We are very excited to announce that we are welcoming a second dog trainer into the Positive Steps team, allowing us to expand our dog training services in Southampton! Abigail will officially be joining our team as a Trainee Dog Trainer. Adding a second dog trainer and expanding our services into a brand new demographic is something we have thought about for a while now, and whilst it is a scary undertaking to trust somebody new with our business, we wouldn’t have taken this plunge if we hadn’t found the perfect person to team up with for this new challenge! Ab shares all of the Positive Ste ..read more

We are extremely excited to announce the launch of our brand new dog reactivity webinar. The Positive Steps dog reactivity webinar is a 90-minute, pre-recorded webinar that covers everything you need to know about managing and training your dog’s reactive behaviour. The webinar includes topics such as: What reactivity is Why your dog may be reacting What you need to know about canine reactivity Factors to consider before training Coping thresholds and trigger stacking How to manage reactivity How to implement a behaviour modification plan How to track your progress The webinar is perfect for ..read more

While walking your dog, how many times do you find yourself impatiently giving a gentle tug on your dogs lead, saying ‘come on’ or ‘this way’ every time your dog stops to sniff? While it is our responsibility to ensure our dogs are properly lead trained and controlled on walks, we must take the time to allow our dogs to stop and sniff – the amount of miles you cover is not always as important as the content of your walk! A dog’s nose is designed to smell, with millions of olfactory receptors, scent is vital for a dog to understand its environment. The part of a dogs brain dedicated to analysin ..read more

We are extremely excited to announce the launch of our brand new, online puppy training course, at a heavily discounted price! The Positive Steps online puppy training course is a virtual program that covers everything you need to know about raising your new puppy. The program encompasses everything from the first night with your new pup, all the way through to more advanced, adolescent training. The course is perfect for those who wish to train their puppy from their own home, at their own pace, and is suited to puppies from 8 weeks onward. Including five bite-size training videos, the course ..read more

If you’re having trouble getting your dog to settle down in the evening, the first step to resolving this is to determine WHY they are not settling. There isn’t always one root cause for restlessness in dogs, so it is important to consider which factors may be contributing to your dog’s inability to settle: Not enough physical activity – this is one of the most common (and easily resolved) problems that will lead to a restless dog. If your dog isn’t getting the appropriate amount of exercise for its age and breed, there’s a good chance the build up of energy is causing restlessness and proble ..read more

We are extremely excited to share some important news with you regarding the evolution of our company branding. We are delighted to announce that Unleashed Dog Training will be changing our name to Positive Steps Dog Training. This strategic name change allows us to further position ourselves as positive, reward-based dog trainers, in order to better reflect who we are and what we have to offer. We are extremely proud of the science-based, positive training services we provide to our clients, and we wish to further strengthen and protect our brand within the dog training industry.  Furthe ..read more

Does your dog jump at every noise? Are they shy and timid around strangers? Or are they anxious in new situations? A confident dog is a happy dog, and there are some fun training games that we can play with nervous dogs to help them feel safe and build confidence and trust. Experiencing new things in a fun and positive way will help boost your dogs confidence! 1. Free Shaping Games Free shaping builds up a particular behaviour through a series of small steps, without using corrections. Free shaping can really help boost your dogs confidence by encouraging your dog to try something new without ..read more

Welcoming a second dog into your household can be an exciting and successful endeavour, but it is not a decision that should be made lightly. There is no one-size-fits all answer as to whether a second dog is a good idea, just be sure you have fully considered every reality before making the choice to introduce a second dog into your family.  Is the whole family on board?  A new dog will completely change the dynamic of your household, adding more time, cleaning and money to be spent. There will be more fur, poop, muddy paw prints etc. for you to clean up. Be sure everybody is on the ..read more

Our understanding of canine behaviour, and how to modify it, has really come a long way over the years, driving the positive dog training world forward. But sometimes, we expect too much from our dogs, such as unrealistic reasoning abilities and impeccable manners, and we forget to allow our dogs to just be dogs. And just like us, our dogs won’t be a well-mannered, happy-go-lucky dog every single day in every single situation. Take the time to understand how your dog feels and learns, so that you can effectively communicate with them. Here are some things your dog would like you to know: 1. Wh ..read more

Have you ever wondered whether your dog can sense when you become pregnant? Or perhaps you’ve noticed some behavioural changes with your pet during your pregnancy? We train our dogs to use their nose to find missing persons, detect contraband and we are even working toward detection of certain human ailments – so surely it isn’t too unrealistic to assume our dogs can tell when we are pregnant?  Changes in Scent One of the biggest giveaways for our dog would be the changes in our smell. While there is no definitive research to prove our dogs can detect pregnancy, there are many studies tha ..read more