03/07/2025
When things get tough in the world of dog behaviour, it’s worth remembering why we chose this path in the first place.
There’s still a long way to go in changing minds and opinions about the ‘best’ ways to care for and train dogs. After all these years, it’s frustrating that this is still the case but the work continues.
I still see the ‘at all costs’ mentality where it doesn’t matter which method is used, as long as it seems to ‘work’. Often, this mindset is held strongest by those who lack the background knowledge or understanding.
This approach can be damaging to individual dogs and catastrophic when those people have access to multiple dogs or work with dogs professionally.
As someone recently said to me, “it’s like arguing with a brick wall', no amount of educated, knowledgeable arguments can win.
For those of us who care more about truly understanding dogs than simply showing off our handling skills or exerting control, it can be tough. But we have to keep going and not lose heart when we come across those brick walls.
Changing minds isn’t easy but every step forward matters for the dogs we care about.
While we might sometimes feel defeated or hopeless, remember: we are not responsible for the actions of others, only for how we choose to respond.
“You have power over your mind not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.”
— Marcus Aurelius