Paul was so helpful. He met us where we were and helped us make a plan to address our specific concerns. Our pup is very reactive on walks. He's a good boy and does a lot of things right, but we've been lost on how to handle his reactivity. Paul listened to us and really paid attention to our dog's behavior and personality. He packed so much advice into our one on one session and we finally feel like we have a plan that makes sense. As the name would suggest, he has a very positive style of training, which is awesome. While some trainers would recommend using aversive training techniques to "control" dogs (no thank you), Paul's approach was to take our situation (excessive barking at other dogs on walks) and to make a plan that is fun and engaging for both us and our dog. It's going to be a big improvement in how we work with our dog. It will take work & intention to change our habits, but that's the whole thing with dog training. It's really us humans who need the training. There's no magic button to "fix" your dog. Paul helps you see that your dog is responding to your routines and the way you communicate with him/her, whether you're communicating on purpose or by accident. I should also mention that the plan he gave us is very doable--we are not very experienced with dog training & we have full time jobs, but we can definitely fit this training plan into our daily routines. We haven't had time yet to see the results, so I plan to update in a few weeks. I really believe that our plan can only make our dog (and us) feel happier, more confident, and far less confused about our communication. read more

We contacted Paul about our Cane Corso, Duke (110 Lbs. Dog) who we rescued about 7 months ago now from BARCS Animal Shelter. He recently began having issues with meeting new people, minor biting/nipping with said new people, sound anxiety and walking near people/dogs in general which we attributed to him becoming possessive of us. Paul was incredible right from the start. Without us even knowing, Paul evaluated Duke and knew what kind of dog he was. He implemented techniques and strategies that Duke caught onto immediately and thrived with. I am honestly shocked how quickly and easily Paul engaged with Duke and had him laying on the floor and staying in place on command, something he's never done before. We now have several techniques and strategies that we will be using daily to help Duke become the best dog he can be. I would 100% recommend Paul to anyone who need assistance with dog training, one session is really all you need! read more

Pawsitive Paul came highly recommended from another dog parent, and I have to say, he deserved the accolades. From the moment I received his reply about training my 10-month old puppy Fergus through the 90-minute personal training session, every aspect of customer service was top-notch. Paul connected with Fergus, helped me understand the natural instincts of his breed, and how to communicate expectations in a positive way. Fergus loved him! I'm grateful for Paul's lessons and am excited to put them into practice. Paul's patience and confidence rubbed off and my increased confidence helped to reduce my dog's anxiety. If you're looking to create an even stronger bond with your dog, and to do so in a positive way, work with Pawsitive Paul--you'll be happy you did (and your dog will love it, too). read more

I recently finished the four-week group class with my Thai Ridgeback puppy Ellie. Thai Ridgebacks are notoriously stubborn and difficult to train, but Paul's group class helped me become more confident in training her. As a trainer himself, he is fantastic with dogs - they all loved him, respected him, and you can tell he really "gets" the doggie brain. As a person-trainer (because this class was more for me than my pup), he was very kind, patient, and accessible. At the end of each class, he told us to email or call him with any questions or concerns, and followed up with notes and helpful hints from that day's session. The best part about the class was that it was appropriate for dogs and humans of all training levels. Ellie already had some basic "sit and stay" training, and I think she benefited from the class as much as the young puppies who had very little training, and other dogs who were already very well behaved. I also loved that his style is positive reinforcement only. I have already recommended his classes to friends with puppies, and will definitely use him again for future training, and maybe the day care center! read more

Paul has been teaching Basic Training at our center "Good Doggie Day Care" for the last five years at our old location 3500 Ash St in Hampden. With our new move to 529 W 29th St, we are looking forward to having Paul join us again! Over the years Paul's group classes, at our center, have always been very well received. There is usually a waiting list to attend. Mr Steinberg's professionalism is the key to his success. He is always available to his clients before and after his classes, in person or on the phone. I am extremely pleased he will be joining as at our new location! read more

We have been working with Paul via Zoom for a couple weeks. He has been so great at helping us navigate training with a new puppy! We were really hoping for in-person training sessions (and still are), but we are surprised at how helpful these Zoom calls have been. Paul is great at letting us tell him exactly what we are struggling with or want to work on, and it's great to see him demonstrate what we should be doing with his own dog. He's also been available via text with occasional questions we've had. So far it's been a great experience and we feel much more confident in the work we're doing with our pup! Would recommend. read more

