Bessey's Positive Paws

09/28/2026

If your training progress looks like this: ↗️↘️↗️↘️↗️↘️↗️

You're probably doing just fine. Real behavior change isn't a straight line upward. You'll have great days where your dog seems to finally “get it.” Then you'll have a day where you wonder if they've forgotten everything you've taught them.

Then things click again. And then…another setback.

That's normal.

Your dog is learning, their environment is changing, distractions are changing, and some days are simply harder than others.

The goal isn't: “𝑴𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒈 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
The goal is: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓, 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎.

So when your dog has a setback, don't immediately assume you've gone backward.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲.

Keep going. The dips are part of the process, too. 🐾

08/06/2026

Tripp dog is 9 years old, and if he could talk he’d tell you training is one of the best parts of his day.

This is a simple foundation game using his name, but look at the excitement he brings to it! He’s chasing treats, thinking, moving, and having fun. He almost erupted into zoomies at the end. 😆

Training doesn’t have to be serious to be effective. In fact, when your dog enjoys the process, they’re more likely to stay engaged and want to keep learning.

Your goal isn’t to make training feel like a job. It’s to make your dog think, “I can’t wait to play that game again.”

Because the dogs that love learning are the ones who keep learning.

06/25/2026

A gate isn’t giving up on training. It’s a tool that helps prevent problems before they start.

When extra kids are running around, guests are coming and going, or multiple dogs are sharing the space, a gate can:
✔ Prevent door rushing
✔ Reduce barking and overexcitement
✔ Give dogs a chance to settle
✔ Create space when things get busy
✔ Help everyone stay safe

The best part? Your dog doesn’t need access to every room, every person, or every activity all the time.

Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is make the environment easier so our dogs can make good choices.

Train. Prevent. Interrupt.

Management isn’t a shortcut. It’s part of the plan.

What’s one place in your house where a gate would make life easier for you and your dog? 👇

06/18/2026

The latest article in Downeast (Maine) Dog News.

by Erin Bessey, besseyspositivepaws.com Have you ever watched someone with his dog and thought, “Why can’t my dog do that?” Or, “I wish my dog could walk nicely on a leash,” or even, “My dog could never be off leash!” Most of us have had those thoughts at some point. It’s easy to fal...

05/27/2026

I think a lot of dog owners quietly feel like they’re failing if they can’t do it all every day.

The long walk, the training session, the mental enrichment activities, perfect reactions, endless patience.

But real life doesn’t always leave room for all of that.
👣Some days your best might look like a shorter walk.
🚪Some days management is the right choice.
🧘‍♀️Some days everyone just needs a calm, low pressure day.

That doesn’t make you lazy. It doesn’t undo progress. And it definitely doesn’t make you a bad dog owner.

Perfection isn’t the goal.

🐾🦴The goal is to crest a stable, realistic life with your dog that you can actually maintain long term.

Consistency over perfection every single time.

05/22/2026

Any behavior we teach a dog isn’t one and done.

We make sure the dog can perform it in a variety of situations and environments. If we don’t, we need to make sure our expectations in those new environments are adjusted correctly.

For example, my dog’s recall is really very good on our own property of 40+ acres. However, if I took them to a new field or open space, I would not expect their recalls to be as sharp.

Why?

Because while we train and proof on our own property, I do not get them out in other environments to practice often enough. Not to a point where I would allow them to just have off leash freedom and hope they do well.

Just because your dog can do it correctly in one scenario doesn’t mean they are going to be successsful in all scenarios.

Build it. 🏠
Go somewhere new. A slightly easier environment.
Use long leashes to help remind them what the expectations are. Remind them coming to you is a good thing to do.

Training a behavior evolves. It starts one way and you change it, tweak it, and ask for more as they get better and better.

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?”

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!