The beginner puppy classes are great, learn allot of techniques. Prices are very reasonable and worth it. Social classes I recommend.

I found Pooch Pawsitive through Yelp. I don't know the area (RI) well and have a new puppy. I have been taking Bowser to the puppy socials for the last couple weeks, he is a german shepherd but very small for his age (11 weeks) They divide the social up between ages and are very attentive to what's going on with the pups. Heidi is very nice and you can tell she really loves the dogs, which is super important to me. Bowser is having a great time and learning to be social. When he is older I would trust them to do daycare and other classes/ events. A great place! read more

The owner runs puppy playgroups Friday, Saturday, and Mondays. I think that proper socialization of young puppies is key to a well-trained dog, so it's wonderful that she does that. However, because she is a small business owner the number of dogs at any one playgroup can be small (i.e. even just your dog), and that means that the puppies who are there can have mismatched sizes and play styles. If you want to take your puppy to a playgroup, you might try Canine Mastery - they have well attended playgroup sessions split into different sizes and activity levels. I like the positive training Heidi espouses, but the way the playgroup was run didn't jive too well with me. When puppies get too uppity or scared she has owners pick them up and cradle them in their laps, which isn't something that other trainers I've worked with have recommended. Also, during the playgroup when I asked other behavior/training questions Heidi was rather rude and uncommunicative - I know that I wasn't technically paying for a training session, but we were all just standing around. Also, she works with and advertises for Rumford Pet Center, known seller of puppy mill puppies. Boo!! read more

I found Heidi when looking for a puppy kindergarten class for my Jack Russell terrier puppy. I was recommended to her by a local agility instructor and decided to make the commute to East Providence when I saw how flexible her scheduling was. As a mom of two small kids and having a crazy schedule, I was unable to commit to one day a week for every week so having the flexibility to go to different days and times was huge. Once I met Heidi, I was impressed with her knowledge of animal behavior and different breeds. Her business is very well-run and organized. She was great and very encouraging, especially for someone who couldn't make a new puppy my "life" (as I did with my older dog 9 years ago). She's realistic and supportive. I hope to get back there for another class with my pup! read more

Heidi is the teacher up there. I actually went to the ASPCA down the street and asked if they had a list of highly recommended instructors. Hands down a whole group of their staff referred me to pooch pawsitive. My 3 lbs shih tzu has been going to class there since she was 9 weeks old. Heidi did a slow integration with the whole group for many weeks until my dog felt confident enough to play effectively with other puppies. She is extremely intuitive when it comes to dogs and she has tons of experience. We also look forward to going to her preschool. She does a lot better than even kids daycare in taking care of the puppies. She does activities, and is always supervising/ observing them. read more

Pooch Pawsitive - She created a smaller area for the really tiny dogs like mine. : ) thanks Heidi. - Pet Training Near Me - East Providence, Rhode Island

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If you have a puppy, please contact pooch pawsitive! I have taken my labradoodle puppy to their puppy socials, classes and daycare and they are all AMAZING. Heidi has been so responsive and so helpful throughout the process. She is not out to make money, she wants to train you AND your dog to be better. Meghan and the other teachers at pooch pawsitive are attentive, reliable, caring, communicative, and truly amazing at training dogs. Don't waste your money at other daycares or classes, go here and you won't regret it! read more

I have had the BEST experience with Pooch Pawsitive! We have had the opportunity to enjoy the puppy jumpstart, puppy socials, multiple classes, and daycare with Pooch Pawsitive for over a year. I have loved going to classes with my dog. If you are looking for truly positive training, then this is the facility for you! Staff members are always gentle with the pups. They will help you through puppy training, and help you think differently to make the puppy training experience easier and actually enjoyable. Heidi and her staff are very knowledgeable, patient, and trustworthy. I have very high standards when it comes to the treatment and care of my dog, and I feel absolutely comfortable with this facility. I have no doubts that when I drop off my dog at daycare for the day that he is being treated well. I always recommend Pooch Pawsitive to everyone I meet! They will help you meet your goals for your pup! We love Pooch Pawsitive! read more

Pooch Pawsitive - Graduation day! - Pet Training Near Me - East Providence, Rhode Island

