Pawsitive Paul's Dog Training

Paul really is "pawsitive" in every way. From the first email to his follow-up, Paul made this customer (and his human) feel special. With just one 1:1 training session, I was introduced to "watch me," "stay," and "come"--and I got a treat every time I listened. Woof! My human learned how to tire me out (we beagle mixes gotta use our noses--a lot!) and help me feel more comfortable when she leaves me (hello! frozen peanut butter for the win!). I'm having a lot more fun now that I've learned how to go from being a "good dog" to a "great one!" Thank you, Paul. I'm recommending you to ALL my furry friends. Love, Fergus

We reached out to Paul after experiencing much trouble training our 7-month year old puppy. We had tried everything to get our dog’s biting and jumping habits under control (group classes at another place, endless tutorials online, clicker method, etc) but nothing would work. We were at the end of our ropes, but then we met Paul. After we had one private session with Paul, our hope was immediately restored. Paul is so patient, kind and has such a warm presence. Our pup can be a bit hesitant towards men, but he warmed up to Paul almost immediately. Paul was able to identify ways for us to help address our dog’s biting issues, and he threw in a few other fun training tips too. Our 90 minute session was so productive and we were nearly brought to tears (good ones!) by the end of it, as Paul had provided the tools for us to help our dog moving forward. It has been only 3 days since our session and we are already noticing so much progress with our puppy. The advice and instructions Paul provided have allowed us to make some serious breakthroughs with our pup. Paul is absolutely incredible with dogs. He really understands them and he cares. If I could put 10 stars I would. Thank you, Paul!

In September 2018, I contacted Paul about my then 5-year old dog who was found as a stray with signs of severe neglect 2 months prior. From the moment I brought her home, her extreme discomfort towards people, dogs, loud noises, sudden movements, toys and being touched was immediately apparent. Paul responded instantly to my enquiry, and offered to meet for one in-home private session, which he confirmed was adequate after the consultation. The issues I brought up during the consultation included her reactivity and aggression towards dogs and certain people; attacking the window when there is a stimulus outside; barking and running to the front door when someone knocked or rang the doorbell; not heeling during walks; having a prey drive; and a fear of toys. My dog reacted to his arrival by exhibiting the behavior described above. I asked how to stop the behavior, to which Paul asked if it bothered me. While it did not bother me per se, I iterated that I did not want her to live in such a state. He followed up by advising me to ignore undesirable behaviors and reward, using treats, those that are desirable. This became the bread-and-butter to remedy all issues I considered bothersome. During a brief walk to assess her reactivity to strangers and dogs, I asked how to teach her to walk properly on a leash and Paul affirmed that she was not a puller. I had to send an email after the consultation asking for notes then, he sent some tips on loose-leash walking. Since the consultation was held in wet weather, we did not encounter many people or dogs during the outdoor assessment. Paul was only able to witness her reactivity to dogs when we walked up to a dog park; where he demonstrated to me how I should remain upbeat and ignore her during the outburst and to reward her once she calmed down. He encouraged me to keep exposing her until she learned that she would only get a reward if she behaved and ignored if she reacted. I left a 5 star review a few days after the consultation, mainly describing his responsiveness, quick scheduling and how I felt that I had gained some understanding on how to help my dog using the sit, come and watch me commands, and the ignore/reward approach to bothersome behaviors. I could not comment at the time on the effectiveness of the training approach on achieving reliable and durable outcomes related to my dog's well-being. I used Paul's method to help my dog over six months. My dog did gain confidence in a few areas where repeated exposure and rewards helped quite easily; namely, she started playing with toys and did not get as easily startled when she saw her own reflection, quick movements or heard loud noises. But, she remained hypervigilant and, I struggled to effectively help her overcome her reactivity and aggression. Instead, they worsened. The more time I spent training her using this method, the more I felt it was so unfair that it was all on her to figure out the connection between a desirable and undesirable behavior based on whether she received a reward or was ignored, especially for a dog that was already in a perpetual state of anxiety. This updated review is an honest account of Paul's approach and its lack of long-term effectiveness for a dog like mine. Although Paul offered unlimited calls and emails, I did not reach out to him again after going back and forth initially because I no longer felt like he was a good fit to truly help my dog and meet our needs.