Changing Your Dog's Behaviour Starts With You...

It sounds pretty obvious right? Your dog can't exactly go online and seek out a trainer or behaviourist for themselves. However, a lot of owners may not realise how much input will be required from them to transform their dog's behaviour. The first thing you need to know and understand, is that your dog is not 'bad', a 'problem' or 'naughty'. They are simply trying to navigate life in a human world, where the expectations of them are pretty high and at times, unrealistic. I understand first hand how challenging it can be to live with a dog who is displaying challenging behaviours whilst also juggling different aspects of your own life such as being employed, running a household and trying to squeeze in your own hobbies and social activities to keep your emotional cup full! It can easily lead to small feelings of resentment towards your dog creeping in, even though, you still love them immensely. However, if you want things to change, you have to take the first steps towards learning how to help your dog and most importantly - you have to keep going!

So where to start...

Understanding Your Dog

Who is your dog? Well, there are elements of your dog that are already pre-programmed. Your dog's breed for example is going to significantly impact their overall behaviour and it's important you understand how this is going to fit into your existing lifestyle.

Rachel & her Welsh Collie, Marty.

What were they born to do...

Dogs have been selectively bred for hundreds of years to favour specific traits which make them ideal for working roles. Many of us know that you have dogs that were bred for herding, others for hunting, guarding livestock and various other tasks but what often gets missed are the variations within these fields. Dogs bred for herding can vary based on numerous factors including their style of herding, whether they work more independently or rely more on handler instruction and how they approach the stock. Dogs bred for hunting will vary based on the conditions in which the are required to hunt, whether they need to be able to retrieve in water, whether they need to flush out game from dense undergrowth or whether they need to alert to its location.

The different requirements of each breed will in turn affect what that dog needs to feel fulfilled; satisfied and their trainability. It's important for owners to assess whether their current lifestyle can support this. Games and activities that can fulfill your dog in a way that they were specifically bred for are crucial because at the end of the day, humans have bred dogs to be obsessed with the task for which they were designed. It is only fair we find ways to allow our dogs to do this safely and regularly. Many dogs that were born for a specific purpose may not find fulfillment in simple day to day walks around the streets or in parks, they need more. So research your dog's breed, find out what their specific role was and look into ways to provide an outlet for this through games and activities...

Their Personality...

Whilst the breed will dictate a large portion of your dog's behaviour, so will their individual personality. Just like humans, dog's are all unique and have their own personalities which will dictate their likes and dislikes, their wants and what motivates them. It is crucial that you learn as much as you can about your dog's personality and work with them as much as possible. Some dogs are naturally confident and maybe a little impulsive, others may be more reserved and considered. There's no use in trying to change who your dog really is, instead you need to learn how to communicate with your wonderfully unique dog in a way that he enjoys and understands.

Taking the first steps...

For some of us, the most challenging part is that initial reach out for help. For those out of the blue behaviours, or concerning ones that have gradually worsened overtime, your first port of call should be to your vets. It is essential that your dog is seen by the vet, that you discuss the challenges you have been having and if possible, your vet is able to get a hands on examination. Lots of dogs find the vets very challenging, as due to the nature of it, it's often the place they go when they may not feel their best or have unpleasant procedures done to them. So it may be difficult or not possible at this stage for your vet to examine your dog fully, that's okay. The main thing is, the vet has been brought into the conversation. Your vet may then be able to refer you to a qualified behaviourist who can help you to delve deeper into what the possible cause of the behaviour is. Your dog may appear to have the same amount of energy, still fly through the air after their ball and run around in the park for hours - but this doesn't mean they're not in pain or discomfort. The most important thing is to find out why the dog is displaying the behaviours they are, their behaviour is a symptom, it's vital we find out the cause. Underlying pain can have a huge impact on our dog's overall behaviour.

Working on behaviour change...

Once you are working with a behaviourist or a trainer, depending on the elements of your dog's behaviour you need help with, you should expect to have to make some changes yourself. Some dog's require adaptations early on to support getting them into the right mental and emotional state to actually learn. This may be achieved through management of your dog's surroundings initially, something that may not feel very convenient or easy to achieve but it's important that you try. It's not fair or realistic to expect a dog to just stop a behaviour that they may have been doing for months or years already. For many challenging behaviours, the cause is having a huge effect on how your dog is feeling emotionally. As we all know, when we are really stressed, anxious, fearful or frustrated ourselves we are very unlikely to be able to learn new skills or erase old habits just like that. It's the same for our dogs.

Management is essential in the short term for lots of behaviours that need addressing. Management can look different depending on the context too. A dog with poor recall will need to be managed on a long line initially. A dog who reacts to other dogs on walks will need to walked in quiet places and be offered considerable space from dogs they do see. A dog who relentlessly barks out of the window at anything and anyone will need to have a period of time where they are not able to see out of the window, either by limiting access to the area or through covering it. These are essential first steps of a much bigger plan.

Where does it start to fall apart?

Well, I often find that owners start off well, thrilled that they have sought out help and they now feel really enthusiastic that they might now see an end goal. They follow the steps of the management plan, start making a few lifestyle changes themselves in support of their dog and then bam - life gets in the way. They go from managing the environment and doing training exercises daily/every other day to maybe once a week at best. This is then followed by feelings of failure, feeling disheartened and seeing no progress. It's easy to see why when you read it like this, but this is a reality for lots of owners. Unfortunately, it's not up to your trainer or behaviourist to make you do anything or hold you accountable. You need to work out the best way to fit this into your current routine and lifestyle or look to see how you can make adjustments, even if they're just short term. It's important to remember that training does not always need to be an everyday thing, for some cases, every day might be too much for certain dogs. But it does need to be regular if you want to actually see any difference in the long run. If somethings not working or you are finding it challenging to fit in, talk to your trainer or behaviourist, they may be able to give you ideas and tips on how to fit this in around your busy lifestyle easier.

Moving away from managing the behaviour...

Once your dog is in a better head space, feeling more emotionally prepared to take on the world, that's when we can start to slowly wean away how much managing the environment or behaviour there is and start to use our dog's new skills that we have taught them in order to help them to cope better and ultimately, stay relaxed. This will look different for every dog and this is often the point when you need the support of your behaviourist or trainer the most. This is when you will learn about timing of rewards, how to respond to changes in the environment that may not be in your control, how to read your dog's body language to learn at what point you need to respond and help them. As well as how to keep progressing this to more challenging situations or environments over time. This is the stage when you start to trial letting your dog off of the lead. Taking your reactive dog to slightly busier areas. Allowing your excessive barker a view out of the window again... Be prepared that it might not work just yet, be prepared to manage the situation for a little longer and put a little more training in. However, with support from your trainer/behaviourist, this might just be the start of seeing actual change.

Some owners may prefer to just continue to manage the behaviour and that's fine. For many owners, this is more realistically achievable and may work better for their individual dog. Management will always have its limitations and is not the easy way out but for some people, it's the best solution.

However, if your goal is to drastically change your dog's behaviour and help them to learn to cope in the situation in the future, you need to be prepared to put the work in. This will include following the plan, regularly communicating with your behaviourist/trainer in case the plan needs changing, establishing good routines to help you and your dog to succeed and most importantly, to keep up with it. No one will ever realistically be able to give you a time frame on how long this will take, that's ultimately up to you and your dog.

Just remember, changing your dog's behaviour starts with you. They can't do it without you.