Bessey's Positive Paws

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.

05/12/2026

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?”

Think you don’t have time to train your dog? 🐾Truth: You’re already training your dog maybe just not intentionally. Most...
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!

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

Training your dog doesn’t stop after one class, it’s ongoing.Dogs are learning constantly, whether we’re intentional abo...
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.

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.If you didn’t know, I am a one woman show at Besse...
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
www.facebook.com/besseyspositivepaws
www.instagram.com/erin_bessey_positivepaws

04/10/2026

Majority of dogs aren’t going to naturally stay by your side off leash without some kind of training.

Setting them up with training that helps them be successful can remove a lot of frustration, for you, and provide clarity for your dog.

That can get you to where you are headed a lot faster than by practicing trial and error.

Ask yourself, are teaching your dog what you want them to learn? Are they succeeding majority of the time?

Or, are you seeing a lot of what you don’t like?
Things like not coming when called, not walking by your side, not listening to their name.

Once you know what it is you want from them, you can help teach your dog to do that. Focus on what you want them to do, not what you don’t want them to do.

04/08/2026

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥?

What if “sit” and “stay” aren’t the most important parts of training?

Because here’s the truth…
A dog can follow commands and still feel scared, unsure, or shut down.

🐾 Real training shows up in the moments people don’t post about:
🦷 Nail trims
👂 Ear cleaning
👐 Being handled

The quiet, everyday things that require trust.

✨ Because true training isn’t about control. It’s about your dog feeling safe enough to say: “I trust you to take care of me.”

That means:
🤝 No force
🐶 Giving them a choice
⏸️ Listening when they say “not right now”

When a dog chooses to stay, chooses to cooperate, chooses to trust you…that’s something obedience alone can’t create. That’s a relationship.

💬 “𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞.”This is one of the biggest myths in dog training.Putting your dog into the same hard si...
04/06/2026

💬 “𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞.”

This is one of the biggest myths in dog training.

Putting your dog into the same hard situation over and over doesn’t always help them learn.
Sometimes… it just makes it harder. 😬

Imagine you’re thrown into the deep end of a pool 💦 and you don’t know how to swim.
You panic. You’re trying to stay afloat. You just want out.

Now imagine someone keeps putting you back in, over and over, hoping you’ll “𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡.”

That’s not how learning works.

🐶 Your dog feels the same way in situations that are too big, too loud, or too overwhelming.

They don’t need more pressure.
They need support.

💡 Real progress comes from:
✔️ Starting where your dog can succeed
✔️ Building skills step by step
✔️ Growing confidence over time

✨ Confidence grows in the shallow end, not the deep end.

Send me a direct message or schedule a discovery call if you are tired of trying the same thing over and over again, tired of trying to stay afloat with your dog without much success.

Address

72 S Hunts Meadow Road
Whitefield, ME
04353

Telephone

+12074850851

Website

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