Paul is completely amazing. He came to the apt yesterday for a house call and huge changes are happening the next morning! I'd had Monty, an 8 year old Boston Terrier, for 1 year and I still wasn't able to teach him how to sit or any other commands. Monster was super nervous and anxious, barking whenever he was alone, obsessively chewing a bone or licking his paw. My neighbor, Prison Mike, wanted to kill us whenever we left the apt and the dog started barking. Not a fun situation. In a single hour, Paul showed us how to work with Monty and challenge him so he would relax and appropriately channel his energy. Now I have a routine to do with Monster and he is already 95% less anxious. Both my dogs were rapt with attention during the whole visit. They love Paul. Monty's going to take the group class in a few weeks so we can learn more commands and continue to challenge him. Paul's such a good teacher for both the pets and their humans. Everything is positive, and he will seriously change your life in 1 hour! read more

We did Paul's beginner class and it was excellent both for us and our puppy! We couldn't have asked for more: our puppy got notably better at following commands during the duration of the class, and she always had a great time (every time she realized where we were going she'd sprint towards the door). Definitely a great experience both to teach our puppy, and to teach us how to teach our puppy! read more

Pawsitive Paul's Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Seattle, Washington

In September last year, I contacted Paul about my then 5-year old dog who was found as a stray with signs of severe neglect in July 2018. From the moment I brought her home, her fear of and extreme discomfort towards people, dogs, loud noises, sudden movements, toys and being touched was immediately apparent. Paul responded almost instantly to my inquiry, and offered to meet for one in-home private session. The issues I wanted addressed were her reactivity and aggression towards dogs and certain people (primary concern); attacking the window when there is a stimulus outside; barking and running to the front door when someone knocked or rang the doorbell; proper leash walking; her prey drive; and fear of toys. My dog reacted to his arrival by barking, and jumping on him and he also witnessed her reactivity to the window when a stranger walked by. I specifically asked how to stop these behaviors, to which Paul asked if they bothered me. He did follow-up by advising me to ignore any undesirable behavior and reward what's desirable. This was basically the bread-and-butter to remedy all issues I considered bothersome. During a brief walk to assess her reactivity to strangers and dogs, I brought up leash walking and Paul affirmed that she was not a "puller"; he did however send me notes upon my request on how to enhance loose-leash walking, which I implemented. Paul was finally able to witness her reactivity when we walked up to a dog park; where he demonstrated to me how I should stay calm and upbeat during her outburst, and then to reward her once she calmed down. He advised me to keep exposing her until she learned that she would only get attention (the reward) if she "behaved" and ignored if she reacted. The session left me feeling empowered, and it prompted me to pause and re-evaluate my expectations, so I can identify what my dog's real problem behaviors were and address those, while being more empathetic (and positive!) to the rest as she continues to adjust. So, 3 days after the session, I left a 5-star review, mainly describing how energized and better equipped I felt to help my dog. I now realize that for a review of a training program to be truly helpful for prospective clients, it should not be based on how I felt immediately after the session. I used Paul's method to help my dog over many months. My dog did gain some confidence in a few areas but, I struggled to effectively address her reactivity and aggression. For an older dog with more severe and ingrained fear-based reactivity and aggression, I began to feel sorry for her that it was entirely on her to figure out the connection between an undesirable and desirable behavior based on whether she was ignored or rewarded, respectively. The more time I spent using this method on her, the more I felt it was so unfair to her. We were fortunate to find a trainer in May 2019 who used a more wholesome and balanced approach that focused on her entire well-being. Now, 3 months later, she continues to be calmer and a happier dog. She is able to continue doing her own thing without feeling the need to react to every stimulus, including the doorbell, dogs and strangers. We often get complimented on how calm and happy she looks when we are out on our walks. She by no means desires to engage with random strangers or dogs we cross paths with, but she now knows she can ignore or avoid instead. This is exactly what I wanted for my dog. One who knows how to respectfully rather than aggressively deny interaction, if it makes her uncomfortable. My honest 2-star review solely focuses on the approach (especially discounting my concerns during the visit which prompted me to re-evaluate my expectations) and the lack of effectiveness. I did not reach back out to Paul after going back and forth initially because I realize even if I had more money to spend on more private sessions, my dog needed real help. Paul was otherwise affable and pleasant to work with. read more

