Why We Do Not Recommend Board-and-Train

Pawsitive Pet Care recommends all members of your pet's household be involved in the training process

This is a blog topic we've been wanting to cover for quite some time, but there seem to be so many important and interesting topics, and not enough time to cover them all!  

Why Pawsitive Pet Care Does Not Recommend Board-and-Train 

There are exceptions to every rule, however typically speaking, it is ideal for your trainer to work with you and the members of your household, as well as your pet, and below are the two primary reasons why.  

Dogs do not generalize well

Generally speaking, dogs do not take information learned in one context or environment and apply it to new situations in other contexts or environments.  So, for example, if your dog learns some fantastic new behaviours in a board-and-train situation, that's great.  However, once they get home, you and your family would essentially have to start from scratch and re-train the behaviours in the dog's home environment with the dog's familiar surroundings and people.  

For more on generalization and how to help your dog apply what they learn to new and various situations, Emily Larlham wrote a fantastic blog post on the topic.   

The humans in the pets' lives are the most important part of the training process

Positive training strengthens the bond and the relationships between humans and animals.  When you have fun working, training, and playing with your pet, you bond with each other.  This trust and kinship will also improve how well your pet responds to you, and how well you understand your pet & why they do the things they do.  Training is about 75% teaching the humans and 25% teaching the pets.  This applies to everyone from brand new pet-owners to experienced pet trainers, because we all need to adapt our environment and our approach to fit the needs of the pet we are working with in the moment.  Pet owners also need to learn the fundamentals of animal behaviour and training, as well as learn to read and understand their pet's communication, particularly their body language in order to effectively and humanely train and work with their pets.

Some of the best help your trainer can give you is to explain what you need to do with your pet in a way that you can understand, demonstrate it for you, and then watch you do it and give you constructive and specific feedback.  This last piece is the most important part because sometimes a subtle change in positioning, body language, or cueing can help solve a training challenge and help reduce frustration for both animal and human.

Have you ever had someone set something up for you, maybe a new computer program, or a new entertainment system of some kind, and then later you run into trouble?  Because they did it for you and didn't walk you through the steps, now you have no idea how to troubleshoot or how to go about fixing the problem.  It may seem convenient that the outset, but sending your dog off to be "fixed" and then returned to you is not empowering you and the members of your household to be able to build upon your pet's training and have the skills to deal with any new issues that may arise.  

As we noted in our blog post, Finding A Trainer, 

"Your trainer needs to be able to explain to you what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how you will be able to do it once they leave.  They are not a magician, they are a teacher, and their job is to educate and empower you to understand how your dog learns and how to get desired behaviours from your dog.  This should be done in a way that works for you and your family and in a way that helps strengthen your relationship with your dog."

Think of a trainer as a teacher for you, any members of your household, and for your pet.  Their job is to give you the tools and information you need so that you can feel good about moving forward in a positive direction.  

In addition, training isn't just about solving behavioural problems after they have begun.  In fact, good training is proactive and intends to prevent these problems from coming up in the first place.  And the best training (in our opinion), is training that is done just for fun!  

For More Information

Please visit our website or contact us for more information.  

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About Pawsitive Pet Care

Pawsitive Pet Care is a Professional Pet Care business that has been serving Manitoba since 2010.  

Update:  November 16, 2020

It appears that the State of Emergency Orders related to animal and pet care are unchanged from March.  

Originally posted on November 12, 2020

Please excuse us if this email delves slightly into the political.  As a business, we try our best to remain neutral and focus on doing what we do best.  It seems politics are unavoidable at this time, as we are seeking direction and clarification from our government with regards to the latest code red pandemic response mandates.

Covid Confusion in Manitoba

Unfortunately Manitoba's second wave of Covid-19 has been among the worst in Canada, and per capita we currently have the most cases.  As a result, Manitoba has gone into a Code Red pandemic response.  

