Meg's Pawsitive Pups

11/25/2025

11/21/2025

It has been a busy couple of weeks both professionally and personally. We have been helping Knox acclimate to living indoors, such as potty training, spatial awareness and such. It has been like living with a baby draft horse in the house. He has done great with potty training, no more problems there…Spatial awareness is a work in progress. Reminding him of things like we don’t stand on the living room table, or just because something fits in his enormous mouth, that means he should put something in there 🤣. That includes our cat!! True story, I promised to share the good and bad. Last weekend my husband had to pry our senior cat out of Knox’s mouth. I was not there to witness the incident to know what his intentions were, but it doesn’t matter, no eating or playing with small fuzzy animals with your mouth. We took the cat to urgent care, she was a bit sore for a few days but ok physically. I have been very careful about keeping the cats and our chihuahua out of reach of Knox, because I don’t know how he was going to react to them.
So far I would describe Knox as resourceful, impulsive and way too smart. I have started working his mind more and teaching things to help us communicate what we feel is appropriate in the house. This week we worked on Leave it, Drop it, Place, Stay and as always leash manners. We have been acknowledging him anytime he make a good decision with a “good boy”. I don’t want to spend my whole time with him marking what he does wrong…he is a dog trying to live in a human home, a lot of his actions are just normal dog behavior that we as people view as wrong or inappropriate. During our training sessions this week I realized just how smart he is!! He is a dog that will need guidance and things to do…or he will find things to do on his own 😉.

11/09/2025

Knox has been with us less than 2 weeks. My biggest goal during this time has been just letting him decompress and get to know us as we get to know him. He has had a lot of changes in his life ie death of his owner and being rehomed to a family member where he lived outside most of the time. In just the last month alone he spent a few nights in a shelter, was neutered, lived in a few foster homes, transported from TN to our home. The last month has been about getting him to a better place and life (Thank you Anna ❤️). Oh and we changed his name from Jerry to Knox. Talk about a lot transitions and stress!! We wish we could have explained this all to him, all these changes were for the good. Instead we just let him rest and acclimate. We are fortunate to have Nugget, Kelsey’s dog living with us. He has been key in helping Knox adjust to domestic life. As a trainer I want to teach him so much but I need to slow down and go at his pace. For now he is learning his new name, becoming familiar with the crate and learning to walk on a leash. Baby steps to a bigger goal ❤️🐾

11/06/2025

I promise to share the good and the ugly. Last night was a bit ugly. I received a call at work that Knox had escaped our fenced in yard. He was only unsupervised for less than 3 mins when he made his departure. I was terrified as it was getting dark. I had multiple family members and friends out looking for him. I felt helpless at work. My family met some wonderful neighbors who pointed them in the direction they saw him go. We called the police department to notify them he was loose in case they saw or got calls about him. I also made a post on the town page with his picture. About an hour later he trotted back into the yard. He was ok just tired. Guess he felt it was time to head home after his self guided tour of the neighborhoods and woods behind the house.

So what did we learn from this…Knox will
not be unsupervised outside even in the fenced in yard, not for a minute. He has only been with us a week, we are still getting to know each other. Knox lived outside, loose with no restrictions for the first part of his life. He is a smart boy with survival instincts and street smarts. We were lucky he is ok and will now move forward. Picture below of his first pup cup after his vet appointment 🐾❤️

11/05/2025

We have adopted a new dog. As a professional trainer I felt it was important to share this journey with others. People bring in new puppies and adult dogs into their homes everyday. There is so much excitement, stress, frustration and love during the transition. It happens with all
of us, even professionals trainers. Bear with me as I give you a bit of background on our new pup “Knox”.
Knox formally known as Jerry was found the first week in October by a friend’s daughter in Knoxville, TN while she was delivering Meals on Wheels. His previous owner had passed away and a family member was looking after him. He had admitted he really couldn’t take proper care of him. Knox was sweet, goofy and very skinny. Anna offered to help and brought him to a shelter. There he was given some vaccines and flea treatment. He was estimated to be 18 months old. Anna would foster him (with the help of some friends too) and try to find him a home.
We saw her Facebook post on him and loved him 😍. It took time and patience but he was finally transported to us last week.
I will start posting our progress on Knox and his transition to his new home with us. I will discuss the challenges and the progress we have made. So stay tuned ❤️🐾🐶

05/01/2025

Great read on dominance theory

THE PLOT TO DOMINATE HUMANS

We hear it far too much - “my dog is dominant” or “trying to be the alpha” or “I have to be the pack leader to show my dog who’s in charge”.

The definition of dominance - dominant in the chain of command / occupying or being in a commanding or elevated position / having a controlling, prevailing, or powerful position in a social hierarchy. Do we really believe this of our dogs in the context of our relationship with them? Are dogs really trying to take over our homes and rule the world?

We control everything in their lives - what and when they eat, when they go out, their choices, where they sleep, who they interact with, their environment etc. and yet it’s still believed they are trying to dominate us.

Yes, dominance between dogs does exist, but not in the way that we may assume. It exists in certain situations or contexts, is fluid and may constantly change. It’s not usually about using force but about one individual deferring to another.