Paul is truly a life saver. I am a first time dog owner & have a 12 week old labrottie. In a little over an hour Paul was able to teach her how to sit, stay & lie down. She was also afraid of her crate and now willingly will walk in. In the days of the internet it's very hard to distinguish what is best for your pet since everyone has an opinion. Everything Paul told us worked wonders for our pup & he even gave suggestions on how to handle her whining. I can not say enough great things, thank you Paul! read more

Baltimore's very own Cesar Millan, Paul is outstanding. We went from one of his group classes to a one-on-one consultation and both were worth every penny. He understands dogs and how to get results. I'm a dog person and wasn't sure if he'd actually have anything to say that I'd find useful. In fact I'm now a much better dog owner now that we're done. He worked with me, my wife and mother to help us change two adversarial from competing to companions. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions anyone has before they work with him. Dan Reed read more

Our difficult and super-energetic lab puppy just finished the 4-weeks class with Paul. Nico enjoyed the attention he received; we were mesmerized by Paul's choreographed training technique and the eloquent delivery of training advise. It worked! Nico now sits and downs, stays and comes, leaves "it" and walks without pulling me off my feet. It is a miracle. Thanks! read more

Paul came to my apartment today to help me with my two year Standard Poodle who I've recently adopted and have been having trouble getting her to stop pulling on the leash and jumping on people. Within the first few minutes we were seeing results. I was amazed as I thought this might be a hard nut to crack. It was a most educating session and fun to boot. I'm feeling so much better about my relationship with this dog and her ability to be a good citizen. read more

I was referred to PP by a number of friends who went to his basics class. We decided to give it a try since everyone with a small/new puppy loved him. We probaby didnt need the basics - since most of what PP taught, we read in a book and had done on our own. The only thing we really were looking for was reinforcement that we were doing it right and some help with our puppies confidence. From the moment PP met our dog, he responded poorly to him. Our dog was a barker and "disturbed" his initial class and was given the evil eye by PP versus addressing the behavir. We initially felt bad that our dog barked in class and requested that PP come to our home to help with our puppies barking/leash agression to finish up the basics class (his graduation) and provide additional training. After three canceled approintments by PP (yes, he seemed to have some health issues at the time), PP came into our house and was completely baffled on how to help. He proceeded to take video of our dog and said he would send it to a behaviorist since he had never seen a dog bark like ours. He provided no insight, didnt bring the initial certificate from training (after the 4 week class) and after leaving (which we tipped him significantly hoping that he would stand on his work to follow up with information on a behaviorist, or at least check in), we never heard back from him. Perhaps he was going through a rough patch, but I would never recommend PP to anyone with anything more than a new puppy who is just learning basic tricks.. read more