As pet care providers, we are considered essential when providing care for pets.  This means we should only be visiting the homes of clients who are themselves considered essential workers and must go to work, or for any reason cannot provide care for their pets and need us to do so.  Otherwise our staff should not be attending client homes or interacting with others outside of their own households per the code red mandate.  

If you are unsure as to whether you fall under these categories, please rest assured…  neither do we!  

Unfortunately direction and specific information has not yet been made available from the Manitoba government, despite the fact that the code red comes into effect for the entire province as of tomorrow.  

Essential Services ... ? 

 

According to the initial State of Emergency, issued 7 months ago in March 2020, our business may fall under one of essential services that:

"73. A business that provides for the health and well-being of animals, including farms, boarding kennels, stables, animal shelters, zoos, aquariums, research facilities and other service providers."  

However, the SOE was last updated October 13, 2020.  When we visited the Manitoba Government website the latest bulletin was posted November 9, 2020.  We don't yet know if changes will be made to the SOE Order tomorrow (November 12, 2020) when the expanded code red comes into effect, and we don't quite know what the government's definition of "well being" covers.

For Pawsitive Pet Care, an animal's well-being includes proper socialization and exercise, as well as the basic necessities such as food and water.  Our government has thus far not provided any information beyond what is listed above, so we will have to use our best judgement until we receive clarification, putting the health and well-being of our staff, clients, and their pets as our first priorities.  

Our best understanding at this time is the following: 

• If a client is able to work from home, then we are not considered essential if someone in the household is able to provide the necessary care for your pet(s).  

• If a client has a disability or injury that prevents them from being able to provide this care, or if a client is an essential service worker and must continue to work, then we are able to continue providing care. 

As such, our current services available are: 

• Dog walking and pet care visits only for essential service workers or clients physically unable to provide these necessities for their pet(s) at this time.

• Boarding or pet sitting for essential service workers only, and only if the client is away from home for an extended period to perform work related to those essential services.

• Doggy daycare will not be available during Code Red.

• Training services will be by virtual consult only.  

Thank you for your support and patience as we work hard to balance consideration for the health and well-being of our staff, clients, and their pets.  We also must follow the provincial mandates to the best of our ability, and be responsible citizens and community members, as well as working hard to provide exceptional and safe services for our clients who need us.

Please visit our website or contact us for more information.  

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About Pawsitive Pet Care

Pawsitive Pet Care is a Professional Pet Care business that has been serving Manitoba since 2010.  

Teaching Your Dog to Look At You on Cue

Building Attention: "Watch Me"

Goal:  Build  your  dog’s  focus  and  attention  on  you  by teaching  him  to  make  eye  contact  on  cue.

Step 1:  Place a treat in your hand and close your hand around the treat.  Your dog may sniff, lick, paw, and may even gently nibble at your hand.  Don’t move your hand away or say anything, just wait until he stops, even for just a second.  When he leaves your hand alone momentarily, click and give him the treat.  If you don’t use a clicker, you can use a verbal marker, such as “yes”.  Make sure it is a clear, crisp word that you will use consistently to mark when your dog has done the behaviour you were looking for.  


Do this a number of times in various locations until he stops licking or nosing at your hand altogether.  

Step 2:  Once he’s really good at leaving the treat with a closed hand, expect him to do so for a little bit longer (a full second, two seconds, and so on) before clicking and giving him the treat.

Step 3:  When your dog can leave the treat for at least two seconds, repeat step one, but this time do not click until your dog gives you a flicker of eye contact.  Timing is important here: as soon as you see his eyes meet yours, click and give him the treat.

Important to note:  Some dogs (especially shy ones) find eye contact intimidating, so do not expect extended eye contact.  Even if your dog's eyes just flicker toward your face and away, click that and reward it.  The goal is to increase your dog's attention on you (and away from a trigger), and to put it on cue, the goal is not a staring contest with your dog 😉

Step 4:  Once your dog is catching on to step 3, expect slightly longer eye contact before you click and give him the treat.  Count seconds in your head, and each time wait for eye contact for one second longer before clicking & treating.  Again, only slightly longer, and only if your dog appears comfortable with this prospect.  Don't push if your dog seems shy or uncomfortable about the eye contact.  

