Is It Management or Really Training Your Dog?
Every time you have guests come over, telling your dog to go to place because you can’t trust that they won’t jump on the person when they come in- is that management or teaching your dog how to actually be? Is having to tell your dog to heel as you pass another dog that might be barking; and potentially having to correct him for that behavior whether a collar, a shake an or squirt bottle because he still wants to go after that dog, is that management or letting your dog make good choices?
As someone who lived that life of management, I know it’s not fun. Always wondering and worrying when and if my dogs would react again or lunge or fight. Always looking ahead to see any potential danger signs that might cause my dog to react. It wasn’t a fun way of living; and this is after months or years and thousands of dollars spent on training.
Recognize your life in the above ? We can help
Perception Modification: An Intro
This is where perception modification, and the training system that I use known as Training Between the Ears (TBTE), gives owners that change that they are looking for. The ability to not manage a dog. To trust them because they know their dog can make the decisions for themselves that before the owner would have to stand at attention to make for them.
Our entire focus in TBTE and perception modification is setting up our dogs for success in this world – without our intervention. This is the entire magic of perception – because we give our dogs the skills that they need to handle a crazy world that swirls around them. Because as we all well know, the world is crazy. Especially for our dogs who don’t speak our language and don’t have the comfort of the cues that drive them to be able to make decisions well.
Rethink How Training is Supposed to Work
One of the most unique things about perception modification and this training is we typically don’t care as much about traditional obedience. Sure, I still show people how to get their dog to sit or lay down, but it isn’t the focus. The focus is having a dog that can be calm and relaxed no matter what the stimulus is that could get them reactive or alert or frenzied. Whether that stimulus is another dog, a person, a jogger, a truck, a stroller, a skateboard, it shouldn’t matter because we give the dog the skills and the emotional stability to be like, hey look at that. Cool! In this system we want our dogs to look at the things that trip them up. Not to stare at us for guidance. Emotions drive all behavior. That is the focus of perception modification.
This training flips training on its head. It is different, it is pleasant to train a dog and to see the dog really grasp the information and the skills.
If you have tried traditional training, sit, down heel, stay and all the rest and you still feel like your dog isn’t where you want them to be, contact us! We can help where other trainers have failed or has only gotten your dog so far. We resolve aggression, anxiety and fear completely. Many of the dogs I work with I am the second, third, fourth trainer that people have worked with.
Rethink how you should approach training with your dog. Think perception and cognition. Not management. Reach out today to let us help you get your dog to your goals!
Check out what our client Phoebe has to say about the changes she has seen with her anxious dog Whisky.
“On no planet would I have been able to wow a bunch of strangers in a crowded store with an exceptionally chill dog just six months earlier. His deep-seated anxiety problems revealed themselves slowly after his adoption, but they were clearly only getting worse despite (or because of) my initial training efforts. [And when I say “worse” I’m talking potentially dangerous.] Dreamy Skies and Karen turned everything I thought I knew about dogs and training completely upside down, and the results speak for themselves. Karen (patiently) armed me with the tools to build Whisky’s confidence, to teach him to relax, and to deal with bad situations. My dog is now a source of joy rather than chronic stress. I’m a total convert to the Dreamy Skies approach — and a proselytizer as a result.”
