Every Dog Is Different. Every Dog Has Different Needs. Cater To The Dog In Front Of You.
Do you ever think to yourself, “Why is my dog like this? How did he get this way. This isn’t what I expected. This isn’t what I wanted.”
If you have a behavioral dog, these thoughts have crossed your mind at one time or another. You may not have gotten the dog you wanted, but I’m here to tell you that you got the dog you needed.
Having a dog with behavioral issues such as fear, anxiety, reactivity or aggression opens your eyes to so many things you may not have ever known about dog ownership if you had gotten a dog that was “easy”, a dog that didn’t need as much structure and management, a dog that only had minimal basic training and that was enough. It forces you to be respectful of leash laws, learn appropriate socialization and dog body language cues, fulfill your dogs biological, physical and mental needs, and overall give them the most out of this life.
There will be people who question you and your methods and the way you live your life with your dog. You are doing what is best for YOUR dog - you are doing what YOUR dog needs. Strangers, friends, neighbors, family members etc. may not understand and it’s not up to you to make them understand. Their dogs needs may look different from yours and that’s okay.
You know that once you started implementing the place exercise, your dog was able to settle and wasn’t pacing around the house anxiously anymore.
You know that once you starting giving your dog the job of heel to focus on during your walks that you were able to walk by another dog without yours having a total meltdown.
You know that once you started ecollar training you were able to safely let your dog run around off leash with the ability to regain control whenever you needed to.
How you live your life with your dog may look different than what other people think dog ownership should look like and that’s okay. Everyone in your life doesn’t have to understand your why - you need to understand your why and let that motivate you to continue to do what you need to do to live your best possible life with your dog.
