06/01/2025
💪🏼 8 WAYS TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOUR DOG‼️
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Building confidence can be trying for dog owners of anxious dogs, but it can be done and the payoff is huge when the results are noticeable!
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1️⃣ CREATE PREDICTABILITY
Scenarios where your dog is anxious should have a pattern.
Example 👉🏼 Greeting people causes your dog some stress.
Each person that greets the dog should learn a behavior to perform or ask for such as scattering food or asking for a target to a hand or foot instead of reaching to pet the dog.
If this becomes the norm for greetings the dog will gain confidence in greetings not being so stressful because she will know what is going to happen during those greetings.
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2️⃣ USE MANAGEMENT EFFICIENTLY
Management can be a tool that helps in areas where training can't take place, shouldn't or makes the specific situation easier on all involved.
Example 👉🏼 Your dog stresses when people come into your home.
Put your dog in a place in your home where he feels safe & isn't exposed to people entering until that is something you can work through with training & other skills.
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3️⃣ GIVE SNIFFING THE UPPER HAND
Exercise is perfect when done properly & the correct exercise is chosen for each specific dog & case. Sniff walks are something all dogs can do & while walking!
Example 👉🏼 You want to exercise your dog but going around the block isn't do-able at the moment.
Put your dog on a long line, walk in front of your home & toss a handful of your dog's food or yummy treats in the grass for him to sniff out. Sniffing is calming for dogs & this can help while also allowing you to do some walking. You can also walk short distances while allowing your dog to sniff all the things, you know be a dog!
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4️⃣ PROPER PLAY
Play is a great stress release & is hugely beneficial to our social companions. Learning proper play will build your relationship & build confidence.
Example 👉🏼 Teach your dog to play tug with you, drop it on cue & start when you say. Let her win some & lose some, but lots of wins. Throwing a ball over & over isn't great play as it builds arousal so there are lots of other types of play we can do with our dogs.
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5️⃣ TEACH USEFUL CUES & UTILIZE POSITIVE TRAINING
Using positive training & teaching your dog to respond to different cues will benefit you & him in all sorts of areas of life.
When your dog knows cues, responds & gets rewarded, his confidence will go up. It will also help in situations so you both know what to do & how to respond.
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6️⃣ PROPER SLEEP
Sleep is just important for all living beings! Dogs should sleep at 12-18 hours a day, depending on age. This includes day & night. So your dog should get a lot of sleep throughout the daytime for proper brain rest & lower stress levels.
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7️⃣ AUTONOMY & CHOICES
This would be where you listen to your dog & respect what they are "telling" you while also allowing her to make safe choices about what is comfortable for her.
Example 👉🏼 Your dog doesn't like sitting next to you while you pet him. Let him move to a spot he wants to or just don't pet him at all if he's showing signs he doesn't want that in that moment.
Example 👉🏼 Your dog starts to show signs of not really wanting to be on a walk with you, then don't go on that walk or head straight home if you're already out.
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8️⃣ CONSISTENCY!
All of the above things won't matter if you cannot be consistent. In fact it could be more harmful in the long run if you do somethings one way one day and differently on another day. That will negate #1 and cause unpredictability!
🔑 So consistency is key!
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Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA
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© 2024 Stacy Greer
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