Background: my mother has been rescuing & rehabbing abused dogs for decades, & I grew up watching & helping her train & rehab dozens of dogs. My aunt is a professional trainer. Needless to say, I have quite a bit of experience with trainers, behaviorists & training myself, & never expected that I would need to hire a trainer when I recently adopted my new best friend...but one reaches a breaking point. Severely abused, my 7mo old Cocker (I'll call him "P") came to me starved, beaten, & (unbeknownst to me) with serious fear-based people & dog aggression. NOT a good mix when ones backyard is a children's park with an off-leash dog section! After 2 hard months of training P on my own we had come a long way, but still I had reached a point of exhaustion & was an absolute wreck, terrified that any moment we were outside P might lose control & I would end up with an injured toddler & massive lawsuit on my hands. Enter Paul, who I initially hired to simply watch me train P & help me figure out what it was I was missing. Our 1st session took place the 2nd week of Oct. Paul first met P in my home so that he could assess our interactions before we ventured out my front door into the sea of toddlers & tails that is my backyard, & it was obvious from the first that Paul has experience! P reacted as soon as he saw Paul as usual, & without so much as a word from me, Paul instantly had him sitting at his feet with a wagging tail. We headed outside, where Paul spent time watching P's reactions in various settings, assessing P like only a true pro can: he mentally recorded his expressions, ears, stance, hackles, distance it would take P to react, time it would take to calm down, etc. After giving me his impression he took the leash & told me his ideas, showing me what to do as he walked P. We planned to meet again in 3wks. The next day(!) Paul sent me a personalized outline of what we had discussed, what I should do, & what I could expect from P as we started training. I practiced his advice in earnest, & by Halloween night (only TWO WEEKS) I felt comfortable enough to bring P outside. Surrounded by hordes of children who would routinely run up to play with an adorable puppy, P continually looked to me for instruction on what to do thanks to Paul's guidance on how to get P to look to me first on command, & then automatically whenever he felt overwhelmed. But P was still struggling with dogs. We met again in the 1st week of Nov., & planned to focus exclusively on his interactions with dogs. Lucky us: the park, normally full of dogs at any given moment, was completely devoid of them. Paul was not satisfied at all: he had come to work with P on his dog aggression, & thanks to circumstances completely outside of his control he had been robbed of the chance to really work with him how he'd intended. It was in witnessing his disappointment that night that I really got to learn the most about him: Paul is a trainer who truly loves dogs & is devoted to helping them, & even though he had only met P & I one time, it was clear that he had come to care about our situation a great deal. Helping P & I wasn't "just another job" for him- it was a chance to do what he is so passionate about, which is to help dogs & their owners develop the kind of relationship that changes lives in the way that only a relationship with a dog can. Despite my protestations and the fact that he had spent hours with me, Paul would not take my money. He simply refused to accept payment for what he felt was a training session left incomplete. So we struck up a new plan & bargain: Paul would ensure that our next session would give P plenty of time to act out his dog aggression, & he would do so by using his own beloved dog as P's test victim. He found a day that same week, & an hour later Paul had analyzed P meticulously. He identified the problem perfectly, & came up with an equally perfect plan. I can only compare it to Clarice analyzing Hannibal (a fitting comparison with P wearing his basket muzzle for half the session), but with more love. The result of that session & training plan? I took P with me to spend Thanksgiving wknd with my grandmother & her dog, & he had no (NONE! ZERO!) problems with people aggression despite over 2 doz. strangers at dinner, & played happily the entire visit with her dog. He has also played with numerous other dogs. If those dogs became aggressive, P just sat at my feet each time waiting for direction on how to respond. Five wks before hiring Paul I was a crying, disheartened mess. P was a terrified, traumatized, isolated puppy. And now I've got a dog who sits by the door begging to be let out to play with other dogs, happy to meet people, with a new lease on life. In five weeks. In three sessions. And for the next decade+ P is in my life, I will never be able to take him out for a walk without thinking of Paul, & how he changed both of our lives. read more

Paul came to our house, and immediately connected with our four-month old Pomsky. He is a natural with dogs, but really breaks everything down so owners can understand what their dog needs and how they can go about having a healthy, fun and productive relationship. Paul was energetic, patient and very down to earth. Had great communication and a great attitude. Oh, and by the way, I'm already noticing changes in our pup. I definitely recommend him. read more

My German Shepherd Emma (5-years old and rescued in 2017) and I met Paul for the first time on 04/25/18. Paul arrived on time and from the introductions, it was quickly evident that Paul was focused upon my concerns with Emma's reactivity and leash-walking. In short order, Paul had Emma taking treats out of his hand (not an easy feat, but dogs know when they can trust someone!). After some background information, Paul started discussion how best to work and communicate with Emma. We ended up taking her for a short walk where Paul demonstrated the best approach to control her pulling (and yes, it is working!). Paul followed up the next day with a number of tips and recommended actions. I am certain that Emma and I will be communicating with each other much better now that I have some additional tools to work with. Emma and I look forward to seeing Paul again for another lesson to show him our progress. I am extremely pleased with Paul and his approach regarding positive reinforcement when it comes to the training, and highly-recommend him to those that want to better understand their pups, as well as develop happy and well-mannered companions! 5-Stars from me, and 5 extra-loud Woofs from Emma! read more