Are You Waiting Until Your Dog Crashes And Burns?

I see it all the time. People are trying. The dog owners I meet are often trying very hard and are very committed. But! They are making a huge mistake. The mistake is that they believe they are holding their dog accountable for their behavior, but they are missing the things that truly need to be addressed because they are more subtle.

By the time they are trying to hold their dog accountable, the dog is all ready off the rails and burning in a ditch. This might be as simple as jumping on someone or running through a door, or it might be as serious as severe reactivity and aggression. 

The fact is our dogs usually give us signs that their state of mind is going downhill long before any tangible behavior actually occurs. There is too much emphasis on behaviors and not enough emphasis on reading your dog so that you can give him feedback sooner and it will be more meaningful and more impactful and avoid a lot of your unwanted behaviors before they can never even happen. 

Don't correct your dog for going through the door, or do, but in the future correct your dog for simply crowding the door or being too excited about the door, being too amped up at the door. Don't correct your dog for reacting to the dog, but correct your dog for staring, for his ears going up, for him telling you he's too excited about that dog. 

See the difference? Where there's smoke there is fire. Even if you can't see it. Don't wait until you have a full-fledged forest fire and your house is burning down.