Step 5:  When you are satisfied with steps one through four, add a cue, such as “watch me”.  Hold your hand out with the treat in a closed fist and say “watch me” or “look” or whatever cue you would like to use to ask for eye contact.  When your dog gives you eye contact, click and treat, repeating step 4 but incorporating a verbal cue.

Step 6:  Fade out the treat in a closed hand.  Once your dog is very good at step five, hold the treat somewhere else (behind your back, out to the side, in your pocket) and ask for eye contact using your consistent cue.  

Tip:  If your dog doesn't look at you when you say your cue, do not repeat the cue.  Wait a beat to see if your dog just needs a moment to process.  If your dog does not seem to understand the cue, go back a step and practice the behaviour more before adding the cue.  

When your dog gives you eye contact, click and treat, as before starting out with a flicker and each time expecting slightly longer.

Practice this all around the house, in the backyard, under zero or low distractions. 

When your dog is a pro at “watch me” in your yard, move it to the streets and try it on a walk when there is no one around.  If you practice this, giving your dog a delicious treat each time, he will learn to pay attention to you and ignore distractions in the environment when you want him to (i.e. passing other dogs on the street).  

Remember that he needs practice doing this (and we humans need practice at our timing as well!), so be patient and realistic when moving from low distractions to medium and high distractions.  Go at his pace and set yourselves up for success.

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.

"If I can't see it, it's not there!"

Teaching “Leave It” 

Goal:  Your dog learns not to take an item (particularly delicious food) until it is given to him, whether it is in your hand or dropped on the floor.

Step 1:  Place a treat in your hand and close your hand around the treat.  Your dog will sniff, lick, paw, and he may even gently nibble at your hand.  Don’t move your hand or say anything, just wait quietly until he stops, even for just a second.  It's not helpful to use a cue (or command) yet, because your dog hasn’t learned the behaviour, so the word won’t have any meaning to him.  

When your dog leaves your hand alone momentarily, click (or use a verbal marker, such as “yes”) and give him the treat.  It’s important to give the treat directly to him so he learns he only takes the treat when it’s given to him and not when it’s dropped.  

Variation:  If your dog is struggling to get the hang of step one, you can use a lower value item in your hand with a higher value item as his reward.  For example, have a small piece of carrot in your hand for him to leave, but behind your back in a treat pouch is freeze dried liver or diced chicken or something he really likes.  When he leaves the carrot, click and give him a piece of meat instead.  That way he learns that leaving it when asked results in receiving something even better.  

Practice this a number of times in various locations until he stops licking or nosing at your hand altogether.  

Important:  Keep your training sessions short, sweet, and fun.  Frequent, very short sessions are much more effective than a single long, drawn-out training session.  Dogs have short attention spans and we want to leave them wanting more.  

Step 2:  Once he’s really good at leaving the treat with a closed hand (and this can take a very long time, so please be patient and don’t rush the process!), do the same as above with an open hand.  Have your thumb ready to cover the treat or be ready to close your hand in case he goes for it.  If he offers a different behaviour (leaves the treat, sits, moves away, looks away, etc.), click and give him the treat.  You are reinforcing a behaviour that is incompatible with taking the item he has been asked to leave, so he is still successfully leaving it.  As before, practice this a number of times and in various locations until he is catching on to the game and getting really good at it.

Step 3:  When you are satisfied that your dog is a pro at step #2, then you can name the behaviour. You can say “leave it” or whatever cue you want to use for “don’t take that until I give it to you”.  Keep it simple and memorable so you will be consistent with the cue. 

 
Once you have added a name, you will need to go back and practice steps 1 and 2 again with a verbal cue to give your dog a chance to learn the word(s) before moving on to step 4.  Whenever you increase the criteria (or make harder) one aspect of a behaviour, you need to relax your criteria on other aspects, so don’t want long before you click and reward.    

