PAWsitively Social Canine Adventures
320 May St South P7B1B6 Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

CALLING ALL KIDS! Do you ponder about pooches? Debate about doggos? Muse about mutts?... Introducing ‘Teg Talks’! If you’ve ever wondered why your dog does the things it does....now is your chance to find out! Have all your dog training or behaviour questions answered by our very own dog expert....TEG!!! Have your parents submit your questions on video to [email protected]! #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #thunderbaydogs #tegtalks #kidsquestions #positivedogtraining #whydoesmydogdothat

Some new ideas I haven’t tried yet!

Some sweet doggy news to cheer us in our lockdown ... https://www.npr.org//bidens-german-shepherd-to-be-celebrat

I am so honoured to have clients that are willing to put in the hard work and dedication required to help their dogs succeed...It was truly a privilege to work with Bailey and Jerry. I am not ashamed to say there were tears of happiness when he successfully worked in a group class with other dogs last month.....he is such a great dog and I’m so proud to see how far Team Jerry has come! I look forward to seeing it continue when classes resume after lockdown! ‘We adopted Jerr...y, our German Shepherd mix, at 8 weeks old from Paws for Love Rescue, Thunder Bay. We took Jerry to puppy school and socialized him by taking him to pet friendly stores. When COVID-19 temporarily stopped dog training classes and in-store visits, we continued at-home training. When Jerry became an adolescent, he began showing signs of anxiety and on-leash reactivity. When in-person dog training resumed, we sought out different types of training that could build Jerry’s confidence and train him to be a well mannered dog. I found Tammy, PAWsitively Social Canine Adventures owner and head trainer, on Facebook. When I saw a video of her training a rescue puppy, I reached out to her in hopes that she could help us train our rescue puppy. We hired Tammy for one-on-one training, which was 5 sessions of private training at our house, in our neighbourhood and in a public setting. As expected, Jerry was nervous during our meet and greet with Tammy. However, by our 5th training session, Jerry was so happy to see his friend, Tammy. The strides that Jerry made from our 1st session to our 5th session was amazing. During our 1st session, Jerry could not be on-leash near our front door and watch people and dogs walk by our house without barking and lunging. By our 5th session, Jerry was able to walk on-leash side by side with a handler and dog that he had never met before. It was obvious that Jerry had built confidence, and as a result, we had build confidence as well. Thank you so much for giving us the resources, tools and confidence to continue to train our good boy, Tammy!’ During lockdown I am offering online consults and Meet and Greets. Please email [email protected] to get a head start so we can hit the ground running after the lockdown! #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #dogsofthunderbay #positivedogtraining #confidenceiskey #smallbusinesstbay #tbaylife #thunderbaydogs

COVID~19 UPDATE: Due to yesterday’s announcement we are once again delaying the start of the next session of classes to after February 11th. If you have registered for any classes that were to take place before February 11th you will receive emails cancelling those classes and rescheduling them after February 11th. Also all private lessons will also be cancelled and will be returned to your account to be rescheduled at your convenience after that date. ... Thank you again for your patience and understanding during these difficult times. Stay tuned to this page for updates and details on upcoming online content to keep you and your dogs engaged and entertained during the lockdown! In the meantime please enjoy yet another pic of the teeny tiny man...and stay safe and be kind. #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #smallbiztbay #puppyprescription #covid #lockdownblues

It’s ‘Train your Dog Tuesday’! I decided to show you the progression of teaching Teg a new trick. I think sometimes we put up our own barriers to training our dogs. I often say ‘I don’t have time to train my own dogs’. This Tuesday this has proven me wrong, lol! This was literally a five minute shaping session that I edited down to a minute and a half. I know we all have an extra five minute a day! I now know if I used that five minutes everyday I’d have a little circ...us dog in no time! Your ‘Train your Dog Tuesday’ challenge this week is to film a five minute shaping session. Choose whatever behaviour you want...roll a ball, feet on an object, get in a box, the sky is the limit! Show your steps or show your final result after five minutes, it’s up to you! Each post gets you an entry to win a free class in the February session! There is still time to post your spin and paw lift challenge videos too! Post on all four challenges for a chance to win a ‘National Train your Dog Month’ prize pack! #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #trainyourdogmonth #trainyourdogtuesday #dogsofthunderbay #positivedogtraining #shapingforthewin #circusdog

