Best Paw Forward

Best Paw Forward Best Paw Forward trains dogs of all ages, size, and breeds. What can I say....we just LOVE dogs! We We have 2 locations ~ Hartland and Pewaukee.

Best Paw Forward offers a variety of classes on different days and at various times. To find the class that best fits your schedule, please visit www.bestpawforward.net or call us at 262-369-3935.

Holiday Closing Reminder ~Best Paw Forward will be closed 12/24 - 12/28 and 12/31 - 1/1. There will be no classes on tho...
12/20/2025

Holiday Closing Reminder ~

Best Paw Forward will be closed 12/24 - 12/28 and 12/31 - 1/1. There will be no classes on those dates. Our full schedule of classes will resume on 1/2.

From the BPF family to yours, Merry Christmas ~ thank you for being part of our lives!

Have you ever been working with your dog on a day when things just didn’t go as planned and find that your dog is strugg...
12/19/2025

Have you ever been working with your dog on a day when things just didn’t go as planned and find that your dog is struggling too? Dogs are very in tuned to our energy and moods. When we are relaxed and confident, they are more likely to feel that way also. If we are in a bad mood or frustrated, they may be hesitant or frustrated also. Even if we are not in training mode, our dogs may change their behavior to mirror ours.

Recently, my seven-month-old pup, who is deep into the p***y adolescent stage, was tired after a long day and was getting into some puppy shenanigans. I knew he was tired, but I had had a long day too and just wanted to get him outside to relieve himself. Instead of being a patient caregiver, I was a little short with him as I redirected him away from the footstool for the umpteenth time. That only made his behavior worse as he reacted to my amped-up energy. Once I took a deep breath and tried again more calmly, he calmed down too and happily grabbed a toy while I finished putting on my coat.

None of us are ever perfect in our interactions with our dogs but if we make a conscience effort to take a deep breath and calm ourselves when we are struggling with training or with our dog’s behavior, we may find that our dog will also be calmer and more receptive to our requests. Try it and see!

Yes, they do!! ❤🐶Credit: Red and Howling
12/18/2025

Yes, they do!! ❤🐶
Credit: Red and Howling

Wednesday ~"This is the third puppy I’ve trained with Best Paw Forward. Each time is wonderful! While I feel like I kn...
12/17/2025

Wednesday ~

"This is the third puppy I’ve trained with Best Paw Forward. Each time is wonderful! While I feel like I know some of the content, it’s different going to class, practicing with distracted puppies all around, and retraining myself!"

Sally & Doug
(Puppy Kindergarten, graduation date 11/2/25)

Sniff walks are mentally enriching in every season. Let your dogs stop and smell what's under their noses! ☃️Credit: Sha...
12/16/2025

Sniff walks are mentally enriching in every season. Let your dogs stop and smell what's under their noses! ☃️
Credit: Shay Kelly and Mighty Dog Graphics

🐾 Do you have a new puppy that you want to get into class but are hesitant to start with the holidays just around the co...
12/15/2025

🐾 Do you have a new puppy that you want to get into class but are hesitant to start with the holidays just around the corner. We still have a few spots available in the Puppy Kindergarten class that begins this Wednesday, December 17th at 6:15pm in our Hartland location. We are starting the class now because we wanted to give pet parents a chance to get the orientation in before the holidays so you can get questions answered and get a quick start on some basic exercises that only take a couple of minutes a day. Then classes will pick up again on January 7th after the busyness of the holidays are over. If you aren’t able to attend the orientation this Wednesday, it is also available online to registered students.

This six-week class, for puppies 9 to 15 weeks of age at the beginning of class, teaches you how puppies learn and communicate. You will learn the fundamentals of becoming a benevolent guardian for your dog. Puppy classes include the basics of crate training, house breaking, nipping, chewing, jumping, separation anxiety, basic cues, confidence building exercises and more. There is ample time in each class for the puppies to work on socialization to people, objects, sounds, a new environment and to other puppies, which is a critical part of your puppy’s development. Please call Lisa at 262-369-3935 or email [email protected] to register for this class.