Dogs know that we are not dogs and they don’t expect us to behave like other dogs.

Dogs need us to be their advocate, a source of security, of safety and a secure base from which they can navigate our world – not a source of pain, fear, intimidation, force, competition and dominance.

There is a vast amount of scientific evidence and information available that debunks the dominance myth as it pertains to our relationship with dogs.

Here are just a few links and references for further information -

American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour – “An appropriate trainer should avoid any use of training tools that involve pain (choke chains prong collars, or electronic shock collars), intimidation (sq**rt bottles, shaker noise cans, compressed air cans, shouting, staring, or forceful manipulations such as "alpha rolls" or "dominance downs physical correction techniques (leash jerking, physical force), or flooding exposure. The learner must always feel safe and have the ability to "opt out” of training sessions”

Why Dominance Theory Fails in Dog Training
https://readypupgo.biz/why-dominance-theory-fails-in-dog-training/

Dr Anne Mcbride & SJ Evans
https://www.apbc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/APBC-Dominance-Article.pdf

Dr. L. David Mech talks about the terms "alpha" and "beta" wolves and why they are no longer scientifically accurate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNtFgdwTsbU

04/24/2025

❤️🐾

Positive dog training isn't just about teaching commands.

It’s about building trust, confidence, and self-belief in your dog, all while ensuring that the methods used are force-free and non-invasive.

This approach nurtures a healthy relationship and creates a safe, cooperative environment for both you and your dog.

04/17/2025

Gideon did great today with his day training. We worked outside on his stays. ❤️🐾

04/11/2025

your dog’s breed matters!!

Yes, Your Dog's Breed DOES Matter - Here's Why

I've noticed a concerning trend in dog training circles lately: "Breed doesn't matter. Talking about breed traits is just stereotyping. All dogs are individuals."

While this sounds enlightened and progressive, it's dangerously misleading.

Of course every dog is an individual with their own personality. But pretending that centuries of selective breeding hasn't created meaningful differences between dog breeds isn't progressive - it's ignoring reality.

No other species on earth has been so deliberately diversified by humans. We've spent many hundreds of years selectively breeding dogs for specific traits, behaviors, and abilities to perform vastly different jobs.

And those genetics matter.

Stand a Pug next to a Belgian Malinois. Look at their physical appearance, energy level, and behavior. They're so different it's hard to believe they're the same species. Acknowledging this isn't stereotyping - it's observation.

More than half the training issues I've seen in my career could have been prevented or significantly minimized if owners had carefully considered what kind of dog they were getting.

When someone living in a small city apartment brings home a Husky bred for running miles pulling sleds in cold climates, then wonders why the dog is struggling... that's not the dog's fault. That's a mismatch of genetics and lifestyle.

When a family wants a bombproof social dog for their busy household with many visitors, but chooses a breed selectively bred for guardian tendencies - that's setting everyone up for unnecessary challenges.

Acknowledging breed tendencies isn't limiting your dog. It's seeing them for who they are - and part of who they are is their genetics.

If you have a herding breed, you should expect to work more on motion sensitivity and chase behaviors - these traits are foundational to what makes them excel at herding.

If you have a terrier, you should anticipate certain natural tendencies toward prey drive and digging.

If you have a guardian breed, their natural wariness of strangers isn't a "training failure" - it's part of what made them excellent at their historical job.

Individual personality and environment will certainly influence how these traits express themselves, but the underlying genetic predispositions are real.

All dogs need social time, enrichment, and novelty. They need daily exercise and training. But how MUCH exercise, what TYPE of training, and which specific activities will fulfill them best is significantly influenced by breed.

Respecting breed tendencies isn't stereotyping - it's setting your dog up for success by understanding and honoring who they are.


Happy (Breed-Specific) Training!

04/09/2025

It was a beautiful day to work/play with Maya on her day training/enrichment walk. She gets to explore, sniff, run while safely attached to a long line. During the walk we practice her basic cues like recall. She had a great time

04/05/2025

I AIN’T MISBEHAVING
I’m just doing what dogs do!

What may look like misbehaviour is often just a dog behaving as dogs naturally do.

We expect so much of our dogs when we bring them into our world, forgetting that they are a different species that don’t arrive pre-programmed to behave in a way we expect them to.

We hold dog’s captive in a confined, unnatural space and then become frustrated when they don’t behave the way we expect.

We become frustrated when our dogs don’t walk nicely on a lead, don’t get on with every other dog or person they meet, steal food from counter tops, don’t give things back, guard resources, dig, chew or destroy what they shouldn’t, bark, howl, whine or perhaps growl etc.

We need to replace our frustration and our need to train away or fix unwanted behaviour with understanding, patience and guidance.

Understand that dogs naturally behave in a certain way. Be patient while guiding them to learn a different way to behave through using force free, positive reinforcement methods, meeting their needs and managing their environment.

Providing outlets to engage in natural behaviour, providing mental, physical and social stimulation and understanding why dogs behave the way they do will create secure relationship and make such a difference in their lives.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our dogs is our understanding.

04/04/2025

Got to meet Aurora and her family. She is a very enthusiastic and pretty girl. Both she and her family did a great job in their first session.