By Eileen Heveron In putting together this newsletter, it’s been fun to read the stories coming in: what are folks doing with their dogs this summer… what is transition training all about…how can you decipher what your pup is telling you about what they want to do when they grow…
By Barbara McKown and Mary Skrabucha What are you doing on vacation? In the Therapy Dog world, our school programs are on summer hiatus. So, we asked some of the volunteers that work in the school programs what their summer plans are. Many of our volunteer teams are certified with…
By Carolyn Peters and Margery Squier We have a trained service dog for mobility disabilities or PTSD… now what? The interviews of individuals who have applied for a service dog begin when the volunteer trainer and program manager agree that the service dog in training is ready (after 18 –…
By Marilyn Davis My 16-month-old golden retriever, Pickle, has not gotten my memo about my plans for her future as a therapy dog. I’ve had other certified therapy dogs – goldens – who met the brief: “Velcro” affection applied liberally to everyone they meet. Pickle, however, so far, does
By Denelle Curry If you can’t picture a foxtail in your head, it’s time to look at the images below and remember them! San Diego residents are generally aware of foxtails and their danger to dogs. But foxtails have come out earlier and are more plentiful this summer. Recently, two…
by Jean Gertmenian Charli King, with co-founder, Carol Davis, and one golden retriever puppy, launched Pawsitive Teams in 1997. Since that modest beginning more than a quarter of a century ago, it would be impossible to calculate how many thousands of lives in San Diego County have been touched by�
When we last updated you, the Facility Dogs in our new Academy program were deep into their training. Since then, all completed their coursework and passed their exams. Their graduation in October was a huge success. We had almost 50 people in attendance including several Board members, Bear�
The following web post was written by the team at the American Veterinary Medical Association and reminds us about keeping our pets safe during the holidays! Pass it on! Nothing can spoil holiday cheer like an emergency visit to a veterinary clinic. These seven tips can help prevent a…
Training in Hot Weather In our last newsletter, we provided ideas for training in rainy or cold weather. Many of those ideas work for hot weather too, so here are a few things to remember. How hot is too hot? Most references on training in hot weather indicate that if…
Wilson!!! We know everyone enjoys updates on our pups. Wilson is now 8 months old and just under 60 pounds. We continue solidifying or “proofing” his foundation skills by having adventures at Sunset Cliffs, restaurants, coffee shops, and stores. It sounds fun, but remember, he is still very you
By Marilyn Davis Pawsitive Teams Volunteer Like pebbles thrown into still water, Pawsitive Teams dogs spread comfort—ripples in a pond. It’s often said, regarding our connection with our dogs, “love goes down the leash.” But we also need to remember that our dogs can sense our negative as well as…
by Kim Elliott (Live-streamed and found on the Naval Medical Center San Diego Facebook page.) On June 5th, at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, Pawsitive Teams Facility Dog Cork and L.C. (Facility Dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs), received their official ranks on newly designed uniforms. Captain
This year, we have had a Secondary Handler Workshop, a Listen to Your Dog Workshop & several Tricks Workshops. Each workshop is designed to enhance our skills as dog handlers and coaches, and the workshops are led by volunteers. In the Secondary Handler Workshop, teams learned techniques for instructing a…
We’re happy to announce that two English Labrador Retriever brothers from Washington State recently joined the Pawsitive Teams Service Dog Training Team here in San Diego. These one-year-old black labs are handsome, full of life, and clearly love people. They were met by their Aunt Cricket, also a beautiful black…
From the Executive Director’s Desk…. We hope you enjoy this issue of the Pawsitive Teams quarterly newsletter. You’ll find articles on our newest service dogs in training, a review of the workshops we hold for our therapy dog teams, things you can do to train your pups when the…
Amazon is No Longer Smiling… but Pawsitive Teams Can Be! With AmazonSmile shuttering its doors in February 2023, we thought we’d remind you of seven ways you can help us make up the funds we won’t be receiving from Amazon anymore. Thank you! Your support will keep us smiling. SAN…
By Carol Davis Pawsitive Teams Co-Founder The most frequently asked question service dog trainers hear is, “How can you give them up?” For 25 years, my answer has been, “It’s like with your kids. They grow up and move out of the house, but they’re still very much part of your…
By Charli King Co-founder, Service Dog Trainer From hot weather in the summer to cold weather in the winter, you may want to use your home as your training field! Training in your home can be effective for therapy, facility, or service dogs. It’s full of tools you can use.…
By Marilyn Davis Pawsitive Teams Volunteer Like pebbles thrown into still water, Pawsitive Teams’ dogs spread comfort….ripples in a pond. In each newsletter, we’ll share one of their stories in the Comfort Corner. Today I’m puppysitting Pawsitive Teams’s youngest service dog-in-training, six-month-old chocolate lab, Wilson. He runs around the house…
By Barbara McKown Therapy Dog Program Manager 2023 IS OFF TO A GREAT START! Our January Prep School class was full, and several people indicated they are interested in our Goal Directed Therapy programs. The first Therapy Dog Team evaluation was done in early February and seven teams passed the…
OUR TEAM: If you’re interested in seeing who we are behind the scenes, here’s our organizational chart. As you can see, our part-time staff is joined by many volunteers who have expertise in a wide variety of areas. If you would like to help fill in the blanks by providing…
by Eileen Heveron, Executive Director As everyone knows, in this day and age there are many organizations—both for profit and not for profit—that provide service dogs to individuals with a wide variety of disabilities. Donors would like to know what sets Pawsitive Teams and other worthy organizations apart from the…