The assistant trainers were very good. The owner and main trainer, Heidi, is good with dogs and bad with people. As another reviewer noted she can be rude. At a puppy social I attended she YELLED at clients twice and physically pushed me. The first time she yelled, the clients were simply recalling their dog when it was being pushy. I saw them do this at two previous socials. I was impressed with their recall. No trainers had ever told them not to. This time Heidi yelled at them in front of everybody. The next time she yelled was at me. I was trying to reach my dog to calm it down a bit. My dog and another dog had been picking on a smaller dog. We had to intervene with these dogs twice before doing that social. When I tried to reach my dog Heidi yelled at me and blocked me with her arm pushing me back a little. I was so surprised I didn't say anything. There are enough good trainers out there so I recommend avoiding this place. read more

I adopted an older dog that a friend said would make a good therapy dog but I knew we need some training. I talked to Wendy and she recommended the Canine Good Citizen cause. It was perfect for us. i learn a lot and Rupert learn a little. We are now doing Pet Therapy at Bradley and Miriam Hospitals as well as some senior facilities. I highly recommend this course for any dog and master not just therapy dogs. It allows you to take your dog out in public without any problems. Thank you Wendy read more

When we adopted our rescue puppy Grace we knew she was a smarty and we wanted to make sure we let her shine. My partner took her to another trainer who she did not jive with, and upon hearing about the experience I began to question whether clicker training was right for us... and then we attended Heidi's introduction session together; now it made sense! Heidi and her team make sure that the human is trained first, before even starting with the pup. I feel like Heidi really understands and explains how dogs think and how our human behaviors and tendencies can result in undesirable dog traits. Her sessions are flexible, the book she provides is comprehensive and offers plenty of homework and future work. Our dog has learned so much in such a short time, wherever we go people are impressed by her manners and her listening skills. It's nice to be able to take our girl anywhere and not have to worry about how she will react. And it's fun watching how proud she is of her new skills! Additionally, the puppy playtime is Gracie's favorite. She loses her mind whenever she goes near a pet store because she is so excited at the idea that she is about to see her puppy friends. She gets a full hour of pure joy, we learn about proper dog interactions and what is okay and what is a potential issue. On top of that, we end up with a nice calm, tired pup. I'm kind of sad that she will be graduating this week. We will consider future training with Heidi as well as daycare, and are happy to recommend this training to everyone, it was well worth the time and money. Also, the staff at Rumford Pet(which is a separate entity) is very nice! read more

I hired Heidi for private training for a newly adopted dog at a friends recommendation. She was quite knowledgable but unfortunately, did not quote me the correct amount and made no attempt to keep my business by compromising between the quote and end rate which was $30 more so would caution anyone using her to get the quote in writing prior to hiring her. Though I will not give her any future business I did pick up enough guidance to move forward. read more

We started our puppy in the puppy class with Heidi and her team and we're so glad we chose Pooch Pawsitive. Heidi is incredibly knowledgeable, intuitive and trustworthy. She and her team provide feedback for both you and your dog and explain WHY dogs (and owners) do the things they do. Our dog loves his time there and especially enjoys the Puppy Socials where he gets to play with other puppies of his size and energy level. read more

Heidi and the Poochpawsitve crew are awesome! (Megan and Crystal -sorry I don't know any other names but they are all great! )You can tell they care about the pups and their work. My mini dachshund pup started going for puppy preschool/day care when he was little and we also took him to the classes. The puppy preschool is great for training, socialization, and daycare (it's for puppies only though). That's why it's more expensive than regular dog daycare but it's so worth it. I highly recommend them for all the services they offer! read more

Pooch Pawsitive - Pet Training Near Me - East Providence, Rhode Island

Heidi's program is a must for all puppy owners. She and her staff are organized and really have helped us with training our puppy. She is also very knowledgeable about dog psychology and we appreciate the focus on positive training. read more

Pooch Pawsitive - Pet Training Near Me - East Providence, Rhode Island

Update: We have now completed three training courses with Heidi, and literally everywhere we go with Cooper people comment on how well behaved he is and how well he obeys our commands. With Heidi's help Cooper has achieved his AKC Canine "Good Citizen" certificate, and will be testing for hospital visits/therapy dog work soon. I highly highly recommend! read more