Step 4:  Now you can place the treat on the floor.  Tell your dog to leave it and have your foot ready to cover it up in case he goes for it, or sit on the floor and be ready to cover the treat with your hand if needed.  When he leaves it (moves away, looks away, backs up, sits, anything but trying to get the treat), click, pick the treat up off the floor, and give it directly to your dog. 

Remember:  It’s important to pick the food up and give it directly to him.  You don’t want your dog to learn that he can scoop food off the floor in case one day you drop something that could make him sick, or something you really don’t want him to have.  Practice step four a number of times in various locations to allow your dog to generalize the behaviour and get really skilled at it.  Don’t be in a hurry to move to the next step, as always, be patient and set your dog up for success.

 

Emily Larlham (KikoPup / Dogmantics Dog Training) has some great videos on this topic on her YouTube channel: 

 

Step 5:  Your goal is to be able to drop food on the ground and ask your dog to leave it.  Start by dropping the treat from a very low height to make it easier for your dog, then very gradually increase the height from which you drop it.  The treat will bounce, making it ever so enticing to chase!  

If your dog does try to go for it, just cover it up, then try again with a lower value item.  When you can drop the treat without your dog trying to get it, click and give him something even better from your pocket or treat pouch.  This simulates a scenario wherein you are opening or using something potentially unsafe for your dog and accidentally drop it on the floor.  If you drop a pill on the floor, you want your dog to listen to "leave it" and then you reward him with a dog treat, or something safe for him to eat and enjoy.  

Step 6:  Your goal is to be able to have enticing food on the ground as you are walking and ask your dog to leave it and continue walking.  You may want to do this exercise after a walk when your dog is relaxed and already has his leash on, this way you can walk past something tempting and ask your dog to leave it while still having control of his movements in case he tries to go for it.  

If your dog does try to go for it, just cheerfully say “oops” (or “let’s go”) and happily go in another direction so that he is eager to follow you away from the treat, then try again with a lower value item.  When you can walk past the treat on the ground without your dog trying to get it, click and give him something even better from your pocket or treat pouch.  

With step six you want to simulate being out for a walk and passing something on the ground that your dog is curious about and may try to eat.  You ask him to "leave it" and then give him a treat from your pocket so that he doesn't eat something off the ground that could potentially be unsafe.  

Step 7:  Once your dog is walking past the treat without looking longingly at it, drop the leash and drop treats on the floor, asking him to leave it.  Remember, when you increase the difficulty, you have the lower the bar for your dog.  Now that you're combining both dropping the treat and walking past it, you want to back up and start with dropping lower-value treats from a very low height and then gradually increasing the difficulty again.  

If he does get them, just back up a step and keep practicing with a lower value treat.  Do not correct your dog for taking the treat, he simply needs more practice, and taking readily available food is an important and natural behaviour for dogs.  

If he does not take them, click or use a verbal marker, then pick each treat up and feed them directly to him one by one.  This is a very difficult task for a dog, moving/falling food is even more enticing than stationary food, so be patient with your dog as he learns this new behaviour.  

When he gets it right, reward him heavily so that waiting and leaving it really pays off!

If you prefer a visual demonstration and/or prefer a video, KikoPup recently uploaded a great tutorial on You Tube.  This video was created by Emily Larlham of Dogmantics Training:  

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

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Door Training with your Pets

"Can we go out yet?"

Threshold Training

The goal of these exercises is to teach your pet that they do not automatically go through a doorway when a door is opened and they should wait until you give them permission to move forward.  This is important for your pet's safety and is an extremely important skill for all dogs to learn, especially door-dashers.  Door-dashing cats definitely benefit from this training as well, we'll focus on dogs here, but the Cat Behaviour Associates website has fantastic resources for cat behaviour. 

Waiting in a Controlled Position

It is easier for your dog to wait if they are in a control position (sitting or lying down).  Ask your dog to sit or down, whichever they do best; the focus is not on sit/down, but on waiting and on impulse control.  

