Pawsitive Change Dog Training

13/10/2025

During a recent consultation a client expressed how much their dog LOVES bully sticks! However, they don't give them because their dog eats them so fast they worry about them consuming the small piece at the end (that could be a choking hazard). I have this same problem with Lupine who could eat a 6" extra thick bully stick in 10 minutes. That reminded me of the BEST bully stick holder I've found. This holds onto the end of the stick so I can trade for it and throw that tiny piece of bully stick away.

Please note that the bully stick holder comes in different sizes. Choose accordingly.

https://amzn.to/4h3dOG9
This post contains affiliate links.

The Bow Wow Buddy is a durable, easy to use, veterinarian recommended and dog approved device that tightly secures bully sticks, preventing dogs from choking on the last bit of the treat. Available in different sizes and best used together with Bow Wow Labs premium, hand-selected Safe Fit Bully S...

11/10/2025

Distraction Proofing

Public events are one of my favorite opportunities for training around distractions. I don't usually use parades due to the loud sirens, but our little town has a few events a year that work well for Arry. Over the years how long we've been out and where we practice around the activities (ex. the edge, across the block or in the thick of things) has varied based on her comfort and skill level. I was so proud of her focus and confidence around kids and food distractions this past weekend. She's come a long way around children especially.

Now of course, this type of event is not for every dog. Lupine stayed home as she would be nervous and have a hard time focusing around a crowd. But at almost 9 years old, Arry has gone to this event a few times and did the best by far this year. I like to think that part of it is that she trusts me more than ever to keep her safe and get her out of too hard situations.

One example of how I support her is that when kids (and adults for that matter) ask to pet her I always say "if she wants to say hi" and then Arry chooses to go up to them or not. Of the 5 or so kids who asked throughout the event, she choose to approach all of them and accepted petting from all but one. With the few kids who reached for her without asking, I maneuvered so that she could hide behind me if she wanted to and treated her immediately. I swear Arry was very pleased with all the comments about how cute she was in her costume!

www.PawsitiveChangeMT.com

09/10/2025

THIS!

DISTRACTED DOG WALKERS

The distracted dog walker is commonly seen chatting on their cell phone, wearing headphones or socializing with other people while oblivious to what their dog is doing, how their dog is feeling or what is going on in the environment.

This may not sound like a problem, but it is something that many of us have a problem with, even more so if we have a reactive, sensitive dog.

I always compare walking a dog to driving a car. It’s not so much about our driving skills, but having to constantly be aware of the driving skills of others – trying to predict what they will do, which rules of the road they will ignore and how distracted they are. This is especially true in the country I live in, where driving can be a really stressful experience.

I understand that we often need to multi task – there simply doesn’t seem to be enough time in our day to accomplish everything we need to, but walking our dogs should not be one of these times.

Some may say – “but my dog is really friendly, well socialized, gets on well with everyone, is well trained, knows this environment well etc. and I hear that. But another dog might not be – maybe they need space, are reactive, sensitive, selectively social, have health issues, might be terrified of another dog racing straight towards them chasing a ball thrown from a ball launcher etc.

If distracted dog walkers have no regard for other dogs or other people, they should at least have regard for their own dogs.

Walking your dog should be a time of bonding, of connecting, of seeing the environment through the eyes of your dog, of reinforcing and rewarding wanted behaviours, of keeping them safe and protected.

Our dogs need us to be focused, to pay attention, to be aware and attentive. Our dogs depend on us to advocate for them.

07/10/2025

Tuesday Tips: Trade

A few days ago I shared Dogs Disclosed's information on resource guarding. An important practice to avoid resource guarding is to 'trade' your dog for things that you want from them. Trade, don't take. As promised, here are steps for doing so!

www.PawsitiveChangeMT.com

06/10/2025

Such a helpful explanation of what it means to be 'under-threshold'. This is something that is always on my mind as I create and adapt a training plan. A dog who is too far over threshold is literally processing information through different pathways of the brain then a calm dog. If your dog is using the 'fight/flight' pathways it is very difficult for them to exhibit the behavior you want let alone learn new things.

Setting a dog up to be under threshold can be one of the biggest challenges in any behavior modification plan. I can help! www.PawsitiveChangeMT.com

Thanks to Bone Canis Canine Training and Behavior Services for the great image.

04/10/2025

Leash Lock

Have you ever been in a challenging situation and your over excited or reactive dog pulled the leash through your hands no matter how hard you held on? You need to know about the leash lock!

A leash lock is a way to hold the leash shorter where the leash rubs against itself to create friction so it doesn't slide through your hands. I use a 6' leash (this is my favorite) but may need to shorten it in a crowd or cramped space around distractions. I also use the leash lock often when using my 15' leash.

The first image shows how I hold the leash and the second shows how the leash lock looks when you close your fist. Yes, I do put the loop around my wrist. This is a personal choice I've made and have only had a dog pull me down once (and it wasn't even my own dog). If you are not comfortable putting the leash loop around your wrist, I've included additional images to show how to do it with the leash loop on your thumb. Using that technique, the middle of the leash could be looped over whichever other finger feels most comfortable (I demonstrated it over my pointer finger here). Again I've shown both what it looks like to setup the leash in your hand and once you close your fist to create the lock.

Try it out!

www.pawsitivechangeMT.com

02/10/2025

Such an important reminder from Dogs Disclosed!
I’ll share my tips for “trade” as my next Tuesday Tip!

DON’T TOUCH MY STUFF!