Heidi has been really helpful getting us on the right track with our Portuguese Water Dog. Her Puppy Play group is well organized, with several separate play pens so the right mix of puppies can play together. We went to another puppy play group in Providence where the puppies were mixed and the staff didn't pay attention to fights/over aggressiveness. Heidi and her staff are attentive but not over protective, redirecting when there was too much enthusiasm. Heidi's notebook of classes is well written and very clear. This is my second dog, and I have learned a lot, especially how I can be a better master. read more

At 2 years old I decided it was time to reign in my dog's wild side. My small breed Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Poodle Mix) knew the basic commands but seldom followed them. We attended puppy classes at one of the Big Box Pet stores but the training was weak. It was hard to get good instruction and keep the dog's attention with only one instructor and the distraction of 12 dogs and their families during the classes. My own follow through was poor as I was uncertain how to successfully continue the process on my own. I met Heidi of Pooch Pawsitive during one of my trips to Rumford Pet and attended the owners training orientation. Heidi clearly explained the clicker training method and the expectations for owners and dogs during class. I also liked that initial basic training classes were structured in such a way that you could start in with any session. You didn't have to wait for the cycle to start again. Each class dealt with a specific basic training topic, such as sit and stay, come when called, leash walking, etc. Class sizes were small and manageable and there were plenty of assistants on hand to help the instructor. Heidi even provided detailed handouts that I could follow at home to reinforce my dogs training. Mastering the clicker method showed me I could use it to train my dog to do almost anything. I continued on to the intermediate classes. These were structured in such a way as to build upon the previous lessons. Here we expanded on the commands of stay and come especially with external distractions, as well as learned skills to help us and our dogs interact positively with other dogs and owners while out in public. Learning all these new skills with my dog and his success with training left me wanting more. In came the Wag-It-Games. I can best describe the Wag-It-Games as informal, stress free, agility training. But it is much more than that. For me and my dog, it is a bonding experience where we can learn new skills and tricks together and take the lessons home to practice. It is also a confidence builder. Learning such simple tasks as walking through a tunnel, navigating obstacles, putting his head in a box to retrieve a treat has given my dog great confidence in himself. It's fun to watch him build on his skills and amazing to watch him put them to use on his own to problem solve, such as untangling his tie out without my help or crawling under the desk to retrieve his ball. In all Heidi and Pooch Pawsitive have helped me create a truly positive change in my dog and build a greater bond between us. read more

I care about my dog like she is my child and I would recommend pooch positive. Heidi truly cares about the puppies. Our dog comes home from day care happy and exhausted from positive stimulation. She even learns new skills from Heidi and the staff. They do amazing activities like aromatherapy and get exposed to things that may be scary, such as vacuums or bikes. Heidi is very caring and you can tell by how the puppies are excited to go to daycare. The play groups are excellent. Heidi knows a lot about the nature of dogs and allows dogs to be dogs in a healthy way, while also training them. Heidi teaches positive reinforcement rather than screaming at your dog and it truly works. read more

My puppy, Hunter, (German Shepherd) has attended both the puppy play groups and is currently in the puppy pre-school/day care. He LOVES it! He has his friends there he plays with and Heidi and Steve work with them on some training as well as introducing them to things like fireworks noise so they will no be afraid. When we arrive at Rumford Pet Center in the mornings, he paws at the door and when she takes the leash, he does not even look back at me leaving! He comes home a very tired puppy! Heidi is great with giving you a report card for the day to let you know what they worked on that day and who he played with. She also takes the time to let you know what you need to work on your puppy with more. I have had nothing but an EXCELLENT experience. The sad part is Hunter is 17 weeks old now, so his days at pre-school are limited. He will miss going, he so looks forward to it! I cannot recommend Heidi and Pooch Pawsitive enough. read more

I have attended three puppy kindergarten classes and two puppy socials with my mini schnauzer. The puppy socials are a blast, I highly recommend them. New pups are introduced slowly so no one gets scared or overwhelmed. Although the kindergarten classes are extremely useful, they're offered on a rotating schedule. So depending on when you start, you might not get to some of the most important commands until the end of your sessions. read more