For cats, you can often do what we call "station training" and have them up on a cat tree.  Pam Johnson-Bennett has a great article on door-darting on her website that focuses exclusively on cat behaviour. 

Choose a safe doorway within your home and have your dog sit or lay down by your side.  Similar to your “stay” cue, gently move your hand in front of your dog, or put up one finger, and say “wait”.  

Desensitization

Most dogs associate their person touching a doorknob with the door being opened and will jump up or run toward the door as soon as our hand reaches toward the doorknob.  Before we even begin door training, we need to desensitize our dog to this process.  Currently your dog may have the association of door knob touch = rush the door.  What we want to do is teach him to remain in place when we touch the door knob and then open the door, and make waiting more rewarding than rushing.   

It can be easiest to have a mat or dog bed near the door to give your dog a visual cue for where he is supposed to wait.  If you have a threshold that changes flooring type (i.e. a hardwood or carpet that transitions to vinyl), then using that line can also be a good spot to start.  

Have your dog in his control position (down/sit), ask him to "wait", then put up a finger (don't do it at the same time, use the verbal signal first, then the hand signal).  Move your hand to touch the doorknob.  If he jumps up, return him to his place and his control position, then try again but move even more slowly.  If he remains in place, move beside your dog, then reward him.  It is important you return to your dog before giving him a treat so that he does not start moving toward you in anticipation of his treat.  

Next, turn the doorknob and repeat the steps above.  Then open the door a crack and repeat the steps above.  Continue this until you can reliably open the door without your dog moving (meaning he doesn’t move at least 8 out of 10 times).  

Step 2 : Practice With the Door Open

Step one can take days or even weeks to perfect, so please do not rush the process.  Take your time and set yourself and your dog up for success along the way.  Your patience will pay off!  

Now, with the door open, have your dog in his control position (down/sit), ask him to "wait", then put up a finger.  Take one step toward the doorway.  If your dog does not move, return to his side and give him a treat.  If he does move, ask him to sit/down and try again but take a smaller step to make it a little easier for him.  

Once you can take one step without your dog moving reliably (at least 8 out of 10 times he doesn’t move), ask your dog to sit/down & wait and take a step through the doorway.  If he does not move, return to your dog and give him a treat.   If he moves, ask him to sit or down and try again with a smaller step, perhaps stopping right on the threshold instead of going through the doorway first.  

Choosing a Release Word 

Once your dog understands the concept of "wait" and is reliably waiting while you take a big step fully through your doorway, you can then incorporate a release word.  Your release word can be anything you choose.  Remember, your dog does not speak English (or any other spoken language); he just makes associations between certain “sounds” (words), actions, and their consequences.  A common release word is “okay”, but this is not always the best choice because we use the word “okay” a great deal in our everyday conversations.  Other options are “break”, “alright”, “free”, or truly anything you choose.  It can be in any language, or it can be gibberish, a made-up word, as long as you are consistent and everyone in your household will use the same word every time.  I like to use a crisp, one-syllable word so that it is easy and clear for the dog.  

Step 3 : Increase # of Steps

Once you can walk through the doorway without your dog moving, ask him dog to sit/down & wait and take two steps through the doorway.  If he moves, ask him to sit or down and try again with only one step.  If he does not move, return to your dog and give him a treat, and then release him!  Remember: It’s important to reward him in his waiting place and not after you release him, so that he’s getting rewarded for staying there, and not for going through the door.  His big reward will be getting to go where he wants to go – through the door, usually to the outside world.  Slowly you will be able to reduce and then phase out the treats for waiting, and his reward will be the release and being allowed to go play in the yard, or out the front door to start his walk.  

Step 4 :  Generalize

Dogs are not good at generalization, so they need to practice new behaviours in as many different locations and scenarios as possible.  Practice “wait” in various doorways throughout your house, including the bedrooms, bathrooms, and back door.  Once you can walk through the doorways without your dog moving until you release him, move to the front door, but make sure your dog is on his leash for safety. 

