Pawlite Best Friends

Sturbridge, Massachusetts

Dog Training

Located in Sturbridge, Massachusetts and serving the surrounding communities, I specialize in board and trains and at-home dog training, personalizing each appointment to maximize effectiveness and minimize unnecessary stress for you and your best friend.

I work with you to help achieve your specific goals, whether it is having a dog who is well behaved around guests, reducing your dog's reactivity or keeping your dog calm in new situations.

I often focus on manners and working with your dog to help them make appropriate choices.

Services

Puppy Training

Start your puppy off on the right paw!

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Basic Training

Great for dogs who need some manners!

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Behavior Modification

Struggling with your dogs behavior? We are here to help!

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Service Dog Training

Looking for help with your Service Dog in Training or setting your puppy up to be a service dog?

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Board and Train

Need a jump start with training? This program may be for you!

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Structured Boarding

The perfect option for dogs who need more support away from their owners.

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We have a little of Australian Labradoodles who will be looking for their forever home at the beginning of February 2026.
Mom is a Therapy Dog and helper dog for my training program, dad is a Multipurpose service dog. We are looking for Service, Comfort, and Therapy Dog homes for this litter, as well as pet homes. 

Puppies will be going home at 9 weeks with first 2 rounds of shots and microchip, they will be temperament tested at 7-8 weeks to match puppies to their best home. Puppies will have Early Neuro Stimulation, Early Scent Introduction (and additional scent exposure), Puppy Culture, Genetic Testing, and more!

I will also have started puppy programs available if you would like for your puppy to have more foundational training before going home.
Meet the parents!
Countryview's Ain't No Bodhi Better
Health Testing✨OFA - 208831Hips- good, elbows & patellas normalCardiac and thyroid- normalCAER Eyes clear/normal
Genetic Testing✨DNA- Orivet/ Paw PrintClear except1 copy of Hereditary Nasal Parakaratosis (not affected)1 copy Copper Toxicosis ATP7B (ATP7A normal)(not affected)
Size✨20.5 in40 lbs
About Bodhi✨He loves his work as a Multipurpose Service DogHe is happiest when workingGood on/off switch
Drives✨Play- Low-ModerateFood- ModeratePack (Attention)- High
Bodhi has exceptional handler focus, is level headed, and stable. He is confident in new situations and is always down to work, or to relax at home.
Sullivan-Vo's Little Monster Nessie CGCA CGCU
Health Testing❤️CHIC 211117Hips- GoodElbows/knees- normalThyroid- equivocalAdvanced cardiac- normal
Genetics❤️Embark generics- clearhttp://embk.me/nessie311
Size❤️24 in50 lbs
About Nessie❤️Registered Therapy DogHelper dog for fearful and anxious dogsLives well with chickens, cats, and dogsEasy going temperamentHuman focused
Drives❤️Food- MediumPlay- MediumPraise- High
Nessie is an easygoing dog who loves to explore new places- be that a brewery or the woods. She is confident and relaxed with people and dogs.
⭐From this litter we expect⭐-Confident-Medium energy-Good off switch-Handler focused-Environmentally stable-Scent aware (scent sports, medical alert, shed hunt, etc)-Great family dogs-Aptitude for Service, Therapy, or Comfort work-Expected 35-50 lbs-Expected 18-24" tall at withers

Online Course

Online Course image
Sometimes it is hard to communicate with our dogs properly, or to get them to listen. This course is designed to help you better understand your dog, from body language and communication, to building confidence, loose leash walking, recall and obedience.

To view the course please click here.

F.A.Q

What Payment Methods Are Accepted?

I accept Cash, Check, Venmo, Paypal and Credit Cards.

Why Did You Become A Dog Trainer?

I started my path to being a dog trainer after we started rescuing and fostering more difficult dogs. We started getting over our heads and the trainers I reached out to at that point didn't have answers to the questions I had, so I experimented and researched more. As we learned we continued to take on harder cases- including dogs who got easily overstimulated and bit, resource guarders, feral dogs, aggressive and reactive dogs.
We currently have 8 of our own dogs, all rescues of various breeds, ages, and backgrounds. They mainly came to us after being at risk of euthanasia or for being incompatible with their other situations. We put a lot of work into rehabilitating our dogs, and later the many foster dogs that we had, so that they could live their best lives. Now my dogs get to enjoy a lot of fun activities like hiking, bikejoring, slat mill, sports, pack walks and just lounging around. Working through my own dogs and foster dogs behavioral problems is what started me as a trainer.

What Education Do You Have?

I have learned from many trainers and organizations in various formats- including seminars, online courses, classes, books, and academic papers. I have completed courses from well known trainers including Michael Shikashio, Pat Stuart, Michael Ellis, Laura Donaldson, Mark McCabe, and Grisha Stewart, and academies including CATCH, Absolute Dogs, and The School of Canine Science, and I continue to strive to learn more through workshops, training seminars and more. I value learning from a variety of people so I can understand a variety of viewpoints, as well as expand my ability to help more dogs. Not every dog learns the same way, just like people. I put a lot of importance on continuing my education so I can continue to help dogs and clients as much as possible.

Do You Require A Deposit? Do I Need To Sign A Contract?

Yes, I require a $75 deposit that is applied to your last appointment, so long as you don't have a last minute cancellation or reschedule. My cancellation policy is 4 days.
Yes, all clients sign a contract before we can work together. I electronically share the contract with Square or can print the contract and bring to the appointment if you prefer.

Do You Require Appointment Packages?

I do not require appointment packages. At this point as I found the upfront cost makes training inaccessible to many people who need help. I also find it's not as conducive with many people's goals, sometimes they just need the support of a single appointment, sometimes they have a goal that changes as their dog grows in their confidence and training.

Can My Kids Be Involved During Appointments?

I encourage the whole family to get involved in training! That being said, if your children become upset or distracted they are definitely not required to pay attention to the appointment. If you want them to learn I am happy to help them as well. I was a martial arts teacher for children for several years so I can explain concepts to them in a way they can understand.
Having children, significant others, or other family members present is helpful because it increases retention and encourages more parties to be involved in training, which is great!

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