Does Your Dog Know You’re A Softy? 5 Steps To Finding Your More Assertive Side.
There’s one in every family! That’s not always true..but a fair percentage of people struggle with properly disciplining their dog, and this often results in dogs being unruly, needy, anxious, not listening, or demanding, even to the point of aggression. Being too soft can create a spoiled pooch!
We are going to talk about 5 things you can start doing to try to break out of that softy mindset and cultivate a little more respect. Do one thing at a time, and I bet you start to notice some differences.
It’s no fun to have a dog that doesn’t respect you. Even if they are mostly well behaved. It will benefit you both if you to develop your ability to be a little more assertive, which doesn’t require being mean, but it does require you differentiating yourself from a door mat or pez dispenser by having standards and setting boundaries.
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Minute-by-Minute Breakdown
- 00:00 – Host Kati Peppe opens the episode and asks listeners to subscribe.
- 01:00 – Being soft with dogs isn’t limited to women; it’s roughly a 50/50 split.
- 02:00 – Any person can be a softy and dogs detect and manipulate that softness.
- 03:00 – Episode will countdown five actionable items to develop a more disciplinarian approach.
- 05:00 – Stop hanging onto the leash; use a short leash so dogs can’t forge ahead.
- 07:00 – Use a properly fitted prong collar, ideally 2.0–3.0mm; avoid anything larger.
- 08:00 – Learn to deliver a small leash pop to disagree and regain your dog’s attention.
- 09:00 – Put a leash on dogs when guiding them into a crate to ensure compliance.
- 10:00 – When crating, be matter-of-fact—place the dog in, close the door; don’t plead or chase.
- 12:00 – Find small daily moments to assert expectations and enforce standards without negotiation.
- 13:00 – Significantly reduce unsolicited affection, especially for dogs that constantly demand petting.
- 18:00 – Use your body—bump with your knee—to reclaim space and prevent dogs from advancing.
- 23:00 – Let dogs earn resources; don’t automatically hand out food, treats, or attention for nothing.