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We are a culture that likes quick fixes, short cuts, easy to apply suggestions, and why wouldn't we be? This makes things more accessible for our ever increasingly busy lives. So let me tell you the best dog training hack, one thing above all I encourage my clients and the wider dog guardian population to work on, the secret to success is... connection.
The Secret To Success: Connection
If we build a strong, stable, and lasting connection everything else will flow. Whether that's recall, loose-lead walking, engagement, reactivity work, confidence building, harmonious home dynamics, and more...
A strong connection allows your partnership to be more successful in navigating through life together. It creates and breeds trust and a greater understanding of one another. Thus leading to a more fulling experience for both dog and guardian.
Fundamentals To Connection Building
This is a huge area, so for now I will break it down to a few small and accessible steps for you to build solid foundations from and we can dive deeper into these over more blogs.
Scent swaps before welcoming them into our homes
Space - ensuring they have a safe space to decompress at
Slowing everything down
Changing mindsets around the function of behaviours - dogs' are curious, opportunistic, and hugely sensitve instead of stubborn and naughty
Learn to observe your dog's body language in all situations, how relaxed are they, do they really want to engage in that activity
Think about their nervous system as a multi-layered sensory experience, how ignited is it on how many levels? - Pain, gut sensitivites, noises, smells, sounds, etc...
What do they find meaningful? - chewing, licking, shredding, snuffling, touch, play, walking, and then incorporate these into the theirs lives
Use positive centred training methods - these are scientifically proven to build connection, trust, and confidence between the handler and the dog. Anything designed to be uncomfortable/negative will break down trust and connection.
When & How To Start
We can start this before we pick up our new companion, via scent swaps to the breeder/rescue so we are a familia and comforting smell by the time they join our households.
Then lets get SLOW. If we slow dow our interactions with them we can better read how they are really feeling about the situation, whether it's touch, a walk, an object on a walk, people coming over, interactions with people and dogs.
We can then offer them the things they find meaningful to help them to navigate those situations. For example, my dog finds engaging with people a bit pressured so she gets over-aroused and unsure what to do, or makes choices we would deem unacceptable like jumping up. By giving her items to shred, chew, snuffle, and lick she can remove herself from the pressured interaction and make better choices. She can dip in and out to say hi if she feels able, and wants too, but normally she's happier off to one side doing her thing. This enables her to transfer these skills when we meet people in a less controlled environment.
Getting To Success
If we can learn to slow down, observe our dogs on a micro level and then implement some of these suggestions they will feel more heard by us and will be able to better navigate this human world we bring them into.
Dog Training Support
If you feel you need more support in exploring and achieving this then feel free to contact me, we can work online if necessary to better tsupport you and your dog to achieve the goals you want.
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