For more details, please visit https://www.bestpawforward.net/manners.html

Congratulations to the Tuesday evening Basic Manners graduates from our Pewaukee location! These incredible pups and the...
12/15/2025

Congratulations to the Tuesday evening Basic Manners graduates from our Pewaukee location! These incredible pups and their amazing handlers just wrapped up eight weeks of teamwork, training, and tail wags! Through fun games, consistent practice, and plenty of treats (and laughs!), these teams built stronger bonds and developed valuable skills to help their pups thrive as well-mannered family members. We're so proud of all the progress you've made and are thrilled to be part of your journey. Here's to bright futures ahead for each and every one of you — keep up the great work! 🐾🎓

"You dog is speaking to you all the time. Remember to listen with your eyes." - Pat Miller ...
12/15/2025

"You dog is speaking to you all the time. Remember to listen with your eyes." - Pat Miller

Congratulations to the puppies and handlers who graduated from Puppy Agility class on Tuesday night in Hartland! These t...
12/13/2025

Congratulations to the puppies and handlers who graduated from Puppy Agility class on Tuesday night in Hartland! These teams enhanced their relationship through clear communication and trust, all while having fun, as they learned to navigate obstacles like jumps, weaves, dog walk, and tunnels. In the safety of this structured environment, the puppies strengthened their balance, coordination, problem-solving skills, and confidence. We wish them much more fun and joy in their future adventures together! 🐾🐾

You may have discovered in working with your own dog that higher pitched sounds usually attract your dog and let them kn...
12/12/2025

You may have discovered in working with your own dog that higher pitched sounds usually attract your dog and let them know that it is safe to approach, while lower pitched sounds may indicate to them that you are angry or frustrated. Based on a recent study by researchers led by Anna Gabor at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, we see that dogs naturally interpret human sounds as signals for yes or no, or here versus there. They are likely genetically wired to recognize specific sound patterns. In addition to differences in pitch, they also use the duration of sounds and the frequency of repetition to determine the degree of excitement, urgency or seriousness. For instance, my new pup knows that when I call “pup, pup, puppieeee” in a happy, high-pitched voice, he should come running to me no matter what he is doing. The pitch, word repetition and length that the last word is drawn out, mean good things – me, probably a yummy treat and FUN! The more melodic and sweet-sounding the tone, the better as far as he is concerned.

Even though most of us have our own experiences and anecdotal evidence of these things, it is always nice to know that scientific studies have validated it too. In the experiment mentioned above, the dogs’ owners knelt behind a screen so that they could see their dogs, but their dogs could not see their faces or body language. The owners only used the same simple sound, but they could vary the length, pitch, volume, or number of repetitions. The owners had to guide their dog either toward them or to a distant location. The sounds they made were then recorded and analyzed. They found that the dogs were very good at understanding the sounds in terms of yes versus no and somewhat able to understand here versus there. Anytime we can tap into things that our dogs already instinctively know, it makes our communication with them that much easier. Think about that the next time you are working with your dog. Your voice, body language and emotional state can make such a difference when training your dog.

Ah...relaxing and comfortable! 🤣Credit: Thoughts of Dog
12/11/2025

Ah...relaxing and comfortable! 🤣
Credit: Thoughts of Dog

Address

1005 Richards Road, Ste H
Hartland, WI
53029

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+12623693935

Website

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Our Training Philosophy

Training is the most important thing you will ever do for your dog. How you approach training will forever affect the relationship between you and your dog. At Best Paw Forward, we strive to help you and your dog become a team. We truly believe that a relationship built on trust and cooperation will lead to a solid partnership and a lifelong bond.

We believe in positive, motivational training methods, which have been scientifically tested to show great results. We use a reward-based training approach that makes the learning experience fun for the dog and will ensure that your dog will put his "best paw forward", listening to and following your cues. We keep our classes fun for both dogs and guardians while learning in a friendly, positive environment. No pain, no force, no fear.

Best Paw Forward celebrated its 15th anniversary in the dog training business in 2017. We have been voted No. 1 for Best Dog Training on the Milwaukee A-List for eight years in a row and received First Place in the Pet Training category in the 2016 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Top Choice Awards - Best of Greater Milwaukee.