We all guard our resources; it’s a very normal, natural reaction to a threat of something we value being taken away.

Animals would not survive in the wild if they didn’t guard their resources. It’s essential for survival.

Just because our dogs are domesticated and shouldn’t be concerned about these things, doesn’t mean that this innate, genetic behaviour disappears.

We also don’t get to decide what’s valuable to our dogs or what’s not – different things have different value and at different times.

Food is usually the most common, but toys, furniture, random objects, places, or even a particular person are all things that may be considered a valuable resource.

Punishing or forcing a dog to give something up is probably one of the worst things to do. Resource guarding is rooted in the emotion of fear – the fear of that resource being taken away.

Punishment and force further increase that fear, which only increases and reinforces the need to protect that resource.

When a dog is guarding something, we can change the negative emotion of fear into a positive one by swapping, trading or adding something that has a similar or higher value.

This is one of the most effective ways to address resource guarding as it works at the root cause of the behaviour by changing the emotional response.

A dog resource guarding a person is more complicated to address. A full history of the individual dog, family dynamics, attachment styles, situation and environment all have to be assessed before planning and working on a solution.

Resource guarding can usually be prevented, managed, or resolved by understanding the underlying emotion, building trust and a sense of safety, and using consistent practice coupled with positive reinforcement.

30/09/2025

27/09/2025

Quick reminder that a dog loving every dog is not actually the norm for a mature adult. Dog tolerant is a more realistic ideal. Frankly I find this very relatable. Young humans make friends easily, play with individuals of all types. As we mature we tend to get more ... selective.. about our social circle. Dog parks are often full of dog social adolescents who may not have the most polite social skills. If your dog is dog tolerant or even selective they aren't likely to have a great time with a bunch of bumbling adolescents. Better to arrange play dates or go on hikes with a select group of friends instead.

As always Lili Chin has relayed this information through adorable images.

www.PawsitivechangeMT.com

25/09/2025

Good clarification here on what foods are actually toxic for dogs. Cheese (in very small pieces) has always been one of my go to high value treats.

Of course, there are individuals who may not be able to have some of the “yes” foods due to their unique health needs. You know your dog best.

Here’s a corrected infographic to help fix the popular but incorrect meme that has been circulating on social media this last month.
Please DON’T post “But I’ve heard X food is toxic” in the comments, rather, post the research studies (not links to outdated dog websites or blogs that haven’t bothered to clarify their poorly written material) about foods that have been declared “toxic” if consumed by pets with no science to back up the claim.
When you spend time searching the literature for toxicology studies on the feeding of fresh fruits and veggies to pets you come up shockingly empty-handed. AAFCO/FEDIAF state we should not feed these foods to pets: onions, grapes/raisins, macadamia nuts and chocolate. Those studies exist, but that’s it. 4 foods.
Compare that to never ending TOXIC/DON’T FEED lists found all over social media and it’s so confusing; even worse, people share these posts without doing any research.
There’s a big difference between feeding a giant pit in a fruit (or a wad of bark or leaves) and feeding normal amounts the actual edible fruit or veggie; same goes for your two-legged kids. Toddlers and pets need to have the rinds, cores, seeds, leaves, stems and pits of fruits removed prior to eating, and all fruits and veggies need to be chopped into tiny, bite-sized pieces. Common sense, right?
I believe pet parents also have some common sense and won’t offer rinds, pits or cores to their pets as treats; AKC and ASPCA, please update or clarify your out-of-date website info 🙏🏼.
Suggestion for pet websites discussing feeding real foods: put a * by foods that have a rind, pit, core or stem. Remind folks training treats should less than 10% of an animal’s daily calories, and if your pet has never had the new food before, always feed them slowly, giving the GI tract time to adjust. Chop them into tiny pieces and offer in moderation.
It’s time to declare common sense for the win; pet parents aren’t idiots, so it’s time we stop perpetuating fear-based myths and denying animals the fresh food treats they deserve. 🫐🍎🍒🍑🥭🥑🥝🥦🥬🥕🍌🥚🥒🍆🥥🍉🐾

23/09/2025

Tuesday Tips: Situational Awareness

This topic is always on my mind when walking a dog. Honestly, it's an important safety reminder for keeping yourself safe too! I was at the park with my toddler but no dog. But even though we were the only ones there I kept one eye on the surroundings and one on my kid. As women it's drilled into us to be aware of our surroundings even in seemingly safe places in the light of day. Good thing I did too as a less than responsible dog parent let his off leash, under trained, fearful dog run towards us barking. I was already carrying my kid at that point as I saw them coming so he was well out of bite range should the worst have happened. It ended up being fine but I'm glad I was proactive and my kiddo was safe and giggling in my arms instead of potentially scared by a charging and barking dog.

22/09/2025

Ah fall. We are in the transition season where it's chilly enough in the morning to want a light jacket but by mid afternoon we may be longing for our shorts and tanks again. This means I'm still carrying water for my dogs even on short town walks. Lupine the boxer gets thirsty quickly (poor short nosed beastie that she is). So even if it's only 60 degrees and sunny, she will want a drink within 15 minutes of starting a walk. This is the water bottle I use as I don't like having to keep track of a separate bowl and bottle. What's your favorite water bottle setup for your dog?

The double-wall insulated dog water bottle keeps water warm or cool for hours. Vacuum insulation prevents water from freezing and makes water available for pets in extremely cold winter. It says Goodbye to sweating and provides your dogs with cool water in hot summer. The dog tr...