The goal of training a dog is to work through their unsavory behaviors such as jumping, leash pulling and barking. But is your dog training style actually causing your dog anxiety? Read on to discover how your dog training method can hinder your progress and give your dog anxiety.
Over the past month, we've been exploring anxiety and the effects it can have on your dog, as well as your own life. Anxiety is a very necessary part of life, helping humans and dog navigate through stressful situations.
Anxiety isn't good or bad, it's merely a way for your mind to double check the math, if you will. It's a "measure twice, cut once" mentality that has helped humans us in difficult situations.
The problem arises when anxiety keeps telling you to measure again and again (and again) and again....causing you to never actually make that "cut once".
Forbes Health recently published a very telling article regarding anxiety, stating that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the U.S. and affect over 40 million adults, or 19.1% of the population.
With anxiety affecting such a large swath of people, it's no wonder that the ripple effect is felt all the way down to our furry friends as well, causing many dog owners to seek professional help with their dog's behaviors. From aggression to accidents in the house, there are many ways our dogs are trying to tell us that they are struggling with anxiety, but how you decide to train your dog can affect your dog's anxiety.
Let's explore some reasons your dog training style is causing anxiety.
1. High Energy Dog Training Creates Anxiety
Are you super excited to work with your dog?! Like can-hardly-contain-yourself excited to train your dog?!
Then don't.
The very first thing my clients learn during our dog training sessions is to control yourself. That includes your body language and vocality. The energy you give your dog is the energy you will be receiving back. When working with recall, that's a good thing. However, if you're working through most common dog behaviors, or training your dog, that energy is in direct opposition with your goals.
So keep it calm, slow, and steady.
2. Training a Dog with Shock Collars
Every single dog I've ever worked with who has been on a shock collar invariably has anxiety. From a German Shepherd who ripped apart their pit bull brother (because a dog barked across the street) to a doodle mix who now bites anyone who goes near her neck, shock collars are the ultimate "stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about".
It's always important to remember that your dog isn't giving you a hard time. Your dog is having a hard time.
Now imagine you're having a difficult time, and rather than the person who you love and trust trying to help you through that difficult time, they slap you. Again and again until you finally just shut down.
You haven't been trained to just suddenly not be anxious. The definition of anxiety is fear of the unknown. You've merely prioritized a new fear over your previous one: now your more anxious about when you'll be slapped again.
Your dog's underlying anxiety is still there: they're anxious about the mailman. You've merely trained them to be more afraid of being shocked than to react about the mailman. That's some serious Game of Thrones crap there.
You would never use it on a child who is struggling so why would you use it on a dog? There are better ways.
3. Dog Training with Only Positives
On the flip side of things, I worked with a woman many years ago. She had tried dog training with a "positive only" dog trainer, who told her to never give her dog a negative, only positives. So every time her dog misbehaved, she started to say, "Positively no!!".
While you will never give your dog cause to fear you, only using positives is not the way to build trust.
There's another saying that I love: only your mother tells you when your face is dirty.
A simple, gentle negative can help your dog with impulse control, and build trust. By following through with your negatives, you are setting precedence. And dogs obsess more than lawyers over precedence.
Think of your negatives as guardrails. Designed to keep your dog safe, happy and anxiety-free.
4. Prioritizing Dog Training Over Activity
When my kids were little, I'd always be complemented on their manners. How polite they were in antique shops. How they didn't touch anything at a candy shop. How they were able to sit still during a wedding.
Were my kids well-trained? No. I Piloted them, but also prioritized their needs first, and that included (unstructured) exercise. Not T-ball, not gymnastics or dance. A way to blow off steam without (many) rules.
And we did it every day, because it was a need, not a want. It's an "if/then".
If I want___________, then I need to _________________________________________.
If I want MY DOGS & KIDS TO BEHAVE, then I need TO LET THEM BLOW OFF STEAM.
All dogs and kids are different, but one thing remains the same; if they aren't getting exercise, they will never be calm. There's a reason activity is touted as a major benefit for those suffering from anxiety.
By neglecting the physical activity and merely drilling or training your dog, you're likely causing anxiety. Give them a chance to blow off some steam, and then try training. The difference can be staggering.
You're Training Your Dog Too Quickly
There's a famous scene in a John Wayne movie where a kid states that he doesn't know how to swim, so Wayne picks up the kid and chucks them in to a pond, stating that "sometimes you just need to be thrown in to learn how to swim."
If your dog is reactive to other dogs, forcing him to interact will cause more anxiety. If your dog is scared of people, don't force him to be pet by strangers.
If a person was afraid of snakes, would you throw them into a pit of snakes to help them "figure it out"?
A simple recipe to remember when training your dog: You tell them the goal, and you allow your dog to decide the timeline. Don't make your dog have fun whether they like it or not. By forcing your dog into situations they aren't ready for, you are causing them extreme anxiety.
So slow down. Allow your dog to take a breath.
Just because you're not afraid of your Aunt Martha doesn't mean your dog isn't terrified (she smells like mothballs and Fixodent).
Don't force the interaction, guide it. You can move closer to your goals (standing closer to Aunt Martha) without forcing your dog past their comfort zone.
Pretty soon, the abnormal, scary "Aunt Martha" becomes normalized and *gasp* a positive experience.
Dog Training Based on Communication
Focusing on guiding your dog's behaviors, rather than dominating or placating your dog, will strengthen your bond. Communication is key in achieving that goal.
Whether you are starting at the beginning with your dog's current behavior problems, or you are ready to advance to dog training, have specific goals in mind. Make sure they fit your lifestyle as well as your dog's personality, and encompasses both your strengths and weaknesses.
Because every dog deserves to be the Best Dog Ever.
Discover more about our Piloting Method of dog training
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