Bessey's Positive Paws

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Bessey's Positive Paws

Family friendly dog training for all ages! Erin Bessey started dog training in 2005 and has since become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer.

Also an APDT professional member, the largest association for dog trainers, and employee at the Windsor Vet Clinic, Erin is well educated in the way of dogs.

05/27/2026

I think a lot of dog owners quietly feel like they’re failing if they can’t do it all every day.

The long walk, the training session, the mental enrichment activities, perfect reactions, endless patience.

But real life doesn’t always leave room for all of that.
👣Some days your best might look like a shorter walk.
🚪Some days management is the right choice.
🧘‍♀️Some days everyone just needs a calm, low pressure day.

That doesn’t make you lazy. It doesn’t undo progress. And it definitely doesn’t make you a bad dog owner.

Perfection isn’t the goal.

🐾🦴The goal is to crest a stable, realistic life with your dog that you can actually maintain long term.

Consistency over perfection every single time.

05/22/2026

Any behavior we teach a dog isn’t one and done.

We make sure the dog can perform it in a variety of situations and environments. If we don’t, we need to make sure our expectations in those new environments are adjusted correctly.

For example, my dog’s recall is really very good on our own property of 40+ acres. However, if I took them to a new field or open space, I would not expect their recalls to be as sharp.

Why?

Because while we train and proof on our own property, I do not get them out in other environments to practice often enough. Not to a point where I would allow them to just have off leash freedom and hope they do well.

Just because your dog can do it correctly in one scenario doesn’t mean they are going to be successsful in all scenarios.

Build it. 🏠
Go somewhere new. A slightly easier environment.
Use long leashes to help remind them what the expectations are. Remind them coming to you is a good thing to do.

Training a behavior evolves. It starts one way and you change it, tweak it, and ask for more as they get better and better.

05/12/2026

Have you ever found yourself comparing your current dog to your last dog or a friend’s dog?

We’ve all been there and done that. But did you know that can impact how your training goes with your dog?

When we are putting labels on our dogs, we start making excuses for their behavior instead of training or improving it.

Just like you don’t want to be compared to your brother or sister, a dog shouldn’t be compared to past or present dogs.

Train the dog in front of you. Instead of wondering “why can’t my dog do xyz?”, ask yourself “what hasn’t my dog learned?”

05/09/2026

Think you don’t have time to train your dog? 🐾

Truth: You’re already training your dog maybe just not intentionally. Most owners think training means:

❌ Long training sessions - 30+ minutes
❌ Perfect heel every single step of a leashed walk
❌ Instant recall, no matter the distraction
❌ Never barking, jumping, or reacting

Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Here’s the reality:
✅ Short, frequent sessions win
✅ Practice in real-life moments beats staged drills
✅ Consistency beats duration
✅ Fun + motivation = lasting results 🎉

You don’t need a big block of time. Sneak training into your day instead:
🍽 Before meals → Brief “sit” or “wait”
🚪 At doorways → practice “wait” or “focus”
🚶‍♀️ During walks → 30-second focus or loose-leash drills
🧹 While cleaning → “place” or calm settling

Even just 5 minutes sprinkled throughout your day adds up and your dog will notice the difference.

Stop overthinking. Start sneaking in small wins. Your dog will learn, your bond will grow, and life will feel easier. 💛

💡 Pro tip: Save this post for later—you’ll want to reference these sneaky training moments every day!

05/08/2026

🐾 Training is so much more than obedience.
It’s not just about sit, stay, or come.
It’s about trust. 💛

Trust that can show up in the small, everyday moments like ear cleaning, nail trims, or being handled or brushed.

Those things can feel scary or uncomfortable for your dog.
And they matter just as much as any command.

✨ Real training means:
🤝 Your dog feels safe with you
👐 You can handle them 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 force
🐶 They have a choice to say “yes” or “not right now”

Because when your dog trusts you, they don’t just listen… they cooperate.

And that kind of relationship?
That’s what training is really about.

05/05/2026

Training your dog doesn’t stop after one class, it’s ongoing.

Dogs are learning constantly, whether we’re intentional about it or not.

What begins as structured training eventually becomes daily life. A sit for a treat becomes a sit to go outside. Calm behavior becomes the default.

That’s why we focus on building good habits early.

And on the days when you’re exhausted and can’t “train”? You’re not failing, you’re managing.
By preventing unwanted behaviors and interrupting them when needed, you’re still teaching your dog.

In simple terms, we focus on:
✨ Train the behaviors you want
🚫 Prevent the ones you don’t
✋ Interrupt when necessary

If you’re dealing with behaviors that seem to have slowly gotten worse, you’re not behind, your dog has just been practicing something different.

With the right guidance and plan, those habits can change. You don’t need perfection, you need clarity and consistency.

05/03/2026

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

If you didn’t know, I am a one woman show at Bessey’s Positive Paws. 🐾

𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒅𝒐𝒈 🐶 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒈.

If you haven’t already, check me out, give me a follow.

You can help support my business without spending a dollar 💵 by giving me a like ❤️ or👍 , SHARE my posts, and even comment 💬 and invite others to 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 or 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆. I love engaging with people. AND I PROMISE it will not result in a “Hey girl!” direct message just because you commented on a post.

Have a great week!
Bessey's Positive Paws

www.besseyspositivepaws.com
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Address

72 S Hunts Meadow Road
Whitefield, ME
04353

Telephone

+12074850851

Website

http://www.besseyspositivepaws.com/

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