So proud of this little man! Not only was it motivating to set a training goal for him, but it was a wonderful way for us to bond as team during his first few weeks with me. I was blown away by how eager he is to learn. I love this fun little guy so much! Now on to his intermediate title! Stay tuned! #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #novicetrickdog... #domorewithyourdog #tricksandtreats #positivedogtraining #positivepuppytraining #tylwythteg #papillonpuppy #papillonlove #dogsofthunderbay #traininggoals See more

Sooooo between Mr. Ford and Mr. Trump we were so distracted yesterday we completely missed ‘Train your Dog Tuesday!’ The good news is that we might all have some more time to train our dogs for next few weeks... Anyhow...let’s just pretend that this went up yesterday shall we.. This week’s challenge is the paw lift! Post your video below of your dog’s paw lift trick. Remember it doesn’t matter what level your dog is at! The goal is to train your dog and post your video... here for a chance to win a free class in our next session! Film where you are right now with this behaviour or challenge yourself to get to the next level! There is also still time to post on last week’s spin challenge. If you post on all four weeks you will be entered to win a ‘National Train your Dog’ month prize pack! Let’s see those paw lifts! #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #trainyourdogtuesday #TrainYourDogMonth #pawlift

Looks like it’s time for more Puppy Perks puppy antics.....STAT! #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #puppyperks... #thunderbaydogs #smallbiztbay #lockdowncheer #puppyprescription See more

Counter-conditioning is a type of classical conditioning. Ivan Pavlov and his salivating dogs, offer a well known example of classical conditioning. Pavlov lear...ned that ringing a bell before presenting food, eventually caused the dogs to salivate at the sound of the bell even if food was not immediately presented. This is classical conditioning. Most classical conditioning uses a neutral stimulus (like the sound of a bell). In counter-conditioning, we are trying to teach the dog to like something they already don’t like or are afraid of. This is the basis of training for most reactivity or aggression cases, as well as vet phobia training, to name a few common examples. Suppose you have a dog that is afraid of other dogs, and you want to teach her to like them. In counter-conditioning, every time another dog appears, you would give your dog some very delicious food. Over time, she will learn that other dogs predict yummy food, and so she will learn to like other dogs. Counter conditioning is the process of turning a negative association into a neutral or positive association. In order to properly counter-condition your dog it is crucial that the triggering stimulus is noticed or presented directly before the dog is given reinforcement, not the other way around. If your dog notices you reach for a treat before they notice the stimulus then you will not change their feelings around said stimulus. You are more likely to pollute the reinforcer you are using as the dog learns that you reaching for a treat predicts something really frightening. Now you have a dog that will not take treats and is their association with the problem stimulus remains unchanged. This is why it is crucial to mark a behavior before reaching for a treat, or when not marking, at least ensure your dog has noticed the trigger before reaching for a treat. This is true for training new basic training skills as well. The marker must always be paired with the behavior you want your animal to repeat. The reinforcer is delivered after this event. The behavior and the marker are best friends and the treat is their third wheel tagging along behind. Dog notice See more

Feeling the love support from family and friends! Thank you for the lovely gifts! #grateful

The morning intro scent class had a great time today! The dogs were exhausted by the end. There are still a couple of spots left in the Saturday if you want to try something new with your dog. The dogs in this video range from 7 months to 11 years old with a range of needs from physical to behavioural training challenges along with varied handler experience. They all had a great time and shared success on each exercise. Register today! ... https://pawsitivelysocial.as.me/schedule.php See more

Contest Time! Like Pawsitively Social Canine Adventures Tag a friend in the comments! ... Comment which class you’ll choose if you win! You can view the class schedule here: http://pawsitivelysocial.com/class-schedule/

With classes starting this week we always get lots of questions about treats. This is a fantastic way to make your treats go farther! #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #treattips... #reinforcementdrivesbehaviour #thunderbaydogs See more

