The Driven Dog

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The Driven Dog Dog Trainer- Behaviour consultant At Positive Paws we strive to create the best possible relationship between you and your canine friend.
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we use the most upto date science based methods to ensure we are providing the best possible service. We offer 1 on 1 sessions, to help you understand the reasons for your dog’s behaviour. From puppy socialisation and the basic commands, to the more complex cases such as anxious, aggressive and reactive behavior. Our aim us to get the best results for you and your dog. Every breed has a different need! We work with all sizes, shapes and ages. No challenge is too great, and no dog is a problem not worth helping.

31/08/2026

What happens when you choose to interact with your dog through sociability?

Maybe the interesting question isn’t what they’re getting from you.

It’s how did the relationship get there?

12/08/2026

It’s been a while! I’ve been sitting quietly in the background and have been pretty terrible on the socials lately because I’ve had a lot of study underway.

But I really wanted to jump on and share this case because it’s been such a cool one.

Henry hasn’t even been with us for a week yet. One of the big things his owner wanted help with was his social skills around people, as he’s always been very nervous around anyone new.

To put it into perspective, when his owner first brought him to us, we couldn’t even get him out of the car. Just the sight of me was enough for him to decide he wasn’t coming out. He would shy away from people, become uncomfortable, panic and avoid.

When Henry came in, we did everything but focus on trying to “fix” that behaviour.

Instead, I focused on building my relationship with him. We did a huge amount of play, built connection and confidence, and then started having new people simply interact with him and treat him like a normal dog rather than making his nervousness the focus of every interaction.

And it has been game-changing.

Less than a week later, Henry is actively seeking out and accepting pats from new people. Yesterday my staff took him into town, and we’re now starting to see this really cheeky little personality coming through, which is super cool to see.

I sent his owner some videos last night and her response was, “I can’t believe it.”

And remember, he hasn’t even been here a week.

This is exactly why I love cases like Henry’s. So often we become completely fixated on changing the behaviour we can see that we forget about everything that comes before it.

Behaviour is the symptom. There’s a whole dog underneath it.

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs happen when we stop trying to fix the behaviour and start changing the things that are creating it.

Hopefully you enjoy this little video of Henry and his progress so far. ❤️

One conversation at a time.📸 by the very talented .and.co
12/07/2026

One conversation at a time.

📸 by the very talented .and.co

07/07/2026

Thank you so much for entrusting us with your journey. ❤️❤️❤️

04/07/2026

One thing I've noticed over the years is that dog training trends tend to swing like a pendulum.

A topic starts gaining traction on social media, and before long it can feel like everyone is repeating the same advice as though it's the answer for every dog.

I sometimes feel like, in doing that, we're missing the much bigger picture.

The problem is that nothing in dog training exists in isolation.

Dogs don't fit neatly into boxes, and neither do their owners.

Every decision we make should be influenced by both the dog and the owner standing in front of us.

The dog's genetics, temperament, motivation, confidence, learning history, environment and individual needs all matter. Equally important is the owner's confidence, experience, lifestyle, goals and what they're realistically able to implement.

Owners are not dog trainers, nor should they be expected to be. Our job isn't to give them a checklist of rules to follow. It's to understand the principles behind behaviour and apply them to the individual dog and owner in front of us.

The principles stay the same. The application of those principles should always be influenced by the dog and owner standing in front of us.

That's why I struggle with blanket statements. A principle may be completely valid, but that doesn't automatically make one application of that principle the right choice for every dog and every owner.

A trend is exactly that a trend. It may highlight a valuable principle or start an important conversation, but it doesn't replace critical thinking. It doesn't replace observation. And it certainly doesn't replace looking at the individual dog and owner in front of you.

Social media often encourages us to look for one answer to one problem. But dogs are far more complex than that. The same approach won't produce the same outcome for every dog because every dog brings a different genetic picture, learning history, emotional state, environment and owner to the table.

Good training isn't about following the latest trend.

It's about understanding the principles, seeing the bigger picture, and having the flexibility to adapt.

17/06/2026

A little insight into the early stages of Voss's obedience training.

Voss has just turned 8 months old, and to be honest, I've intentionally done very little formal obedience with him up until now. Partly because he was quite sick for a period, but also because I wanted him to be a puppy. I wasn't in a rush to put lots of obedience on him. My priority was building his love for play first.

It's not often I share this side of my training on The Driven Dog page. I share a lot more of it over on my personal page, but I thought it would be nice for clients to get an insight into what developing a young dog 3 weeks in actually looks like behind the scenes.

The real focus has been developing his motivation, confidence, and love for the game. Voss is a working dog, but he was quite naturally immature and not bursting with enthusiasm to work as such. He still is immature, which is completely normal at this age, but has a different relationship with play now.

What I'm loving now is seeing how enthusiastic he's becoming. The possession games we've been playing have created huge value for him, and we're able to use what he loves most to drive the learning process. His ball is rewarding too, but possession games are where his heart really is.

When people hear "negative reinforcement," they often picture a dog being shut down or lacking enthusiasm. I think this video shows the opposite. He's engaged, animated, thinking, and genuinely enjoying the process.

I'm really enjoying developing this young dog and seeing his personality emerge as his confidence grows. The process is never about rushing obedience. It's about building the dog first and then using what they love most to create enthusiasm, clarity and understanding in the work.

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Pukekohe
Auckland
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