 

You can also practice "wait" at the bottom of the stairs, having him wait at the bottom until you get to the top before you release him, and then starting at the top and releasing him when you get to the bottom.  This helps generalize the wait command and also promotes safety on the stairs, especially with those big dogs who like to rush past your legs while you're trying to go down the stairs!  

Another very important place to practice "wait" is yard gates.  If you have a fenced yard with gates that can be blown open, or left open accidentally, this is another important place where your dog should wait for a cue to proceed out.  

Once he gets good at waiting, you can use a longer leash so that you can take more steps through the doorway before returning to him and releasing him.  It is important you return to your dog before giving him a treat so that he does not start anticipating and moving before you are back by his side.  

Remain Consistent

It is very important that once you start this training, you do not allow your dog out the front door without waiting for your permission.  It may take a long time to leave the house for walks at first, but the hard work and patience will pay off, and it will become a habit for your dog to sit and wait at the door and to be invited out to start the walk.  

Environmental Management 

You can set both your dog and yourself up for success (and safety!) by using the environment around him to reduce or prevent the likelihood of getting out doors without waiting first.  Use baby gates, closed doors, whatever you can to prevent access to frequently-used doorways to prevent any door dashing.  

Proofing (Step 5): Door Dashing

Some dogs will try to push their way out the door when their owners are talking to a delivery person or getting the mail.  With your dog on leash, have a friend, partner, or family member practice coming to the door and having a conversation with you with the door open just a bit while your dog is asked to wait on his bed or wait by your side.  Start with the door only open a crack and slowly practice with the door opened a little more each time, again, always make sure your dog is on leash so you can keep him safe if he does try to sneak past you.  You also want to prevent the opportunity for him to be rewarded by door-dashing, so even if you’re practicing on a garage door or back door, I still recommend using a leash.  

Keep it Short & Sweet

Training sessions should be frequent, short, and fun.  Cut up 10 very small pieces of your dog’s treats and do 10 reps or practice during commercial breaks while watching television.  Keep sessions only to a minute or two so that you end with your dog wanting more, don’t over-train until he’s tired of the game and no longer engaged.  Remember that puppies’ attention spans are even shorter, and they wear out faster!  

Reward heavily for your dog waiting successfully!  It’s hard work for him to fight the urge to run free and explore the outdoors, so make sure that you make waiting inside a very pleasant event for him by using high-value (and high-value is determined by your dog’s preferences) treats.  Most importantly, have fun!

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

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Pet Sitting Health and Safety

Pawsitive Pet Care Pet Sitting Health & Safety Policies

At Pawsitive Pet Care we take the health and safety of the pets, our clients, and our staff very seriously.  

As we resume services following the Covid-19 closures, we will be taking the following precautions for live-in pet sits, and many of the below precautions will also apply to drop-in pet sitting as well: 

• Our staff will perform the Self-Assessment Screening prior to travelling to any client's home. 
• Staff will not enter a home wherein a person has Covid-19 symptoms or has been diagnosed with Coronavirus.
• Our staff will wash hands before and after visiting any client's homes. 
• During their last pet-sitting visit, our staff will sanitize frequently-touched surfaces such as countertops, doorknobs, light switches, and handrails and will wash any dishes they have used.
• Staff will bring their own water-bottle and other personal-use items from home to avoid using client items as much as possible.  

We ask our clients to please provide the following: 

• We ask that clients cancel services if they have Covid-19 symptoms or are concerned that they may have Coronavirus.
• Please ensure there is plenty of soap at each sink in the household for hand-washing. 
• Please ensure there are cleaning supplies available for staff to use as needed.
• Please provide clean linen (bedding, towels, hand towels, etc.), or ask our staff to bring their own if you prefer.
• Please sanitize frequently-touched surfaces such as countertops, doorknobs, light switches, and handrails.  We will have our staff do the same prior to leaving your home.  

Non-Medical Masks

Please notify our staff well in advance if you wish us to wear a mask when entering your home so that we ensure we have adequate PPE supplies.

