Are You Struggling?

Dear dog owners struggling to get help with your dogs,

You are not alone. It’s frustrating, it’s discouraging, it sometimes feels hopeless…. I understand. You want your dog to be happy and well adjusted, so you’re watching all the videos on YouTube, you’re reading all the books, you’ve probably even gone through a few different trainers, trying to find that “magic key” that will turn things around and get your beloved pet dog back on the right paw… and nothing seems to be working. Or, at the least, you’re only getting limited, temporary changes and them bam! The dog regresses and you’re right back to Square One – possibly, even worse. I understand. Truly, I do. And my heart goes out to you.

If you haven’t already done this, maybe you could try working with a common-sense trainer. Also known as balanced trainers, these trainers use a fair system of rewards and consequences to help your dog learn how to make better, wiser, safer choices. They help you and your dog build a strong foundation of mutual trust and respect with each other, they help you and your dog build confidence in each other and in yourself, they help you learn how to read and better communicate with your dog so that you can advocate for them when you need to [which, in turn, builds and strengthens their trust in you], they help you become more aware of your own state of being so that you and your dog can become more closely attuned to each other, and so much more.

If you’ve been told your dog needs to be medicated, please consider finding a good balanced trainer before pursuing that path. The truth is, most dogs actually do not need to be medicated; they just need to be given structure, and to learn rules and boundaries. If you’ve been told your dog needs to be euthanized, please don’t do that without seeing a good balanced trainer first. Because, 99% of the time, it’s just a matter of the dog not having proper structure, rules, and boundaries, and providing those things can and will turn things around. Euthanasia should only be considered if there’s something neurologically or otherwise medically wrong that can’t be resolved or even managed.

Don’t give up on your dog. There is help available. If you’ve already tried the positive-only, force-free route and it hasn’t made any real difference [or, if it’s made things worse, not better, which does happen], please give balanced training a chance. Please. It just might save your dog’s life.

Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on.