Your Dog Is Anxious Or Nervous? So What?! Quiet Your Emotions And Finally Help Your Dog
When we get dogs with behavioral challenges, especially if they are anxious or nervous dogs, a huge piece of the rehab is the human. We often get dogs that have struggled for years, and the environment is always a factor in the path that the dog is on.
It is imperative that we change the environment and change the interactions. That means rewiring the humans so we can rewire the dog. It is very unnatural to respond neutrally when we feel big feelings, but it is so important if we are to actually start doing something different and getting better results. You can’t help your dog if you are stuck feeling anxious and nervous yourself.
But you’ll always be human, so learning to feel the feelings and not allow them to run the show is HUGE! This is true whether you have a nervous dog or a pretty outgoing dog and you just have a moment of guilt here and there.
At the end I’m going to summarize things that can help you do the right things when you feel like caving.
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Minute-by-Minute Breakdown
- 00:00 – Intro and request to subscribe to the podcast.
- 02:00 – Kati spent time ruminating while Joyce was away in Greece.
- 04:00 – Owners invent stories about their dogs and predict fearful futures.
- 06:00 – Episode is relevant even for owners with otherwise easy dogs.
- 08:00 – Many owners choose private lessons because they’re anxious about board-and-train.
- 10:00 – Dogs often relax and respond to commands by the end of a lesson.
- 12:00 – The issue is usually the dog’s problem, not the training method or tools.
- 14:00 – Kati asks if owners have bubble-wrapped dogs, causing confidence atrophy.
- 16:00 – Humans’ discomfort often prevents doing necessary behavior-change work with dogs.
- 18:00 – Some dogs show no aversive reaction to an e-collar, but owners misinterpret signs.
- 20:00 – If a dog is shaking in the kennel, Kati would leash them and begin work.
- 22:00 – Avoiding discomfort paralyzes owners and reinforces the dog’s avoidance behaviors.
- 24:00 – Kati says she’s never had a dog she couldn’t rehabilitate with proper work.
- 26:00 – Evaluate safety logically; proceed when you know nothing bad is happening.
- 28:00 – Living differently with a dog can throw the dog for a loop behaviorally.
- 30:00 – Wild running isn’t necessarily contentment; calm, relaxed behavior matters more.
- 32:00 – Don’t make anxious behavior into a big event; treat it neutrally.
- 34:00 – Owners often feel guilt about corrections and ignore what they know works.
- 36:00 – Rehab is a journey for both human and dog; humans are often the harder part.
- 38:00 – Dogs must learn to tolerate normal life routines like kenneling; nothing bad happens.
- 40:00 – Simply walking near triggers won’t fix fear; exposure must be structured and calm.
- 42:00 – Kati outlines three actions, starting with choosing a plan and staying consistent.
- 44:00 – The biggest obstacle to progress is often the owner’s emotions and inconsistency.
- 46:00 – Use simple obedience (sit or kennel) as a post-training routine or reward.
- 48:00 – Establish predictable post-training rewards to give both owner and dog reassurance.