumps into action, trying to rescue Cadence by swatting at Squirrel with his shirt.

Meanwhile, I’m inside the house silently laughing while recording, trying not to give myself away.

Our life has never looked anything close to typical. It’s been messy, chaotic, unpredictable, and sometimes downright ridiculous. But it has also been full of adventures, animals, laughter, and memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

I thought I’d share a little glimpse of one of those moments with all of you.

06/13/2026

Ryder may have already flown home to Florida with his mom and aunt, but I found this video in my camera roll and had to share it!

Watch closely and pay attention to how little I have to use the leash. We’re at Bass Pro Shops, and there’s another puppy nearby that is clearly excited, playful, and would love nothing more than to run over and say hello. Ryder would have loved that too!

Instead of relying on leash corrections or physical management, I’m using verbal communication, engagement, and rewards to help Ryder make good decisions. You’ll see me use treats as lures when needed, but the real goal is teaching impulse control and helping him learn that he doesn’t have to act on every impulse just because he’s excited.

This is one of the most important skills a dog can learn. A well-trained dog isn’t one that never wants to chase, play, greet, or investigate. A well-trained dog is one that can choose to listen despite those distractions.

Ryder made tremendous progress during his Stay & Play Training, and I couldn’t be more proud of him. Safe travels back to Florida, sweet boy. We miss you already!

06/09/2026

Today Flint and I headed to the dog park, but only because we had the entire place to ourselves! Safety always comes first, and an empty park gave us the perfect opportunity to work on building Lucy’s confidence.

Using the park equipment, we’re helping Lucy learn that new surfaces, movement, and unusual obstacles aren’t scary. The seesaw is a big challenge for many dogs, but confidence is built one positive experience at a time. Every brave step she takes today helps create a more resilient, confident dog tomorrow.

If you listen closely to the video, you’ll hear Flint and me joking back and forth. Now that school is out for the summer, Flint is spending more time helping with the dogs and learning what it takes to run a small business. From filming training sessions and helping care for dogs to learning responsibility, communication skills, work ethic, customer service, and money management, these are lessons that can’t always be taught in a classroom.

When you choose PAWSitive Transformations, you’re not just investing in your dog’s success. You’re also helping support a young man who’s learning valuable life skills, building confidence, and discovering the rewards that come from hard work and helping others.

Thank you for trusting us with your dogs and allowing us to do what we love every single day. ❤️🐾

06/08/2026

Ryder is doing absolutely phenomenal!

Today we spent the day training at the Tennessee Aquarium and the surrounding downtown area, and it was the perfect opportunity to work through real-world distractions. Between the River Market, food vendors, merchants selling their products, children running and playing in the fountains, and all the exciting sights and smells, there was no shortage of challenges!

One of Ryder’s greatest strengths is also one of the things we’re working on most right now. Thanks to the incredible foundation provided by , Ryder is extremely social and loves people. He wants to greet everyone he sees and soak up all the attention, pets, and affection he can get!

While we love his friendly personality, we’re focusing on impulse control and teaching him that he can’t run up to every person he meets. Learning to stay focused, make good choices, and look to his handler for direction is an important part of becoming a well-mannered companion.

I’m incredibly proud of how far Ryder has come. Days like today are a great reminder that training isn’t just about commands, it’s about helping dogs learn how to navigate the world successfully. Ryder continues to impress me, and I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes next!

Address

Chattanooga, TN

Telephone

+14238259579

Website

https://www.ChattanoogaDogTrainer.com/

Alerts

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

Contact The Business

Send a message to PAWSitiveTransformations:

Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service in Chattanooga?