hey there! as a dog trainer, what are things you wish you could have told your first time dog owner clients before they had gotten their dogs?
SERIOUSLY DELAYED REPLY QUITE SORRY
behavior is malleable. growth mindset, not fixed mindset.
aka: if you do not like your dog's behavior, it CAN (usually) be changed. this will require work and effort from you. if you don't want to put in the work that's one thing, but not putting in the work AND being mad at the dog for the behavior is unfair.
2. they're doing it because it works.
whatever "it" is. whatever "works" means. this is true for 90% of dog behaviors. the other 10% are "they're doing it because it's a byproduct of whatever they actually want to be doing" (e.g. dog screaming at other dog can be frustrated that We Are Not Greeting Now; the screaming isn't "working" but to address the screaming you also need to address that it's dog-directed and about incorrectly anticipating what's coming next.)
3. it's not a concern until it's happened twice.
exceptions to this exist, of course, almost always relating to HUGE responses from the dog. but the vast majority of puppies who growl about their chew being taken will never do it again. i see a lot of experimenting with tantrums that ends equally quickly. puppies will do every behavior once, and most of them never again.
4. you will fuck it up. it will be fixable.
5. very very few things come with an impending deadline. focus on the issues that bug you the most--don't try to tackle everything at once.
socialization does come with a big flashing-light deadline that you need to hit, but if your dog is over mumbleweeks (12? 16? i've heard both recently) you're onto new and exciting problems. this is ESPECIALLY true for rescues. if it seems like a neverending list of Issues TM, stop trying to handle them all. pick two to work on and manage the rest.
6. management will be your best friend.
management is the art of just not letting the dog practice that behavior. it is x-pens and tethering and sitting in a room with the dog as the dog fusses herself to sleep; it is walking odd routes at odd hours and not having friends over; it is never leaving the dog alone and only allowing toys outside and muzzle training; it is puppy is in the crate UNLESS has peed outside within 15 minutes.
i love management so much. manage your problems, then see how many remain problems.
