About Pawsitive Attitude Dog Trainers

Pawsitive Attitude Dog Trainers is a small, in-home dog training business based in Colliers, West Virginia, in the Northern Panhandle between Weirton and Wellsburg. It is the kind of operation where the trainer comes to you rather than one you drive a dog to, and its published focus is on ordinary living-with-a-dog problems rather than on specialist or protection work.

Who runs it

The site names one person: Tammy McClain, Owner and Head Trainer. She is described there as "a CATCH certified dog trainer and Certified Professional Dog Trainer" with the Knowledge Assessed designation (CPDT-KA) – the second of those being an independent, examined credential rather than a course certificate, which is worth knowing when you are comparing trainers in a small market. The page adds that her passion to teach stems from her love of learning, and a separate page records continuing-education sessions she has attended, including understanding dog body language and canine first aid and CPR.

The approach

The business states its method plainly on the front page: "Private, in-home, individualized training using gentle, fear-free, positive reinforcement to address puppy socialization, potty training, good manners training, and common behavior concerns". Fear-free and positive-reinforcement are specific commitments rather than atmosphere – they say what will not be used as much as what will.

What it costs and how it works

In-home training is sold in packages, and the prices are published: pay by the visit at $75 a visit, or a three-session package at $200 for three visits, which must be used within three months of the first visit. Cash and credit are accepted.

There is also a group option, which is unusual in how it is arranged: group training is offered through the Jefferson County Humane Society at $75 for three group sessions, and the site says you can repeat an obedience level until the content is mastered – a better deal than it sounds for an owner whose dog needs a second pass.

What is actually taught

The obedience curriculum is listed rather than implied. Basic training covers the Name Game, Touch, Sit, Down, Stay, Leave It, Come and leash walking, along with enrichment activities. That is a realistic first-course syllabus for a pet dog, and it lines up with the front page's list of puppy socialization, house training, manners and everyday behavior problems.

A note on where it is

The directory record carries no street address, which is normal for a trainer who works in clients' homes, and the business's own site says Colliers, WV. One caveat for anyone mapping it: this business also appears on Google under a second listing whose coordinate falls across the state line in Jefferson County, Ohio. The phone number and website are identical on both, so it is one business, and it is a West Virginia one – the stray coordinate is a mapping artifact, not a second location.