Teg held some ‘interviews’ (aka Meet and Greets) for some Puppy Perks puppies today! Looks like Paxon is well on his way to getting hired on in the position of ‘new best friend’! There is just one spot left in the Puppy Perks session starting December 1st. ... If you or someone you know has a new puppy that would like to join these two hooligans in the Puppy Perks program, don’t delay! Book your free Meet and Greet today! https://PAWsitivelySocial.as.me/?appointmentType=8764553 #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #puppyperks #fearlesspuppies #smalbiztbay #thunderbaydogs #dogsofthunderbay #positivepuppytraining #thunderbaydog

There are just a couple of spots left in our 4 week Loose Leash Walking class that starts this Thursday November 26th at 8pm! Register now! https://PAWsitivelySocial.as.me/?appointmentType=18009687

Tug with Teg! Playing tug with your dog is an amazing way to build a bond, create drive, and have fun with your dog. It can also be a very strong reinforcer to reward behaviour. Tug is one of the first skills I like to teach my own puppies. I thought I’d share a few of his early sessions with you to show how to get this behaviour off to the best start.... Start with a toy or something your pup likes to put in its mouth. Teg is pretty accommodating being a 11 week old teething puppy so he goes for almost any toy. Your dog may be more discerning so try a few. We want the pup to chase the toy to make it a game. So we start by having the toy ‘get away’ from the pup. We don’t want to wave in their face waiting for them to grab it ,the fun is in the chase! Don’t make it too hard, you have to let them win a lot or else they won’t want to play. Once puppy has a firm grip on the toy give a little resistance if they tug back you can start moving in slow figure 8’s along the ground. Do not tug your dog’s head up! Try to keep it parallel to the floor so it’s safe for their neck and body. If puppy lets go at any point have the toy ‘run away’ to start another game of chase! Remember the puppy gets to win! Let them pull you forward a bit or even let go periodically so they feel they’ve won the lottery. If we make it too hard it won’t be a fun game anymore. Once you find a toy your pup enjoys it does help to keep it reserved for tug fun. Keep it in a bag or a drawer so it becomes a special toy that is designated for fun time with the human! Stay tuned for our next session where Teg learns to release the tug!

If you and your dog, like Kona, are flabbergasted at the thought of endless cold and gloomy winter days - have we got the class for you! Scent classes provide a great mental workout for your dog and post class snoozes are a guarantee! Daytime classes available. Tuesday: Intro - 11am Open - 12:20pm ... ________ Advanced - 6pm Intro - 7:20pm Saturday: Advanced - 11am Intro - 12:20pm Register today at www.pawsitivelysocial.as.me! #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #enrichment #sniffallthethings #smallbiztbay #tbay

Contest ends tomorrow November 22nd at 9pm! *wanna earn an extra entry? Share this contest to your personal page!

Congratulations to our Canine Lifeskills Level 1 graduates: Ollie, Norbert, Diesel, Nova (not pictured Ruby, Finn and Tika) Not only are they super cute and super smart but they are also our first indoor graduates at our new indoor training space! See everyone in Level 2!... #pawsitivelysocial #canineadventures #caninelifeskills #smalbiztbay #positivedogtraining #thunderbaydogs #dogsofthunderbay #tbaylife

Only one spot left! Do you struggle with trimming your dogs nails? Are they a constant battle? Are you looking for more confidence in your technique? Do you dream of restraint free nail trims? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this course is for you! Presented by Melissa Gillard, CPDT-KA & Sam Kannegiesser, this four week course will cover the importance of nail trimming (for pet dogs and dog sports), anatomy, the difference between distraction and counter cond...itioning, recognizing stress signals in your dog, developing +CER, start buttons and consent as well as proper nail trim techniques. The course runs Thursday evenings from 8-9pm beginning Nov 26. We strongly suggest having your dog’s nails trimmed a few days before class starts so we can avoid the regression of a stressful nail trim mid way through the session. Class size limited due to Covid, register today at https://pawsitivelysocial.as.me/schedule.php!

Maybe you are looking to add some titles to your dog through organizations such as CKC, AKC or Do More with your Dog? Maybe you are looking for another way to show your friends how amazing your dog is? Trick Training is fun for dogs AND owners! ... Register today at www.pawsitivelysocial.as.me

Congratulations to Rose Cybulski, the winner of our draw for a free class!