The importance of the right support.

I have made no secret in the entries on this blog of the fact I am convinced support is absolutely vital to the reactive dog guardian. I believe it is one of the most important, if not THE most important aspect for the human part of the fearful dog/guardian relationship. We need to make sure we are in top condition to be able to help our frightened friends. In the past I have discussed that a number of groups and pages can be found on social media, particularly on Facebook.

This does come with some warning, however. Facebook (and social media on general) is a place where it can be hard to be sure exactly who you are dealing with, and if they are who they say they are. As reactivity and the difficulties of life with a fearful dog are becoming more openly acknowledged and discussed by knowledgeable and competent trainers, there are a rapidly growing number of these groups that can be found.

Not all Facebook groups concerning fearful dogs are created equal. There are people that have started groups that have no idea what they are doing, and giving poor, outdated advice, or recruit others calling themselves 'trainers' or 'qualified behaviourists' that are in fact little more than some bloke who managed to get his mum's dog to sit once. (Yes I'm being sarcastic but it annoys me as this is difficult enough to work through without having to deal with these kinds of people!) There are groups that do know exactly what they are doing, and choose to use aversive, punishment based methods. There are also those that exist as a marketing device, to sell products to a 'captive' audience in a group.

By all means, join all the groups that you can find. But, once you're in, check out the people there. Have a look at the recommended trainers, check them out online. Read some posts and, unless you're fully happy with the answers given, leave and go to another group (there are a couple of great options in the links section, depending on whether you are UK based or not).  Learning more about reactivity can also help you to find your way to greater support and understanding. Never believe anyone that tells you that your difficulties can be sorted quickly and easily, or guarantees that the problem will go away entirely. False information and false promises help nobody. You and your anxious pal have enough going on without having to end up fixing more issues caused by substandard advice.

Here's a cute puppy picture to end on a happy note 😍