Because we normally work alone, we do not require our staff to wear masks, but will accommodate for those who request it, pending mask availability.  We will also meet with clients outdoors whenever possible.  

Please contact us with any questions or concerns about our health and safety policies, or any questions about our services.

Click here to learn more about our Live-in Pet Sitting Services.

Please contact Jillian with any questions or concerns.  

Thank you for doing your part to keep everyone safe as we resume services.  

Pawsitive Pet Care turns TEN YEARS OLD on June 18, 2020!

Visit our website to learn about our 10th Anniversary Specials

CELEBRATING OUR TENTH ANNIVERSARY!

Tenth Anniversary Special! 

All half-hour weekday dog walks will be 25% off from June 15 to June 30 in celebration of our ten year anniversary!

Visit our website to learn more.  

Thank you to our wonderful clients and staff 💛

CELEBRATING OUR TENTH ANNIVERSARY!

Pawsitive Pet Care has been providing professional pet care services including dog training, dog walking, and pet sitting in Winnipeg and Headingley for more than 10 years.

Our pet care business was founded June 18, 2010, originally named Sturgeon Park Dog Care, a dog walking service in the Crestview and St. James neighbourhoods of Winnipeg.  

We very quickly grew into a full-time operation, and when Jillian went on maternity leave in 2012, we began hiring staff to continue providing excellent care to our clientele.  

When Jillian returned from mat leave in Fall 2013, we expanded our service area and our service offerings, outgrowing our original name to become Pawsitive Pet Care.

We are very proud and excited to celebrate our 10th anniversary of providing premium pet care services in Cartier and Winnipeg Manitoba.  

A huge thank you to all of the amazing staff and clients who have helped us become who we are today!

To learn more about us, please visit us on Facebook.  

About The Author

Jillian Enright is the founder of Pawsitive Pet Care and a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist.  Jillian has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

Slowly Returning to our New "Normal"

Slowly Returning to our New "Normal"

Returning to work soon and needing professional pet care? We can help!  

*We have ONLY been providing services to essential workers for the month of April and have always maintained social distancing protocols.

*We continue to wash our hands before and after every visit, as always, per our disease prevention policy.

*We are only returning to dog walking and pet sitting on a gradual basis for people whose workplaces are beginning to re-open.

*Our staff work independently and only visit family pets, so it is very easy for us to maintain social distancing and minimize any risk.

*Our first priority is the health and safety of our clients, their pets, our staff, and our community.

Please visit our website for Covid-19 related service updates.

Pawsitive Pet Care has been serving Manitoba since 2010, we will be celebrating 10 years of caring for pets on June 18, 2020!

Celebrating Our Tenth Anniversary! 

Pawsitive Pet Care was founded June 18, 2010,  originally named Sturgeon Park Dog Care, a dog walking service in Crestview and St. James Winnipeg.  

We quickly grew into a full-time operation, and when Jillian went on maternity leave in 2012, we began hiring staff to continue providing excellent care to our clientele.  

When Jillian returned from mat leave in Fall 2013, we expanded our service area and our service offerings, outgrowing our name to become Pawsitive Pet Care.

In March 2017 we moved out to our current rural location, in the R.M. of Cartier, and expanded our service area and staff team even further.  

We've been so lucky and are so grateful to have such amazing clients, and to meet amazing pets, thank you all for your ongoing support and for allowing us to do what we love.

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Pawsitive Pet Care COVID-19 Updates

Pawsitive Pet Care COVID-19 Updates

Updates will be posted regularly on our website and on our Facebook page.  

April 29, 2020

On Monday, May 4 Manitoba will begin Phase One of restoring non-essential services to our province.  Details on this plan can be found on the Manitoba.ca website.  


If you will be returning to work and would like to resume pet care services, please contact us through our Facebook page at or email Jillian.

Please note that while schools are closed, Jillian will still need to be home with her son, but our caring and qualified staff team will be available for pet sitting and dog walking services and Jillian will be available by email and for virtual consultations by appointment.

As always, we will continue to observe social distancing requirements and will wash hands before and after every visit, per our disease prevention policy.  

