Confidence - it works both ways!

I talk a lot about how we need to increase the confidence of a fearful or anxious dog who struggles in their relationship with the world around them. What isn't so often talked about (with the exception of a few excellent examples like Janet Finlay's Canine Confidence Academy) is the fact that the human half of the partnership needs to feel confident as well.

Dogs are incredibly sensitive animals, and any tension that is held in the muscles of the person holding the lead will transmit itself to them. Considering that the lead will be a physical connection between dog and human for at least part of most walks, this is something of which we need to be aware.

Leads mean we are connected to our dogs, letting them feel any tension in us

What can we do to build up our human confidence further, and in doing so help us to help the dog's confidence?

• Acknowledge what we have done so far. So many people I talk to say they wish they could find ways to help their dogs without acknowledging just how much they are doing by realising their dog has a problem, and going out of their way on walks to find escape routes, hiding places, and alternative paths to keep their dog away from a trigger. This is such a cornerstone of showing our dogs that they can rely on us to keep them safe. The observation and environmental awareness required to see a trigger and find a 'ninja' spot before our dog is upset is absolutely a skill that we should be proud of.
• Know that we are doing the best job we can for our dogs. If you are reading this blog, the chances are you have done some reading and research on the subject of reactive dogs. Knowing a bit more about the issues that our dogs are facing can help our confidence - knowledge gives us power, as it allows us to start looking for what we need to do to improve the situation, and the methods that are known to work.
• Reframe our thinking. Instead of thinking that life with our reactive dogs is difficult, or impossible to see a way out of, think instead that our partnership is facing a challenge. This automatically puts a more positive slant on the nature of our relationship with the dog - we are going through this together and working on it together.

By thinking about these things in the more positive way, our levels of confidence in ourselves and our abilities to look after our dogs increase. The more we believe that we can look out for our dogs and keep them safe, the more positive we will be in our actions. This confidence will transmit to the dog, just as much as any tension does, making them feel even more than before that they can trust us to look after them and their bests interests. It can become a self-reinforcing and self-fulfilling cycle - the more we keep our dogs safe and not allow them to become stressed, the more they trust us to continue doing so.

The more confidence we have in ourselves, the more confidence our dogs will have in us.

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I am very pleased to say that my latest book is now finished and available for purchase, as either a Kindle book or in paperback, both via Amazon. It goes into much more detail on the science behind reactivity than 'Fight or Fright'. I have been getting positive feedback from readers so far, and I am very proud of what I have managed to produce this time!

Introducing 'Understanding Reactive Dogs: Why Dogs React and How to Help' (links go direct to your native Amazon store where available)

"Dogs are one of the most popular companion animals, and many of them go through life confident and happy with the world around them. A significant number do not - the scared dogs, the anxious dogs, the ones who are terrified when approached by another dog, person, or a whole range of possible things. These dogs react to the causes of their fear in a range of ways, all of which combine to make what are called 'reactive dogs', the ones who cannot cope and have to find a way to tell us. They may be labelled 'bad’, ‘aggressive’, or 'vicious' when they are none of those things. They are scared, and it is up to us to learn and to help. 

Learn how fear, anxiety and stress affect the dog. Follow the chemical and physiological changes that happen in the fear response. Find out the potential causes of reactive behaviours, and how to help a puppy have the best chance of avoiding reactivity as they grow and mature into an adult. Discover how to help the reactive dog develop a better relationship with the world. Finish reading this book better understanding reactive dogs."

If you are looking for a deeper understanding of why some dogs react to things in the way they do, want to know what the underlying processes, physiological and neurochemical changes that occur in the stress response, and the physical changes the stress response invokes, take a look at this book. Written to inform without baffling with jargon (and explaining what the important jargon means), this book will provide a further understanding of just what reactive dogs need from the people around them.