We cannot wait to return to some semblance of normal and see our furry friends again, we've missed them so much! 

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Please refer to manitoba.ca/covid19/updates/index.html for all the latest information directly from the Province of Manitoba.  

April 17, 2020

Updated Orders have been posted on the Government of Manitoba's State of Emergency web page. 

With regards to essential services, the section impacting Pet Care has remained unchanged.  We can continue to provide pet care services to essential workers, or to those for whom we are an essential service.  This includes anyone listed under the updated order 67(3) of the Public Health Act and our clients who cannot care for their pets due to disability or injury.  

April 13, 2020

Manitoba has extended public health orders shutting down non-essential businesses and limiting public gatherings for an additional two weeks, to be re-evaluated on April 28, 2020.  

To read the Order from Manitoba's Public Health officer, please visit  www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/proactive/2019_2020/orders-soe-03302020.pdf

To comply with this order, and to keep our community, our clients, and our staff safe, we will only be providing pet care services to essential workers, or to those for whom we are an essential service.  This includes anyone listed under order 67(3) of the Public Health Act and our clients who cannot care for their pets due to disability or injury.  

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Jillian.  Please be advised that, due to school closures, Jillian is currently homeschooling her child and may not be readily available by email or phone.  We thank you for your understanding and patience during this challenging time . 

If you do not currently require pet care services, but are interested in our video consultations, please visit www.pawsitivepooch.ca/video-consultations.html to learn more. 

April 9, 2020

According to a CBC News Summary of today's press conference, both individuals and businesses can be fined for not following the social distancing mandate.  

To read the full bulletin from the Province of Manitoba, visit news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=47465

If you do not currently require pet care services, but are interested in our video consultations, please visit http://www.pawsitivepooch.ca/video-consultations.html to learn more. 

April 1, 2020

As of April 1, 2020, the province of Manitoba has restricted operation of non-critical businesses, per order 67 of the Public Health Act.  Under that order, businesses that provide for the health and well-being of animals, including boarding kennels and other service providers, are permitted to operate.  For more information on the State of Emergency and pursuant legislation, please visit the MB Government's website at https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/soe.html.   

That being said, our first priority is the health and safety of everyone in our community.  This includes our clients, their pets, our staff, and their families.  Our staff have the right to choose to remain at home during this challenging time and have been given the option to take a leave of absence until the state of emergency is lifted and social distancing is no longer mandated. 

Pawsitive Pet Care staff who are continuing to work will only be visiting those clients to whom we are, indeed, an essential service.  This includes clients who are unable to care for their own pets due to disability or injury, and clients who require pet care services because they themselves are essential service workers and must continue to work in order to serve, provide for, and care for our community.   As always, we will continue taking every possible precaution, including sanitizing hands before and after every visit.

To those front-line workers:  We thank you for your efforts during this difficult time and we will do whatever we can to assist.  Thank you for all your are doing and have done.  

To our staff:  Thank you for caring for the pets of our front-line workers, we will do whatever way we can contribute to the fight against Covid-19, and however we can provide peace of mind to our front-line workers.  

To our clients:  Thank you for your words of support and for your kindness.  We very much look forward to seeing our furry friends again as soon as possible.  We miss them, we miss our daily routines, and we value your business.  Most of all, we value the relationships we have developed over the past 10 years, with our clients and especially with the loveable animals we see every day.  

To our larger community:  This will pass.  It is a challenging time, but please continue to practice social distancing, follow the advice of our medical experts, and take care of yourselves and each other.  We look forward to seeing you when we are out and about walking dogs and visiting pets.  Be well.

Sincerely,

Jillian and the Pawsitive Pet Care Team

As we know, this is an ever-changing and evolving situation.  Please check back often for updates.  We will be monitoring manitoba.ca/covid19/updates/index.html for daily information and will post any changes on our website and Facebook page.  

**Don’t forget to visit www.pawsitivepooch.ca/you-can-help.html to find out how YOU can help! 

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